Chapter 16 - [16] Kenji's fate

The streetlights were completely out, plunging the campus into a darkness so thick it felt like the night was swallowing us whole. There wasn't even a sliver of moonlight to guide us. The only thing we had to rely on were the shaky beams of our flashlights, their dim glow barely cutting through the blackness around us. Every step felt like we were walking deeper into the unknown, our hearts pounding, katanas clutched close like lifelines.We moved in silence, the adrenaline still pumping from our narrow escape from the underground parking lot. The night was eerily quiet—no groans, no distant growls, no signs of anything. Just the cold wind rustling through the trees and the sound of our footsteps on the pavement.Kenji was up ahead, leading the way, his flashlight casting long, eerie shadows that stretched across the ground like twisted figures. He was moving slower than usual, though. His steps were heavy, and his breathing seemed labored."Kenji?" I asked, noticing the change in his pace. "You okay, man?"He stopped suddenly, his back to us. For a moment, he didn't say anything, just stood there, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Then, without turning around, he spoke, his voice low and strained."There's no point," he said, almost to himself.The rest of us came to a halt, exchanging confused glances."What do you mean?" Raul asked, taking a cautious step forward. "What are you talking about?"Kenji still didn't turn around. Instead, he reached down and slowly lifted the hem of his shirt. When the fabric came up, our flashlights illuminated the dark, jagged bite mark on his side. It was raw, swollen, and unmistakable.My heart sank into my stomach."Fk," Malcolm whispered, backing away instinctively.Ethan took a shaky step back as well, his eyes wide with disbelief. "No... no way..."We all stared at the bite mark, the reality of it sinking in like a punch to the gut. Kenji had been bitten. He was infected.Kenji finally turned to face us, his expression a mix of fear and desperation. His eyes were wild, his chest heaving. "I can still be saved," he said, his voice shaking. "There's gotta be a cure, right? There has to be."None of us moved. None of us said anything. We all just stared at him, the silence between us thick and suffocating. My mind was racing, trying to find something—anything—to say. But the truth was, there was no cure. There never was.Raul took a deep breath and shook his head slowly. "Kenji... you know what happens. You've seen it."Kenji's face twisted with frustration, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. "No! No, you don't fucking know! We don't know anything yet! There could be a cure out there. There has to be!" His voice was rising now, desperate, frantic. "You can't just leave me like this! I can still fight! I can still help!"Malcolm and Ethan stepped back even further, their faces pale, their eyes filled with horror. The rest of us knew what Kenji was saying wasn't true, but none of us wanted to admit it. None of us wanted to face what had to be done.Raul's grip on his katana tightened, his knuckles white. "Kenji... you're already dead.""No!" Kenji shouted, his voice cracking. "I'm not! I'm still me! I can still be saved! You just have to give me time!""Time's the one thing you don't have," Raul said, his voice cold and steady. He stepped forward, his katana raised slightly. "We can't take the risk."Kenji's eyes widened in terror as Raul approached, the reality of the situation finally hitting him. He took a step back, shaking his head. "No... no, please, Raul, don't do this. I'm not one of them. Not yet!"The desperation in his voice made my stomach twist. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. None of us could.Raul stopped a few feet in front of Kenji, his katana gleaming in the faint light of our flashlights. "I'm sorry, Kenji. But we can't let you turn."Kenji's face crumpled, his hands trembling as he clutched at his side. "Please, Raul... don't..."But Raul didn't hesitate. With one swift, clean motion, he swung the katana, the blade slicing through the air with a sharp whoosh.The sound of the impact was sickeningly final. Kenji staggered, a look of shock and pain flashing across his face as he crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around him. His body twitched once, twice, and then went still.The silence that followed was deafening.I stood there, staring at Kenji's lifeless body, my heart pounding in my chest, my mind numb. He was gone. Just like that. One of my best friends, cut down before my eyes because there was no other choice.No one spoke. No one moved. We were all too stunned, too horrified to process what had just happened.Finally, Raul lowered his katana, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "We couldn't risk it," he muttered, more to himself than to any of us. "We couldn't..."Malcolm swallowed hard, his voice barely a whisper. "He was... he was still talking... still himself...""No, he wasn't," Raul said firmly, though there was an unmistakable crack in his voice. "He was already gone."I could feel tears stinging my eyes, but I blinked them away, clenching my fists so hard my knuckles hurt. There was no time for mourning. No time for grieving. We had to keep moving, or we'd end up like Kenji."Let's go," I said, my voice rough and hollow. "We need to get out of here."Raul nodded, his eyes dark with guilt, but he didn't argue. We turned away from Kenji's body and made our way into the darkness, the weight of what we'd just done pressing down on us like a suffocating cloud.None of us said another word. There was nothing left to say.Q: If your loved one turned into a zombie, would you finish them off?