The rooftop descended into chaos.
Koen barely had time to catch his breath. Every time he managed to knock a man down, another took his place. The wooden stick he was holding was already splintered from the constant blows, and his knuckles burned from the force with which he was gripping it.
One of the attackers lunged at him with a metal bar.
Koen dodged the blow by mere centimeters, spun around, and brought the stick down hard on the man's ribs.
Crack!
The man fell to his knees, letting out a cry of pain.
Another appeared behind him.
Koen sensed the movement and ducked just in time. The punch flew over his head. He used the attacker's momentum to grab his arm and hurl him into one of his companions.
—Damn you…! Don't you ever get tired? —he growled as he caught his breath.
However, exhaustion was beginning to take its toll.
He'd taken several blows to the abdomen and face. A shallow cut on his forehead caused blood to trickle slowly down beside one of his eyes, blurring his vision.
Even so, he kept smiling.
—Come on… I thought you'd be stronger.
Those words only served to enrage the men even more.
When two of them lunged at him at the same time, Koen took a step back, bracing himself to meet them.
Then…
Pff!
A soft whistle cut through the air.
Koen barely had time to turn his head.
He felt a prick in his neck.
He brought a hand to the spot and found a small dart embedded in his skin.
His expression changed.
—No...
He immediately pulled out the dart and dropped it on the ground.
When he looked up, the blond man was walking calmly among his men with a smug smile. His scars seemed even more pronounced in the dim moonlight.
—Don't worry —he said as he put away the dart gun—. This time I didn't need to knock you out completely.
Koen took a step toward him.
But his legs gave out.
The world began to sway.
His breathing grew heavy, and his arms started to feel as if they weighed a ton.
—What… did you do…?
The blond man smiled.
—I just reduced the dose. Just enough so you'd stay conscious… but too weak to fight.
Koen clenched his teeth with all his might.
He tried to lift the stick again.
His arms barely responded.
One of the men took advantage of that moment to punch him in the stomach.
Air rushed violently out of his lungs.
Another blow landed on his back.
Then another.
And yet another.
Koen tried to fight back, but each movement was slower than the last.
Finally, his knees gave out.
He fell heavily onto the concrete floor.
He was breathing with difficulty, unable to muster the strength to get up.
The blond man walked over to him with utter calm.
He crouched down in front of Koen and, without the slightest hesitation, grabbed him by the hair, forcing him to lift his head.
—Now tell me… —he asked with feigned kindness —. Where are your friends?
Koen let out a weak chuckle.
He spat a little blood to the side.
—You're… too late.
The blond man narrowed his eyes.
—What did you say?
Koen smiled again.
—They're already far away from here… you won't find them.
The silence lasted barely a second.
Then the man let go of him abruptly, causing his head to slam against the floor.
His smile vanished.
—What a shame.
His voice sounded completely cold.
—I was hoping you'd cooperate, but you leave me no other choice.
He turned to his men.
—Take him to the cage.
Two men obeyed immediately, grabbing Koen by the arms to pull him to his feet. He could barely stay conscious; his legs refused to respond, and his whole body felt as heavy as lead.
Before leaving, the blond man approached him again.
He leaned in until he was right next to his ear.
—Since you decided to sacrifice yourself for them… —he whispered with a cruel smile—, I'll make you regret that decision.
Koen didn't answer.
The blond man continued, savoring every word.
—Dying would be too easy. I want you to experience true hell… one where you'll wish you'd died from the very first day.
He gave him a light pat on the cheek, almost as if in a friendly gesture.
—I hope you hold out long enough to enjoy it.
Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and began to walk away.
As he was dragged down the hallway, Koen barely lifted his gaze toward the sky visible through the shattered rooftop.
The moon was already shining through the clouds.
And, despite the pain coursing through every part of his body…
He smiled.
"At leas… you two escaped…", he thought before the building's doors closed behind him.
Meanwhile…
Several blocks away, Ethan and Elion were making their way as best they could through the abandoned buildings.
They had managed to escape the building, but the city remained a trap. Every street could hide the infected… or something worse.
