Under the Scorching Sun

As Kia stepped out of the house onto the desolate streets, Kia scanned their surroundings. Unlike yesterday, there weren't any zombies in sight, but the ground was flooded with blood stains and scarred dead body parts. The sight made Kia's stomach churn. It was clear they weren't the only ones struggling to survive in this now-forsaken city. What a shame.

Sofie gasped in horror at the scene before them, her grip on Kia's hand tightening even further.

"Remember, don't make a sound," Kia whispered, not wanting to draw unwanted attention like last time.

Sofie responded by biting down on her lip and nodded in understanding. Her eyes darted nervously around their surroundings.

Each step was a gamble, but Kia was able to lead her out of the blood-stained streets. With each step, the tension built, but they managed to get through.

Over an hour had passed, and there hadn't been any sign of a zombie, which was a good thing, but they were starting to get exhausted.

The sun was high in the sky, beating down relentlessly on the deserted streets. Sweat trickled down Kia's brow as he tightened his grip on Sofie's hand. The heat was oppressive, the dry air making it difficult to breathe.

The bottle of water they brought was long since empty, and Kia could tell Sofie was becoming dehydrated. He needed to find some shade, some way to cool her down.

As he scanned the surroundings, his eyes caught sight of a tall tree in the distance. Its branches were full and green, offering a haven of shade from the scorching sun.

He led Sofie to the tree, and when they finally reached it, he helped her sit down at its base. Kia leaned back against the tree and was about to close his eyes to savor the shade for a moment when he heard growling. He immediately opened his eyes and saw Sofie clutching her stomach.

The sound was coming from her, a reminder that she hadn't eaten anything all morning. For her age, she must be extremely hungry, her body already exhausted. Kia knew this. In fact, it was clearly visible that she was tired, but never once did she complain.

Sofie was a brave, resilient girl for her age, and Kia low-key admired that. But at the same time, he knew that hunger could make anyone weak, and he had to act quickly to get food, as he was also feeling the effects of the heat and hunger.

As the growling subsided, Sofie looked at Kia with an apologetic expression, her eyes speaking for her stomach.

Knowing they couldn't stay under the tree for too long as the zombies could come out of anywhere since they were in an open space, Kia decided they had had enough rest and they had to look for food and water. He leaned close to Sofie and whispered, "We need to find food. I'm going to go scout the area for any supplies. Can you walk?"

Sofie nodded, but as she tried to stand, her legs betrayed her, causing her to fall back against the tree.

"Shit!" Kia muttered with a sigh. There was no way he could risk leaving her all alone, no matter how much he needed to find food. "I guess I have no choice but to carry you."

As he said this, he scooped her up in his arms and began to carry her through the streets. Luckily, she was lightweight, making it somewhat easier for Kia to carry her. But the extra weight, combined with the heat and his own hunger, made the task arduous.

Luckily for Kia, not more than 10 minutes later, he found a small mall. "That would have to do," Kia said under his breath as he cautiously approached the mall's entrance.

The glass doors were shattered, with shards strewn across the floor. Kia had to pick his way carefully, trying not to make any noise that might attract unwanted attention.

Once inside, he could see that the mall had been ransacked. Shelves were toppled over, and debris littered the floors. But he also spotted a few stray canned goods and boxes of crackers that had been overlooked.

Kia gently lowered Sofie to the floor, mindful of the broken glass.

"Stay here and be quiet. I'm going to look around. I'll be back in a minute," Kia whispered, his eyes darting from shelf to shelf.

Sofie nodded, her hands clutched tightly around his leg. She let go and took a few steps back, huddling her tired self in a corner.

Without hesitating, Kia moved quickly from one shelf to another, grabbing cans of beans, packages of dry noodles, and anything else that looked edible. He stuffed them into his backpack and moved towards the next aisle.

As he did, his eyes caught sight of plastic bottles of water, causing an unknowing smile to tug at the corner of his lips. He reached out for one, frantically unscrewed the cap, and began gulping down the cool, refreshing liquid, relishing each drop as it quenched his parched throat. He could feel the rush of energy returning to his limbs, and the burning hunger in his stomach subsided for the moment.

He quickly gathered the remaining bottles, tucking them securely in his bag. But just as he was about to reach for another bottle, it slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground.

Kia grunted in frustration as the plastic bottle hit the ground with a loud thud, rolling away from him. He quickly bent down, reaching out to grab the bottle. His hand froze mid-air as he realized that the bottle hadn't simply rolled to a stop - it had been stopped by a worn, leather boot. This was followed by the unmistakable click of a gun being cocked.

"Don't move," a gruff voice broke the silence. "And hands where I can fücking see 'em."