"People call me a hero because I've saved a few lives," he thought, his grip tightening on his rebar. "But what they don't see are the lives I couldn't save. Those are the ones that keep me awake. Those are the ones that whisper to me in the dark."
As Baelrek's roar echoed through the library, Mehdi stepped forward, determination hardening his features.
"Alright," he said, his voice steady. "Let's move."
The flickering flames of the survivors' makeshift lanterns cast wavering shadows across the cracked walls of the library-turned-shelter. The echoes of distant growls and snarls reverberated through the darkened corridors as Mehdi stood at the center of the group, his jaw tight and his mind racing.
Baelrek was back, and this time, it wasn't alone.
The survivors huddled together, their faces pale with fear. Farah moved among them, murmuring reassurances and tending to a child who was crying softly. Mehdi's grip on the rebar tightened, the cold metal biting into his palms.
"We're out of time," Farah said, her voice low but urgent as she approached him.
Mehdi nodded, scanning the room. He wasn't a soldier, wasn't trained for this. Yet here he was, the one everyone looked to. The weight of their expectations bore down on him like an invisible shackle.
Gabriel stepped forward, his green eyes glinting in the dim light. "They'll break through soon," he said, his tone calm as ever. "You know what must be done."
"Do I?" Mehdi snapped, his frustration boiling over. "I'm not a leader, kid. I'm just a guy trying to stay alive."
Gabriel tilted his head, unfazed. "Leadership isn't about what you are. It's about what you do."
Mehdi opened his mouth to retort but stopped. The boy's words, cryptic as always, struck a chord. He looked around at the terrified faces of the survivors—mothers clutching children, men holding improvised weapons with trembling hands. They needed him to act, to decide.
"Fine," Mehdi muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. "Here's what we're going to do."
---
The plan was desperate, born out of necessity and the crumbling resources at their disposal. The library was old, its structure weakened by years of neglect and the chaos of the Infernum Plague. Mehdi saw an opportunity in its fragility.
"We'll use the upper floors," he explained, pointing to the faded map of the building they'd scavenged. "If we lure the demons there and collapse the supports, we might be able to bury them."
"And us?" one of the survivors asked, his voice shaking.
"We'll get out before it comes down," Mehdi said, though the confidence in his voice was a lie.
The survivors hesitated, fear flickering in their eyes. Farah stepped forward, placing a steadying hand on the man's shoulder. "It's the best chance we have," she said firmly.
Mehdi caught her gaze and nodded in silent thanks.
As the survivors prepared, Mehdi and Gabriel stood by the stairwell, where the first wave of lesser demons was already clawing at the barricades. The snarls and guttural growls grew louder, each one a reminder of how little time they had.
"Why me?" Mehdi asked Gabriel suddenly, his voice low.
Gabriel glanced at him, his expression unreadable. "Because you care. Even when you wish you didn't."
Mehdi snorted bitterly. "Caring doesn't save anyone."
"It's a start," Gabriel said simply.
---
The demons broke through just as the survivors finished their preparations. Baelrek's massive form led the charge, its golden eyes blazing with malice. Behind it, a swarm of lesser demons poured into the building, their claws and teeth glinting in the dim light.
"Move!" Mehdi shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.
The survivors lured the demons upward, using firebombs and debris to slow their advance. Mehdi stayed at the rear, his rebar swinging with precision honed by weeks of survival. Each strike was fueled by a desperate determination to keep the others alive.
Baelrek advanced relentlessly, shrugging off attacks as if they were mere annoyances. Its guttural laughter echoed through the stairwell.
"You think you can escape me?" it snarled. "You're nothing but insects."
Gabriel stood at Mehdi's side, his calm demeanor an eerie contrast to the chaos around them. "Trust yourself," he said softly.
"Trust myself to what? Get everyone killed?" Mehdi snapped, panting.
"Trust yourself to fight. To lead. It's what they need."
The words stung, but they also sparked something within Mehdi—a flicker of resolve buried under layers of doubt and guilt.
---
The survivors reached the top floor, where they had rigged the supports with makeshift explosives scavenged from the ruins. Mehdi shouted for everyone to move to the emergency exit, guiding them down a fire escape while he and a few others held the line.
Baelrek lunged forward, its claws slashing through the air. Mehdi dodged, barely avoiding the deadly strike, and swung his rebar into the demon's side. The impact barely fazed it.
"Is this all humanity has left?" Baelrek sneered, its voice dripping with contempt.
Mehdi gritted his teeth, glancing at Gabriel. The boy stood unnervingly still, his green eyes glowing faintly.
"Now," Gabriel said, his voice carrying an authority that belied his small frame.
Mehdi didn't hesitate. He shouted for the others to detonate the explosives. The floor beneath Baelrek and the horde of demons gave way, collapsing in a deafening roar of rubble and dust.
The survivors watched from the fire escape as the building crumbled. The trap had worked, but the cost was evident. Several of their own had been lost in the chaos, their screams silenced beneath the weight of the collapsing structure.
Mehdi stood in the aftermath, his chest heaving as he surveyed the ruins. The survivors around him looked to him with a mix of gratitude and expectation.
"We made it," one of them murmured.
Mehdi clenched his fists, the weight of their losses pressing down on him. "Not all of us."
---
That night, the survivors gathered around a small fire outside the ruins of their former shelter. The air was heavy with grief and exhaustion. Farah approached Mehdi, her expression weary but resolute.
"You did what had to be done," she said.
"I got people killed," Mehdi replied, his voice low.
Farah placed a hand on his shoulder. "And you saved more than you lost. That's what matters."