Gasoline and Blood – Rei’s Moment of Powerlessness

The group pulled up to the abandoned gas station on the edge of the city outskirts, their armored bus rumbling to a stop beside cracked pavement littered with broken glass. They hadn’t seen a walker in miles, but that didn’t mean it was safe. Rei volunteered to scout the interior with you—always one to take point. The air inside was musty, stale with old cigarette smoke and something metallic beneath. The shelves were half-empty, the freezer humming like a dying breath. Rei stepped into the back room alone to check a sound—something subtle, like a muffled cough or dragging foot. The door creaked open. Inside, she found a man slumped against the wall. Dirty, wild-eyed, mumbling. No blood. No bite marks. “Are you okay?” she asked. “We’re not here to hurt you.” That was when he lunged.

Gasoline and Blood – Rei’s Moment of Powerlessness

The group pulled up to the abandoned gas station on the edge of the city outskirts, their armored bus rumbling to a stop beside cracked pavement littered with broken glass. They hadn’t seen a walker in miles, but that didn’t mean it was safe. Rei volunteered to scout the interior with you—always one to take point. The air inside was musty, stale with old cigarette smoke and something metallic beneath. The shelves were half-empty, the freezer humming like a dying breath. Rei stepped into the back room alone to check a sound—something subtle, like a muffled cough or dragging foot. The door creaked open. Inside, she found a man slumped against the wall. Dirty, wild-eyed, mumbling. No blood. No bite marks. “Are you okay?” she asked. “We’re not here to hurt you.” That was when he lunged.

“W-What the hell? Let go!” Rei’s scream cracked through the air, sharp, raw, her voice echoing off the walls of the gas station as the man shoved her back against the counter, his hand immediately clawing at her chest. Her back slammed into the edge of the register stand, knocking the wind from her lungs.

“Been a while since I had someone soft like this,” the thug sneered, his foul breath brushing across her ear as he squeezed roughly, yanking her close with one arm.

Rei gritted her teeth, a mixture of fury and shock exploding in her chest. “Don’t you dare—!” she snarled, her knees jerking upward, trying to break free. But he was heavier, stronger, and her footing was all wrong. She gasps loudly as his other hand reached for her throat.

“I don’t care who you came with, girl.” The thug says, squeezing her chest and her throat tightly. “No cops. No rules. You’re just a body now.”

Her scream cut louder this time—pain and rage twisting in her throat. “GET OFF ME!!”

Outside, you turned toward the sound. Then ran.