Chapter 9: Sunrise
IAN
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The convenience store wasn't much to look at. Its faded sign hung crooked above the entrance. Several windows had long since shattered, covered with makeshift boards that creaked whenever the wind pushed against them. Shelves stood half empty, some collapsed entirely, while dust and debris covered nearly every surface. But to us? It looked like salvation. The moment we secured the building, relief swept through the squad. Not safety. Not comfort.
Just temporary survival. And after everything we'd been through today, that was enough. The heavily injured soldiers were immediately moved toward one corner of the store where they could rest. Others spread out to secure every entrance and window while a few searched the building from top to bottom. Nobody took chances anymore. Not in this world.
Not after four years. Hog limped over toward me, favoring his right leg. Rainwater dripped from his ruined uniform. His face looked exhausted. "We'll have to take turns guarding this place." I nodded. "Agreed."
The others quickly voiced their approval.
No one argued. We all knew sleep could wait. Staying alive came first. Then suddenly a voice echoed from deeper inside the store. "Come over here!" I sighed heavily. "What now?" I muttered under my breath. My rifle tightened in my grip. "Please no more infected sons of bitches for tonight." Several of us moved toward the back storage room. The moment we stepped inside, all of us froze. Six people.
Six survivors. Two children. One boy. One girl. And four adults. For a moment nobody spoke. Then Hog lowered his rifle. "Are you guys okay?" The adults nodded immediately. Relief flickered across their exhausted faces. Hog stepped closer.
"Any injuries?" Another shake of their heads. No. No wounds. No bites. No infections. Just frightened people trying to survive. For the first time all day, I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders. At least something had gone right. We found refugees. We killed a giant infected. We lost one of our own. And several others were injured. A single day. A lifetime's worth of pain packed into a few hours.
The world never stopped finding new ways to surprise you. Usually for the worse. As night settled over the abandoned store, exhaustion claimed most of the injured soldiers almost immediately. Some slept against shelves. Others slept on the floor.
A few didn't even bother finding comfortable positions before passing out.
The rest of us continued moving through the building, checking entrances and watching for threats. Tomorrow we'll return to camp. At least that was the plan. Assuming the world didn't decide to throw another nightmare at us first. I wandered toward one side of the store. Then I spotted Dameon. He sat alone. Silent.
Motionless. And suddenly everything came rushing back. Rhys. His throat. The giant.
The way he'd been thrown aside. I can't help but think that Rhys mostly have been turned into one of the infected by now..
The way Dameon had looked afterward what had happened at the coast. My chest tightened. Slowly, I walked over and sat beside him. For a while neither of us spoke.
Then I finally broke the silence. "Hey man."
Dameon looked up. I swallowed. "I'm sorry for what happened." He stared at the floor.
Then nodded. "It's okay." His voice sounded distant. Almost hollow. "I mean..."
He sighed. "It was meant to happen, right?"
I frowned. "One of us would've gone down today." His eyes remained fixed on the ground. "We knew that." A long pause followed. "It was just his turn." The words hurt to hear. Then Dameon laughed bitterly. "I just hoped it would've been me."
My heart sank. He continued. "Anyone but Rhys." His voice cracked. "He's my brother."
A tear escaped despite his efforts to stop it. "We're stepbrothers." He smiled sadly.
"But it's always been us." His hands trembled slightly. "Us against the world."
I remained silent. Listening. Because sometimes that's all someone needs.
Then Dameon continued. "Nobody saw it."
His jaw tightened. "But Rhys died saving me." I looked at him. "The giant was coming for me." His voice broke completely. "Not him." Another tear rolled down his cheek.
"Even at the end..." He swallowed hard. "He saved me." For a moment I couldn't find words. What could anyone possibly say to that? Eventually I managed, "I'm sorry, man." My voice sounded small. "I can't imagine what you're going through." I paused. "But we're all here for you." He finally looked at me. "Rhys wasn't just your brother." I forced a small smile. "He was ours too." The corner of Dameon's mouth twitched. "Thank you, Ian." Then he shook his head. "You know..." A faint laugh escaped him. "If it weren't for you today..."
