In the back of the cart, Aqra threw another box of supplies at the head of a zombie, smashing her back down onto the road. He huffed with effort and looked down at the remaining boxes. They didn’t have many left to use as weapons. The two supply runners with them were almost out of ammunition and were conserving their bullets.

As they zoomed down the road, weaving between fallen barricades, corpses, and running residents, Aqra’s sense of helplessness only grew. He had caught glimpses of the other scout cars zooming through Zone 0. He hoped they had better luck in saving more residents unlike them who were going through the thickest of the zombie flood. From the corner of his eye, he could see a wailing ambulance on its side, people spilling out from its confines. He wished they could help but it was hard to stop.

The car screeched to a halt, swinging the cart to the right. Aqra swayed and almost fell, saved only by Timo’s outstretched hands. 

“Are you okay?”

Aqra nodded, too floored for words.

He darted a glance at Joon Woo who had poked his head out the window. “What the hell are you doing?”

Joon Woo banged a hand on the side of the car door and gestured to a woman in the far distance near the control center. “Shu! Get in!”

Aqra’s eyes narrowed. He recognized the name as Joon Woo’s old pre-apocalypse friend. The woman bounded towards them, dodging several zombies, before diving into the passenger side seat.

Aqra glanced at the people who had escaped the ambulance and judged the distance from the zombies to the scout car. They had time. Making his way to the front of the cart, he banged on the rooftop.

“Joon! We can save those people there.” He pointed to the ambulance.

Joon Woo hesitated, his gaze scouring the scene overrun by the zombies. His hands gripped the steering wheel and Aqra could tell the man was a second away from speeding off. Anger rose in Aqra’s chest. Before he could lash out, the female supply runner pointed at one of the white coats tumbling out of the ambulance.

“It’s Dr. Yu!” She ran to the side of the cart and waved him over. “Come on!”

The doctor caught sight of them. Hope bloomed in his eyes. He hurriedly reached down and pulled a wounded woman up from the debris, slinging her arm over his shoulder. To his right, a mother and child rushed toward the cart. While Timo and the male supply runner dealt with the zombies that had seen them, Aqra and the female supply runner lent their hands to the new refugees who clambered aboard.

“Go, Joon Woo!” the female supply runner yelled when the doctor was pulled aboard.

The scout car lurched forward, causing them to stumble around. One of the last supply boxes fell off the cart, spilling precious food and water into the street. Aqra steadied himself, stretching a hand across to prevent the mother and child from falling.

“Thank you,” the mother said, her voice scratchy but filled with gratitude as she pressed her crying daughter into her bosom.

“Don’t mention it. Are the two of you hurt?” 

“No. We weren’t bitten.”

“I didn’t mean that.” Aqra colored. “I just wanted to make sure the both of you were okay.”

The mother’s eyes softened. “Sorry. We’re both fine, mister…”

He smiled. “Call me Aqra.”

“I’m Ling. This is my daughter, Alicia.”

“Aqra, look!” Timo’s voice cut through his conversation.

His head snapped around, his gaze following Timo’s pointed index finger to the burning structure that once housed the field generator. His lips thinned. So this was the cause of everything. He wondered what had caused the structure to be blown to bits but there was no point mulling about the past.

The gates ahead were wide open, the road clear. Zombies had yet to reach the desolate area. Two scout cars were way ahead of them, coasting down the road toward the backup safe zone. Some residents were trickling out of the gate, those lucky ones who had managed to escape the center of the zone.

When they saw the scout car, they lifted their hands high in the air and waved, desperate to leave the zone. Aqra spared a glance at the horde behind them. They had a minute, maybe less before the zombies caught up. 

Before he could speak, the man who went by Dr. Yu clamored for them to stop. This time, Joon Woo acceded without a moment’s thought. As the vehicle rolled to a halt, Aqra spotted a car relic on the side of the road. Something about it seemed off. He clambered out of the cart, gesturing to Timo to follow. The male supply runner jumped to the ground as well.

“Lee, what are you doing?” Joon Woo called out.

“I’m the only one with two guns here,” Lee simpered. “Makes sense for me to back them up.”

Joon Woo shook his head and got out, a rifle in his hand. He gestured to the female supply runner helping Dr. Yu pull some residents into the overpacked cart. “Qiyu, you keep watch.”

“What the hell, Aqra?” Joon Woo hissed as he pulled level with Aqra. “We don’t have time for this.”

Before Aqra could reply, Timo said quietly, “There’s a hand sticking out of the taillights.”

“I bet you a hundred to one it’s a zombie,” Joon Woo huffed.

