Noah stood paralyzed, torn between two impossible choices. His mind screamed at him to run, but his heart clung to the woman lying motionless in front of him. How can I leave her? he thought, his chest tightening. The woman I love, the one I dreamt of growing old with?
But then his eyes drifted to Judy. His daughter, scared and trembling under the bed, her eyes wide and teary, hands covering her ears as she tried to shield herself from the horrors outside. Lucy would want me to save her, right? The thought flickered in his mind like a fragile flame. It was the only justification he could cling to. His daughter needed him—needed him to make the hardest decision of his life.
With trembling hands, Noah made his choice.
He stood up and approached Lucy. Gently, he placed his hand on her cheek and pressed his lips to her forehead in a final kiss, lingering just a moment longer as if trying to imprint her warmth on his soul. He hugged her one last time. Then, with resolve hardening in his chest, he grabbed the oxygen tank. Twisting the valve open too quickly, he hurled the compressed cylinder through the window.
The explosion shattered the air, sending a shockwave through the clinic. Glass sprayed everywhere, and the blast rattled the walls. Without wasting a second, Noah scooped up Judy in his right arm—his left arm still crippled from the car crash—and burst through the door.
He skidded to a halt, eyes wide as he took in the scene. Kali had been thrown several meters from the impact, his body slumped against the wall. The five men were sprawled on the ground, two of them engulfed in flames, their firefighting gear doing little to protect them from the raging inferno.
But then something horrifying happened. The burning men stood up, their skin crackling and melting, flames licking at their bodies, yet they didn't flinch. Their flesh burned away, exposing bone beneath, yet they moved as if they felt nothing. They turned toward Noah, their smiles gone, replaced with expressions of cold fury. The leader, his charred lips pulling back into a grimace, roared, "Heretics! You'll pay for the blasphemy!"
Kali, still dazed from the blast, pushed himself to his feet, using the wall for support. His vision swam, but he fought to steady himself. "Good timing, my friend," he said, panting as he stumbled toward Noah. "Let's get out of here. Now."
Behind them, the fire raged, a wall of flames rising through the corridor, blocking the way back. Noah glanced at the burning men, then looked back at the ER room one last time. His voice cracked as he whispered, "I'll be back, dear. Wait for me."
With his daughter in his arms and flames closing in, Noah and Kali ran—each step fueled by a desperate hope that there was still time to save what remained of their world.
Finally, they burst through the back door into the underground parking lot, the cool, stale air hitting their faces as they sprinted for their lives. Their legs burned, lungs on fire, but they couldn't stop—not with the sound of those monstrous men closing in behind them. Their wounds didn't slow them, the blood and burns seeming to fuel their unrelenting pursuit.
"My car's close," Kali gasped, forcing the words out between ragged breaths. Time stretched painfully, each second feeling like an eternity. "There it is!" he shouted in relief, spotting his car just ahead.
But fate, cruel as ever, wasn't done with them yet.
The leader of the firefighters was closing the gap, running with terrifying, unnatural speed. His bloodied body gleamed under the flickering lights, his face twisted in rage. "You'll pay for disobeying the truth!" he screamed, his voice a guttural roar. "Accept Chaos! You'll meet the savior!"
Noah's heart pounded, not from exhaustion but from the realization that they wouldn't make it to the car in time. The distance between them and the crazed leader was shrinking by the second, and they had no chance of outrunning him. The time had come to make a stand.
Noah turned to Kali, his face set with grim determination. "Take Judy. I'll be the distraction this time," he said, his voice steady, though his chest tightened with fear. "Get to the car and meet me outside. I'll handle him."
Judy's eyes filled with panic as she screamed, "Daddy, no! Don't leave me too!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she reached for him, her small hands trembling.
Kali hesitated for just a heartbeat, his mind racing, but he knew there was no time for argument. Noah had made up his mind. Without another word, Kali grabbed Judy, pulling her into his arms. "I'll keep her safe," he promised, his voice hoarse. Then, with a final look at Noah, he turned and ran for the car.
Noah turned to face the firefighter, who was now only a few meters away, the ground shaking with each of his monstrous steps. Noah's left arm still throbbed from the crash, but he clenched his fists, ready to fight. The leader's bloodshot eyes locked on him, his teeth bared in a vicious grin, and Noah knew this was a battle for time. A battle he had to win, no matter the cost.
With a deep breath, Noah braced himself as the crazed man charged at him, his roar filling the empty parking lot like a war cry.
Noah stood firm, his voice echoing through the empty parking lot. "I am here! I deny the truth! I forbear your savior!" His words hung in the air like a challenge, his heart pounding in his chest as the firefighter's face twisted into a mask of pure fury.
The leader charged, his bloodied form moving with even greater rage and inhuman speed. Noah's muscles tensed as he braced for the inevitable impact. At the last possible moment, he twisted his wrist and tried to dodge, but the force of the attack was too powerful. The man slammed into him like a freight train, sending Noah crashing to the ground. Pain shot through his body as he hit the cold concrete, his breath knocked from his lungs in a sharp gasp. He struggled to pull air back in, his vision swimming from the shock.
Towering above him, the firefighter stopped, his eerie grin growing wider, stretching into something grotesque. His eyes gleamed with a sick joy, as though Noah's defiance had only fueled his madness. "I pity you, heretic," the man hissed, his voice dripping with mockery. "You're blind to the joy of Chaos. Don't you want to be free from judgment? To be one with the truth?"
Noah's chest heaved as he fought to get back on his feet, but his body betrayed him, pain rippling through his limbs. The madman stepped closer, his smile widening unnaturally. "But I guess it's too late now. You had your chance, and now you'll pay the price."
Noah's mind raced, searching for any way to buy more time. He could feel the weight of finality in the air, but he couldn't give up now—not with Kali and Judy depending on him.