Apocalypse: The Dead Lives
Chapter 63: Trapped

Chapter 63: Trapped

We stood frozen, weapons raised, breath held. The bushes ahead of us rustled again. Something was in there.

"Get ready," Oliver whispered, gripping his rifle.

My hands tightened around my own gun. The night was still, except for the soft sound of shifting leaves.

Then, from the shadows, something stepped out.

Not a rotter.

Not a maw.

A dog.

She was stunning, with brown and white fur, thick and well-groomed, with piercing blue eyes that locked onto mine. She was tall, elegant, with a strong build, but there was a gentleness in her posture, a cautious curiosity in the way she tilted her head at us.

I lowered my gun instantly, my heart swelling. "Oh my God."

Ellie let out a small laugh, relief flooding her voice. "It’s just a dog."

"Not just a dog," I corrected, slowly stepping forward. "She’s gorgeous."

The husky stayed still, watching me carefully. Her ears flicked, alert but unafraid.

"Where did she come from?" Cooper murmured.

"She must’ve belonged to someone," Kiara said. "She’s too clean to be a stray."

I crouched down, extending my hand. "Hey, pretty girl," I said softly. "Come here."

For a moment, she didn’t move. Then, cautiously, she stepped closer, sniffing my hand.

"She’s friendly," Oliver noted, lowering his gun.

I smiled as she pressed her nose against my palm, her tail giving a small wag. "She’s perfect."

Serena knelt beside me. "What should we call her?"

Everyone seemed to think for a moment.

"Something cute," Ellie suggested.

"Something strong," Oliver added.

I looked into those bright blue eyes and thought about how she had just appeared out of nowhere, right when we needed something good.

"Luna," I said.

The dog’s ears perked at the name.

Ellie grinned. "Luna it is."

Cooper let out a breath, slinging his gun over his shoulder. "Well, I’d say that was the best possible outcome. If it had been a rotter-"

"Let’s not finish that sentence," Ellie interrupted.

No one argued. We were all just glad it was a dog and not something worse.

I scratched behind Luna’s ears, and she leaned into me. "Guess she’s ours now."

With Luna now part of the team, we pressed on toward the military outpost. The streets were eerily quiet, every corner filled with shadows that could be hiding something deadly.

Luna walked close to me, her ears always alert. It was like she knew we were in dangerous territory.

We moved in silence, our footsteps light on the cracked pavement. Every so often, Oliver would check his radio, trying to contact Watkins Glen.

Nothing.

Static.

"Anyone copy?" he tried again. "Ender? Carter? Ronan, do you read?"

More static.

I tapped my own radio. "Mine’s dead too."

Ellie’s face paled. "So... we’re cut off?"

"Looks like it," Oliver muttered.

A pit formed in my stomach. No contact meant if something happened, no one would know. No backup. No rescue.

"We keep going," I said firmly, forcing myself to stay focused. "The faster we get this done, the faster we get back."

The others nodded, but the tension was thick.

Luna brushed against my leg, as if sensing my worry. I ran a hand through her fur, letting the warmth of her coat ground me.

After walking for what felt like an eternity the military outpost loomed ahead. Its gates were barely hanging on, it was rusted and broken in places. Beyond it, rows of abandoned trucks and storage units stretched out, a graveyard of the old world.

And it was crawling with rotters.

They shambled between the vehicles, their decayed bodies moving sluggishly. Dozens of them.

I tightened my grip on my gun. "Great."

"How are we getting in?" Ellie whispered.

Oliver pointed to a section of the fence that had caved in. "There. Quietly."

We slipped through, staying low, moving between the rusted trucks. Every step felt like a risk. One wrong move, one loud sound, and we’d be swarmed.

Luna stayed close, her movements silent.

The fuel station was intact. A miracle.

Cooper and Oliver got to work, siphoning the gas into containers. The rest of us stood watch, guns ready.

A rotter dragged itself too close. Ellie took it down with her knife before it could make a sound.

My heart pounded as I watched Cooper load another canister onto the truck. "Almost done?"

"One more," he whispered.

A groan sounded in the distance. Then another.

More were coming.

"Speed it up," I urged.

Cooper and Oliver worked faster. The last container was loaded.

"We’re good!" Oliver whispered.

"Go, go, go," I hissed, ushering everyone toward the truck.

We climbed in, Luna jumping up beside me.

Oliver started the engine. The noise was deafening.

The rotters turned.

"Drive!" Ellie yelled.

Oliver hit the gas. The truck moved forward, tires screeching as we sped toward the exit.

We were almost free.

Then the ground rumbled.

Lights flooded the outpost.

Engines roared.

A convoy of military vehicles rolled through the gates. Tanks. Trucks. Soldiers.

My stomach dropped.

"The fuck-?" Cooper whispered.

Oliver slammed the brakes. We skidded to a stop, the truck barely concealed by the wreckage around us.

A man stepped out of the lead vehicle.

Tall. Broad. Cold eyes scanned the outpost like he owned it.

The general.

Marco’s father.

I barely had time to process before he spoke, his voice carrying across the lot.

"Secure the area. Kill anything that moves."

Panic surged through me.

The soldiers spread out, sweeping the grounds.

"Move," Oliver whispered. "Now."

We abandoned the truck, slipping into the shadows. We had seconds before the soldiers spotted us.

Luna stayed close, her ears flat, body low.

We darted toward an abandoned building, slipping inside just as a soldier turned in our direction.

The door shut behind us.

Darkness swallowed us.

I pressed my back against the wall, my breaths coming too fast. Outside, boots crunched against gravel.

"We’re trapped," Ellie whispered.

The military had taken the outpost. They were guarding every exit.

There was no way out.

Luna pressed against my leg, silent but alert. She didn’t make a sound. A good dog. A trained dog.

If they found us...

I swallowed hard.

We have to find our way out of here.

And fast. Otherwise, we’d all be dead by first light.

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