The group and the mysterious man sat in the nursing home, he looked a bit nervous his fingers fidgeting at the hem of his sleeve he was sitting crisscrossed, slouching, "okay uh. so…- "he glanced around a little seeing the looks on the others faces. Worry, concern, even some fear in some of them. He bit the inside of the cheek he looks down at the dirty floor, "I promise I won't hurt you or anyone I-I I'm not a monster..- "his voice was softer and shaky, his nails dug into the sleeve.
The others hesitated, Judy stood next to her husband, jasmine and max hovered nearby but far enough to keep watch... Owen and the rest lingered behind the two adults, watching and waiting to see what would happen, their grips on their weapons tight.
"I-…" the man hesitated. "I'm Sebastian uhm. you can call me Seb...?" he barely glanced up. He heard one of them scoff.
Ezekial watched Sebastian with a hawklike eye, he spoke up his voice gruff, "Ezekial. This is my wife, Judy." He gestured to the woman beside him, she gave Sebastian a gentle, concerned smile.
Ezekial glanced at the others silently telling them to tell them their names, one by one they all spoke.
Mateo took a step forward, "I'm Mateo." He crossed his arms, his bat raising over his shoulder, resting on it, his gaze went up and down Sebastians orange jumpsuit.
Juno took stance beside Mateo, her jaw clenched, she didn't want to say her name, Mateo gave her a nudge. Making her glance at her boyfriend. "Juno." She said and looked away.
Owen gave a nod, "Owen." He put some weight on one foot, making his hip jutting just slightly.
Jasmine took a step closer to her brother her voice gentle in the air, "...Jasmine… this is my brother max."
max gave a slight wave with his sledgehammer.
Sebastian swallows hard, "It uh. It's nice to meet you all, I uh... I know this looks bad.. I promise you all though I'm not a bag guy. I had to protect someone I loved."
The group shifts not convinced but also not unconvinced.
Ezekial frowned and sighed, "we'll see about that." Which earned him a gentle glare from his wife, but he didn't care. He wasn't about to trust someone in a prison jumpsuit.. even if this Sebastion guy is a nervous mess.
Sebastion gave a nod, "that's fair."
Max silently stood behind everyone at the entrance ----- for the first time he looked at Sebastian, noting the truth behind the prison getup.
Not a threat.
Just a scared honest man trying to survive.
The silence was tense; one question was in everyone's mind. Why was he in prison?
Juno glanced at everyone; she scoffed a bit and walked forward standing beside Ezekial. "Alright. Let's cut to the point.. Sebastian, or if that even IS your name.. mph Since no one will ask, I may just be the one to ask. Why were you in prison? And don't give us any bullshit or I will crack your skull open." She hissed, her eyes narrowing and her brows knitting together, she clenched her jaw so tightly a muscle twitched, she felt a hand on her shoulder, it was just Mateo. He squeezed gently a silent warning on staying polite.
Sebastian flinched a bit at the venom dripping from her voice, he picked at his nails, slowly tearing the tips, he stayed silent for a moment then sighed, he straightened up and spoke. "Well.. It happened four years ago.. uh. I got home early from practice.. I was 18 at the time. I saw my shit for brains stepfather beating on my mother.. again, and I just.. got in between them when he put his hands on me. I lost it. I slammed his head against the countertop his head caught the corner, and then before I knew it, my mother had called the police. I-.. I was protecting her. She said I was a monster. Even though I saved her. I saved her and she said I was a monster." He went silent and shook his head, his head was bowed. His shoulders were shaking slightly as if he was trying not to cry.
Everyone stayed silent, not knowing what to say, looking a bit awkward at one another.
Sebastian's words hung in the air a tension surrounding him and the others.
He kept his head bowed, fingers still picking at the torn skin around his nails. A tiny sound escaped him — not a sob, not a breath — just the sound of someone trying too hard to stay quiet.
No one moved.
Jasmine softened at first, but she didn't step forward. Mateo looked away, guilt flickering across his face before he masked it. Juno's expression cracked for half a second — sympathy— then she folded her arms tighter, as if she weren't allowed to feel it.
Ezekial cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "Damn…" he muttered under his breath, not sure if it was meant for Sebastian or himself.
Owen just watched. His expression is unreadable. He hummed slightly and shook his head he then looked away and at the entrance.
Max had his head tilted, as if he were processing the words of Sebastians story.. he felt bad for the guy. If he could speak.. he would've. He felt bad for him honestly even if the taller male still intimidated him.
As the group contemplated what to do next, Owen felt his chest tighten just a bit.. He remembered Ryan. He keeps glancing at the entrance just hoping to see the black-haired male. But every time. No one was there except dust.
