After Dev left, Logan sat cross-legged nearby, observing Ashley's condition. Even though Ashley appeared to be in excruciating pain, Logan remained completely unmoved.
Sweat from the pain had soaked Ashley's hair and clothes. Her thin white T-shirt clung to her body, revealing her curves. If there were an ordinary young man in the room, alone with a beautiful girl who was unable to resist, he might have been flustered or tempted. But Logan felt no such urges.
Ten minutes later, the look of agony on Ashley's face began to fade, and her body gradually calmed down. After regaining some strength, she weakly opened her eyes, glancing around.
"Where am I? I'm not dead?" she muttered.
Logan helped her sit up, propping her against the wall. "This is the gym. You just passed out, were you sick?"
"Sick? I'm not sick. I don't know what happened. I passed out and then suddenly felt this intense pain all over my body..." Ashley said, her face filled with confusion and lingering fear. The pain she had just experienced was unbearable.
Logan's eyes narrowed slightly, making him more suspicious that Ashley might have unintentionally unlocked her genetic lock.
"Did anything unusual happen before you reached the gym? Did you feel anything special?" Logan asked.
Ashley shook her head. "I was too scared to notice anything. All I knew was that I had to keep running, but then I passed out. Who saved me and brought me here? Was that you, Logan?"
Ashley stared intently at Logan.
"It was that soldier who saved you," Logan said, not taking credit.
Ashley lowered her head, her expression hidden in the dim candlelight.
"And where is the soldier now?" she asked.
"He went to look for the school doctor."
Ashley fell silent, the atmosphere growing heavy. After a long pause, she spoke softly, "Why..."
Logan looked at her.
"Why didn't you save me?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why didn't you wait for us? If you had slowed down and lit the way for us, Ella wouldn't have died... Why, why have you become so cold-blooded?! You caused Ella's death!!" Ashley's voice rose until she was nearly shouting.
During her ordeal, Ashley had been conscious, and able to hear the conversation between Logan and Dev, but she had been unable to speak. The recent series of life-threatening events had pushed Ashley's mental state to the brink, and this question was the final straw.
Ella had called out her name before she died, but Ashley hadn't turned back or even stopped. Her conscience couldn't bear the thought of being responsible for Ella's death, so she shifted all the accusations onto Logan.
Ashley's face was full of accusation and hatred, her red eyes glaring at Logan.
Logan's gaze turned icy, a flicker of murderous intent crossing his eyes. He had experienced situations like this far too many times. Call him cold-blooded or selfish if they must, but the apocalypse had taught him one thing: never to give your heart and kindness to anyone.
Even if Logan had been the one who saved Ashley, she would still have blamed him for Ella's death. What Ashley hadn't considered was that Logan had only known Ella for a few hours—why would he risk his life to save her?
With a thought, Logan summoned a knife into his hand from his space. He couldn't allow someone who harbored such hatred for him to live, especially not someone who might have unlocked their genetic lock, which could pose a threat to him (Logan was referring to memories from his previous life, even though it seems ridiculous from our point of view).
Ashley was frightened by the look in Logan's eyes and backed away until she hit the cold wall. Just then, the sound of hurried footsteps approached from outside the gym. Logan quickly put the knife away.
Dev rushed into the gym, pulling someone behind him. He was delighted to see Ashley awake. "You're up!"
Logan stood up, noticing that Dev had brought a man dressed in a white coat, carrying a medical kit.
The man hurried over to Ashley and knelt to check on her. "Are you alright, Ashley? Are you feeling any discomfort?"
The man clearly knew Ashley.
Ashley was surprised. "Dr. Blackwood?"
Logan and Dev stepped aside, watching as Dr. Blackwood questioned Ashley and examined her. Logan didn't ask how Dev had found the doctor, but he listened closely to Ashley's responses.
Her answers were the same as what she had told Logan earlier.
Dr. Blackwood suddenly turned to Logan and Dev. "Ashley has a lot of external injuries. I need to treat and bandage her. Could you two gentlemen wait outside for a moment?"
Ashley shyly lowered her head.
Logan immediately turned and left, with Dev following and closing the door behind them.
As soon as the door closed, Ashley threw herself into Dr. Blackwood's arms, sobbing softly.
Just moments ago, as Dr. Blackwood had leaned in to examine her, Ashley had discreetly pulled at his coat and written the words "Help me" in his palm.
"Sob... Dr. Blackwood, someone wants to kill me!"
During the examination, Ashley caught a glimpse of Logan's reflection in the glass and saw a knife appear in his hand out of nowhere. Logan had intended to kill her!
Dr. Blackwood felt a surge of desire as Ashley nestled against him. He gently patted her back to comfort her. "Take your time. Tell me what happened."
...
Outside the gym, Logan and Dev stood in silence.
After a moment of hesitation, Dev finally spoke. "My escort mission is done. I should be heading back."