His eyes drifted toward the floor. "We would've all been dead." I immediately shook my head. "If it weren't for you guys, I would've never gotten close enough to kill that thing." That much was true. I hadn't defeated the giant. We had. Every soldier there. Every distraction. Every bullet. Every sacrifice. Including Rhys. A shadow fell across us. Hog. He limped over and stopped nearby. His face softened slightly as he looked at Dameon. "I'm sorry for your loss, kid." Dameon nodded. Then Hog looked at me. "And Ian." I straightened myself slightly. "Thank you for your contribution today." A small smile appeared on his face. "You were brave." Heat crept into my cheeks. I smiled awkwardly. "Thanks." Then Hog shifted his weight and winced. "Now..." He glanced toward his injured leg. "Think you boys can take my turn?" Dameon and I immediately stood.
"Of course." , "Absolutely." Hog chuckled.
"Thank you boys" And just like that, we took over his watch. A few minutes later Thomas joined us. He stood beside us, staring through a cracked window. Then he suddenly spoke. "You guys are thinking what I'm thinking?" Dameon and I exchanged glances. Thomas pointed outside. "Look at the sky." I followed his gaze. And froze. Snow. Actual snow. Falling from the heavens. In July. For several seconds nobody said anything. The flakes drifted through the darkness silently. Beautiful. Wrong. Terrifying. My mind drifted. The world has changed so much over the past four years. Pain. Blood. Loss.
Death. Everywhere. Yet somehow it felt like things were only getting worse. The giant infected haunted my thoughts. Nobody had ever seen anything like it before.
Nobody. How many more existed? Was it unique? Or were there dozens? Hundreds?
Were they only near the coast? Or were they already spreading inland? And the refugees... We found six. How many more were hiding out there? How many died before we arrived? How many would never be found? The questions twisted inside my stomach. Thomas suddenly spoke again.
This time to Dameon. "I'm sorry for your loss." Dameon nodded quietly. Nothing more. None of us pushed him. We understood. Some wounds needed time.
Eventually Dameon sighed. "Hey."
He looked at us. "If you guys don't mind..."
His eyes looked exhausted. "I think I need some time alone." Thomas immediately nodded. "Go." , "I'll cover your shift."
"So will I," I added. Dameon offered a grateful smile. Then disappeared into the storage room where the refugees and injured soldiers rested. For a while silence returned. Then Thomas surprised me.
"You know..." I looked over. He was still staring outside. "I used to love singing."
I blinked. "Singing?" Thomas laughed softly. "Yeah." He adjusted the medical bag hanging from his shoulder. "I even released an album once." That wasn't something I expected. Not from Thomas. Not from the guy who spent most of his time fighting infected and patching wounds. He smiled sadly. "Back then I thought music could solve everything." The smile faded. "That was before the disaster." A long silence followed. Then he patted the medical bag.
"Nowadays?" He chuckled. "I think this heals people a little better." I smiled.
Though my chest tightened. After losing his wife... I couldn't imagine what he'd endured. Nobody ever heard him sing.
At least not that I knew of. But suddenly I wanted to. I wanted proof that part of him still existed. That the apocalypse hadn't taken everything. So I said, "I hope one day you heal people with music again." Thomas looked surprised. Then I added, "I'm sure they'll come." For a moment he simply stared. Then he smiled. A real smile. "You know something, Ian?" "What?" I asked "You're a brave kid." He replied . I smirked.
"Thanks." Thomas laughed quietly. Then returned to patrolling the opposite side of the building. I remained by the window.
Watching. Waiting. The snowfall intensified.
The world beyond the glass slowly disappeared beneath white. The temperature dropped steadily. And with our injuries, burns, and damaged equipment, the cold represented an entirely new threat. If this storm continued... How were we supposed to get back to camp? The question lingered in my mind for hours. I never slept. Not once.
Instead I walked the perimeter. Checked windows. Checked doors. Watched over the refugees. Watched over my fellow soldiers. And waited. Eventually the darkness began to fade. The storm softened. A pale golden light appeared beyond the horizon. Sunrise. I stood outside the convenience store entrance and watched the first rays break through the clouds. For a brief moment, the ruined world looked beautiful. Peaceful even.
But only for a moment. Because somewhere beyond those mountains, beyond those forests and frozen roads, monsters still waited. The infected. The Reestablishment. The giants. Whatever came next. And somehow... I knew this was only the beginning.
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