Stationing herself solidly between the forked tree trunk, Five gazed across the wild forest landscape. The darkness was oppressive, and she could hardly see the stars through the thick, leafy canopy. She had no idea where she was and had attempted to climb a tree with low-hanging branches in order to get a visual of the surrounding area and perhaps see Abel or another human township. Hell, she would even take New Canton over the wilderness at this point. At least, if she got to them, they would just shoot her rather than turn her into an undead monster.

Ever since she had lost connection with Sam, Five had been fighting to stay calm, but she knew she was on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Her heart rate had refused to slow, and she was acutely aware of every breaking branch and rustling leaf, her nerves heightened to their peak.

Never before had she been stranded on a mission without a working radio. At Mullins, the radio controllers were top-notch. Even when her helicopter had crashed, Sam had been in contact the whole time. At Abel, Sam… Sam had always been there for her.

Now, she was alone. She had avoided a few groups of zombies without incident since the connection loss, but her energy was draining, and she knew it.

Growling silently, Five swatted at yet another mass of mosquitos. Her wild imagination was getting the better of he as she fought to swipe away the swarm of bugs indulging in her flesh. For all she knew, these flying syringes from hell were carrying and transferring zombie blood.

She didn't want to think about it.

Squinting through the darkness, she lifted herself up a little higher, cognizant of her dangerous position in the tree. She had been perspiring nonstop since the attempted murder at New Canton, and the accumulation of adrenaline, hormones, and sweat was a smorgasbord of aromas for the undead. Forget the mosquitos. She was a walking zombie buffet.

After all, if she could climb this tree, then the zombies certainly could. And now she had nowhere to run.

It was no use. Five couldn't see anything through the merciless blackness of the night. She shivered slightly as a breeze whipped past her. As if everything else weren't enough, her runner uniform clung wetly to her skin as she perspired. After the sun had set, the temperature dropped, and Five became colder and colder. She had to stretch out her leg muscles constantly to keep them warmed and ready for action.

Suddenly, Five heard a sharp crackling sound. She jumped and almost toppled out of the tree, but grabbed the trunk just in time to catch herself. For a wild moment, she thought a zombie was rustling through the greenery, finally catching her scent like a hound finding its rabbit prey. However, the sound was too close; it was right in her ear.

Her radio.

Five's headset had sputtered to life, and it spat staggered fuzz in her ear. It was alive.

"Hello?" she asked quietly. "Hello, is anyone there? Abel? Mullins? Do you come in?"

Nothing occurred save for another violent emission of static. And then… a voice.

"Five," it said. She gasped. "Come in, Runner Five, can you hear me?" Static interrupted the message.

"S—S—Sam?" she called as loudly as she dared. "Is that you, Sam?"

"Runner Five… Come in, Runner Five, are you out there?"

"Yes!" she hissed, not allowing her voice to tread above a loud whisper. "I'm here!"

"Runner Five, calling Runner Five, come in, Runner…" The radio controller's voice faded out again, and Five cursed under her breath. He couldn't hear her.

"No, I copy! I'm here; I'm alive!"

The line was silent… but only for a moment.

"Runner Five."

Sam. It was really him. His voice rang clearly in her ear. "I don't know if you can hear me… our scanner's down. It never works that well at night anyway, and a couple of bits of equipment have broken down, so…" He took a deep breath. "So there's no way to see where you are. Truth is, I don't even know if you're alive. Odds aren't good, right? Hey, odds aren't good for any of us, but I'm still…" He scoffed humorlessly. "Well. I guess I'm still alive. It's about all I can say. Runner Five, we... we don't know where you are. We know you didn't get taken by New Canton. We managed to track that much. But you haven't come back."

Five listened with bated breath, drinking in every word Sam spoke.

"It's the middle of the night, Runner Five, and there's a reason we don't send patrols out at night. If you're where we think you might be, to the north, the area's swarming with zombies, and… they often head for us at night. If they get here before you, we're… we're gonna have to bar the gates." Five's heart stopped, her eyes widening in horror. "There'll be no way for you to get in, and we'll have to watch…"

He stopped, and Five knew they were both imagining the same scenario: Five locked outside the Abel gates, pounding on them, begging Sam to let her in while the zombies cornered her. She would be eaten alive before his eyes, and he would watch every moment of it. He would watch as she either died or turned into the enemy.

No. No, she had to get back. She had to escape. She could hear Sam now, so she couldn't be impossibly far from Abel.

Sam's voice her only solace, she set her jaw in determination. She would make it back.

She had to try.