The dead survivor

Episode 3: sacrifice

After a night filled with optimism following Mario's acquisition of food, Chris looked at Mario in amazement at how he had managed it and began asking himself, "My God, how can he remain calm after everything that has happened?"

Chris tried to gather his strength and began to think that he should be like Mario.

Chris asked Mario to take him along the next time they went to get food from other towns.

It wasn't long before the food ran out, and the young men decided to go back to the houses in the devastated areas to get food. This was Chris's chance to experience a harsh reality unlike anything he had ever faced before

The young men gathered and decided to go, taking Chris with them. At sunset, the young men began to move. Chris was anxious, his eyes looking everywhere, observing and listening to the sounds, his heartbeat increasing little by little

The young men reached the outskirts of the village, but to their surprise, there were some terrorists walking inside the village, and the way back had become extremely difficult and there was no way to retreat.

One of the young men decided to draw the terrorists' attention so the others could get food. Chris quickly began to panic uncontrollably. Mario tried to calm him down.

As Chris became increasingly nervous, Mario decided to jump behind buildings to draw the gunmen's attention and create a chase.

Mario ran and started shouting at them at the top of his lungs to attract their attention, and he succeeded. The terrorists began chasing Mario.

Chris was in a bad mood and said to himself, "Mario is going to die because of me now, because I'm a coward."

The young men left, abandoning Chris behind the bushes. They frantically searched for food, finding some scraps. The result wasn't good for them, but suddenly they heard gunshots. At that moment, everyone realized Mario had either been killed or captured.

Chris tried to steal a closer look at the shock when he saw three people gathering around Mario, who was still alive.

The young men returned to Chris behind the bushes. One of them held him down so he wouldn't scream, and everyone began to watch what would happen to Mario.

Someone tried to question Mario and asked him: Where did you come from and how many people are with you?

Mario said there was no one else.

The terrorists attacked Mario, trying to force him to speak, while Chris and his friends watched silently, powerless to help him.

The matter was settled; Mario and his friends were dead. They went into the forest in complete silence.

Chris kept thinking the whole way, "Why is this happening to us? What did we do to deserve all this? Why first Carl, and now Mario? What will happen to us? How long will we keep running and searching for food?"

The young men reached the forest where everyone was eagerly awaiting their return, hoping they might have found food.

But their joy at their arrival quickly turned into a sad tragedy when they were told that Mario had died during the search.

Mario's mother broke down in tears and shock. Chris was stunned, didn't say a word, and went to sit alone by the river.

Bad thoughts crept into Chris's head, and he began to blame himself, saying, "Mario died because of me. Why am I a coward? Why am I not like them? I want to be brave."

Chris couldn't sleep all night, thinking about what Mario had suffered because of him, and how he had ultimately paid for it with his life. Mario, who had always been selfish and arrogant, had sacrificed himself for his friends.

Chris began to struggle within himself, splitting into two personalities: one that wanted to live and another that suffered.

Chris has changed a lot. He was always cheerful, loved to joke and play, and loved his friends. He quickly transformed into a character somewhat like Mario.

He couldn't stop looking at the despair and fear in the eyes of the families around him, trying to find one reason to be more optimistic, but he failed every time.

Chris went and sat next to his little sister, who was not yet four years old. The little one wasn't old enough to understand what was happening around her. She loved playing with Chris, but every time Chris looked at her, he felt pain.

He wanted to play with her and started joking with her and they played together. The laughter of that little girl made Chris forget what was happening and gave him some hope amidst the painful events he was going through.

A young woman approached them and sat next to Chris. She was very beautiful and was crying, grieving for her brother Mario. She sat beside Chris and his sister, watching the laughter of the little girl Chris was playing with.

Chris was a little nervous around her; he'd never been so close to a girl before. He asked her name, and she replied, "My name is Sarah, and I'm Mario's sister." Chris began to feel anxious because Mario had died because of him, and he couldn't stop crying.

Sarah asked him, "Why are you crying, Mario? He's in a better world now, maybe he's happy."

Chris looked at her, tears streaming down his face. "Mario was brave, yes, despite everything. Mario is a good person."