Mira and I moved cautiously through the corridors.
I made sure to shield her from every zombie we encountered.
I still had to find the other two survivors and keep them alive until I could defeat the Dungeon Boss, claim the rewards, and get everyone out of here. But where could they be?
[Advance Information for Maintenance: @#₱* Bug Player]
A map suddenly flickered at the edge of my vision.
[Survivor Locations: 52 meters away — 2nd Floor, Hall of Ancestor Portraits]
"Got it."
I sprinted toward the coordinates.
I found them.
Two teenagers. A boy and a girl. They looked like a couple.
The boy stood in front of her, gripping a sharpened fireplace poker with both hands. His arms shook as he tried to keep the surrounding zombies at bay.
They were completely surrounded and there was no way out.
I didn't hesitate. I charged in, cutting down the corpses before they could take another step. Rotting bodies dropped one after another until the hallway fell silent again.
Within seconds, it was over.
The two of them just stared at me.
Then relief hit.
"Thank you, mister… You saved us," the girl said, her voice trembling. Tears streamed down her face. "We were going to die…"
I didn't answer right away.
Then something caught my eye. I looked down at the boy's leg.
I grabbed the girl and pulled her back.
"Stay away from him."
She froze while the boy blinked in confusion.
"He's bitten," I said.
Everyone went silent.
The boy slowly looked down at himself. His eyes found it.
A bite mark on his thigh.
"This…" he whispered.
His voice trailed off as the realization settled in.
He hadn't felt it earlier. The fear, the chaos, the adrenaline had hidden it.
But now there was no denying it.
"Lester… no!"
The girl broke down and rushed toward him.
I caught her and held her back.
"Let me go!" she screamed, struggling against me. "Let me go!"
She kept fighting, crying, reaching for him.
But I didn't let her pass.
There was nothing left to do.
Lester steadied himself. His hands were still shaking, but his voice came out clearer this time.
"It's okay, Ara," he said quietly. "You just need to survive and get out of here."
"No. No, don't say that," she cried. "We're leaving together. I'm not leaving you behind."
Her voice cracked as she tried to break free again.
"There might be a cure outside. Please… just come with me."
Lester smiled faintly.
A weak, tired smile.
"You know that I can't do that."
Ara shook her head, tears blurring her vision.
"No… no, you're wrong. There has to be something. There has to be--"
"There isn't," Lester said.
His voice was calm now.
That was what made it worse.
He shifted his grip on the fireplace poker and used it to steady himself. His leg trembled under his weight.
"I can feel it," he added quietly. "It's already spreading."
Ara froze.
"No…"
"I'm getting cold," he said. "But it burns at the same time."
His breathing grew uneven. He clenched his jaw, trying to hold himself together.
I tightened my grip on Ara as she struggled again.
"Let me go!" she cried. "I don't care! I don't care, I'll stay with him!"
"You stay with him, you die with him," I said.
She stopped.
Lester looked at me then.
"Mister Hunter," he said. " Please keep her safe"
"I'll end it myself before I lose control"
Ara's eyes widened.
"No! No, you can't—"
"I don't want to put you in danger," he said, cutting her off. "I'm not letting you see me turn like that."
His voice broke for the first time.
"I won't become one of them."
Ara collapsed to her knees, shaking her head over and over.
"Please… please don't do this…"
Lester didn't look away from me and gestured to cover Ara's eyes.
"Please," he said again, quieter this time.
Ara screamed as she lunged, but I held her back and covered her eyes with my hand.
"Don't!" she cried. "Please, don't take him away from me!"
Lester exhaled slowly.
"Hey… Ara."
She looked up at him, her face soaked in tears.
"Thank you," he said. "For staying with me this long."
Her lips trembled, but no words came out.
"I'm sorry."
Then he stab his heart with the fireplace poker he was holding and closed his eyes.
It was over.
The sound of his body hitting the floor echoed through the hall.
Ara went silent too, with no screams or cries. Just silence.
I slowly released my hand on her.
She didn't move at first.
Then, with shaking hands, she crawled toward him.
"Lester…?"
There was no response.
She reached out and touched his face.
Her shoulders began to shake.
A broken sound escaped her, barely more than a whisper.
A sound someone makes when something inside them finally gives out.
I turned away.
After a moment, I spoke anyway.
"You need to move."
She didn't respond.
"If you stay here, you'll end up like him too"
Still nothing.
I glanced back at her.
She was still holding him. Still hoping, even now.
I clenched my jaw and spoke again. "We don't have time."
Silence stretched between us. Then, slowly, she nodded.
Not because she wanted to but because she had no other choice.