The fire burned low, its flickering light barely keeping the night at bay. Zeke sat on a crumbling piece of concrete, hunched over like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. The cursed dagger lay across his lap, glowing faintly—a heartbeat that didn't belong to him.
For two weeks, that glow had been there in every dark moment, every silence. It had grown louder, the voice slithering into his thoughts whenever he tried to sleep or even breathe.
"They're in your way. They've always been in your way. You could be so much more… if only you let go of them."
Zeke pressed the heel of his palm against his temple, his teeth gritting hard enough to hurt. The whispers didn't stop. Across the fire, Jake traced the handle of his bat with shaky fingers. Sarah, silent as ever, sharpened her crowbar with the precision of someone trying to keep their hands busy.
Neither of them said a word, but Zeke felt the weight of their eyes on him. It was subtle, but it was there.
"They're waiting for me to snap," he thought bitterly. "They think I'm a liability."
The whispers fed on that thought, digging deeper.
"They don't trust you. They never did. They'll betray you the first chance they get."
Zeke's hand tightened on the hilt of the dagger, the glow pulsing faintly.
"Zeke," Jake said quietly, his voice barely loud enough to break the silence.
Sarah's head snapped up, her sharp eyes narrowing at him. "Jake," she warned, her tone cold.
"No, let him talk," Zeke said, his voice low but sharp. He stood slowly, the dagger hanging loosely in his hand.
Jake hesitated, glancing between Zeke and Sarah. "It's just… you've been different lately," he said carefully. His fingers fidgeted with his bat. "Ever since the mall… you're not really with us anymore. You're off in your own world."
Zeke laughed. It wasn't a real laugh—more like something breaking apart in his chest. "With you? Do you even know what I've done to keep you alive? Every zombie I've killed, every fight I've fought—it's been for you two!"
Sarah stood, her crowbar resting at her side. Her voice was calm, but there was a tension in her shoulders. "We've all been fighting, Zeke. You're not the only one keeping this group alive."
Zeke's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Is that what you think? That we're a team?"
"Isn't that what we've been?" Sarah shot back. "Or are you going to tell me this whole time it's just been about you?"
Zeke's face darkened. The dagger pulsed in his hand, its glow brightening.
"They'll turn on you if you don't act first."
"I don't have a choice," Zeke said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Sarah's brows furrowed. "What does that mean?"
Jake stepped forward hesitantly, his bat raised halfway. "Zeke… you're scaring me, man."
"I'm sorry," Zeke said suddenly, his voice trembling. "I didn't want it to be this way."
The dagger plunged into Jake's chest before he could react. His bat fell to the ground with a dull thud, and his hands instinctively grasped at the blade.
"Zeke…" Jake gasped, blood bubbling up at the corners of his mouth. "Why?"
Zeke's face twisted. For a moment, his expression cracked—regret, guilt, something deeper flickered there—but the whispers drowned it out.
"You wouldn't have understood," Zeke muttered, yanking the blade free. Jake crumpled to the ground, his breath rattling in his throat before fading to silence.
"Jake!" Sarah's scream tore through the night.
She didn't hesitate. Her crowbar swung toward Zeke, her movements wild and furious. "You bastard!" she yelled, tears streaming down her face.
Zeke raised the dagger just in time to block her, the clash of steel and glowing blade lighting up the shadows.
"You didn't have to do this!" Sarah shouted, her voice breaking.
"I didn't want to!" Zeke yelled back, his voice cracking under the weight of his own words. "But you don't get it—I had no choice!"
Sarah swung again, the crowbar grazing his shoulder. Zeke stumbled back, the whispers roaring louder than ever.
"End it. Fulfill the pact. You've already come this far."
Before he could stop himself, the dagger sank into her stomach.
Sarah staggered, her crowbar falling from her hands as she clutched at the wound. Her breaths came in shallow gasps, blood pouring between her fingers.
"You…" she whispered, her voice faint but filled with venom. "You… coward."
Her legs buckled, and she collapsed beside Jake. Her eyes stayed on Zeke as life left them, that same look of contempt burning into him even after she was gone.
Zeke stood there, frozen in place, his chest heaving as he looked down at what he'd done. The dagger's glow had dimmed, and the whispers had gone silent, but the weight of their absence was suffocating.
Footsteps echoed softly, deliberate and steady.
Zeke turned sharply, his heart hammering as a figure stepped into the faint light of the dying fire.
Dinl.
His expression was unreadable, his eyes sweeping over the blood-soaked ground and the crumpled forms of Jake and Sarah. When his gaze finally landed on Zeke, it was cold, like steel fresh from the forge.
"You really did it," Dinl said quietly.
Zeke swallowed hard, his grip on the dagger tightening. "Dinl… I didn't mean to—"
"Don't," Dinl interrupted, his voice flat and sharp.
Zeke faltered, the words catching in his throat. "You don't understand," he said, his voice breaking. "I didn't have a choice!"
Dinl stepped closer, his movements measured. His knife gleamed faintly in the firelight. "There's always a choice," he said, his tone colder than the night air.
Zeke's shoulders slumped. "You don't get it," he whispered. "They were going to turn on me. I… I had to."
Dinl stopped a few feet away, his gaze unwavering. "You think killing them made you stronger?"
Zeke didn't answer.
Dinl's eyes lingered on him for a long moment before he stepped back, sliding his knife into its sheath. "Whatever you are now, Zeke, you're not worth the effort."
Above the Tower, the Puppeteers leaned forward, their many eyes glittering with interest.
"What an entertaining betrayal," one murmured.
Another's gaze lingered on Dinl. "And yet… that one remains calm. Too calm."
The first Puppeteer's laughter echoed softly. "Then let us see what it takes to break him."
Zeke stayed where he was, the dagger trembling in his hand as the weight of silence fell over him. He glanced down at Jake and Sarah, their faces frozen in death, and the glow of the dagger flickered faintly in the darkness.