Page 31 of Burning Love

Then, the alarm blared.

Alex cursed under her breath as Sophia’s body froze in fear. “Run!” Alex hissed, pulling Sophia with her.

As they started to sprint, Sophia could feel the rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins. She could almost hear her heart thudding in her chest, echoing in the still night air. They bolted for the fence. Sophia, despite years of ballet training, felt her body pushed to its limit.

The first guard appeared before them; his weapon raised. But Alex was fast. She lunged, slamming the butt of her knife into his temple with a sickening crack, sending him crumpling to the ground. Sophia didn’t hesitate. She kept moving, hand firmly in Alex’s, her eyes wild with fear but filled with a sliver of hope.

Oh, Jesus! She killed him! He was human! Shit!

More guards flooded the perimeter, their shouts barely reaching Sophia’s ears as she gaped at Alex, whose instincts had clearly kicked in. It was chaos—blades flashing in the moonlight, fists colliding with flesh, bodies tumbling to the ground. Alex moved like a force of nature, precise and lethal, cutting through the guards with brutal efficiency. Blood splattered across her hands, her face, as she took down one man after another, her breath ragged and fast as Sophia stood, motionless, in complete disbelief.

But then a gunshot rang out.

“Sophia, move! We need to get out of here! What are you doing?”

Sophia’s vision blurred for a moment, but she stepped forward and grabbed Alex’s hand, her grip unyielding.

“Let’s go! Now!”

11

ALEX

The world outside was no kinder.

Each step Alex took felt like an insult to the earth beneath her. Her boots sank into cracked ground, scraping against the rough, uneven stones or catching on jagged debris that threatened to twist her ankle.

Keep it together.

The streets of the abandoned city stretched endlessly in every direction, a labyrinth of scavenged buildings and forgotten histories. It was a place that had begun surrendering to nature’s cruel reclaiming. The once-proud streets were becoming overgrown with tangled grass and scattered remnants of a world gone to dust.

There was no mistaking that this place was no sanctuary—it was a battlefield. The quiet was suffocating, the kind of silence that unsettled the soul, like the calm before a storm. The undead wouldn’t be far away. They never were.

Alex glanced sideways at Sophia, her companion—and her partner—in this fractured world. Sophia’s face was drawn, her features sharper than they should have been, the shadows beneath her eyes a testament to the toll of this endless chase. Her movements had become sluggish, as if each step took more from her than the last. She was leaner than Alex had ever seen her, the hunger and exhaustion of the past days eating away at her strength. But it wasn’t just that. There was something more profound—something unspoken—that Alex could see in the droop of Sophia’s shoulders, the lost look in her eyes. They weren’t just running from the undead. They were running from the other survivors who knew that Sophia was different. They were running from an unrelenting enemy who would stop at nothing to track them down.

For what felt like days, they had been pursued, never staying in one place long enough to rest, constantly aware that their hunters were closing in. The soldiers had nearly cornered them twice, and both times, they had barely slipped away, relying on luck, instinct, and the city’s endless hiding spots. They had darted through apartment buildings, crawled through drainage tunnels, and even waded through waist-deep, stagnant water in an old canal to throw off their pursuers. To Alex, every breath felt borrowed. She had no clue where to take Sophia. Only that they had to remain hidden until she could devise a plan.

But now, their bodies were rebelling against them. Their mouths were dry, their throats raw with thirst. When they stumbled into an old gas station, they barely exchanged words before Alex started searching and scrabbling around for something, anything, to eat. It took only minutes to find a vending machine in the corner, its glass long since shattered. Most of the contents were gone, looted, but as Alex dug through the wreckage, her fingers closed around an intact, unopened can.

“What is it? Did you find something?” Sophia asked, her voice hoarse with exhaustion.

Alex turned it over in her hands, wiping away the dust. She felt a vast smile start to spread across her lips. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this elated. “Jesus! I can’t believe this! Root beer!”

Sophia frowned. “Root beer? I don’t even know what that is. I’ve never had it. Is it alcoholic? I’m not sure this is such a great idea.”

Alex snorted, cracking open the can. “You were touring in the U.S. for how long and never had a root beer?” She took a sip, the carbonation burning her throat in the best way possible. “Here, baby. I can’t wait to see you try this.”

Sophia hesitated, then took the can and drank deeply. Her eyes widened as she swallowed. “It tastes... weird. Oh, God! You people are so odd. Who would drink this? But at the same time, wow, this is really good. Just about anything would taste good at this point.”

“Weird?” Alex huffed in mock offense. “This is an American classic, I’ll have you know, missy.”

Sophia handed the can back with a wry smile. “Well, I grew up drinking Ribena and tea.”

Alex shook her head dramatically. “Tea. So predictable.”

Sophia smirked. “Says the woman clinging to her capitalist soda.”

Despite everything—the hunger, the fear, the relentless chase—they shared a chuckle, the sound foreign but oh-so welcome to Alex’s ears. For a moment, just a moment, the world outside didn’t exist. There was only the taste of something sweet, the warmth of their giggles, and the silent promise that, together, they would keep running.

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