The world ended, but the nightmare came with a twist: I could hear the thoughts of the undead. “Yo, back off! Nobody touches her. She’s the one our boy is obsessed with.” “For real. Remember when we were human? Grayson was the one who kept us safe. He’s got that lightning ability now.” “Listen up, guys. This is our Girl. We’re going to protect her, get her back to the Captain, and let him take over.” Then, a chorus of gravelly, psychic voices chimed in: “Are you high, Jax? No sane person sees a pack of ghouls and thinks, ‘Yeah, I’ll follow them.’ She’s gonna run the second she sees us.” I rolled my window down just a fraction of an inch, my voice trembling. “I—I’ll do it.” 1 I’ve officially lost my mind. When the sky fell and the world went to hell, I didn't get super-strength or the ability to fly. I got the "privilege" of hearing the internal monologues of the things trying to eat me. I’d been holed up in my cramped studio apartment for thirty days. The silence was deafening, and my pantry was a graveyard of empty granola bar wrappers. Starvation eventually overrode my survival instinct. I crawled into my beat-up little hatchback, desperate for a grocery run, only to be swarmed by a mob of the undead within three blocks. I thought it was over. I watched them climb onto my hood, their gray, decaying palms slamming against the windshield. I was curled in the driver's seat, shaking so hard my teeth rattled, when the voices started bleeding into my skull. “Wait, wait! Stop hitting the glass! Look at her... doesn't she look exactly like that girl Grayson Pierce used to keep a photo of?” “Grayson? You mean Captain Pierce? The guy with the lightning hands? Man, he saved all our asses before we turned. You guys didn't forget that, did you?” “Nobody forgot. He practically ran the city's defense. And everyone knew the only thing he cared about was finding his ‘Holy Grail’—this girl.” “Talk about a lucky break. We’ve been looking for her for weeks. Brothers, we’re taking the Boss’s Girl home.” I thought I was hallucinating from the sheer terror. I was being hunted by a pack of zombies, and I was dreaming they were my secret service? But then, more voices joined the fray. “Jax, you’re delusional. Look at her face—she’s paler than we are. She’s terrified.” “And even if we want to protect her, our bodies are literally hardwired to bite. How are we supposed to escort her without, you know, devouring her?” “Stop hitting the window! If you break it and someone bites Grayson’s girl, we’re all dead. Again.” “I’m sorry! My hand isn't listening to my brain! It just wants to smash... I want to bite that neck so bad...” “Bad hand! If you can't control it, I’ll bite it off for you!” Right before my eyes, three zombies lunged at another one, tearing his arms clean off with a sickening crunch. I nearly fainted. “Oh, great. Now we’ve really scared her. Should we just leave?” “If we leave, she’s literal finger food for the first mindless roamer she passes. We have to stay.” “Stay and do what? Give her a heart attack? We’re monsters, man. No one trusts a monster.” “Think! How do we get her to follow us to the Captain?” “Jax, give it up. Who in their right mind follows a zombie?” The group—about a dozen of them, still wearing tattered, blood-stained high school letterman jackets—started to shuffle away. I didn't think. I just acted. I slammed my hand onto the horn. The sound echoed through the desolate street. They all froze, turning their rotting heads back toward me. I cracked the window a tiny bit more. “I’ll do it,” I shouted, my heart thumping against my ribs like a trapped bird. “Can you... can you take me to Grayson?” 2 The world went silent. Outside that sliver of a window, the group of letterman-jacket-wearing corpses stopped dead. A dozen heads snapped back toward me simultaneously. Their clouded, milky eyes bored into mine. It was the most terrifying thing I’d ever seen. My foot hovered over the gas pedal, screaming at me to floor it and get as far away as possible. But I forced myself to hold their gaze. This was it. Life or death. I was betting everything on the chance of having a zombie security detail. After a heartbeat of dead air, the mental chatter exploded: “Holy crap! Did she just... did she hear us?” I nodded vigorously, my hair matted with sweat. “Yes. I can hear you.” “Thank the gods! Brothers, get back here! We can actually talk to her!” “I haven't talked to a living person in weeks. I’m gonna cry. I mean, I can’t actually cry, but I’m feeling it. A month ago, I was the Prom King!” “Girls used to flirt with me. Now they just scream. I can't even look at myself in the rearview mirror.” “Don't look at me either. Seriously, don't describe what I look like. I don't want to know.” “She’s Grayson’s ‘One,’ alright. Only his girl would