The Alpha's Darkest Fate

back of her neck stood on end, urging her to keep moving. The wind whipped around them, a cold bite in the night air, but the fear inside her was a far greater chill. The back do

Jillian jumped into the passenger seat, heart pounding as the sound of footsteps echoed behind them. No time to look. No time t

The town they had left behind disappeared into the rearview mirror, a dark silhouette against the expanse of nothingness. The headli

ce tight. "We need to keep moving. We ca

say. The image of the wild-eyed man with the bat burned in her mind. His twisted gr

der. "What matters is that we're not alone out here

g watched, of being hunted, that gnawed at her. They had been on the move for weeks now, jumping from one forgotten t

forever. The moon hung low in the sky, a pale sliver of silver light that offered little comfort. Tom's hands were s

se out here, do you?" Jillian aske

ion. "The world didn't just end for us. There's always s

rs were just as dangerous-if not more so-than the monsters they had left behind. The silence that had fallen between them seemed

and barren, a testament to the chaos that had come before. The trees, skeletal and twisted, loomed over the road lik

should find somewhere to rest soo

rther up the road. An old gas station. It migh

was skeptical, but there was

, though the exhaustion weighed heavily on her.

where the remnants of civilization still clung to existence. It was always a gamble-take what they could and leave before so

. Then, in the distance, the flicker of dim light appeared. A single sign-a rusted, faded remnant of a once-busy place.

med to stretch across the empty lot. The sign swayed in the breeze, creaking ominously. The building itself appeared to be

ned. "We need to check it o

ter. "Stay alert. If we're not alone her

ad picked up, carrying with it the faint scent of decay. It was cold, but not unbearably so.

his pack from the back seat. Jillian followed, her knife once again

of rust and old gasoline. The gas pumps outside were long gone, and the shelves that lined the wa

ile," Jillian said, glancing around. "

ay toward the back. The shelves were bare, save for a few cans of expired food and a scattering of old

he scanned the area. He moved toward a door at the far

rneath, and with a quick glance at Tom, she crouched down to investigate. The lockbox was old, its edges worn from years of n

es were yellowed, the handwriting nearly illegible, but something about i

a small, rusted refrigerator in the corner. Tom crouched beside it and pulled open th

he muttered, grabbing

t done here. Almost ready to leave. But she couldn't shake the feeling that

e storage room

quickly stood, his hand going to the knife at his bel

re, a figure standi

alled, her voice steady

ard, and Jillian's brea

by the hood of his jacket. He held a rifle loosely at his side,

me thing," the man said

eat. This wasn't over. The