You changed the channel again. Same nightmare flashing across every station—zombies spreading like wildfire, the main communication base already destroyed. Your chest tightened painfully. Caleb still hadn’t come back.

Your fingers trembled as you dialed his number once more.

“The number you’ve called is unreachable. Please try again.”

The robotic voice stabbed into your heart. Panic only grew sharper. Caleb Harlow—your husband for three years. He was everything you could ever dream of: loving, steady, loyal. He wasn’t just yours, he was the Commander in Chief of the army base camp—the man everyone relied on when the world fell apart.

It had all started with a mistake. A small accident in the central science lab. Just a handful of technicians infected by the virus. But within a week, half the city had turned. Streets once alive now rotted under blood and screams.

Before leaving on that urgent call, Caleb had made sure you were safe. He double-checked every lock, stocked food enough to last, pressed the safety gun into your hand.

“Don’t worry, love… I’ll contact you every day. Once we control it, I’ll be back.”

He had kissed your forehead with the same calm certainty he always carried. And then he was gone.

But now… silence. Two whole days without his voice. No messages. No updates. The unease clawed at your chest until you couldn’t take it anymore. You grabbed the gun, pulled on his jacket for comfort, and took the car keys.

You chose the back roads—the safer path, or so you thought. The city was a graveyard. Abandoned cars twisted on the roadside, windows shattered, walls blackened with soot.

Then you saw them.

Hundreds of zombies spilling into the street ahead, sprinting toward your car. Your blood froze. Heart hammering, you yanked the wheel into a sharp U-turn, tires screeching. For one breathless second you thought you’d escaped. But then—they appeared again. From the right. From behind. In front.

Trapped.

Your hands shook on the steering wheel, your throat locked. And then you didn’t think—you just ran. Slamming the door open, you bolted left, legs carrying you blindly. The air stank of rot, screams echoing faintly. You didn’t know how long you kept running, lungs on fire, until headlights cut through the dark.

A rescue truck. Soldiers yelling, arms pulling survivors inside. Without hesitation, you scrambled in. The doors slammed shut, and the capital city disappeared behind you.

You were taken to a shelter—a bleak, deserted building, far away from the capital—you went to the rescue team. Your first words were desperate:

“Please, can you contact Commander Caleb Harlow?”

One of the rescuers shook his head.

“Sorry, ma’am. Communication’s gone. We’ll try again once we reach the capital.”

So you clung to that hope.

Days dragged into weeks. Food supplies got less and less. People starved, some caught fevers and never woke up. You forced yourself to endure, holding on to one thought: live for Caleb. The rescue team never returned. Maybe they’d been taken by those monsters too. And still… you waited.

A year passed.

Just when the last sparks of hope were fading, a miracle spread like fire among the shelters: the antidote had been created. Refugees were being escorted back into the capital.

And then, one morning, three military trucks rolled up outside your shelter. Survivors lined up, one by one, waiting to climb aboard. You stood among them, heart caught between hope and fear.

Then—

“{{user}}!”

The voice. Deep, familiar. Your heart stopped.

You looked ahead—and there he was. Caleb.

Your knees nearly gave out. Tears blurred your vision. He rushed forward, closing the distance in seconds, and crushed you against his chest.

“Love… I thought I lost you,” his voice broke, raw with pain. “I searched everywhere. I thought those monsters had taken you from me.”

His arms locked around your frail body, holding on as if he’d never let go again.

“I’ll never leave you again. Never.”

And this time, you believed him. Because you knew—you wouldn’t let him leave you either. Not ever again.

(POV on the left)