have a crazy ability like this. It makes total sense.” “Wait, she’s turning green. I think we’re grossing her out. Everyone, pipe down! Give her some space. Keep it together.” The one called Jax—the leader—was in rough shape. Half the skin on his left cheek was gone, exposing a jagged white jawbone. But his movements were strangely human. He waved his one remaining good arm with a frantic energy. He tried to stretch his torn lips into a friendly smile, but it only made him look more like a sleep-demon. “Jax, stop smiling. It’s horrific.” “You’re gonna make her pass out.” Jax twitched, standing a few feet back, looking genuinely distressed. “Sorry, Boss’s Girl. I’m trying my best. Is it really that bad?” It was a nightmare, but I forced a rigid smile back. “I can handle it.” “Oh my god, she smiled back.” “That’s the first time a human has smiled at me since the world ended.” “Her smile is so pure... I suddenly don't feel like ripping her head off quite as much.” Jax’s voice cut through the sentimentality: “Focus! Everyone stay back. Remember, we’re still zombies. We can snap at any second. Keep your distance!” The dozen zombies shuffled back instantly, forming a perimeter about fifteen feet away. Jax turned back to the car. “Boss’s Girl, drive slow and follow us. Before the change, Grayson holed up in his estate on the hill. High walls, electrified fences, plenty of food. He should still be there. Just whatever you do... do not get out of the car.” “Okay,” I whispered. Jax barked a mental order: “Listen up! If anyone gets within ten feet of that car, I’ll personally tear your skull open. Got it?” “Got it, Jax.” “For the Captain. Let's move.” They began to move in a clumsy, coordinated dance, fighting their predatory instincts and keeping each other in check. They formed a loose escort around my little car, clearing the path ahead. I started the engine and put it in gear, moving at a crawl. Tears blurred my vision as I watched the back of those tattered jackets. They were the world's most dangerous predators, yet here they were—grotesque, decaying, and fiercely loyal—paving a way through hell for me. It was absurd. It was terrifying. And it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. As we drove, I listened to their chatter, realizing with a jolt that the "Captain" they were talking about—Grayson Pierce—wasn't just some local hero. He was my brother’s oldest rival. Since when was I Grayson Pierce’s "Holy Grail"? 3 Jax filled me in as we navigated the wreckage of the suburbs. “Your brother is with the Captain now. When the virus hit, Grayson went straight to your place to find you, but you were gone. He only found your brother, Brooks.” I responded in my head, realizing I didn't need to speak out loud anymore. “The day the news broke about the outbreak in the city, my best friend was away for an exam. She asked me to go to her place to feed her cat. By the time I got there, the elevators were full of... them. I got trapped in her apartment and just stayed hidden.” Jax’s mental voice spiked in excitement. “Wait! Boss’s Girl, you can talk back to us without rolling the window down?” I realized it too. I had just thought the words, and they’d heard me. It was like I’d been added to a telepathic group chat of the damned. I concentrated, focusing my mind: “Can you all hear me now?” A chorus of voices flooded my brain: “Loud and clear!” “This is awesome! Wireless communication. This makes the apocalypse way easier.” “Can you hear me, Boss’s Girl? I’m Tyler.” “I’m Big Mike.” “I’m Sarah.” Names and voices swirled in my head. I felt a surge of warmth. “I hear you all. My name is Riley. You can just call me Riley.” Jax cut in: “Nope. You’re the Boss’s Girl. That’s the rule.” “Yeah,” Tyler added. “We’re on a mission to help the Captain win his girl back.” “Grayson is a beast now,” Big Mike chimed in. “Tall, brooding, and he can literally jump-start a car with his bare hands. The whole city’s power grid is fried, but he keeps an electric stove running at the house. His instant ramen game is legendary.” My stomach let out a pathetic growl. “Don't talk about food. I’m starving.” Jax asked, “Why did you leave the apartment if you were safe?” I rubbed my empty belly. “Hunger. My friend was a bit of a prepper—lots of ramen and dried snacks—but the power went out weeks ago. I’ve been eating dry noodles for a month. I ran out yesterday. It was leave or die.” The zombies let out a collective, psychic moan. “Don't talk about ramen. Now I want ramen.” “If I could just have one bowl of spicy beef noodles...” I interrupted their daydreaming. “How is my brother? Is Brooks okay?” “Brooks?” Jax chuckled. “He’s fine. Better than fine. He’s a 'Hydromancer' now. He can pull water out of thin air. He and Grayson are a total power couple—not