Everything happened so fast, no one knew if he was hurt. Okay.. or if he was even alive. He glances at Hunter who was nuzzled into Jasmines arms. She had been holding him for a while now. He was sleeping. Barely even knowing what was going on.
Owen sighed to himself. He needed air. He looks at Mateo and muttered to him, "I am going out to ger fresh air.. I will be back." With that Owen went outside leaving the others inside to manage this situation.
The others didn't notice Owens' departure, Ezekial looks at his wife she looks back at him, both trying to figure out if they can trust him.
"I-.. I promise you I will stay out of the way- "he got cut off by Juno.
"Who says you're coming with us? Huh? What gave you that idea." She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Sebastion went silent.
Mateo sighed and gently smacked Juno's shoulder. "don't worry. Just.. Let Ezekial and Judy manage this okay? I am sure they will figure this out soon enough." He said to his Lady, he huffed and grumbled at him, he wrapped a hand around her shoulders and pulled her closer. His free hand gently brushing through her thick locs.
Juno stayed silent for a moment. But she wasn't done. She still had more to say.. "You think you can tag along because you want to? First off. You don't know us. And second off? How can we trust you, I mean you were in prison for murder. How would or should we believe you? Do you think some sob story will make us break? Make us believe you? What if you're lying huh? What then? We have a damn psycho on our team who may snap and kill us.
Sebastian stayed silent, his hands trembling. "I-.." He clenched his jaw tightly, his eyes darted around, just trying to focus on something, anything, he could feel his panic rising, "I Don't have any where else to go…- but I-.. I did not ask to go with I know that I just… I uh..- I just don't want to die alone." His voice came out shaky and wobbly. He heard her scoff.
Just as she was about to speak.. Mateo gently put a hand over her mouth. He gave her a look. He shoved her onto his side hiding her, making her go silent, he hated when she did this.. She didn't know when to be silent or stop. He glanced at Ezekial and Judy; he muttered to Juno and guided her away from the group into a different area in the nursing home.
Ezekial let out an annoyed sigh, "I swear.. that kid doesn't know when to shut up." He pinched the bridge of his nose, frustrated, he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, he glanced at his wife, Judy.
"Honey.. look. Why don't I keep an eye on him? We cannot just leave him here to die or rot away. He seems like a genuinely sweet kid.. Come on reconsider. And right when we find Ryan alive.. We talked to him. I don't give a shit on what he thinks. I will not leave someone alone.. We have left people. I do not what this to happen again." Her grips tighten a bit on him, she looks into his eyes, "he's still a kid. Please Ezekial.." she begs weakly, she saw Sebastian flinch a bit at her words from her peripheral vision. Her gaze softens slightly; she gave her husband a pleading look.
Ezekial hesitated, the look in her eyes.. she was impossible.. he let out a sigh, "okay. Okay, we take him with us BUT I have my eyes on you, got it kid?" He said his arms crossing.
Sebastian looked surprised, his eyes widen just slightly, "Y-yes I understand.. you will not regret it I promise."
For the first time in weeks.. years. He could breathe; he could survive.
Ryan did not feel that way at all.
Ryan and Amara. They were still trying to get away, the vehicle jolting as it ran over walker after walker. Each impact thudded through the floorboards, rattling up Ryan's spine. Amara's knuckles were white on the steering wheel, her eyes locked on the road ahead, refusing to blink.
Ryan sat rigid in the passenger seat, jaw clenched so tight it ached. His fingers dug into the door handle every time the tires bounced over another body. He could hear the wet crunch, feel the car lurch, smell the rot leaking through the vents.
"Just keep going," he muttered, voice low, strained.
Amara didn't answer — she couldn't. Her breath came fast and shallow, her focus razor‑thin. The road ahead was narrowing, funneling them toward a mess of abandoned cars and debris. The herd behind them wasn't slowing.
Ryan swallowed hard, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.
They were losing the walkers but more still appeared in front of them. One walker had fallen from a fire exit, hitting onto the top of the ambulance, a loud thud rang out. Amara's hands clenched around the steering wheel, they both heard the scratching on the roof, soon the walker slammed onto the window blocking Amara's view. "Shit!" She tried the wipers but no luck, the walker banged on the window trying to reach them.. she swerved. Ryan held on for dear life.
The ambulance slammed into the corner of a building. The hood crumpled, the bumper buckled upward, and smoke began to rise in thick, choking curls. Then the airbags exploded open. Amara's head snapped forward against the steering wheel just as the bag deployed, while Ryan was thrown hard into his own, the impact knocking the breath from his lungs and with the crack he felt blood start gushing from his nose. He leans back his vision blurry, his ears rung.
