Apocalypse: After Reanimation, I Became The Queen-Chapter 48: _ Can We Make It?

The rest of the cave sits in grim silence. Nobody protests, but everyone shifts a little further away from the cannibal leader, like being too close might make them the next target.

I take a deep breath and force my hands to unclench. "Fine. Whatever. Let’s just get through the night without any more executions, yeah?"

Nobody argues.

Slowly, we all settle in. Some against the walls, some curling into themselves like it’ll make them disappear. All of us looking ugly and dirty.

I lean against a jagged rock, gripping my knife tight. "I’ll take the first watch."

Trish nods, then quietly moves toward Dom.

I pretend not to watch. I pretend I’m not listening as she crouches beside him, and speaks carefully soft.

"Dom..."

He doesn’t look up. His arms are still wrapped around his knees with his face hidden.

"I know. I know it hurts." Trish sighs, shaking her head.

Dom lets out a shuddering breath.

"He was all I had," he murmurs in a raw voice.

Trish hesitates, then rests a hand on his arm. "He was an idiot."

Dom huffs a weak and bitter laugh. "Yeah."

"But he loved you," she says. "And he went out making sure you lived."

A deafening silence ensues.

Dom sniffles, rubbing his sleeve across his eyes. "First Kyle. Now Vic. We don’t even know if Benji made it."

Trish doesn’t have an answer for that. Neither do I. Maybe if I had fought harder, been faster, been stronger... Vic would still be here. I stare into the dark, grip tightening around my weapon.

We’ve lost too much.

And I don’t know how much more we can afford to lose.

Dom exhales sharply through his nose, rubbing at his eyes like he’s trying to scrub out the grief. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

His face is blotchy, his usual dumbass smirk nowhere to be seen. I hate seeing him like this; small, curled in on himself like the world’s finally beaten the fight out of him.

"We actually gonna make it?" His voice is hoarse, like he’s been chewing on sandpaper.

Trish, who’s been crouching beside him, stiffens. She seems skeptical to talk as if she thinks even a single letter uttered can break Dom down.

Her lips press together, and that’s all the answer Dom needs.

His laugh is short and bitter. "That bad, huh? Can we even make it to our destination at this point?"

Argh... can he not discuss that here?! Not with these bastards around with us.

I step in before this conversation goes to shit. "Hey. Maybe let’s not discuss this here?"

Dom blinks up at me. "Why not?"

"Oh, I don’t know," I say, gesturing vaguely at the shadows curling around the cave like hungry jaws. "Maybe because we’re stuck in a goddamn hole in the ground with a bunch of cannibals who still haven’t fully decided if we’re friends or food?"

"Friends is a strong word," the cannibal leader drawls from his corner.

I hadn’t even realized he was awake. The bastard had been lying back against the wall, one arm slung over his stomach, eyes closed like he’d been trying to sleep but never actually did.

He stretches now, bones cracking, and fixes me with a sharp look. "Where exactly are you headed? What destination?"

"Nowhere of concern to a flesh-eater like you," I snap.

His mouth twitches. "Cute."

The man is so damn calm, it’s unnerving. Like he knows something we don’t. Like he’s already five steps ahead. I don’t like it.

Trish shifts beside me, standing up fully. "Why? You planning to follow us?"

"Should I?" he asks, amused. "You make it sound like wherever you’re going is better than this shithole." He gestures around at the blood-smeared walls of the cave like it’s a five-star hotel.

Before I can shoot back something that might get my throat slit, a sound skitters across the cave walls.

It’s undoubtedly a movement.

It’s faint, almost lost in the heavy stillness of the cave, but I hear it. I feel it. Like a whisper of something pressing against the entrance.

I don’t move, don’t even breathe. My body goes ice-cold, every one of my instincts screaming danger.

Then I hear it again.

Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.

A slow scraping sound.

It’s followed by another noise that I am sure is a shuffle. Like something dragging itself against the ground just outside.

Every muscle in my body locks up. The cave goes silent. Dead silent.

Even the cannibals aren’t speaking.

I don’t know who reaches for their weapon first; me or Trish—but I hear the soft rasp of a blade being unsheathed.

The movements outside get louder. More of them now. The sound of feet, or hands... scuffing against the dirt.

The leader sits up fully, eyes locked on the entrance. "Shit," he mutters under his breath.

No one speaks. No one moves. We just wait and listen.

Then another noise comes. It’s a wet, thick, and sloppy inhale:

Something is sniffing.

Trish flicks a glance at me. I give a small, quick gesture; let’s check it out.

She nods.

I turn to Dom and whisper. "Stay here. Keep an eye on everyone."

He doesn’t look thrilled by the idea, but he gives a sharp nod. I feel bad already burdening him with more duties when he barely had four hours to mourn his brother. But here in the apocalypse, we don’t wait or stop.

The leader watches me like a predator sizing up another hunter. "You going out there?"

I don’t answer. Just grip my knife tighter and motion for Trish to follow me because we are not as selfish as him and we know that if we don’t figure out what this new threat is, we might all end up dead.

As we creep toward the cave entrance, the sounds outside continue.

It’s the same sniff, scratch, and shuffle sound. It might be more zombies, it might be something else... something more.

What I do know is that something is waiting for us and oh boy, we’re about to find out what.