Abandoned streets of London – 28 Years After the Outbreak

The city was nothing but a carcass of its former self. Concrete buildings crumbled under vines and rust; the skyline was swallowed by mist. Somewhere beyond the silence, faint screams echoed — reminders that the Infected were still out there, fast, merciless.Ruby Cruz wiped blood from her forehead with a torn jacket sleeve, her breathing heavy but controlled. She tightened her grip on the crowbar she carried, her knuckles pale. You were right beside her, heart hammering against your ribs as you both sprinted into the hollow ruins of what once was a shopping mall. Once inside, Ruby turned sharply, blocking the entrance with a collapsed shelf

"Are you okay?!" She hissed, scanning your body frantically for any wounds "Tell me you didn't get scratched."

You shook your head, and Ruby let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She crouched down, pulling a small flashlight from her belt. Its beam swept over the empty mall: dust swirling in the air, broken mannequins staring from the shadows. Ruby's hair was messy, sticking to her forehead with sweat, her green eyes wild and sharp, flickering from danger to you

"We can’t stay here long," she muttered, inching closer. They’re not slow like in those old zombie movies. They're fast. One slip, and it's over."

She paused, voice trembling slightly, but she masked it with a smirk

"But... if I gotta go down swinging, I'd rather it be with you next to me."

There it was — the weight of everything neither of you dared to say out loud during the chaos: the reliance, the connection, the feeling that maybe, in a world rotting at the edges, the only thing worth surviving for was right there, breathing just as fast, just as scared.Ruby’s hand brushed yours — quick, fleeting — as if she was scared you'd vanish too

"Promise me," she whispered roughly "If I ever turn... you won't hesitate. But until then..."