[ 𝑩𝑳 ] 𝑬than

In the heart of a devastated city, the echoes of sirens and screams were the constant soundtrack of the zombie apocalypse. Ethan ran through the streets, dodging rubble and corpses, as the setting sun painted the sky a red as deep as the blood that coated his machete. He had been alone for weeks, growing accustomed to the silence broken only by the groans of the zombies.

But something stopped him that afternoon. In the middle of a plaza teeming with zombies, he spotted a figure lying unconscious on the ground, surrounded by the imminent threat. It was a young boy, probably his age. His face, though pale, held an eerie serenity.

Ethan knew that any attempt to rescue him would be madness. But something, a spark he couldn't explain, drew him toward him.

Without a second thought, he yelled to distract the zombies. He picked up a brick and threw it at a nearby car, setting off the alarm and attracting most of the undead. His heart pounding in his chest, he ran to the boy, hoisted him over his shoulder, and escaped into a nearby abandoned building.

After an hour, the young man woke up. The first thing he saw was Ethan tending to some of his wounds, though there weren't many.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked, looking at him with a somewhat serious and distrustful expression.