Hours passed under the dense shroud of night within the towering skyscraper. Ali meticulously checked the conditions of the injured, verifying that none bore any bites and that their wounds were light enough to ensure survival over the next three days.
After ensuring their safety, he proceeded to inspect the barricade on the ground floor, reinforced through the combined effort of both players and locals labouring under his direction.
Ali then initiated a second round of sweeping each floor, searching for any remaining zombies or guards in hiding.
Eventually, he found himself standing alone on the floor with the opening he had initially used to enter.
Bathed in the cold glow of moonlight, Ali stood in solitude, casting his gaze upward to the mission interface. It had yet to display as cleared, meaning there was still a zombie lurking somewhere within the building. Ali had a strong suspicion of exactly where it might be.
"Can't sleep?" came a voice from behind. Natalya had joined him, stepping silently into the moonlight at his side.
"I don't sleep much," Ali replied, his eyes fixed on the zombies that wandered aimlessly in the vicinity of the skyscraper.
Natalya glanced up at his face, silently noting the sharp angles of his jawline before speaking. "Ali, can I ask you something?"
"Go on."
"Do you think I can survive with the way I do things?"
"You mean your compassionate attitude toward others?" he asked.
"Yes. It's just… it's my nature. Others see the locals as if they're somehow less real, like their existence is worth less than ours, but I can't. I find it disgusting to think that way. To me, these people are as real as we are. We're the invaders here—we're the ones who don't belong," Natalya said passionately, searching Ali's face for any sign of response.
"Natalya," he began, "the way you approach things will make surviving more difficult, especially in a place like this. But in the end, it depends on you. If you're strong enough, there's little you can't achieve, no matter your approach. I've known people on both ends of the spectrum striving toward the same goal. In the end, it was their strength that determined the victor, not their ideology." His words resonated with Natalya, who looked up at him, her gaze softened in gratitude.
For a moment, they stood together, looking out into the same direction. The silence stretched until, unexpectedly, Natalya felt a hand on her back. A blush crept into her cheeks as she realised it was Ali's hand, trailing slowly upward along her spine.
'What I said is true,' Ali thought as he gently stepped back, his hand still resting on Natalya's back. 'But she lacks the resolve to live by her ideals. This… this will test her resolve—to see if she'll sink or swim.'
"Ali?" Natalya's voice was soft, coloured by the warmth of the blush that had spread across her face as his hand moved to the back of her head, threading gently through her hair.
Then, with a barely perceptible pressure, he began to guide her toward the edge of the opening. Surprised, she tried to resist, her hands reaching back instinctively, grasping for anything to stop her from falling.
"You know," he whispered in her ear, "I told you I'd be disappointed if you couldn't give me good information when I came back." The sound of the zombies below, growling and reaching hungrily upward, filled her with horror as she glanced down.
"Ali, please, no—don't," Natalya's voice trembled, her eyes welling with tears.
"Lucky for you, I've found just the thing for you to repay me for your failure," he said, his tone colder than ice. "Remember the girl I saved from being raped?"
"Yes, yes, I remember," Natalya replied in a rush, desperately trying to push back against his strength, but to no avail.
"She's infected."
"What? How? Are you sure?" Natalya's shock deepened, her mind racing as she thought of the girl, who she'd grown close to over the past three days.
"That doesn't matter," Ali replied sharply. "She's infected, and she's hiding it. All the women sleep on the same floor, and you're going to kill her before sunrise. If you don't, I'll make sure no one on that floor ever wakes up again." His words struck her with finality, and she stilled, the enormity of his demand settling on her shoulders. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined their conversation would lead here.
Ali released her, turning to walk away in silence. Natalya watched his cold, retreating figure with a heart that twisted with anger and betrayal. The fondness she had begun to feel toward him turned to ashes, replaced by a soldering rage toward herself for ever having trusted someone like him.
Half an hour passed, and Natalya found herself lying on a piece of cloth where she was meant to sleep. Most of the other women were resting on this floor as well. Turning her head, she saw the young woman sleeping peacefully to her left.
Taking a deep breath, Natalya moved closer, examining the green veins snaking up the woman's neck—a clear indication of the infection. She stared at the woman's face for what felt like an eternity, her heart heavy, before finally closing her eyes and summoning her resolve.
Slowly, her hands began to emit a soft blue glow, the light intensifying with every passing moment as she focused her magic. At last, Natalya reached out, her hands trembling, and placed them over the woman's mouth and nose.
The woman awoke, startled by the sudden pressure on her face, but it was already too late. "I'm so sorry," Natalya whispered, her voice choked with sorrow, as water materialised from thin air, surging into the woman's mouth and nose. Silent but desperate, the woman struggled against the drowning sensation until her body finally went still, her vacant eyes staring up at Natalya, who withdrew her shaking hands, realising the gravity of what she had just done.
"You did well," Ali's voice came softly from behind, but she didn't turn. Minutes ticked by, and when she finally looked again at the spot where the woman had lain, it was empty—the corpse had vanished.
At the building's opening, Ali stood, holding the young woman by the back of her neck. She had turned into a zombie and now snapped at him, her teeth gnashing in a futile attempt to bite.
"How things come full circle, huh?" Ali muttered, looking at the girl he once saved, now a lifeless predator, mindlessly seeking flesh. Without hesitation, he tossed the zombie through the opening, watching her fall into the horde below.
CRASH
"Personal Mission: Clear the Three Skyscrapers from the Dead (3/3)"
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