My gaze snapped to the dog for a moment, understanding blooming behind the fear which made me tremble in the man’s grasp. “I didn’t intend to hurt it,” I said, my voice weak and shaking as I tried to defend myself. Slowly I drew my hands back, holding them up in a gesture of surrender as I continued, “I used to work here. When I saw your dog, I thought it was alone, and I just wanted to help.” 

The stranger’s bright eyes scanned me for a moment, gaze narrowed. After a gruff exhale, he shoved me away from him and dropped his hold on me, making me stagger for a moment. He gave a soft whistle, the shepherd responding instantly with its tail wagging as it returned to its master’s side, dropping to sit expectantly by his feet. 

The man’s combat boots were caked in mud, jeans stained with dirt and blood. Everything about him was rugged and gruff—the opposite of me. 

“You used to work here, huh?” he asked skeptically, his deep voice husky as I saw him wince and hold his side. “Then you can do me a solid and tell me where the gauze is stored.” 

I blinked at him, stunned by the change in attitude; it took me a moment to find my voice, nodding as I said, “There’s not much left, I’ve already cleared out most of it, but I have some in my bag.” I stepped away from him, fingers reaching up to clench the straps of my backpack over my shoulders as I watched him warily. For a moment my gaze dropped to my knife on the floor—but I had a feeling the man wouldn’t react well if I made a move to pick it up. 

My caution warred with the sight of blood beginning to spread over the man’s fingers. The compassionate part of me, which had driven me to a career in vet care, began to edge past my sense of self preservation. “How badly are you injured?” I asked, hoping I didn’t regret it. 

He flinched as his gaze hardened on me, his other hand twitching towards one of his guns. “Not bad enough to stop me from killing you if you try anything. Just give me the fucking packing.” He thought I was probing for a weakness, stiff and at the ready as if he’d been through this before—and maybe he had. 

I sucked in a breath, understanding his caution; it was hard to trust a stranger in a world where people killed over supplies. Slipping the backpack from one shoulder, I pulled it to my chest, unzipping it and rummaging through the contents. Luckily there had been first aid kits for the employees along with the supplies for treating animals, and I handed the man a box of gauze bandages with adhesive tabs; it was half empty, but better than nothing in a pinch.

He snatched it out of my hand, grabbing the gauze to stack together before he eyed me with suspicion. He turned away slightly, as if he didn’t want me to see, and lifted his shirt. His muscles were chiseled, thick, dark hair covering his abdomen and chest. I could see the deep wound—a gaping laceration that he quickly taped the gauze to, hands slipping in the blood.

Seeing blood immediately blossom over the white surface made the sick feeling in my stomach grow, and I found it impossible to ignore the man’s clear need for help. 

Softening my voice, I let my tense shoulders relax as I tried to appeal to him. “The bandages won’t do you much good if you’re bleeding that heavily.” I stepped forward slowly, wincing as I saw him flinch. It was almost absurd that a man like him found me threatening; he was solid with muscle, and as I came closer the difference in our height had me looking up at him with pleading eyes. “I don’t want to take advantage of you, I just want to treat your wound. I could at least stitch you up so you don’t bleed out. After all, it’d be a shame if you left your poor dog all alone out here,” I added with an edge of desperation, hoping he would agree quickly…because every moment I spent trying to convince him was a risk to both of us. 

He seemed to be thinking the same, glancing down the hall warily before he looked at the dog at his feet. 

It cocked its head to the side, wagging its tail with slow swishes. 

He swore under his breath, saying harshly. “Fine. But don’t try anything. I mean it. I’m not above killing a kid like you.” His eyes swept me from my head to my toes before he held my stare. 

“I’m not a kid,” I snapped, regretting it immediately as I saw his gaze on me narrow. I shook my head, quick to clarify, “I have no reason to hurt you, as long as you’re cooperating, and I hope you’ll think the same way. What harm could I even do to a man like you?” The words were a mutter under my breath, keeping a wary eye on him as I bent over to retrieve my hunting knife. I kept a few steps away from him, tilting my head toward the door I had been trying to escape through. “I have somewhere safe to stay, not far from here. It’ll be safer to treat you there. Will you come with me?” 

He scoffed, raising a dark brow as he asked, “How old are you, then?” 

“Is this really important right now?” I heard the agitation rising in my voice as my finger clenched around my knife. When he didn’t budge, I huffed and answered, “I’m twenty-four. Now, if you’re satisfied, can we get out of here?” 

His reluctance was beyond aggravating as he asked, “And what’s waiting for me if I follow you? You can’t have survived out here all by yourself. Is your group really going to take kindly to an armed stranger? Way I see it, I’m a treasure trove for your lot.” Though he looked calm and serious, I could hear the strain in his voice, breaths shallow as if it hurt for him to breathe. His muscles flexed as he pressed his hand harder to his side—cautious to a point of his own detriment. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I hissed, feeling heat rise to my face as frustration welled. “Fighting and killing are not the only ways to survive. I live alone, and I’m still alive because I found somewhere safe, a trailer I only leave to scavenge for supplies. If you don’t believe me, I’ll be more than happy to show you—as long as you’re quiet and follow me.” I narrowed my eyes at him, feeling daring as I stated, “Or you can stay here and bleed out. Either way, I’m done answering questions. I’m leaving…with or without you.”

The man’s posture seemed to soften, grimacing as he winced against the pain in his side. “Fine. Alright. Beats bleeding out.” He sighed heavily, giving another low whistle which made the dog stand at attention. The man jerked his chin toward the back door, a kind of exhaustion on his face as he muttered, “Lead the way, then.” 

A faint, relieved smile curved my lips as I nodded, my grip on my knife easing. I’d taken only a few steps before a resounding, muffled crash made me stiffen, my gaze whipping back toward the door of the treatment room—the only barrier between us and whatever was out there. 

A terrifying racket echoed from the front of the clinic, my stomach sinking as I realized it was the sound of the windows in the lobby being shattered. The fear of being followed had suddenly become very real, and I looked at the man with horror—knowing his open wound and the blood flowing over his fingers would make us a very easy target. 

“Fuck,” he seethed, moving with lightning instinct. He took the shotgun from his back, cocking it as the dog at his feet began to growl and bark viciously. “Those bastards must have followed me—smelled my damn blood.” He stepped toward the hall, shoving me behind him as he stood like a statue, primed to take a shot. 

I held my knife in my trembling hand, peering around the man just in time to see the door to the treatment room burst inward, smashed off its hinges with an ear-splitting screech of rent metal. My stomach churned, bile in the back of my throat, watching as a horrifying creature raised itself from the door. 

There was still some semblance of humanity left, the vague form of a man, but its limbs were twisted and bent in unnatural positions as it contorted on all fours to raise its face. For a moment it could seem almost normal, despite the black void of its eyes, until its mouth opened on rows of viciously sharp teeth. 

Its jaw split in half as it unhinged, the grisly maw extending down the creature’s throat in a splay of fangs that made me shudder. Saliva fell to the floor in thick drips as the monster’s nostrils flared, and its inhuman gaze shot to us with unerring focus, drawn by the scent of blood. 

Though the stranger stood between me and the horrific creature, fear latched onto my mind…with a chilling certainty we would be its next meal.