Mara Velez reaches for the service door, keeping her shoulder angled toward the kitchen. Rachel stands beside her, while the abandoned apartment and its failing barricade remain behind them.
The door jerks inward before Mara Velez can open it. Elias Ward, a gaunt middle-aged man with gray-streaked hair, a torn brown coat, and a blood-stained sleeve, stumbles through and collapses against the frame.
Mara Velez
Elias? What happened? Get inside, now.
Elias clutches a ring of metal keys, each tagged with fading labels from the building’s maintenance office. His breath comes fast as something bumps hard against the outer gate.
Elias Ward
Lock it. Please. The infected aren’t the only danger in that alley.
Elias Ward
There are people out there watching the loading area. They took the lower stores, and they know this building has supplies.
Another impact rattles the gate, followed by a scrape along the metal. Mara Velez grabs the service door handle and looks from Elias to Rachel, waiting as the keys jingle in his shaking fist.
Protect the group from the immediate threat
Learn who is watching the loading area