The corridor reeked of rust and mildew, the damp scent clinging to the back of Yu Ren's throat. His breath puffed visibly in the dim, cold air as they descended the narrow service stairwell. The emergency lights overhead flickered intermittently, giving just enough glow to paint their shadows in jagged shapes along the wall.
Kai moved ahead of him, one hand on the railing, his other gripping the blade they'd looted from the military checkpoint two days ago. His presence was sharper now—tense, alert—as if something had shifted deep inside him after the events in the basement.
[ Kai's Favorability: 83% → 84% ]
Yu Ren noticed the change, not just in numbers but in how Kai moved around him. There was no longer that subtle hesitation in their proximity. When their shoulders brushed in the narrow stairwell, Kai didn't pull away. Instead, his pace slowed just slightly, syncing with Yu Ren's.
At the bottom of the stairwell, they exited into a half-flooded corridor. Water rippled around their boots. Pipes overhead groaned with old pressure. Somewhere in the distance, metal clanged—a sound far too deliberate to be the building settling.
"We're not alone down here," Kai murmured, eyes narrowed.
Yu Ren gripped the strap of his pack tighter. "System. Pulse scan."
[Activating scan...]
[Scanning radius: 50 meters...]
[Detected: 3 unidentified lifeforms. Location: Southeast corridor, stationary. Vital signs: weak. Possible threat level: moderate.]
Three? Yu Ren frowned. "Stationary?"
"They could be injured," Kai said, voice unreadable. "Or waiting."
Yu Ren nodded, and they began moving cautiously down the hall. With each step, the darkness seemed to thicken, as if the building was trying to swallow them whole. The only sounds were their breathing and the soft splashes of water.
When they reached the corridor split, Kai raised a hand. "Lights up."
Yu Ren flicked on his flashlight. The beam cut through the gloom—illuminating a collapsed section of ceiling, and three figures huddled beneath a makeshift barricade of filing cabinets and old chairs.
They weren't zombies.
They were children.
Two boys and a girl, no older than ten. Gaunt, dirty, eyes wide like cornered animals.
Yu Ren immediately lowered his weapon. "We're not here to hurt you."
The girl was the first to speak. Her voice was a rasp. "You're not with them?"
"Who's 'them'?" Kai asked.
"The ones who came last night," the older boy muttered. "Took our older brother. Said they needed 'tribute'."
Yu Ren's stomach turned. "Raiders."
Kai's expression darkened. "How many?"
"I don't know. Five? Six?"
Yu Ren turned toward Kai. "We can't just leave them here."
Kai looked down at the kids. The muscle in his jaw ticked. "No. We can't."
It was the first time Kai agreed without arguing logistics or resources.
\[ Kai's Favorability: 84% → 85% ]
"We'll take you with us," Yu Ren said gently. "But you'll have to be quiet. We need to move fast."
The children nodded quickly, grabbing what little belongings they had—mostly rags and a cracked photo frame.
As they backtracked through the corridor, Kai spoke low. "We'll have to avoid the south route. If raiders are in the area, they'll expect anyone to move along the main paths."
Yu Ren nodded. "North exit, through the sub-basement?"
Kai grunted affirmatively. "Riskier structurally, but fewer eyes."
They moved quickly, keeping the kids between them. Every creak of the building set Yu Ren's nerves on edge. But they made it to the sub-basement stairs without incident.
Or so he thought.
As they pushed open the rusted door to the next hall, voices echoed—
"…heard something down here. Check it out."
Yu Ren froze.
Footsteps. Heavy. Boots.
Kai turned immediately, ushering the kids back into the stairwell. He pushed Yu Ren behind him, eyes hard. "We hold the line. If I say run, you run."
"No," Yu Ren said sharply. "We fight together."
Kai didn't argue. He simply handed Yu Ren a spare combat knife from his belt.
[New Weapon Equipped: Reinforced Tactical Blade]
[Durability: 100%]
The footsteps grew louder. Shadows fell across the hallway floor.
Yu Ren took a deep breath.
Then the first raider rounded the corner.
---
Kai's breath was visible in the cold morning light that filtered through the alleyway. The city had changed overnight. It wasn't just quieter—it was hollow. Like the bones of something long dead still haunted the space between buildings.
The distant rumble of a collapsing structure echoed across the skyline, a sound that made the hair on Yu Ren's arms rise. Even Silas, who had been half-asleep leaning against the wall, straightened with a jolt.
