Chapter 5

"Alex."

Chloe finally spoke, her voice dry and raspy.

She straightened her spine. "You're the deputy captain. You know the rules."

"Before an infected person turns, they must leave the camp. Or... the captain must deal with them personally."

Deal with them personally.

Those three words, spoken so lightly, felt like daggers piercing my heart.

The surrounding team members stirred uneasily. Some turned away, unable to watch. Some quietly stepped back. Others had already rested their hands on their weapons.

Brandon, pressing close to Chloe, whispered,

"Chloe, you have to think about the whole team... Alex, in this state, what if he really suddenly..."

"You shut up," I snapped, staring at him.

Brandon flinched, shrinking further behind Chloe.

Chloe took a deep breath.

"I'll give you a choice. First, leave now."

"Second," her hand moved to the dagger at her waist, "I'll help you."

Help me die.

I looked at the hand gripping the dagger, the same hand that once led me down the military academy's tree-lined avenues, the hand that had clung to mine relentlessly on the first night of the apocalypse.

Now, it wanted to end me.

The power within me surged wildly, the gray-white veins spreading to cover half my face.

I took a deep breath, the pain inside me sharpening my focus.

"I choose option one. I'll leave." My voice was so calm, it even surprised me.

Chloe visibly deflated with relief.

But Brandon spoke up again, his voice a little louder this time.

"Chloe, you can't just let him go like that! His gear, his supplies—they all belong to the team! What if he takes all that stuff and the zombies get it..."

Chloe frowned. "Brandon! That's enough!"

Brandon raised his voice. "I'm just stating facts!"

"He's not the deputy captain anymore, he's an infected! How can team resources be given to an infected person to take away?"

A few team members exchanged glances. Some nodded, some shook their heads.

Just then, a short, shrill scream ripped through the air from the camp's outer perimeter.

Everyone looked towards the sound, panic flashing in their eyes.

Chloe immediately dispatched a few team members to investigate.

Then, she looked at me, her gaze complicated, and spoke with difficulty.

"Alex, your gear... it has to stay."

I laughed.

Laughed until tears welled in my eyes.

I nodded. "Fine. Take it all."

I started to unequip.

Tactical vest, combat knife, backpack, food, water.

Each piece, I tossed to the ground.

The clatter of metal on the ground was jarring in the silence.

Chloe turned her face away, unable to look at me.

Brandon's eyes, however, gleamed, fixated on the pile of gear like a hungry wolf on meat.

When I was done, I was left with only a standard combat uniform.

"Is that enough?" I asked.

Chloe's lips trembled, but she couldn't speak.

Brandon chimed in quickly. "Yes, plenty! Chloe, just let him go!"

Chloe finally looked at me, something flickering in her eyes.

"Alex, I'm sorry, but I have to..."

I cut her off. "Don't bother. From today on, we're even. We're done."

"Chloe, you'd better start thinking about how you're going to manage your camp and your team without me!"

Her body stiffened.

I didn't look at her, or anyone else. I turned and walked towards the camp gate.

The gray-white veins had already spread to my left cheek. The power within me was thrashing wildly, threatening to tear me apart.

Every step felt like walking on razor blades, but I walked straight, without looking back.

Behind me, I heard Brandon's excited voice.

"Chloe, this gear can be redistributed now..."

Then Chloe's choked, furious command: "Shut up!"

I walked out of the camp and entered a section of ruins I'd observed to be relatively safe these past few days.

The power within me could no longer be suppressed. It erupted with a roar.

Excruciating pain tore through every fiber of my being, like my bones were being shattered and then reassembled.

I collapsed, curling into a tight ball on the ground.

The gray-white veins writhed wildly beneath my skin. Everywhere they spread, my skin cracked, oozed blood, scabbed over, and then cracked open again.

Zombie roars echoed from the distance, drawing closer and closer.

But I couldn't move.

My consciousness was slipping, my body burning.

Chloe, Brandon, I'll be waiting for the day you come begging to me.

Then, I fell into boundless darkness.