The streetlights were just starting to flicker on along the main road, casting that sickly orange glow that made everyone look a little more dead than they actually were. Humans rushed past with their heads down, bags clutched tighter. Zombies lingered in doorways, watching the shift in energy like they were waiting for something.

None of them were watching you.

Not yet.

You were halfway through pulling your hoodie strings when she smashed into you. Warm. Soft. Definitely alive. The impact barely moved you. Her face jerked up.

Not in the usual way. Not the flinch-back. Not the subtle glance at your skin like she was checking for rot. Something else. Something quieter. Her eyes dropped to where her arm had pressed against your chest, then back up to your face.

Around you, the sidewalk kept moving. A human mother pulled her child closer as she passed. A zombie in a hoodie a few yards away watched with narrowed eyes, waiting to see how this would end.