I haven't had a chance to look recently, but from the office window, you can see for miles. The soft glow of lamp posts illuminates the abandoned cars littering the streets, giving the city an even more eerie atmosphere than usual. It's been decided that we'll leave as soon as the sun rises, giving us as much time as possible to find supplies before it gets dark. Even though I'm excited to explore the area, I'm also dreading it and would prefer to stay here where it's safe. But I can't just let everyone who's depending on me die from someone as avoidable as dehydration or starvation.

I can't stop thinking about what will happen if we're attacked out there, as they've had barely any experience defending themselves and we've never had to salvage for supplies before. I know I haven't had enough experience to be able to call myself a professional at it, but what's worse is that I'll be responsible if any of them don't make it back. I don't know if I'll be able to live with the guilt of someone not existing because of me.

"Are you ready to go?" I have no idea how long Alex has been standing there, but he's already packed his bag and looks ready to leave.

"Not yet. Is everyone awake?"

"Probably not. I'll go and see."

"I'll get ready, be downstairs in ten minutes." Ruby has always been a heavy sleeper, so I doubt she's awake. I, however, didn't manage to get any sleep last night, I was too busy mapping out a route that will allow us to cover as much ground as possible. I also had a lot to think about that I've been avoiding, I can never hide from my thoughts at night.

I wait until his footsteps grow quieter down the hall and push myself off the chair, a sudden wave of dizziness and nausea hitting me like a truck. I steady myself against the wall and take a few sips of water, sighing when I notice how little is left. Considering how carelessly everyone's using it, I'm guessing that we'll be completely out of water in two days, maybe three if we're lucky.

I grab my bag and put my half-empty bottle of water inside, then slide my knife under my belt. I tighten the laces on my boots and grab my hoodie from the back of my chair. I find Ruby in the break room and shake her awake, ignoring her as she groans and asks for five more minutes. I remember about the map and run back to the office to grab it, then I run back to the main storage area downstairs. I smile to myself, realising that only a month ago I'd have collapsed from so much physical activity.

Alex, Isaac, Carly, and Adam appear from behind a shelf and look around nervously at each other. Ruby shuffles down the stairs looking half dead, still wrapped in the towel that she used as a blanket. I pull the map out onto a cardboard box and show everyone the route that I've planned. They nod and make their last-minute preparations, having quick snacks and grabbing anything that they need. No one speaks, either being too tired or too scared.

"Before we leave, has anyone changed their minds about this? You don't have to come with me." Even though no one replies, I can tell that they're starting to regret their decision. "Okay then. Let's go." We walk out of the large doors in pairs as if we're on a school trip and awkwardly climb over the tall fence. I lead everyone down the street, craning our necks to check every direction for danger.

Thankfully, by the time we reach the suburban area of the city, we haven't run into any of the infected people. It almost seems too quiet. Adam hands me a hammer that he found in the warehouse and stands back as I break the glass of a small house on the end of the street. We realised that because everyone was evacuated when this whole thing began, almost all of the houses will be empty and abandoned. I make sure that it's safe and climb through the window frame, waiting for everyone else to follow me before looking around. We split up and choose a room to search, Alex taking the kitchen, Isaac and Carly taking the living room and the dining room, Adam taking the garage and Ruby and I taking the bedrooms.

I walk into the master bedroom, first opening the wardrobes as I've been desperate for some new clothes. I choose a few plain shirts and some black jeans and shove them into my bag. I check both of the bedside cabinets, but all I find is jewellery and many other useless items. I notice the shape of a drawer under the bed and pull it open, finding two sleeping bags, one red and one blue. I manage to attach them to my bag like a camper and go back out to the hallway.

It seems as though there were two children living here with their parents, and while Ruby checks the girl's room, I move on to the boy's room. I find a brand new looking watch on his dresser and some comfortable looking jackets in his wardrobe. I also pick up his school bag and tip out his work, transferring some of my discoveries into it.

About twenty minutes after arriving, we all meet up in the hallway leading to the door, sharing what we've found with the rest of the group. Alex opens his bag and shows us the few cans of food that he found. Isaac and Carly say that they only managed to find some blankets that we're in a pile behind the sofa, and Adam didn't manage to find anything useful in the garage. Ruby shows a pink torch and pair of converse that might fit one of the smaller kids back at the warehouse. I show everyone the clothes and the sleeping bags that I found, and then we agree to leave.

At first, I thought that I'd feel bad that we're going through other people's things, who might end up returning to the house someday, but that feeling quickly disappeared when I realised how much these things that we took could help us. Someone else in my position could consider what we did morally wrong, but I see it as essential for survival.

Carly finds the house key in a bowl by the door, so we don't have to climb back through the small window to get out, which would be even more difficult with all of this extra luggage. We walk back onto the street, noticing the powerful smell that's filled the air in the short time that we were in the house. We manage to follow the smell to a street corner not too far from the house we broke into, and what we see sends shivers down my body. Three young soldiers lie dead on the ground, various organs ripped out of them and strewn across the tarmac. One has a large amount of his neck missing, and the other two have lost a limb each and have had their bullet-proof vests ripped off.

The sun glints off of something a few feet to my left and catches my eye. On closer inspection, I can see that it's a military-style handgun, similar to the one that Tom let me shoot back at the hospital. I pick it up and admire it in the sunlight, allowing myself to get familiar with the weight. Ruby turns around and smiles when she sees what I'm holding, an excited look on her face. Now everyone else has turned around except for Adam, who seems to be doing what looks like a forensic exam on the bodies. I step closer to see what has him so intrigued, quickly spotting the look of extreme fear on his face.

"Look at the blood." He mumbles, his hands shaking. It's fresh, still running out of the soldier's wounds. Even the blood on the tarmac hasn't tried properly.

"That means..."

"This happened recently." Adam stands back up, his face the shade of paper. "There must've been dozens of them, even the soldier's guns couldn't take them down."

"We need to get out of here." Everyone quickly agrees, breaking into a run in the direction of the warehouse, but all the extra weight that we're carrying is making us slower. In the distance, we can already hear a horrific chorus of screams and groans following us, but thankfully they're still out of view.

"What do we do?" Carly shouts, struggling to keep up with the rest of the group. We slow down for her, all exchanging looks of lost hope. I look behind me for a split-second and can already see a few of them advancing in our direction.

"What do we do!?" She repeats, louder this time. I look over to Alex and see a look of despair on his face, the same look that's undoubtedly on all of our faces. I take one last look at the horde running towards us and shout so that they can hear me over all of the screams and wails behind us.

"Run!"