Myles leaned against the wall watching the soldiers struggle with the weight of what they had just done. Their expressions were still twisted with uncertainty.
"You should get it now, right?" he said. "How to use the system, is you just kill more, gain the EXP, and level up. The system is pretty straigtforward."
The soldiers exchanged glances. They still looked conflicted but Myles was sure at least one of them had played a game before. The concept was straightforward. Even if this world had turned into something twisted, it was at least structured in a way they could understand.
But their hesitation still lingered.
Myles sighed. He have no moro to say.
"Figure it out," Myles said, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm done here."
He turned to Ryan. "Where's the woman that was with me earlier?"
Ryan hesitated for a moment before answering. "She's in the shelter hall with the other civilians. Down the main corridor, second room on the left."
Myles gave a nod and left without another word.
The hallway was bright, the glow of lamps casting long shadows along the walls. The scent of sweat, stale air, and desperation filled the space.
He passed by makeshift sleeping areas with rows of blankets, scavenged cots, and people huddled together in the cold. They look uncertain about what tomorrow would bring. Even he wasn't certain.
When he reached the hall, he immediately spotted Nadine. She was sitting in the far corner, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around herself. Her gaze was distant and unfocused, as if she were lost in thought or trying to block everything out.
Myles walked toward her. She didn't notice him at first, too deep in her own head.
He stopped a few steps away and spoke.
"Hey."
Nadine glanced at him as he sat down beside her. Her lips curled into a small and tired smile.
"Where were you?" she asked.
"With the soldiers," Myles replied, leaning back against the wall.
Nadine studied his face for a moment before asking, "What did you talk about?"
"The System. They didn't even have one yet, so I made them get it."
Nadine's eyes darkened slightly. "You asked them to kill."
He nodded.
She looked down, her fingers tracing absent patterns against the fabric of her short pants.
"So that's what our world has become, huh?" she murmured. "Kill or be killed. Is this going to be forever?"
Myles didn't answer right away. He knew the truth, or at least a fraction of it.
From what Lilian had told him, this apocalypse wasn't something small. It wasn't a virus or an experiment gone wrong, or nature reclaiming the world.
It was something far bigger. Cosmic entities locked in some kind of war, fighting for a spilled source of power in a way that had turned Earth into a battleground.
Something like that wasn't going to be solved overnight. Or in a year. Or even in a lifetime.
"Probably," he said finally.
Nadine closed her eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly. The weight of his answer pressed down on her but she didn't argue. Maybe she already knew it deep down.
Myles glanced around the shelter. People sat huddled together, whispering in hushed voices, trying to find comfort in numbers. Most of them were young people, some older who might be the professor.
Some of them were probably still holding on to the idea that things would go back to normal and help was coming soon. That the government, the military, or some miracle would fix everything.
But there was no fixing this.
Nadine suddenly leaned against Myles and wrapping her arms around his right arm. He stiffened at the unexpected contact and he glanced down at her.
She looked exhausted, her face buried against his sleeve, her body trembling slightly. Then he felt the warmth of tears seeping through the fabric.
Myles didn't say anything. He didn't try to pry her hands open or pull away.
"I'm afraid," Nadine whispered, her voice barely audible over the distant murmurs of the shelter. "What if something like what appeared a few minutes ago shows up again?"
Myles didn't need to ask what she was talking about. The B-Rank mutated woman. The monstrous dog. That hellish scene of blood and death. The events that almost killed him if he didn't have something in his sleeve.
He sighed sharply through his nose.
"Then you have to fight," he said firmly. "I'm not gonna pretend that I'll protect you. I'm barely able to protect myself."
Nadine lifted her head slightly, looking at him with tired reddened eyes. For a moment, she looked like she might argue and say something about how unfair this all was. But instead, she just nodded weakly.
"You're right," she murmured. "I can't just cry, complaining, and wait to die."
Myles watched her for a few seconds. There was something in her eyes. Theres fear, yes, but also something else. A slow dawning understanding and acceptance of fate.
When the time come, no one was coming to save them. They had to save themselves.
"lets go somewhere private, Myles," Nadine said.
Myles frowned her sudden request. There was something in her voice — tension, maybe even desperation.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Nadine didn't answer right away. She hesitated, her grip on his sleeve tightening slightly before she finally spoke.
"Just... I need to talk to you about something."
Myles studied her expression for a moment. Whatever it was, it was bothering her enough that she didn't want to say it here in the open.
After a short pause, he gave a nod. "Alright."
They stood up, slipping away from the crowded hall without drawing much attention. They found an empty classrooms and Myles pushed open a door open. The room was dark, save for the faint light filtering in through a narrow window.
Inside, rows of empty desks and chairs sat undisturbed.
Myles leaned against one of the desks and crossed his arms. "Alright. We're alone. What is it?"
Nadine closed the door behind her, then turned to face him. Her gaze was intense, filled with a mix of frustration, weariness, and something else he couldn't quite place.
"I need to relieve my stress," she said.
Myles raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Nadine let out a heavy breath and ran a hand through her hair.
"I mean it. I feel like I'm going to explode, Myles. Every second, I'm either scared out of my mind or trying not to cry. I just... I need to forget about it all. Even if it's just for a little while."
Myles remained silent, watching her carefully. He understood stress, he understood fear, but what exactly was she asking him for?
"Are you asking me to spar or something?" he asked finally. "Because I don't think punching me is gonna make you feel better."
Nadine let out a short, humorless laugh. "No, dumbass. Not that."
She stepped closer, her fingers gripping the edge of a nearby desk. The dim light cast sharp shadows across her face, highlighting the strange gleam in her eyes.
"Let's have sex."
---