He glances over at Amara who was slouched back against the seat, a thick gash on her forehead, her eyes were glazed over. He grunted and then he grumbled a bit, he got off the seat he went to her and unbuckled her.. He saw the walker on the window crushed, organs and gore were all over the window he gagged a bit and focused on Amara, he grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. He made his way out.. It was eerily silent.
Ryan looked around. The world had gone darker, shadows stretching across the street as smoke curled behind him. He cursed under his breath and forced himself to move, trying to find a way out. Gravel and broken glass crunched beneath his boots with every step, his grip tightening around Amara's legs as she hung over his shoulder. He could only hope she was still breathing. He could only hope she would be okay.
As he walked he was checking around the allies.. he was humming softly to himself..
Everything was silent. Nothing moving.. or nothing breathed. It made Ryan nervous, but something cut through the silence.. a whine? Yelp? His head snapped over in a pile of rubble he noticed an animal trying to move..? He started to walk over faster, momentarily forgetting about Amara who he was holding onto.
As he got closer.. it was a German shepherd. He ran over and sat Amara down and sat her back against a nearby wall, he rushed over to the dog and bent down.. wait.
"Bear?" Ryan's eyes widened. The German shepherd was trapped beneath a large slab of rubble, her head tilted toward him as a weak whine slipped from her throat.
Ryan rushed to her side and gripped the edge of the rubble. His muscles strained as he lifted it just high enough for Bear to drag herself free. When she stumbled out, one of her legs was bloodied, and she favored it with a limp.
Once she was clear, Ryan let the slab fall back into place and exhaled shakily. He turned toward her just as Bear pressed forward and licked his cheek.
Bear's tongue was warm against his cheek, but the moment was short‑lived.
A deep, low groan rolled through the street — not from a walker, but from the building behind them. Ryan's head jerked up. The cracked support beams shuddered, dust drifting down in lazy spirals. He knew that sound. He'd heard it minutes before the last collapse.
"Damnit… not again," he grumbled and sighed in frustration.
He scooped Bear's face gently, checking her eyes, her breathing. She was hurt, but alert. Alive. No bites. Just a hurt leg.. "Trying to find Juno huh..?" He swallowed hard and glanced back at Amara slumped against the wall, still dazed.
Another groan. Louder this time. Then a crack.
Ryan's pulse spiked. "We gotta go.."
He grabbed Amara under the arms, hauling her up as Bear limped beside him. They barely made it ten steps before the first chunk of concrete sheared off the building and smashed into the ground behind them. The impact echoed like a gunshot. He flinched, and glanced at Amara, "Hey." He shook her slightly as he held onto her. Her eyes fluttered slightly but not enough to wake up.
From somewhere deeper in the maze of broken streets came the first answering moan — slow, dragging, curious. Then another. And another. A chain reaction of hunger waking up.
Ryan cursed to himself and then grumbled he got a move on.
He hadn't realized the collapse would draw them. He hadn't realized they were close.
Bear's ears pinned back. A soft, warning growl rumbled in her chest.
Ryan turned his head just enough to see them emerging between the jagged silhouettes of fallen walls — walkers, moving with that slow, awful determination. Not fast. But coming.
"Okay… okay, stay calm, don't lose your shit." he whispered, more to himself than anyone else.
He tightened his grip on Amara and started moving faster, moving between broken cars and broken slabs of concrete. The street narrowed into a crooked passage — a maze of debris and half‑collapsed storefronts.
Behind him, the walkers' shuffling grew louder.
He pushed harder, breath burning in his lungs. Bear limped but kept pace, her nails scraping the pavement.
Then — A sharp crack above him.
Ryan didn't have time to look up.
A chunk of debris snapped loose, bounced off a rusted car hood, and slammed into his leg.
White‑hot pain shot up his thigh. He stumbled, nearly dropping Amara.
"Fuck—!" He caught himself on a broken railing, teeth clenched. Warm blood trickled down his leg, soaking into his torn jeans.
The scent hit the air.
And the walkers reacted instantly.
Their slow shuffle turned into something faster — a hungry, jerking lurch. More shapes appeared from the opposite end of the alley, cutting off the path behind them.
Ryan's breath hitched.
They were being funneled. Surrounded. Hunted.
He forced himself upright, dragging Amara with one arm while Bear pressed against his other side.
"Come on," he rasped. "We're not dying unless I say so."
Ryan staggered forward, every step a jolt of fire up his leg. The alley twisted sharply, forcing him to angle Amara's weight against his shoulder so she wouldn't collapse. Bear pressed close to his other side, her breathing ragged, her limp worsening.
The walkers' snarls bounced off the broken walls, multiplying, folding over each other until it sounded like the whole city was waking up hungry.
