Chapter 3

When she woke up, she had said, "Zack, if you die in front of me, I'll go to the afterlife and bring you back to life."

Back then, her gaze was filled with aching and fear of losing me.

But now, it was frosty as she looked at me.

"Today's mission is critical. I don't have time for this. Dustin, get ready to leave."

Dustin immediately nodded, wiping the blood from his nose as he walked out. As he passed me, he shot me a taunting look.

I grabbed Emilia's wrist. "You're taking him with you?"

She wrenched her arm free. "He knows the terrain of the western district. Zack, look at your state. How can I trust you to lead the team? You stay here. I'll bring back the antidote."

Then, she gathered her gear and left without a second glance.

I stood there, staring at the empty room and at the blanket that still held their warmth.

The force inside me surged violently, with gray-white streaks quickly crawling up my chest.

My skin felt like it was about to tear open, while the burning sensation nearly consumed me.

But I held it in.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as blood dripped between my fingers.

Emilia, you chose him again.

This marked the end for us.

I staggered back to the isolation room, leaning against the wall and gasping for air.

It was clear now that this infection wasn't the usual kind.

I heard the sound of engines starting outside.

Walking to the window, I saw three modified off-road vehicles leaving the camp.

Emilia was in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle, with Dustin sitting right behind her.

Dustin leaned in and said something to Emilia, causing her to smile in a relaxed, unguarded way.

I hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time.

The convoy disappeared into the ruins, and I closed my eyes.

If Emilia didn't come back before sunset today, she would regret it.

I endured the burning pain until nightfall.

Gossip spread about unusual signs of a large-scale zombie movement.

I could only wait, hoping Emilia would bring back the antidote.

As the sun sank below the horizon, the camp's emergency lights flickered on.

Finally, the roar of engines reached my ears.

All three vehicles returned.

My heart raced.

Emilia was back.

I ran downstairs and into the center of the camp.

The doors opened, and Emilia jumped out first, followed by the other team members, and lastly, Dustin.

My eyes locked on their hands.

Emilia's hands were empty. So were Dustin's.

The team began unloading several crates of supplies, but there was no antidote.

My breath caught.

"Where's the antidote?"

My voice came out hoarse as the entire camp fell silent.

Emilia's eyes flickered for a moment, and she quickly looked away from me.

"We found the antidote," she said.

My heart leaped.

She bit her lip.

"But on the way back, we ran into a zombie horde. Dustin got scratched while protecting the supply vehicle. It was an emergency situation. I had to give him the antidote first."

I turned to Dustin.

He immediately raised his bandaged hand with a guilty look on his face. "Vice-captain, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to..."

"Which hand?" I asked.

Dustin blinked. "W-What?"

I took a step closer. "How deep is the wound? How much blood did you lose? Are there any signs of infection?"

Dustin's eyes widened in panic as he looked at Emilia.

Emilia stepped in front of him. "Zack! He's injured, and you're interrogating him like this?"