Chapter 3
675 Words
I endured the burning pain and waited until nightfall. People whispered that unusually large-scale zombie movement had been spotted nearby. And I could only watch, waiting desperately for Austin to bring back the antidote.
The sun sank below the horizon, and the base lights flickered on at scattered emergency points. Finally, the roar of engines came from the distance.
Three vehicles. All accounted for.
My heart began to race. He was back.
I rushed downstairs and into the center of the base.
The doors opened. Austin jumped out first, followed by the others, and finally Heather.
My eyes locked tightly onto their hands. Austin's hands were empty. Heather's hands were empty too. The team members unloaded several supply crates, but there was no antidote.
My breath stopped for a second. "Where's the antidote?"
My voice came out hoarse. The area instantly fell silent.
Austin's eyes flickered. He avoided my gaze. "We found the antidote..."
My heart tightened.
He pressed his lips together. "But on the way back, we ran into a zombie horde. Heather got scratched while protecting the supply vehicle. It was urgent, so I had to use the antidote on her first."
I looked at Heather.
She immediately raised her bandaged hand, her expression full of guilt. "I'm sorry, Deputy Leader... I really didn't mean it..."
"Which hand?" I asked.
Heather froze. "W-what?"
I stepped closer. "How deep was the wound? How much bleeding was there? Any signs of infection yet?"
Her eyes flickered in panic as she looked toward Austin.
Austin stepped in front of her. "Evelyn! She's already injured, and you're still interrogating her like this?"
I pulled open my collar, revealing the gray-white patterns crawling up my neck. "Austin, look at me. I might not make it past midnight. And your so-called injured Heather looks rosy and clear-eyed. You call that infection?"
Several team members lowered their heads.
Logan Reynolds, one of the team members, muttered quietly, "Actually... Heather could've avoided it..."
"Logan!" Austin snapped.
But it was too late. I understood everything. Heather had done it on purpose.
Austin gave her the antidote again, choosing Heather in front of the entire team once more.
I said softly, "Austin, you chose her over me again."
Austin's face turned pale. "I didn't choose to abandon you! I just..."
I let out a quiet laugh, my exhaustion overtaking my anger. "Just because you're the captain, you have to be responsible for every team member? You have to avoid suspicion? Or is it just that I'm no longer in your heart?"
He opened his mouth but couldn't answer.
Heather grabbed his arm, her voice trembling with tears. "Austin... does the deputy leader not trust me? I really am infected, look..." She pretended to unwrap her bandage.
Austin immediately stopped her. "Don't move!" Then he turned to me, disappointment filling his eyes. "Evelyn, you've really disappointed me. Heather is a team member. She's injured. What's wrong with me saving her? Do you need me to watch her die for you to be satisfied?"
"Exactly. You're right. That's what a captain should do—fair and just," I replied.
Austin froze.
I looked at him shielding Heather, at Heather's smug expression behind him, and at the surrounding teammates who either sympathized with me or avoided my gaze.
The force inside my body suddenly stirred, but I held it down.
I continued, my voice like stagnant water. "So now I, a 'team member,' am about to mutate. What's your plan as captain?"
Silence fell over the entire scene. Everyone's eyes turned to Austin.
His expression changed repeatedly before he finally gritted his teeth. "I'll keep looking. There's still one place in Sector North Survival Outpost..."
"Too late," I interrupted.
He fell silent.
Heather spoke up softly, just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Austin... this is too dangerous. If she suddenly mutates..."
Austin's body stiffened.
I met his eyes—those eyes that once held love, now filled with hesitation and struggle.
The force inside me surged again.
This time, I could barely hold it back.
- Writer
