The air felt wrong.
It was heavier than usual, as if the world itself had decided to press down on our shoulders. Even before anyone spoke, I knew something was off. The yellow zone had always been unstable, but this time… it felt alive. Watching us.
Ami raised her hand.
The entire group stopped instantly.
No one questioned her. No one whispered. Even the most reckless recruits knew better than to ignore that signal.
My heart started beating faster.
Slow steps echoed ahead of us, scraping against broken concrete and dried soil. Then another. And another. Too many.
A low, distorted growl rolled through the ruined street, vibrating inside my chest.
"They're surrounding us," someone muttered behind me.
I swallowed.
From the corners of my vision, shadows began to move. Twisted silhouettes crawled out from behind collapsed walls and broken vehicles. Their bodies were wrong—limbs bent at impossible angles, skin stretched and torn as if it barely held together whatever lived inside.
"Dead Ones," Ami said calmly. "But too many."
Her voice was steady. Too steady.
More shapes appeared. Five. Ten. Fifteen.
They were closing in.
Ami turned to us.
"Fall back," she ordered. "Now."
"What?" one of the recruits blurted out. "But—"
"I'll handle this," she cut in sharply. "That's not a suggestion."
For a moment, no one moved.
Then another roar echoed, closer this time.
"MOVE!" she snapped.
That was enough.
The group broke formation instantly. Panic spread like fire. Boots slammed against the ground as everyone ran toward the safe route we had memorized during training.
Everyone except me.
My legs refused to move.
I knew I should run.
I understood it logically. My mind screamed at me to turn around, to follow the others, to survive.
But my body didn't listen.
The world around me blurred as a sharp pressure tightened around my chest.
No.
Not again.
The growls twisted into screams.
Not the monsters'.
Human screams.
"Mama—!"
"Where are you?!"
"HELP—!"
My vision darkened.
I wasn't in the yellow zone anymore.
I was seven years old again.
Rain fell from the sky, black and heavy, staining the ground like ink. Sirens screamed in the distance. People ran in every direction, their faces twisted in terror.
And the monsters came.
I saw them again.
The way they moved. The way they tore through flesh without hesitation.
I saw my parents.
Surrounded.
My mother screaming my name.
My father trying to shield her with his own body.
"RUN!" he shouted.
But I hadn't run then either.
I froze.
Just like now.
My breath came out in short, broken gasps. My lungs burned, refusing to fill properly.
I could hear Ami shouting something.
My name?
An order?
I didn't know.
Her voice felt distant, drowned beneath the sound of my own heartbeat.
Too loud.
Too fast.
I couldn't hear anything else.
If I move, I'll die.
If I don't move, I'll die.
The same thought looped endlessly in my head.
A shadow leapt toward me.
I didn't even react.
Pain exploded across my face.
My head snapped to the side, my vision spinning as I crashed onto the ground. The taste of blood filled my mouth.
The world rushed back all at once.
"Get up."
Ami stood over me.
Her eyes burned with anger.
I stared at her, stunned, one hand pressed against my cheek where she had struck me.
"Do you want to die?" she demanded.
Her voice cut through my thoughts like a blade.
I sucked in a shaky breath.
The monsters were still there.
Closer now.
"Stay behind me," she said. "And don't move unless I tell you to."
Before I could respond, she turned away.
And then she moved.
Ami didn't charge recklessly.
She stepped forward, slow and deliberate, as if the monsters didn't exist.
Then she vanished.
Her body blurred, reappearing directly in front of the nearest Dead One. Her blade flashed once.
The monster's head hit the ground before its body realized it was dead.
Another lunged from the side.
She spun, twisting unnaturally fast, her foot slamming into its chest. The impact shattered ribs, sending the creature flying into a wall.
More rushed her at once.
Too many.
My hands trembled as I watched.
She ducked beneath a claw, her blade slicing upward, black blood spraying across the air. She stepped back, breathing heavier now.
Even so…
She wasn't winning easily.
One monster managed to graze her arm, tearing through fabric and skin. Blood seeped down her sleeve.
She didn't react.
Didn't slow down.
She gritted her teeth and pressed forward, her movements sharper, more aggressive.
One by one, the monsters fell.
The last one screeched as her blade pierced its skull.
Silence returned.
Ami stood still, shoulders rising and falling as she caught her breath.
Her hand shook slightly.
Only for a moment.
Then she straightened and turned toward me.
Her gaze was cold.
Sharp.
Disgusted.
"So," she said quietly. "That's it?"
I tried to speak.
No sound came out.
She walked closer.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
"How pathetic," she said.
I flinched.
She stopped right in front of me, then suddenly leaned down, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up at her.
Her grip was firm. Painful.
"Why are you here?" she asked. "Why did you come?"
Her eyes searched my face, as if trying to peel something out of me.
"I don't need people who die like flies," she continued. "If you freeze up again, someone else might die because of you."
I swallowed hard.
I had no answer.
I thought I was ready.
I thought I had changed.
But the truth was clear now.
I was still that same helpless child.
"Answer me," she said, leaning even closer.
"I—"
"Wow."
A lazy voice interrupted us.
"Oho? Am I interrupting something?"
Ami froze.
Her grip loosened instantly as she stepped back, her expression changing so fast it was almost unreal.
A tall man approached us, hands tucked casually into his coat pockets, a wide grin stretched across his face.
"Already flirting with recruits, Ami?" he teased. "Didn't know you were that bold."
Her face flushed.
"Y-you're misunderstanding!" she snapped. "This is not what it looks like!"
He laughed.
"Oh? So you weren't about to kiss him?"
"That's not—!"
She stepped away from me completely, crossing her arms and turning her head.
I slowly pushed myself up, brushing dirt from my clothes, still trying to process what just happened.
Is this… her real personality?
Was the cold demeanor just a mask?
I turned to the man.
"Um… excuse me," I said hesitantly. "Who are you?"
He looked at me as if offended.
"Who am I?" He placed a hand on his chest dramatically. "That hurts, kid."
Then he grinned even wider.
"I'm Captain of the Third Division—Varek Ashen."
My breath caught.
A captain?
Here?
No wonder his presence felt different.
"Well," Varek continued, glancing between me and Ami, "since you've clearly caught her interest, I think I'll take you along."
"Take me?" I blurted out. "W-where?"
"To a very interesting place," he said casually.
My stomach dropped.
"I'll pass," I said quickly. "I think today made it pretty clear that I—"
"You know the theory about the first place the god descended, right?" Varek interrupted.
I froze.
"…Yeah," I said slowly. "Most people do."
"They say his body might still be there," he continued. "Buried beneath the ruins."
Why was he telling me this?
"So," he said brightly, "let's go check it out."
"That's insane!"
He laughed.
"Of course we'll bring your girlfriend too."
"She's not my girlfriend!" I shouted.
Ami turned away sharply.
Varek clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"Relax," he said. "We'll talk details later. For now, head back to the bunker."
He waved dismissively.
"We'll decide when to move soon."
As he walked away, I looked at Ami.
She didn't look back.
And somehow…
That scared me more than the monsters ever could.