CHAPTER 35: 35: THE WORLD WAS OPEN AGAIN

The wind howled through the cracked walls of the abandoned base, snow swirling in violent gusts as it cut across the base compound.

Zara’s breath misted in the cold, and her heart pounded louder than the storm around them. She and Winter were just a few steps from the edge of the compound when the figures emerged from the snow.

Greg and Nadine.

Zara’s pulse quickened. She instinctively clutched her coat tighter around her, her hand pressed to the hidden bulge beneath the fabric. There were too many guns; they were out in the open.

She couldn’t let anything happen to Leo here. But Zara could feel his small body shifting, instinctively reacting to her tension.

Winter’s hand twitched toward the gun at his side, but he didn’t draw it yet.

Greg was the first to speak, his voice a low, mocking drawl that made Zara’s skin crawl. "Well, well. What have we here?" His smile was sharp, predatory. "Thought you two could sneak away, huh?"

Nadine stepped forward, her eyes gleaming with malice. "I told you he couldn’t be trusted."

Winter’s posture stiffened beside her, his body coiling with tension. Zara glanced at him, silently pleading with him to keep calm. They couldn’t act too hastily now, but she knew he couldn’t hide the agitation in his clenched fists.

She stepped forward, her voice steady despite the fear knotting her stomach. "We don’t want trouble. Just let us go."

Greg laughed, the sound echoing ominously. "Oh, I’m afraid it’s too late for that."

"You should have thought of that before stealing from us," Nadine sneered.

Winter’s hand tightened around his rifle, his eyes meeting Zara’s briefly.

"I’ve got this," he murmured, his voice low as he turned to stare them down.

"Move," he said sharply. "We’re leaving."

"Is that a threat?" Greg laughed, stepping forward as if daring Winter to make a move. "I think you’ve forgotten your place." His hand was at his side, a gun resting in its holster.

Nadine was circling behind them, a twisted smile curling on her lips. "Yeah, you’ve forgotten something too, Winter. I always get what I want."

She let out a low, taunting laugh, her eyes dark with lust and something darker—greed, power.

Zara took a step back, her heart thundering in her chest as she carefully adjusted Leo inside her coat, praying they wouldn’t see him. She kept her head low, hoping the shadows would hide them for a moment longer.

She hated being this helpless but they were fighting humans. Humans with guns! Not mindless, bumbling zombies.

Urgh!

Before Zara could react, Greg lunged toward her, his hand grabbing for her arm. Winter was faster. His body moved like a shadow, his fist connecting with Greg’s jaw with a sickening crack. The force of the blow sent Greg stumbling back, but it only fueled his anger.

Zara cursed as a premonition blindsided her, making her stumble. She vaguely saw winter and Greg locked in a stand off, the sound of a bullet and a body falling.

She blinked back to the present, chest heaving with shock and fear. If winter got shot here...

"You’re going to pay for that," Greg snarled, wiping the blood from his mouth, his eyes now gleaming with fury. He drew a gun from his waist and pointed it at Winter.

Zara gasped, her heart racing as she instinctively reached out to Winter. The gun’s barrel glinted in the snow’s light. "No!" she cried, but it was too late.

The first shot rang out, shattering the silence. But Winter had already moved. He was a blur of movement, sidestepping the bullet with ease, his body seemingly impossible to track. His fist collided with Greg’s side, this time sending him crashing to the ground.

The gun skittered to the side and Greg fumbled for it in the snow.

Winter was on him, his fist slamming into the side of Greg’s face with a sickening crack. Greg sprawled backward again, but Winter didn’t give him a chance to recover. His knee connected with Greg’s gut, knocking the air out of him. Greg wheezed, barely able to get a breath, but Nadine was already on the move.

She had a knife—a silver blade that gleamed even in the dim light of the snowstorm—and she was charging toward Zara, who instinctively backed away.

Nadine grinned cruelly, her eyes wild with desire and control. "You think you can run, bitch?" she spat, her voice venomous as she lunged.

Zara managed to dodge some swipes, keeping Nadine’s attention on her hands and face and away from Leo.

She missed her hat so much, she would have cracked this moon in her head.

Her foot caught on a steel bar and she got distracted enough for Nadine’s blade to swipe at her arm, grazing her skin.

