When Dev mentioned he was leaving, Logan nodded.
Dev pulled out the only individual soldier's ration he had brought with him from his backpack and handed it to Logan.
"Share this with the others later. When you go to sleep, make sure to blow out the candle. Don't waste it. Candles will be very valuable in the future."
With that, Dev turned and left, not giving Logan a chance to refuse.
After taking a few steps, he heard Logan's voice behind him:
"Actually, you don't need to blame yourself. If you hadn't run with me back then, all three of you would have died."
Dev froze in place, his eyes immediately reddening.
He thought no one knew how much he was tormenting himself inside.
That question he had asked Logan was a question he was asking himself.
Why didn't you save them?
The moment he heard about the hailstorm, the moment he saw Logan grab the flashlight and run, Dev was scared.
Running was his instinctive reaction at that time.
He had been enlisted for less than two years, originally just serving his military duty, and suddenly he was given an order for DEFCON 1, making him a full-fledged soldier.
Suddenly, he was notified that the outside world had changed drastically and future became unclear.
He was only 21 years old. He was scared. He was afraid of dying.
But he was a soldier now!
It was his duty to protect civilians, and running away like that was desertion!
After reaching a safe place, he remembered that there were still two female classmates behind him.
So when he heard Ashley's cries for help, Dev risked his life to run back and carry Ashley to safety.
And when Ashley seemed to be getting sick, he risked his life again to find the school doctor.
If he could save just one, it would lessen the guilt in his heart.
Logan wasn't wrong; if Dev hadn't run, all three might have died under the hail.
Though it didn't completely absolve his guilt, it made him feel a lot better.
A flicker of gratitude passed through Dev's eyes. He nodded with his back to Logan and walked away.
Logan looked at the soldier's ration in his hand, his usually cold eyes softening slightly.
He turned around and placed the ration into his storage space.
Some people turn toward the light, while others fall into darkness.
Although Logan didn't consider himself a good person, he didn't reject those who truly were.
Because good people always die quickly.
And with each death, there's one less good person in the world.
After a while, the door to the gym opened, and the school doctor said:
"It's done. You can come in now."
Logan stepped into the gym and found a corner to sit in.
Ashley stared intently at the door. After a long time without seeing anyone else enter, she turned to Logan and asked nervously:
"Where is that soldier?"
"He went back," Logan replied casually.
"He just left like that? Didn't even say goodbye?" Ashley's voice was sharp.
"His mission was completed when he got us to the school gate. Are you thinking of offering yourself to him because he saved your life?" Logan retorted sarcastically.
Ashley's face stiffened.
Without paying her any more attention, Logan closed his eyes and began to rest.
A flash of panic crossed Ashley's eyes, and she turned to look at the school doctor.
The school doctor gently shook his head at her and then said loudly:
"Let's rest here for the night. Ashley, find a place to lie down. I'm going to blow out the candle."
Ashley obediently found a mat and lay down.
"Whoo~"
The candle was extinguished.
After the school doctor lay down, the room fell into silence.
In the darkness, there was only the faint rustle of clothes shifting, followed by stillness.
…
It was hard to tell how much time had passed.
In the darkness, there was a faint rustling again.
Ashley suddenly opened her eyes in the dark and reached out to touch the school doctor lying beside her.
The school doctor opened his eyes as well. Both of them were wide awake, with no trace of sleepiness.
In the dark, the school doctor couldn't see Ashley's expression. He could only reach out and gently pat her hand, signaling her to stay calm.
He then slowly stood up and pulled a sharp scalpel from his pocket!
At some point, he had already removed his shoes, stepping silently on the ground. In the darkness, only the faint rustle of fabric could be heard.
Ashley sat up as well, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to burst out of her chest.
She clutched her chest, afraid her heartbeat would be too loud and wake Logan.
After finding out that Logan intended to kill her, Ashley turned to the school doctor for help.
Originally, Dev was her best option for help, but he had left quietly before she had the chance.
The school doctor told Ashley that in the past two days, neither the security bureau nor the hospital could be contacted; the city's communications and power were completely cut off.
He even suspected that the entire country, maybe even the entire Eastern Hemisphere or Northern Hemisphere, had been hit by a solar storm.
Today, the principal had gone to the nearby security bureau for help, but the bureau was overwhelmed, with officers severely understaffed, so the school couldn't get any effective assistance.
Maybe it was only a matter of time before the order completely collapsed.
Ashley was terrified by what the school doctor had said.
She remembered his words:
"Ash, I like you. I can't let anyone hurt you. I can help you kill him. As long as you stay with me, I'm willing to do anything for you."
The school doctor's gaze was strange and unfamiliar to Ashley.
But thinking about how Logan wanted to kill her, and knowing that if she didn't do something, she would be killed, she didn't want to die!
Why did Logan dare to kill? Why was he so cold-blooded? Wasn't it because there was no more order now? Even if he hurt or killed someone, no one would care?
So if they killed Logan, no one would know either.
Ashley found reasons to justify herself and eventually agreed to the school doctor's plan.
But what Ashley hadn't considered was:
Why was the school doctor willing to kill?
...
In the darkness, the school doctor's face twisted into a sinister smile.
The past two days had been like paradise for him.
Since the school had suddenly received the news about the solar storm yesterday, by around 10 a.m., most of the students had started experiencing various symptoms like dizziness and vomiting.
Many students had even fallen into a coma, including a few school doctors.
Only the school doctor showed no symptoms, feeling only a bit nauseous.
In the emergency, the teachers who were still conscious sent students to the school clinic, and most of them were treated by the school doctor.
At first, he treated them properly, but after realizing that none of the comatose students were waking up no matter what he did, though they weren't in any life-threatening condition either...
Looking at the unresponsive girls lying in the beds, the school doctor's mind turned to darker thoughts.
After his first act...
No one noticed anything.
According to the security guards, the surveillance cameras were all down, and the security bureau was out of reach. The school doctor's courage grew.
In just one day and one night, he assaulted over ten female students, becoming addicted to their youthful bodies.
But this morning, when he was assaulting another girl, she suddenly woke up!
As soon as she woke up, she struggled and screamed.
In his panic, the school doctor killed the girl, wrapped her body in a large garbage bag, and hid it in an empty freezer.
This act seemed to have opened Pandora's box.
The school doctor used the drugs available in the clinic to inject the remaining comatose girls, keeping them unconscious.
And he continued his atrocities.
Two of the girls overdosed and never woke up.
The entire school was plunged into panic and chaos due to the sudden and strange changes caused by the sun flare.
Even though two days and a night had passed, no one had noticed what had happened to those girls.
Even when people asked about the missing female students, Dr. Blackwood would dismiss them by saying the girls had already left.
One night, while Dr. Blackwood was in the school clinic, ready to assault another girl, he suddenly heard someone calling out.
Seeing the military uniform on Dev, he was nearly scared to death, thinking his crimes had been exposed.
To his surprise, Dev was only there to ask for help.
After following Dev to the gym, Ashley turned to him for assistance.
Upon learning that Dev was only there to escort them to the school and would be leaving soon, Dr. Blackwood decided to kill Logan.
He then manipulated Ashley into agreeing to kill Logan.
This time, he didn't want to settle for a lifeless, unconscious body.
He wanted to enjoy a vibrant, living woman!
As long as he killed this boy, he could finally have Ashley, the beauty he had been coveting for so long.
With that thought, Dr. Blackwood became even more insane!
He quietly approached the spot where Logan had been sitting.
Dr. Blackwood raised his cold, gleaming scalpel and, with all his strength, plunged it down to that spot!