We kept firing, the deafening sounds of gunfire echoing around us. Then, without warning—
BOOM!
The entire building shook as the NPC detonated a bomb nearby, the force of the explosion sending a shockwave through the air. Smoke and dust filled the room, making it harder to breathe, but the explosion had done its job. The enemy would be delayed, giving us just a little more time.
"That'll hold them back for now," the NPC shouted over the fading noise, his voice urgent. "But we have to move—quick!"
We didn't hesitate. With no time to spare, we bolted from the crumbling building, the walls groaning as debris fell around us. My legs were heavy with exhaustion, but adrenaline kept me moving. I glanced at Karun as we ran—he was already struggling, his breaths coming in ragged gasps, his face pale. He'd been pushing himself too hard for too long, and I could see his strength fading.
"We're almost there," I told him, trying to sound hopeful, but I wasn't sure if he could even hear me. His footsteps were slowing, his hand clutching his side as he stumbled forward. I could see the pain in his eyes, but he wasn't going to give up. Not yet.
We pressed on through the winding streets of the abandoned city, searching desperately for a way out of this nightmare. Up ahead, the world looked wrong. The sky was twisted, clouds swirling like a storm brewing just beyond reach. Thunder cracked, and flashes of lightning illuminated the fractured skyline. It was like staring into the eye of a storm, one that we'd have to pass through if we wanted to escape.
Behind us, the sky was eerily clear, as if nothing was wrong at all. It was unsettling, that sharp divide between calm and chaos. We were being driven straight into the storm, and we had no choice but to keep running.
My legs ached, and my chest burned with every breath. The ground was uneven, rubble from destroyed buildings littering our path. I could feel my body beginning to fail me, exhaustion taking over. I wanted to keep going, but my body refused. The exit… it had to be somewhere in that distorted part of the game, the place where everything looked unfinished. I could see the raw edges of the simulation, the code barely holding it together. It was like we were running into a part of the game that hadn't been fully built yet, and I could only hope that the developers had left us a way out.
Then I heard it—a dull thud behind me. My heart sank.
I turned to see Karun, collapsed on the ground, blood soaking through his clothes. He was breathing, but barely, and the blood pouring from his wounds was being washed away by the relentless rain.
"No… Karun!" I scrambled toward him, panic seizing my chest. He had been weakening all along, and now his body had finally given out. The NPC rushed to my side, helping me lift him, but Karun's body was limp, his face pale. I shook him, desperately trying to wake him, but it was no use. His injuries were too severe, and I could feel my hope slipping away with every second that passed.
Tears welled up in my eyes, mingling with the rain that fell in heavy sheets around us. I couldn't lose him. Not here. Not like this.
"Kathyayini!" The NPC's voice cut through the haze of fear. "Now is not the time to sit and cry. Pull yourself together."
He was right, but it hurt. Seeing Karun like this, his body broken and bleeding, made me want to scream, to cry, to give up. But I couldn't. We couldn't stop now. "We need to get him somewhere safe," I said, my voice shaking as I tried to stand.
And then—BANG!
A gunshot echoed through the storm, and before I could react, pain exploded through my right shoulder. It was like being struck by lightning—sharp, searing pain that radiated through my entire body. I stumbled, clutching my shoulder, gasping for breath as tears filled my eyes, blurring my vision even more. The pain was unbearable, like my whole arm was on fire.
"Kathy!" The NPC was by my side in an instant, grabbing me before I could fall. His strong hands steadied me, but I could barely think through the pain. "Hold on—just hold on."
I hadn't even realized I'd been shot until he said it. I looked down at the blood soaking through my clothes, and for a moment, I felt dizzy, like I might collapse. The dizziness threatened to take me, my vision going in and out, but I couldn't stop now. Not yet. Not when we were so close.
I forced myself to look at Karun, unconscious on the ground. He'd been pushing himself for so long, and now his body had given out completely. Two gunshots, back to back. How much pain must he have been in before he fell? But even in his last moments of consciousness, he had promised me—we'd make it out alive.
"I'm sorry, Karun," I whispered, my voice shaking.
Just when I thought I couldn't keep going, I felt a hand on my face. The NPC was crouched beside me, his eyes filled with something I couldn't quite place. He was crying too or is it the rain ? — but he sure seemed sad ? Why did he care about us, just two players in a game?
His forehead pressed against mine, the warmth of his skin grounding me. His breath came out in a shaky whisper, "Stay with me, Kathyayini. Just a little longer. I love you."
His words shocked me. Wait—what? My heart raced, pounding harder from his confession than from the pain in my shoulder. What was he saying? An NPC… loved me? I could hardly believe it. My eyes blurred again, but not from the rain this time. Tears. I was crying—why was I crying?
Before I could fully comprehend it, he leaned in and kissed my forehead. It was soft, gentle, and in that moment, the pain didn't matter. It didn't matter that my shoulder was on fire, or that we were on the brink of death. His touch, his words, filled me with warmth, with hope.
"We're almost there," he said, his voice steady again. "Come on, Kathy. I've tied up your shoulder. We have to keep moving before the next wave comes."
I nodded weakly, feeling the numbness spreading through my shoulder, but the pain was distant now. I had to keep moving. I had to survive. I could feel the blood loss catching up to me, but I forced myself to take one step, and then another. The NPC was carrying Karun now, and we pushed forward together, through the storm, through the cold.
The wind whipped around us, the sky a swirling mass of dark clouds and flashing lightning. The rain was relentless, pounding down on us, but somehow, I felt stronger. The pain was still there, but the NPC's words, his touch, had filled me with a strange, desperate hope. I wanted to live. I needed to live.
We weren't done yet.