like that, you know—but as a team. They’re unstoppable.” The others jumped in: “Exactly. In a world with no power and no water, you’ve got one guy who makes the water and another who boils it. They’re the kings of the apocalypse. You’re never going to go hungry again.” “Imagine it... hot pot. Sliced beef, mushrooms, spicy broth...” I groaned. “Stop! Please. If I don't die of a zombie bite, I’m going to die of longing for a hot meal.” The thought of my brother—the perpetual slacker—and his high school nemesis, Grayson, working together to cook noodles with their superpowers was a vivid, hilarious image. For the first time in weeks, I felt a spark of real hope. 4 In the "group chat," I asked Jax nervously, “How much further?” “Almost there. Take a right at the next intersection. Grayson’s place is in that gated community up the hill. It’s a fortress. High walls, electrified wire... wait...” His mental voice trailed off, thick with hesitation. I gripped the steering wheel, my knuckles white. “What is it?” The chatter among the group turned grim. “Something’s wrong.” “It’s too quiet.” “I smell blood. A lot of it. And... others. Many others.” Jax’s voice was sharp with warning: “Stay sharp, Boss’s Girl. Stay close to us.” The dozen protectors tightened their circle around my car, their movements losing their clumsy edge and becoming predatory once more. As I turned the corner into the wooded drive leading to the estate, the scene was devastating. The manicured lawns were torn up, and several luxury SUVs were flipped over, their windows shattered and frames stained with dark, dried blood. And then, I saw them. Zombies. Dozens of them, shambling aimlessly near the gates. I slammed on the brakes, my heart freezing in my chest. Clearly, a massive battle had just taken place here. Jax spoke up: “Stay in the car, Riley. Don’t move. Brothers, guard the car. I’m going in to see if the Captain is still alive.” I reached for my wrist and pulled off a jade bracelet. I cracked the window just enough to slide it out. “Wait! Take this. It’s a token. My brother gave it to me for my birthday. He’ll recognize it.” Jax reached out with a trembling, gray hand. “Put it on my wrist, Boss’s Girl. You smell... too good. Please, hurry. I don't know how much longer I can keep my mouth shut.” I snapped the bracelet onto his wrist and rolled the window up in a heartbeat. Jax looked at the jade. “Wait a minute. I know this bracelet. I was with Grayson when he bought this at the mall. It cost him a fortune. He spent hours picking the perfect one.” I blinked, stunned. “What? Brooks gave it to me. He said it was from him.” Jax’s mental voice grew heated. “That little thief. Brooks totally stole the credit.” Thinking of my brother—always the charming rogue, always bickering with Grayson—it made perfect sense. I felt a weird mix of annoyance and a flutter of something else in my chest. Jax shook his head. “I’m going. Stay safe. Pray the Captain is still in there.” I sat in the car, clutching my friend’s cat—who had been hiding under the seat—and waited. Minutes felt like hours. Finally, Jax’s voice flickered back into my mind. “Wait! Don't shock me! Look at my wrist! Just look at the bracelet! Grayson, I found her! Can you hear me, you idiot?” My heart leaped into my throat. Jax had found him, but Grayson couldn't hear the thoughts. He just saw a zombie charging at him. Jax was in trouble. 5 “Hold it! Stop!” Inside the villa, Grayson Pierce grabbed Brooks’s arm, forcing the electrified baton down. Brooks, his eyes wide with adrenaline, struggled against him. “What are you doing? That’s Jax—or what’s left of him! Don't be a martyr, Gray. He’s gone. He’s just a hungry corpse now.” Grayson’s bloodshot eyes were fixed on the zombie’s wrist. “Look at the bracelet, Brooks. Isn't that the one you ‘bought’ for Riley?” Brooks froze, his face going pale. “That’s hers. Oh god... what did that monster do to my sister? I’ll kill him!” Grayson shoved Brooks back against the wall. “Think for a second! He’s not attacking. He’s pointing at the bracelet. He’s trying to tell us something.” “You’re dreaming,” Brooks hissed. “They’re mindless. He probably killed her and took it as a trophy.” Grayson grabbed Brooks by the collar, his voice a low growl. “Look at him! Has he tried to bite you? He’s fighting it. He’s still in there, Brooks. I know it.” Grayson turned to the zombie that used to be his best friend. His heart was breaking. Twenty-four hours ago, they had been brothers-in-arms. Now, they were hunter and prey. He stepped forward, wary. “Jax? If you can hear me... what are you trying to say?” Jax looked like he was about to burst into tears. “Finally! Yes! Follow me, man! Just follow me! Your Holy Grail is right outside!”
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