Aqra snapped, “You can’t be sure.”

Creeping forward, he lowered his ear to the trunk of the car. “Is someone in there?”

A muffled sound. The hand retracted and a clear female voice spoke up. “Please help me.”

Aqra’s eyes widened. He tried opening the car boot. It didn't give. Rounding the vehicle, he peered into the interior. A man was slumped over the wheel. His heart racing, he dared a poke at the man’s shoulder. No movement. He glanced down at the single key hanging from the slot. The key to the car boot was gone. 

“This may help,” Timo breathed out heavily.

Turning around, Aqra found Timo waving a large, sturdy tree branch. The two men got to work, wedging it into the small edges of the car boot, and using it as a lever to pry open the boot. As they put their backs into it, Joon Woo stepped to their side, his rifle held at chest level.

“Guys, I suggest you rush a little more. I estimate we have less than thirty seconds left.”

Grunting, Aqra’s eyes squeezed shut as he pressed down with all his might. By his side, Timo wheezed, his face flush with blood. But the lid barely budged under their combined strength. The men stopped, hands on their knees, trying to recover their breath.

“Please don’t leave me,” the trapped woman cried, her voice filled with despair.

“Ma’am, can you push up on the trunk at the same time?” Aqra said.

“I can try.”

Looking at Timo, he nodded and counted to three under his breath. The two men tried once again, their faces contorting with effort. The lid popped up, revealing a tear-stricken woman with shoulder-length curly hair, narrow eyes, and a sharp diamond-shaped jaw. Her checkered shirt was stained with blood and her jeans were torn. Plastic restraints bound her wrists and ankles.

Shots rang out as Lee picked off the faster zombies. He yelled, “We gotta go, people! They’re coming fast now.”

“Let’s get you out of here,” Aqra murmured as he got to work on her restraints with the spare knife he kept in his knee holster.

The woman’s sharp eyes took in the men surrounding her. “My bag… it’s in the back seat, I think. I need it.”

“We don’t have time, ma’am. We need to travel light.”

“I’m not going anywhere without it.”

Her hard voice, so contrasting to her soft pleas for help, made Aqra look up. Frowning, he shook his head. “Then, we’ll just have to carry you with us.”

The last of her restraints snapped open but still, she didn’t move. She rubbed a hand around the red lines across her wrists and glared at him. “Get my bag or I’ll get it myself.”

“The fuck are you-”

Joon Woo yanked at his shoulder, his gun arm up and aiming at the incoming horde. “We’re going now! Leave her here if she’s going to be difficult!”

“Don’t be a fucking coward, Joon!” Aqra snapped, rounding on his friend.

Hurt flashed across Joon Woo’s face. Before Aqra could retract his words, the sound of smashing glass sliced through the air. His head whipped to the front where Timo leaned into the backseat.

“I got her damn bag. Let’s go!” Timo said as he retrieved a red duffel.

Lee and Joon Woo laid covering fire as Aqra assisted the weakened woman to the scout car, Timo close behind, struggling under the weight of the duffel. The rescued people in the cart screamed in panic as the zombies drew nearer, raising a commotion instead of helping. Qiyu and the doctor sprang forward, pulling the woman and Aqra into the cart. 

Shula banged on the car door, one hand on the wheel and one foot ready on the accelerator. She growled, “Get in now!”

Joon Woo leveled off a few more shots before running for the driver’s seat. Safe in the cart now, Aqra whipped around to see more than five zombies converging on them. Lee, being the furthest from them, yelled as his finger depressed the trigger, his feet moving backward as quickly as he could. Then, the staccato firing of his gun turned silent.

“Shit!” He pressed the trigger again. He was dry.

“Run!” Aqra shouted.

But it was too late. Aqra turned his eyes away as a zombie tackled Lee to his feet. Behind him, Qiyu cried out in despair. The car started just as Timo tossed the red duffel bag into the cart. Aqra held onto the side of the polyweave fabric and stretched his arm out.

“Grab on!”

Timo caught Aqra’s hand and lifted himself onto the ledge of the cart. Grinning, the blue-eyed man was about to thank Aqra when his body was yanked down. His eyes bulged in shock, his mouth wide open. His hand slipped out of Aqra’s. 

And then he was gone.

Aqra screamed, lunging for air. He watched in horror as several zombies fell onto Timo’s body. Sobs wracked through his body. He could barely hear the panicked murmurs around him or feel the doctor’s arms wrap around him, tugging him back into safety. All he could hear was Timo’s shrieks and the way those blue eyes looked into his, whispering that it was all his fault.