She cried out instinctively and finally cocked back her fist and delivered a nice shot to Nadine’s face.

She screamed with rage and raised her blade arm high, seemingly trying to go for her face.

Winter heard the movement behind him, his head snapping in her direction just in time. He was faster than her, and with a swift, powerful move, he reached out, grabbing Nadine’s wrist before the knife could find its mark.

"Let go of me, you animal!" Nadine hissed, trying to break free, but Winter’s hold was ironclad.

He twisted her arm with a brutal efficiency, the sound of cracking bone echoing in the silence. Nadine screamed, but Winter didn’t let go. His eyes were cold, his grip brutal.

She watched as Winter dispatched Nadine with a brutal twist of his hand, throwing her to the ground. Her knife skidded away across the snow as he shoved her back, sending her stumbling into a pile of crates. Her head struck the concrete with a sickening thud, and she slumped to the ground.

He turned back to Greg, who was struggling to stand.

"Still getting up? You really want to do this?" Winter’s voice was a low growl, his fists flexing. He was angry now. Angrier than Zara had ever seen him before.

Greg swung his gun at Winter again, but the shot went wide, the sound of the bullet firing a moment too slow. Winter’s speed remained unreal—he dodged with ease. He closed the distance, delivering a brutal punch to Greg’s jaw that sent him crashing into the snow, motionless.

"Fuck! Zara?" Winter turned to her, chest heaving slightly.

"I’m here! We need to" she barely missed being hit by a bullet.

Zara ducked instinctively, pressing herself against the wall as bullets whizzed past. Her arms shielded Leo as the baby whimpered softly.

The commotion had drawn more attention. Shouts rang out as guards emerged from the base, armed and ready. Winter’s gaze flicked to Zara, his sharp voice cutting through the chaos. "Zara, stay low and move when I tell you!"

Zara nodded, her breath hitching as she clutched Leo tighter.

This feeling of helplessness was the worst.

Winter was a blur, his superhuman strength and speed making him an unstoppable force. He darted between guards, disarming one with a twist of the wrist before throwing him into another.

A bullet whizzed past his shoulder, but he ducked and rolled, closing the distance to the shooter in seconds. One well-placed punch to the nose, and the guard crumpled to the ground.

A second guard fired wildly, but Winter was already behind him, delivering a blow to the back of his neck that sent him sprawling.

"Zara, go!" Winter shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

But she couldn’t move. Not with Leo in her arms. The snow beneath her boots made every step treacherous, and fear rooted her in place. Her breath came in panicked bursts as she watched Winter take on the third guard.

He rolled out of the way as another spray of bullets rained down on him, killing the guard in the process.

"Winter!" she called, her voice cracking with fear. She scrambled back behind the crates as another bullet hit the ground in front of her.

He glanced back, his expression grim as he assessed the situation. They were outnumbered, and the guards were closing in fast.

"Hold on!" Winter shouted, charging toward her.

Zara barely had time to react before he scooped her up, one arm around her waist and the other steadying her back. The weight of Leo and the bags barely affecting his speed.

With a burst of inhuman strength, Winter leapt, clearing the high fence in a single bound. Zara gasped, clutching tightly to him, her heart racing as they flew through the night, bullets whizzing past them.

The icy wind whipped around them as they landed on the other side, Winter staggering slightly before regaining his balance.

The wasteland stretched out before them—barren and desolate, with nothing but the howling wind and snow. Winter moved like the wind, his body powered by strength and speed as they traveled farther from the base, leaving the chaos behind them.

Finally, as the sun began to rise, Winter slowed to a stop when they reached a small rise in the ground, his chest heaving as he set Zara down gently.

"We’re safe for now," he muttered, though the tension in his voice was still there.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softer now, though his brow remained furrowed.

Zara nodded, her fingers trembling as she adjusted her coat around Leo. "I’m fine, are you?" she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

"M’fine, the bullets didn’t hit me," He grunted as he began unpacking their supplies, his movements efficient despite his exhaustion. "We’ll camp here for the night. It’s not perfect, but it’ll do."

Zara watched him for a moment before stepping away. "I need... a moment," she said quietly, glancing down at her coat.

