After Adam stumbled outside, his stomach churning from what he had seen, he sat down in the open air. His face was pale as he stared at the sun, already beginning to sink. His mind was sluggish, as if he could no longer grasp what was happening.
After a moment, he stood again, still pale, and dragged his feet toward the sewer pipe. He stepped inside and looked at the bodies. There were children without hands, and men that looked mummified. It was a scene too brutal to be the work of a human.
Adam could barely keep his balance, swaying on his feet. He couldn't understand what he was seeing, but after a few moments, he turned to leave, hoping Lina or Everett might come looking for him.
Hunger and thirst gnawed at him, but after seeing those bodies, he couldn't bring himself to drink from the valley's water again. By the time night swallowed the last light of day, he was making his way back toward the big tree he had marked earlier, his mind clouded. What he had witnessed wasn't something anyone could endure—it was truly horrifying.
He began muttering as he staggered forward, his voice breaking:"Did their lives end just like that? Was there even a reason to do this? Ha… ha…"
A bitter laugh escaped him, as if mocking his own existence:"Why was I the one to wake up? Do I even deserve to be alive? Why should I bear all this?"
He kept walking unsteadily, like a man who had lost his mind, unaware of his surroundings. He reached the tree and sat under it, this time with his head bowed, unable to face himself.
Then, he heard slow, heavy footsteps behind him. Yes… they belonged to one of the "Enforcers."
Adam rose unsteadily. He didn't look afraid—only full of hatred for life and himself. He pulled out the pistol he had taken from Lina and stepped quickly toward the Enforcer, dropping to one knee and aiming. But… when he pulled the trigger, nothing happened.
The Enforcer kept coming, and Adam almost looked pleased at the thought of being killed. He no longer wanted to live, or to carry burdens too heavy for him. When the Enforcer raised his weapon, Adam lowered his head, ready to accept the fate he believed he had brought on himself.
But… in the last moment, he leapt to his feet and ran toward the trees. Bullets rained behind him, but he didn't stop. Tears streamed down his face as he shouted:"I couldn't die! I'm a coward! I'm weak… I'm sorry!"
He kept running like a madman, the Enforcer chasing him but never hitting him—luck seemed to follow his every step. He didn't stop until he heard gunfire in the distance, maybe a kilometer or two away.
He ran toward the sound, gasping for air. He tripped on a branch, fell hard, but got up again, driven by the single thought of finding his friends.
Suddenly, he heard the roar of a motorcycle. He shouted at the top of his lungs:"I'm here! I'm here!"
He called again and again, the sound coming closer, the gunfire growing louder. But then—everything stopped. The motorcycle. The shots.
Adam froze, looking around in confusion. There was nothing. It was as if everything he had heard had been an illusion.
In his head, he screamed:"What's going on? Was I imagining it?"