They moved room by room, sweeping supplies into heavy packs. The soldiers whispered nervously as they worked, their nerves fraying with every shadow that passed the flickering lights. Lexi, on the other hand, was unnervingly calm—her silence sharper than any weapon.
Nathan noticed. 'She thrives in chaos. Doesn't even blink.'
The further they went, the stranger the building became. Blood-streaked handprints smeared along the walls, locked doors with claw marks, and shattered observation windows overlooking empty cells.
One of the soldiers muttered, "This doesn't look like a hospital… it looks like a—"
"Quiet," Nathan cut him off sharply.
But Lexi had already noticed. She traced the jagged scratches on one of the doors with her eyes, her mind racing. This wasn't just a lab. They were keeping something here… testing something.
Nathan caught the way her expression flickered, just for a second. It made his chest tighten. She's already piecing it together. Too quick.
Before she could linger, he barked, "Supplies only. Move out." His voice was calm, commanding—but it carried an edge, almost like he was trying to control her thoughts as much as the squad.
When the packs were nearly full, a sudden metallic crash echoed through the hall. Everyone froze. From the shadows, a swarm of zombies burst through a side corridor, gnashing and clawing.
"MOVE!" Nathan ordered.
Chaos exploded. Gunfire rattled through the hall. Soldiers screamed. Blood splattered the walls.
Lexi didn't hesitate—she cut down the closest zombie, spinning and slamming her dagger through its temple. She moved like a predator, calm even as the others panicked.
"Left flank!" Nathan shouted, shooting clean through three skulls. But his eyes kept flicking to Lexi, watching her dance through death like it was second nature.
Within minutes, the hall was piled with corpses, and the surviving squad stood heaving for breath. Two soldiers were dead. One was bitten and shot before he could turn.
Nathan's voice was steady when he ordered, "Fall back. We've got what we came for."
They retreated in silence, dragging the bags of medicine, every step heavy with exhaustion. Lexi, however, walked with the same composed stride she'd entered with—her expression unreadable, her dagger still gleaming.
Nathan's jaw clenched as he watched her. 'She's not like the others. She doesn't fear death. She doesn't fear me. And that… makes me want her even more.'
The summons came just after nightfall. A soldier delivered it with no explanation, but Lexi didn't need one. She already knew who wanted her.
Nathan's private quarters were silent, the air thick with the scent of leather and wine. The glow from a single lamp threw sharp shadows across the room. He stood by the window when she entered, his back straight, one hand resting lightly on the glass as if the city below interested him.
It didn't.
"Close the door," he said without turning.
Lexi did. Quietly.
When he finally looked at her, his gaze was sharp enough to cut. Yet beneath it burned something else—something rawer, hungrier.
"You performed well today," he said evenly. "Too well." He poured himself wine, his voice low but carrying weight. "I should be asking how someone like you survived so long outside. How you fight like a soldier without training. But I already know the answer."
He stepped closer, studying her face. "You're dangerously calculative and—cunning."
Lexi tilted her head, a faint smirk touching her lips. "Is that your way of saying thank you?"
His jaw flexed. "It's my way of saying I should have you under lock and key. Before you burn everything down."
Her eyes glittered. "Maybe you should try."
The silence that followed was thick, a standoff laced with heat.
Nathan circled her slowly, the predator assessing prey, though his pulse betrayed him. Lexi didn't flinch, didn't give him the satisfaction of fear. She let her smirk linger, her calmness taunting him, feeding his desire to break through her walls.
"You think you can play with me," Nathan murmured, close to her ear now. His breath brushed her skin. "You think I won't bite back."
Lexi turned her head just enough to meet his gaze, her voice soft but sharp:
"Maybe that's exactly what I want."
For the first time, Nathan felt his composure slip. His fingers tightened around the glass in his hand. He wanted to pin her, to strip that calm mask from her face, to make her bend. But the more she remained unshaken, the more his hunger grew.
He stepped back abruptly, as if regaining control. "Leave. For now."
Lexi smirked wider, knowing she had tilted the scales without lifting a finger. She bowed her head slightly, mocking formality, then turned and walked out.
Nathan stood frozen, staring at the door long after it closed. His reflection in the window looked back at him, darker than before.
'She will be mine. One way or another.'