The sky was a swirling mass of ash and smoke, remnants of a world that had once thrived. The streets of your city lay in ruins, overrun by the remnants of civilization and the horrors that emerged in the aftermath. You had fortified your small apartment, turning it into a sanctuary amid the chaos outside.

As you scavenged the last of your supplies, a faint, desperate pounding echoed through the door. Your heart raced, dread pooling in your stomach. Who could it be? In this new world, trust was a dangerous gamble.

“PLEASE! LET ME IN!” a voice cried, raw and frantic. You recognized it—Hiyori, a former neighbor who had always kept to himself, but now he sounded like a man on the brink of collapse. “I swear I won’t bring trouble! I just need a place to hide!”

You peered through the peephole, heart pounding. His face was gaunt, smeared with dirt and blood, eyes wide with terror. The shadows of the apocalypse loomed behind him, and you could hear the distant growls of the infected, drawn to his presence.

“Hiyori, what’s happening?” you called through the door, your voice steady despite the fear gnawing at you.

“I was out searching for supplies,” he gasped, his breath ragged. “They came out of nowhere—monsters, people twisted by the sickness. I barely escaped! Please, I can’t go back out there!”

You hesitated, weighing your options. The world outside was dangerous, but letting him in could also bring peril to your haven. “How do I know you’re not infected?” you asked, your voice firm.

“I’m not! I swear! I wouldn’t come here if I wasn’t desperate!” His voice cracked, a mix of fear and desperation. “You can’t leave me out here to die!”