Ethan didn't rush. He lowered the shotgun slowly and moved toward her, his footsteps echoing softly on the wet debris. When he was close enough, he crouched down and placed a steady hand on her shoulder. The simple touch of his warmth, so human amid the chaos, was like an anchor keeping her in the present.
—It's okay —he said softly—. It's over now.
Reize nodded between sobs, bringing a hand to her lips to stifle the sound burning in her throat. Gradually, the anguish subsided and her breathing returned to a less frantic pace.
—I thought... —she murmured, leaving the sentence unfinished.
Ethan shook his head, a brief smile appearing on his face. He stood up and held out his hand.
—Come on. It's not safe to stay here.
Reize looked at his hand, hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted his help. Their fingers intertwined briefly, and the contact gave her back some strength. Together, they made their way down the passage Reize had found, with Ethan watching every corner, alert to any movement.
When they turned a couple of corners, they both stopped. A faint crunch of shifting stones echoed nearby, followed by quick footsteps. Ethan raised his shotgun immediately, his reflexes sharp.
Two figures emerged from the shadows. Reize held her breath, and although tension ran through her at first, it dissolved as soon as she recognized one of them.
—Koen...
Koen saw her and his gray eyes widened with surprise and relief. His expression softened instantly, as if all the weight of worry had vanished.
—Reize... —he said, his voice hoarse, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Beside him, a young blond man with brown eyes watched cautiously. His gaze was cold and analytical, measuring every detail, but he didn't seem threatening.
Koen moved toward Reize without thinking, his face hardened with concern. His voice was low but clear.
—Reize, this is Elion. He's been helping us.
Elion nodded briefly, his blond hair falling slightly over his forehead.
—Hi, I'm Elion —he said in a direct, reserved tone.
Reize took a deep breath and, after a moment, gave him a small smile.
—And I'm Reize. I'm glad to know that Koen has reinforcements.
Elion didn't respond with a smile, but his posture relaxed slightly, accepting the introduction without adding much else.
Koen, wasting no time, frowned and his gaze hardened.
—And Arika? —he asked immediately, his voice laden with urgency.
Reize hesitated for a second. His jaw tensed, and before answering, he looked down at the floor. A heavy silence settled between them.
—She... —he said, swallowing hard—. She was hurt.
Koen stood up abruptly, his eyes reflecting instant alarm.
—What? How serious? Where is she? —His voice quickened with each question, desperation already seeping into his words.
—Koen —Ethan interjected firmly, placing a hand on his shoulder—. Calm down. Let her speak.
Koen pressed his lips together, breathing heavily through his nose to try to calm himself. Finally, he nodded.
Reize looked at him, her eyes reflecting exhaustion and guilt.
—She's close —she explained more clearly—. I left her resting. Her arm is pretty bad... I put her in a safe place so she could regain her strength. It will take us about fifteen minutes to get to her.
Koen lowered his head, closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, his expression was hard but controlled.
—Okay. Take us to her.
They set off quickly, crossing the half-collapsed streets. As they walked, Koen approached Reize, his voice low.
—Tell me... what happened to you during all this time?
Reize sighed and began to speak, her gaze fixed on the road.
—It hasn't been easy. A few days ago, we tried to take a shortcut through a building to avoid a large group of infected. At first, it seemed safe.
Koen didn't interrupt her, listening attentively.
—But inside... the structure collapsed. There was a terrible crash, glass falling, beams breaking... and just when we were halfway there, a wall collapsed. A giant window fell on me.
Reize clenched his fists, the image still fresh in his mind.
—Arika didn't hesitate. She threw herself on top of me and pushed me aside. The glass cut her arm very deeply. If she hadn't intervened, I wouldn't be here.
Koen let out a sigh, his jaw tense, processing what he had just heard.
—We made it out —Reize added quietly—. It was difficult, but we got out. Since then, we've been moving forward... carefully.
Koen glanced at her, his expression serious.
—Why didn't you try to contact us? We thought you were in danger or... worse.
Reize looked down, the weight of frustration in her words.
—The communicator... I lost it right then. —Her tone grew more subdued—. While I was trying to bandage Arika, when everything was collapsing, it fell from my belt. It got trapped under the rubble, and I couldn't retrieve it. We had to get out fast... and there was no way to go back.
Koen sighed, shaking his head. His eyes softened when he looked at her again.
—The important thing is that you survived. Now we must focus on finding Arika.
Reize nodded, a small, tired smile appearing on her face. At her side, Ethan and Elion remained alert, each with their weapons at the ready.
Ethan looked into the distance and pointed.
—Looks like it's going to rain soon. Let's hurry.
Everyone obeyed and continued on their way, but now Reize felt that the burden on her shoulders was a little lighter.
Meanwhile, Arika faced a different situation.
The air was thick, heavy with moisture and ash, as Arika collapsed into the corner of the store. Exhaustion enveloped her, but she knew she couldn't relax. The rain that had begun to fall pounded heavily against the broken windows, and the sound of the wind sweeping debris through the empty streets gave her a feeling of deep isolation.
In that silence, any noise could be a harbinger of danger.
She heard footsteps shuffling across the asphalt, so soft she almost didn't notice them. At first she thought it was Reize, who had finally returned, but no. The ragged breathing, the low growls... it wasn't Reize.
Arika jumped to her feet, the pain in her injured arm momentarily ignored. There was no time for that. With a quick movement, she grabbed a piece of metal from the ground and prepared for the worst.
—You shouldn't be here... —she murmured, seeing the twisted figure that appeared at the entrance. The infected stared at her with empty eyes, crawling toward her with sickening slowness.
Arika exhaled slowly, a tense smile curving her lips.
—There's no choice. I'll have to take care of you.
The infected lunged at her with a ferocious growl, but Arika had already moved. She dodged the attack with agility, jumping to the side and leaving enough space to avoid being caught.
"This isn't going to be easy", she thought as her heart raced. But she knew she wouldn't give up so easily.
With the piece of metal in her hands, Arika lunged forward, stabbing it into the infected's side. The body fell with a thud, but it wasn't dead. Arika used the force of the impact to push the corpse against the store door, which broke with a crash that echoed throughout the area.
The sound was like a beacon for the infected, attracting them en masse.
—Damn it —Arika growled, watching the horde quickly approach. There were too many of them.
The first infected lunged at her, and Arika, without thinking, pushed him away with a strong shove. The tension in her body skyrocketed, but her mind was clear. She needed to stay in control.
—Eight against one? —she said ironically, looking around, surrounded by them. —It's not fair, is it?
The rain drenched her, her hair sticking to her face as the infected continued to appear. She knew she couldn't defeat them all, but that wasn't going to stop her.
—Well, it seems like you don't care —she whispered, a defiant smile playing on her lips. —Then... let the games begin.