Death Within

Chapter 6

Anna woke up abruptly, gasping for breath as cold sweat trickled down her forehead. Her heart pounded against her chest, the lingering fear from her nightmare still gripping her senses. She had dreamt of being chased by the infected—an endless, terrifying pursuit that always ended in darkness. Shaking her head, she tried to clear the distressing images from her mind. As her breathing steadied, she turned her head to check on the children. Leo and Margaret were still fast asleep, their faces peaceful despite the horrors they had witnessed in recent days.

Not wanting to disturb them, Anna quietly got up from the bed and made her way to the kitchen. The house was eerily silent, the only sound being the distant rustling of leaves carried by the morning breeze. She decided to make a cup of coffee to calm her nerves, and as she stirred the warm liquid, an idea struck her. She should make one for John too.

Balancing both cups carefully, she made her way up to the rooftop, where she had last seen John. As expected, he was there, resting on a couch he had brought up and placed under a makeshift shade. He lay on his side, his rifle resting within arm's reach, his hand lightly gripping the weapon even in his sleep. Anna hesitated, knowing he was a soldier trained to react swiftly to danger. Instead of tapping him, she called out softly from a distance.

"John?"

He stirred immediately, his eyes opening sharply. His grip on the rifle tightened momentarily before his gaze focused on her. Realizing there was no threat, he let out an exhaled breath and sat up. "Oh, Anna. Why are you up so early?" His voice was still thick with sleep, but his alertness was evident.

"Just thirsty," she answered. Then she held out the cup of coffee. "I made you some too."

John blinked at the offered cup, then smiled. "Thanks." He made space on the couch and motioned for her to sit. She hesitated for a moment but then settled beside him, both of them gazing at the horizon as the early morning sun began to rise.

For a while, they sat in silence, sipping their coffee, simply enjoying the rare moment of peace. It was a strange contrast to the chaos that surrounded the world outside.

"So," John finally said, breaking the silence. "What was life like before all of this?"

Anna took a deep breath. "I was a medical student. Almost graduating. I always thought my biggest problem would be exams or internship placements." She let out a small, humorless chuckle. "Turns out, I was wrong."

John nodded. "Yeah. None of us saw this coming."

"What about you?" Anna asked.

John leaned back, gazing at the sky. "A soldier. Deployed here for an evacuation mission. But you already knew that." He took another sip of his coffee. "Before that, I was just a guy who liked painting and music."

Anna raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Painting?"

He smirked. "Yeah. Surprising, right?"

"A little," she admitted. "Didn't take you for the artsy type."

"Well, we all have our surprises."

The conversation lulled into a comfortable silence again. As the sun rose higher, Anna stretched and stood up. "I should start preparing breakfast."

John nodded. "Alright. Thanks for the coffee."

Anna gave him a small smile before heading back downstairs.

As soon as she was gone, John turned his gaze to the front gate. His mind shifted back to survival mode. I should fortify the gate today, he thought. It might not stop the infected entirely, but it would serve as a strong first line of defense if things went south.

After finishing his coffee, he grabbed his rifle and made his way outside, carefully inspecting the perimeter. The building was far from the city, but he knew better than to assume they were completely safe. He had seen how these creatures moved, how they hunted. He couldn't take any risks.

With quiet and precise movement, he began reinforcing the gate, working swiftly but cautiously. He added extra layers of metal, secured the barricades, and made sure there were no weak spots that could be exploited. Hours passed as he toiled under the sun, sweat dripping down his forehead, but he didn't stop until he was satisfied with the fortifications.

Once the work was done, he took a step back and examined his handiwork. This should hold for now.

He turned to head back inside when he noticed movement from one of the windows. Inside, Anna was sitting with the children, seemingly teaching them something. Leo and Margaret were listening intently, their expressions focused as Anna explained something on a piece of paper.

John allowed himself a small smile. In the middle of all this chaos, there was still a sense of normalcy. Even if it was just for a moment.

With that thought, he grabbed a fresh set of clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a much-needed shower.

Chapter End