Kai's favorability: 85% → 86%
Yu Ren didn't mention it aloud, but the system message felt like an ember in the dark. A flicker of something warm beneath the weight of dread.
"We can't stay here long," Kai said, his voice sharp. "If the noise attracts them, we're cornered."
Yu Ren nodded, eyes scanning the crumbling street for movement. The memory of the red-eyed mutant still burned behind his eyelids—something inhuman in its form, something that didn't follow the usual infection pattern. It moved too fast. Thought too clearly.
The infected were evolving.
He turned to Silas, who was now tying the laces of the worn boots they'd scavenged the night before. The man looked healthier than when they found him, but only slightly. Shadows still clung to his face, his gaze distant and wary.
"How's your leg?" Yu Ren asked quietly.
Silas tested it with a grimace. "Still stiff. But better."
"We need to be ready to move fast," Kai warned. "No stragglers."
Silas looked like he wanted to argue but said nothing.
They moved through the alley, ducking under broken fences and skirting collapsed roads. The area near the old city school had been decimated—piles of stone and metal where classrooms used to be. Burn marks along the pavement. Bullet casings glinting in the debris.
Yu Ren's thoughts turned inward. He remembered the way Kai had reached for him during the chaos yesterday—his grip on Yu Ren's arm firm but not rough, anchoring.
It wasn't just instinct.
It was care.
And it scared him how much he needed it.
"Stop," Kai murmured, hand raised.
The group froze.
Yu Ren heard it a second later: movement. Not the dragging shuffle of the infected, but deliberate steps. Boots against gravel. Voices—soft, hushed, organized.
Another group.
Kai gestured for them to backtrack silently. They ducked into an abandoned convenience store, half-swallowed by vines, and crouched behind overturned shelves. Yu Ren held his breath, heart pounding.
A figure stepped into view through the broken window.
Soldier.
But not military—no insignia, no formal gear. Heavily armed. Tactical. Private group?
"Clear," someone said outside. "Two blocks north is still compromised. No signs of the main subject."
Another voice, a woman's: "Orders are to search every structure. He's top priority."
Yu Ren's stomach dropped. He glanced at Kai, who gave a subtle shake of the head. Not yet. Not safe.
The sound of boots faded slowly. The group remained still for minutes longer, until Kai finally exhaled.
"They're looking for someone," Silas whispered.
Kai stood. "Not someone. A subject."
"You think it's one of the infected?" Yu Ren asked.
Kai's expression darkened. "I think it's something worse."
They resumed moving once the area cleared. This time, they took a longer route—one that led through the remains of an underground mall. The descent into the dark corridor was steep, the stale air filled with rot and mildew. But it was better than being seen.
As they walked, Yu Ren flicked on a salvaged flashlight, sweeping the beam ahead. He caught glimpses of store signs—clothing boutiques, phone shops, a toy store with its windows shattered and a teddy bear hanging by its ear from a hook.
It would've been a place full of children, once.
They passed an old food court where the tables had been overturned and scorch marks blackened the walls.
Then came the smell.
Death.
Kai raised a hand. "Something's here."
Yu Ren tightened his grip on the crowbar.
The flashlight beam landed on a motionless shape near the far end of the corridor. Human, maybe. A body?
But then it moved.
It wasn't dead.
It wasn't even fully infected.
The woman turned her head slowly, eyes yellowed but aware. She didn't hiss. She didn't growl. She spoke.
"Help me."
Yu Ren's breath caught.
"Please… I… I can still think. Don't leave me like this…"
Kai stepped forward, cautious. "How long?"
"Three… days," she croaked. "I was bit… three days ago… but I haven't turned."
Silas murmured, "That's not possible."
Kai knelt beside her. "Have you felt any changes? Hunger?"
She shook her head, trembling. "Just pain. Burning. But… my thoughts are clear. I see everything."
Yu Ren felt a cold chill crawl up his spine.
The infection was changing. Adapting.
This woman—she was the next phase.
Kai's favorability: 86% → 87%
He stood and turned to Yu Ren. "We need to bring her with us."
Yu Ren hesitated. "She could change any minute."
"I know. But if she doesn't… she might be the key."
Yu Ren looked down at the woman. Her eyes were terrified, hopeful, human.
"…Okay."
He offered his hand.
Her fingers were cold when she grasped it.
And just like that, they weren't three survivors anymore.
They were four.
But something in Yu Ren whispered that this moment—this choice—would change everything.
---
To be continued.