Winter’s gaze lingered on her, but he nodded. "Don’t go far."

She walked just far enough to feel some semblance of privacy, settling behind a cluster of rocks.

Carefully, she unwrapped Leo from her coat, cradling him against her chest as she checked him over.

Asides from his hair being a mess and his eyes wide with fear, he seemed unharmed.

"Are you okay, baby?" she whispered, brushing a gentle hand over his hair.

Leo blinked up at her, his small fingers curling into her shirt. "Are the scary noises gone?" He asked.

"Yes baby, we are far from the scary noises," she nodded. "We won’t have to listen to them again."

"Oh," Leo tilted his head, then noticed they weren’t in the room anymore.

"Why are we outside again?" he asked, his voice small and confused.

Zara’s heart ached, but she forced a smile. "The place wasn’t safe, sweetie. We’ll find somewhere better."

"And uncle?"

Zara resisted the urge to sigh. "He is fine," she shifted slightly so he could see the small light coming from the campfire ahead. "Let’s get you something to eat."

She took off her backpack and pulled out some rations for him to eat.

Leo’s eyes drooped as he finished, and she kissed his forehead before whispering a soft lullaby, watching as he drifted off to sleep.

She tucked him into her coat securely before turning towards the camp.

When Zara returned to the campfire, Winter was seated nearby, his back to a rock as he examined their supplies. He glanced up as she approached.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

She nodded, settling across from him. "Yeah. Just needed to check on... things."

She took a moment to observe him silently. He was crouched low, his body relaxed but alert, the tension from before still evident in the way he held himself. Zara settled beside him, pulling her knees up to her chest.

Winter grunted, stirring the fire with a stick. "We’ll have to be careful tomorrow. I don’t know where we are, anything could be lurking around."

Zara shivered at his words and she bit her lip. Should she tell him about the information she had learnt? She never got around to doing so the first time.

"Hey," she began, her voice quieter than usual, "I overheard something back there. About the cache of supplies—seems like it’s in gang territory. Not the safest place."

Winter’s eyes flickered with interest. "Gang territory, might be the milita," he muttered under his breath, thinking. Then he straightened up, his gaze turning to her.

"We can’t just waltz in there. We’ll need to approach from the west, use the old tunnels to get in unnoticed."

Zara watched him, the way his mind worked with such calm precision. "Tunnels?" she asked.

He nodded, eyes sharp. "Yeah. The gang would no doubt run "there those tunnels, but they’re not as secure as they think. We can sneak in, grab what we need, and be gone before they realize we were there."

She tilted her head, considering his words. "What about the guards?"

"Guards can be destructed easily, people like the milita don’t put their heavy hitters in the supply one because they don’t expect people to dare try to steal from it.

"And if it doesn’t work?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at his tone.

"If that doesn’t work, there’s a ridge we can use as cover."

Zara frowned, considering his words. "What about the patrols? Won’t they have lookouts in the tunnels?"

"They might," Winter admitted, his tone thoughtful.

"But I can handle them. You’ll stay back, keep out of sight."

She bristled slightly at his protectiveness but didn’t argue. "And if the ridge isn’t an option?"

"Then we improvise," Winter said simply, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Zara sighed, shaking her head. "You make it sound so easy."

"It’s not," he replied, his gaze steady. "But we’ll figure it out."

’We huh?’ Zara thought, eyes lowering slightly. Those were dangerous words to use in this period. He didn’t seem to realize what he was saying too.

She sighed, leaning back against a rock.

They fell into a comfortable silence as they ate a simple dinner, the warmth of the fire providing a brief respite from the cold.

"You should sleep," Zara said after a while, breaking the quiet. "I’ll keep watch."

Winter raised an eyebrow, his smirk returning. "You keeping watch? That’s cute."

She glared at him. "I’m serious. I can handle it."

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No offense, but you’d probably fall asleep in ten minutes."

Her glare deepened. "Try me."

Winter leaned back, his smirk widening. "Fine. Wake me if anything happens."

"I will," she waved him off, "now sleep."

Winter finally gave in, pulling his coat tightly around him as he lay down. Zara sat by the fire, watching him for a moment before her gaze softened. His features, so sharp and tense, had relaxed now, and for the first time in days, he seemed at peace.