Ryan risked a glance back.
Bad idea.
They were closer than he thought — arms outstretched, jaws slack, bodies jerking in that awful, uneven rhythm. And more were squeezing in behind them, drawn by the scent of his blood like sharks to a drop in the water.
"Move, move, move," he hissed through clenched teeth.
The passage narrowed again, funneling them between two collapsed storefronts. Shattered glass crunched under his boots. A toppled metal sign blocked half the path, forcing him to angle sideways. Amara groaned as her foot caught on a chunk of concrete.
"Stay with me," he whispered, tightening his grip.
A walker lunged from the right — one he hadn't seen behind the leaning slab of wall. Its fingers scraped the air inches from his face.
Bear snapped, a deep, furious snarl ripping from her throat as she threw her weight into the creature's knee. It buckled, collapsing sideways. Ryan didn't hesitate — he swung his free arm and slammed its skull against the wall with a sickening crack.
No time to breathe.
The alley opened into a wider space, which was not safe, but bigger. A collapsed bus lay on its side, blocking the far exit. To the left, there was a narrow gap between two buildings. To the right, a pile of rubble that might be climbable… if his leg wasn't screaming and Amara wasn't half-conscious.
Behind them, the walkers spilled into the alley like a tide.
Ryan's pulse hammered.
They were seconds from being overrun.
He scanned the space, frantic, desperate, searching for anything… a door, a ladder, a hole, a miracle.
Then he saw it.
A jagged opening in the bus's undercarriage — small, dark, barely big enough for a person to crawl through. Maybe.
"Amara," he breathed, shifting her weight. "I need you to wake up. Just for a second. Please."
Her eyelids fluttered but she wouldn't wake.. not yet.
Bear barked sharply — a warning. The walkers were closing in fast.
Ryan swallowed hard, tasting blood and dust.
"This is it," he whispered. "We make it through that gap… or we don't make it at all."
He tightened his grip on Amara, braced himself, and limped toward the bus as the first walker lunged.
Ryan shoved Amara toward the narrow opening beneath the overturned bus. The metal frame groaned under its own weight, the whole structure tilted just enough to look unstable. He didn't have time to think about that.
"Bear—go," he ordered, voice cracking.
The shepherd hesitated, whining, torn between obedience and staying at his side. Another walker lurched forward, fingers brushing Ryan's jacket.
"Go!" he barked.
Bear dropped low and scrambled into the dark gap, claws scraping metal. Ryan immediately pushed Amara after her, guiding her limp body until her shoulders disappeared into the shadows. He could see bear latch her jaw onto Amaras shirt to drag her.
The walkers surged.
Ryan spun, planting his back against the bus, one arm braced against the metal, the other swinging wildly. His fist connected with a jaw, then a temple. It bought him seconds—nothing more.
A walker grabbed his injured leg.
White‑hot pain exploded up his thigh. Ryan grunts, slamming his boot into its face until the grip loosens. He staggered, nearly falling, but forced himself upright.
"Bear—keep moving!" he shouted into the darkness beneath the bus.
Another walker lunged. Ryan grabbed its shirt, shoved it back, and slammed its head against the bus frame with all his might. The impact rang through the metal like a bell. More hands reached for him—too many.
He dropped to his knees.
The gap was barely big enough. His shoulders scraped metal. His injured leg screamed as he dragged himself forward. Behind him, walkers clawed at his boots and fingertips catching fabric.
The bus shifted.
A deep metallic groan vibrated through the ground. Dust rained down and rust dropped onto his head. Ryan froze for half a heartbeat—just long enough to realize the whole damn thing might collapse on top of him.
"Not now," he whispered, voice shaking.
He dug his elbows into the dirt and pulled himself forward with everything he had left. His boot slipped from a walker's grip. Another hand caught his ankle. He kicked back blindly, heel connecting with bone.
The hand fell away.
He crawled faster, breath ragged, heart slamming against his ribs. The space tightened around him, squeezing his ribs, scraping his skin. He could hear Bear barking ahead frantic, urging him on.
Then—
A walker's arm shot into the gap behind him, fingers brushing his calf.
Ryan snarled, twisted, and slammed his injured leg down on the arm with all his weight. Something cracked. The hand recoiled.
He dragged himself the last few feet—
And suddenly the world opened.
He spilled out onto the other side of the bus, collapsing onto broken pavement. Bear was right there, whining, nudging his face. Amara lay a few feet away, breathing shallow but alive.
Behind him, walkers clawed uselessly at the narrow gap, their arms stretching through but unable to reach.
Ryan lay there, chest heaving, staring up at the ruined sky.
They weren't safe.
But they were alive.
For now.