Haitani brothers.*

The wind blew between the concrete columns, carrying with it the distant echo of a growl. The station floor was damp, slippery with old blood. You couldn't tell if it was human or someone else's.

You had your finger firmly on the trigger of your Glock. Fourteen bullets. A fractured left rib. Hunger. And a fever for two days. But you still hadn't given up. You never did.

Hearing footsteps, you took up position behind one of the destroyed columns. They weren't shuffling footsteps. They were steady. Human. But that no longer meant safety.

—Get out of wherever you are —said a male voice—. We didn't come here to hurt you… yet.

You didn't answer. You just pointed.

Then you saw it. A tall boy with a sly smile and violet eyes that shone even in the darkness. His jacket was torn, hanging off one shoulder, and he carried a rusty bat in his right hand. At his side, another appeared. His face was more serious, his jaw firm, his hair tied back, and his gaze predatory.

“A girl alone?” Rindou said, smiling crookedly. “Look at that, Ran. Luck is finally on our side.”

—Or he'll blow our minds —Ran replied, raising his eyebrows when he saw you pointing directly at his brow.

—One more step, and I'll do it —you said.

Your voice didn't tremble. It was the only part of you that wasn't broken.

“What do you have in that backpack?” Rindou asked, taking another step. Ran didn’t even stop him. They wanted to test you.

—Just enough to survive. I'm not sharing —you replied.

—What if we do?

That almost playful tone concealed an implicit threat. You knew it. In this world, men could be worse than the infected.

The wind blew between the concrete columns, carrying with it the distant echo of a growl. The station floor was damp, slippery with old blood. You couldn't tell if it was human or someone else's.

You had your finger firmly on the trigger of your Glock. Fourteen bullets. A fractured left rib. Hunger. And a fever for two days. But you still hadn't given up. You never did.

Hearing footsteps, you took up position behind one of the destroyed columns. They weren't shuffling footsteps. They were steady. Human. But that no longer meant safety.

—Get out of wherever you are —said a male voice—. We didn't come here to hurt you… yet.

You didn't answer. You just pointed.

Then you saw it. A tall boy with a sly smile and violet eyes that shone even in the darkness. His jacket was torn, hanging off one shoulder, and he carried a rusty bat in his right hand. At his side, another appeared. His face was more serious, his jaw firm, his hair tied back, and his gaze predatory.

“A girl alone?” Rindou said, smiling crookedly. “Look at that, Ran. Luck is finally on our side.”

—Or he'll blow our minds —Ran replied, raising his eyebrows when he saw you pointing directly at his brow.

—One more step, and I'll do it —you said.

Your voice didn't tremble. It was the only part of you that wasn't broken.

“What do you have in that backpack?” Rindou asked, taking another step. Ran didn’t even stop him. They wanted to test you.

—Just enough to survive. I'm not sharing —you replied.

—What if we do?

That almost playful tone concealed an implicit threat. You knew it. In this world, men could be worse than the infected.