He Rejected Me Thrice, I Caught Him With Her

Year three of the apocalypse. As the girlfriend of the Safe Zone's second-in-command, he made me live in the isolation zone for 1,095 days. Every time I showed up covered in wounds with a pass, he gave me that troubled look. "Sylvia, you're my girlfriend. I have to avoid any appearance of favoritism. "The spots have to go to the families of fallen sisters. You need to wait. "You don't have an ability. Even if you came in, you'd just be ordinary fighting power..." I bought his bullshit, turned around, and threw myself back into the zombie hordes. Until the day I saved up my ninth pass. Fever of 104°F, I crawled to find him. And walked in on him stuffing the last spot into his ex-girlfriend's arms. He shielded her, his eyes soft. "Claire's healing ability is the hope of all mankind. I have to prioritize the greater good." And the bloodstained pass in my hand? He tossed it in the trash. In that moment, I finally understood. All his "troubled" looks and "greater good" speeches were just excuses, weighing costs and benefits again and again to sacrifice me. Three years ago, Ethan Sterling took a knife for David Brown, the Safe Zone's leader. To repay him, David broke the rules and brought Ethan into the Safe Zone. Before he left, Ethan said to me, "Sylvia, I just got recognized by the boss. There's no way I can bring you in too. "With your skills, you can take Safe Zone bounties to earn passes. It's only a matter of time. "Or wait for me. Once I get some position and power inside, I'll bring you in." I believed him. Three years in military school, three months surviving the apocalypse—I thought I knew him well enough. I worked every Safe Zone bounty I could, desperate to trade for passes and reunite with Ethan. Year one, I took the mission to clear the infected nest in the hospital. I broke two ribs, but I brought back the medicine and the stamped documents. The day I got my pass, I lay in my torn tent with a fever of 104°F, waiting for him. He came. His uniform was clean, his cuffs unwrinkled. "Sylvia, this time the Safe Zone spot has to go to Captain Snow's husband and child." He couldn't look me in the eye. "Captain Snow died on a mission last week. Her family needs to be settled. You understand." He held the pass in his hand for a long time, then gave it back to me. Year two, I mapped out the mutant patterns in the Eastern Ruins and led a team to take the old granary. I brought six passes to Ethan. "Officer Smith's niece needs to come in. Water ability—she'll help build the Safe Zone. "Sylvia, you don't have an ability. Even if you came in, you'd just be ordinary fighting power. Wait a little longer. When you have more passes, I'll have more leverage. Then I can bring you straight in." I stared at the new star on his shoulder badge. He felt like a stranger. Earlier this year, I went alone into the subway tunnel and found the communication equipment parts the Safe Zone desperately needed. That got me my ninth pass. That day, I clutched the stack of passes and walked to Ethan's office in the isolation zone. Through the window, I saw he was already inside, holding a Safe Zone admission letter. A boy stood next to him, his back to the window. I couldn't see his face. But his figure seemed oddly familiar. Ethan tilted his head, talking to him, a smile at the corner of his mouth—unguarded, gentle. I hadn't seen that expression on his face in three years. I pushed the door open. The boy turned around. It was Claire Bennett. "Ethan. Why is Claire here?" I tried to keep my voice steady. "And this time I have nine passes. Can I finally..." Ethan looked away. That troubled expression came back. "Sylvia, I'm sorry. This time, the spot... I'm giving it to Claire." My smile froze. The next second, I slammed the stack of passes down in front of him. The papers scattered across the floor. "Third time." My voice finally started to shake. "Ethan, where is my place? And Claire is your ex-girlfriend—this time, you don't need to avoid favoritism?" Ethan frowned. That familiar, businesslike expression returned. He grabbed my arm and pulled me outside the door. "Sylvia, don't make a scene." He lowered his voice. "Claire has a healing ability. She can save many people. She's a strategic asset the Safe Zone urgently needs. She gets special approval. You understand." "Huh?" I stared at him. "Three passes are enough to enter the Safe Zone. By the Safe Zone's own rules, shouldn't I have been let in long ago?" "Rules have to consider reality." His tone turned hard. Then Claire walked out of the office. He looked uneasy. "Ethan, maybe I can wait..." "No." Ethan patted his hand, then turned back to me. His eyes went cold. "Sylvia Hale, can't you be more understanding? There are things I can't control. Everyone recognizes Claire's value. And you... "Aside from brute strength, what do you have?"