Part 1Dawn After the Blood Moon

The horde was at our gates, and Lena, my wife and Vanguard leader, took her team to celebrate her ex's birthday.

The Commander ordered me to retrieve them. I refused.

Last life, I'd raced to bring them back. We won, but her precious James got cornered and eaten by zombies—just his head left.

Lena went berserk retrieving his corpse. She locked herself away for a week, then acted like nothing happened.

When my serum cured humanity, she drugged me and fed me to zombies.

"You lured the horde here," she hissed. "You stole his research. Go to hell."

I woke up back at the attack.

This time? Let her party.

* * *

The symphony of gunshots and screams was the sound of my rebirth.

I was heading for the door when the Commander burst in, his face pale.

“Dr. Larry! The horde is here! Get Lena to rally the Vanguard, now!”

Before I could answer, the voice of Marcus, our logistics chief, cut through the panic.

“Commander! I’ve searched everywhere. The Vanguard is gone. Every last one of them. And they took our remaining armored trucks!”

A wave of terror washed over the faces of the survivors huddled in the lab. The Commander froze, his eyes wide with disbelief.

“Gone? Where did they go?!”

I let out a heavy sigh, the truth a bitter pill.

“They went with Lena. To the Exchange, for James’s birthday party.”

“What?!” The Commander’s face was a mask of shock. “We had intel yesterday! A horde was on its way! They were all put on high alert! And they left—all of them—for a goddamn birthday party?”

Behind him, the whispers turned to furious muttering. The survivors’ fear was curdling into rage. To abandon the entire Sanctuary for one man’s birthday…

The roar of the horde grew closer, punctuated by another volley of gunfire. People screamed and ducked, the lab dissolving into chaos.

The Commander took charge. “Everyone with a firearm, secure the main gate! The rest of you, get to the research wing’s basement! Do not come out until you hear a friendly voice, you understand?”

After directing the stream of terrified survivors, he turned to me, his expression grim.

“Dr. Larry, you’re a pyrokinetic, and you know their weaknesses better than anyone. There’s still a small jeep in the research garage. You have to go after them. Bring them back.”

I shook my head, a knot of futility tightening in my gut.

“Commander, it’s not that I don’t want to. But even if I reach them, Lena won’t believe a word I say.”

A heavy silence fell over the room. Everyone knew. Ever since James, another researcher, had arrived at the Sanctuary, Lena’s infatuation had been a public spectacle. Everyone knew we fought constantly over him, that we had divorce papers drawn up and waiting.

As they stared at me, trapped and helpless, Marcus stepped forward.

“I’ll go,” he said, his voice firm. “I’ve got a rifle and some charges. I can make it out. The serum is in its final stage. We can’t risk the Doctor.”

The Commander nodded, and Marcus didn’t waste a second, peeling out of the emergency tunnel in the jeep.

The Commander led the armed defense, a desperate stand against the tide of the dead, while the rest of us huddled in the basement.

Two hours later, Marcus returned.

Hope flickered in every eye as he staggered through the door, but it was extinguished in an instant. He was alone.

One of his team members rushed to his side. “Marcus? What happened? Where are they?”

Marcus’s eyes were bloodshot. He fell to his knees, his body trembling.

“I’m sorry… I failed,” he choked out. “Lena… she called me a liar. Said I was in on some sick joke with you, Dr. Larry, just to ruin the party.”

He looked up, his face a canvas of pain and betrayal. “I begged them. I told them the whole Sanctuary would fall. They just… they used their powers to hold me down while they laughed. They said I’d get what I deserved for trying to trick them.”

He was covered in bruises and cuts, the jeep behind him a mangled wreck. It was clear they hadn’t been gentle.

The story ignited a firestorm of fury.

“Vanguard Captain? She’s nothing but a whore, circling that pretty boy James while we all burn!”

The angry shouts were cut short by a deafening boom from outside. The ground shuddered. Panic erupted again.

The Commander reappeared, his face streaked with grime and despair. “An Alpha! It’s here, commanding the horde! The main gate won’t hold!”

“We’re going to die, aren’t we?” a survivor sobbed, their voice trembling with terror.

I looked at the terrified, soot-stained faces around me and raised my communicator. “I’ve already contacted the military. A rescue convoy is on its way, but it will take time. We have to hold on!”

I turned to the group. “I’ll go find help. I’ll go to the neighboring outposts and beg for reinforcements. We just need to buy more time!”

Marcus’s eyes lit up. He struggled to his feet, ready to go, but swayed and nearly collapsed. The others caught him, and as they helped him to a seat, they saw it: a massive, grotesque gash on his back, the unmistakable mark of a zombie’s claws.

He managed a weak, bitter smile. “Let me go. I’m already infected. If I can bring back help… let that be the last thing I do.”

The logistics team turned away, unable to watch. Soft sobs echoed in the cramped basement.

“You’re not going anywhere,” I said, pulling a vial of pale blue liquid from my coat. I hesitated for only a second before holding it out to him. “This is the latest version of the serum. It’s been successful in animal trials. I have no idea if it will work on a person… but right now, it’s all we’ve got.”

Ignoring the protests, I grabbed the keys to the battered jeep and headed for the exit.

The Commander stopped me at the door. “Dr. Larry, be fast. Our ammo will last two hours, tops.”

I gave him a solemn nod.

I had barely cleared the Sanctuary’s perimeter when headlights appeared, coming straight for me. My heart leaped. I slammed on the brakes and waved frantically.

The driver was Rhys, the Vanguard captain from the northern outpost.

I jumped out of my jeep, grabbing his arm in relief. “Rhys! Thank God you’re here! There’s no time, you have to come back to the Sanctuary with me…”

He shoved my hand away, his face contorted in a sneer. “Still putting on a show, Larry?”