Ethan was carrying most of Elion's weight on his shoulders. The wound on his leg was still bleeding despite the makeshift bandage, and every step drew a wince of pain from him.
—How are you holding up? — Ethan asked in a low voice as he scanned the surroundings.
Elion gasped for breath.
—I've been better…
He tried to joke, but could barely manage a smile.
Silence fell between them once more. All that could be heard was the wind whistling through the buildings and the distant creaking of some structure weakened by the passage of time.
Suddenly…
A flash appeared in the distance.
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
—What…?
Another light appeared behind the first one.
They were moving.
And they were getting closer and closer.
Ethan's heart skipped a beat.
—Damn it…
The lights were heading straight for them.
—They found us…
He quickly glanced to both sides of the avenue.
There was nowhere to hide.
The collapsed facades and abandoned vehicles offered little cover.
—We have to move. Now!
He gripped Elion tighter and tried to pick up the pace.
But they barely managed to move a few meters.
Elion's leg gave out again.
—Ah...!
He was about to fall, but Ethan caught him before he hit the ground.
Elion clenched his teeth.
—Leave me here.
Ethan ignored him and lifted him up again.
—Listen to me…
His voice sounded increasingly weary.
—You won't be able to carry me much longer.
The lights were still getting closer.
They could now make out two pickup trucks driving down the avenue.
Elion closed his eyes for a moment.
—Ethan...
He didn't answer.
He was still desperately searching for a way out.
—¡Ethan!
This time he looked at him.
Elion spoke with a calmness that made those words carry even more weight.
—Leave me… and go on without me
Ethan shook his head firmly.
—Don't even think about it.
—I'm just slowing you down.
—I don't care.
—If you keep carrying me, we'll both end up trapped.
—I already said no!
Ethan readjusted Elion's arm across his shoulders.
—I'm not going to abandon anyone again.
Elion remained silent.
He knew that look all too well.
He knew it was useless to insist.
The trucks were already dangerously close.
Their headlights completely illuminated the street.
Ethan took a deep breath.
He readied his gun.
If it was those men…
He'd fight to the end.
Then…
A voice broke the silence.
—¡Ethan!
His body tensed.
That voice…
He knew it perfectly well.
He whipped his head around.
—...Reize?
In the truck in front, a girl was leaning halfway out the passenger-side window, waving her hand frantically.
It was Reize.
At the sight of her, Ethan's expression shifted from utter tension to the most sincere relief he'd felt in days.
—Reize!
Hours earlier, back at the house, Delma and Reize had returned. The worry was evident on everyone's faces. When they saw that only the two of them had come back, they immediately realized that something had gone wrong.
Little Hael was especially distraught. He sat with his head bowed, trying to hold back his tears as the fear of never seeing his brother again consumed him. At his side, Althea and Mian stayed close, trying to offer him some comfort.
Meanwhile, Stella was disinfecting Reize's wound.
—This is going to sting a little —Stella warned as she carefully cleaned the wound.
Reize barely reacted. His gaze remained distant, still preoccupied with what had happened.
Suddenly, the radio Delma carried in her pocket began to crackle with static.
—Delma, do you read me?
Recognizing the voice, Delma quickly pulled out the radio.
—I read you, Arika. Go ahead.
There were a few seconds of static before Arika's voice came through again.
—I've found the place where they took the kids. Listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you. I can't repeat it.
Delma stepped back a few paces from the others and remained silent as she listened to each of the instructions. Her expression grew increasingly serious. When Arika finished speaking, Delma clenched the radio tightly.
—Roger that. See you there.
—Be careful —those were the last words Arika managed to say before the connection was cut off.
Delma put the radio away and turned to the others.
—Get ready. We're leaving now.
Stella stopped cleaning Reize's wound and looked at her, puzzled.
—Where are we going?
Delma turned her gaze toward Hael. The little boy still had his head down, not daring to ask what was happening.
Then Delma smiled slightly.
—To save Hael's brother… and the others.
Hael quickly raised his head.
His eyes filled with tears, but this time they weren't tears of fear. A mixture of relief and hope washed over his face as he realized there was still a chance to see his brother again.