Ignoring the interruption, I continued to beat the shit out of him, repeatedly striking him."Answer me, you worthless piece of shit!" I shouted, my voice filled with a mixture of anger and desperation.His face became so bloodied and disfigured that he was barely recognizable anymore.Suddenly, Kai's voice called out to me, "Zaria!" breaking through the haze of my rage.I turned to face him, only to witness Enzo's eyes turning a haunting shade of gray.Abandoning my attack on William, I rushed over to Enzo, catching him as he collapsed. Panic surged through me as I desperately asked."What's happening to him?" I pleaded, my voice trembling with fear.“Oops, I forgot 5 hours were for the dead!” William shrugged.He had started to heal but he was still on the ground.I turned my head to the doctor “Take my blood and inject it in his body!” I panicked.As the doctor sprinted toward us, William extended his leg to trip her, causing her to stumble and drop the injection.In that split sec
"But let it be known that your beloved President William intends to marry Zaria, and he will not allow any harm to come to her. If you continue to stand against her, you will face execution or worse... being buried alive. Trust me, that is not a fate you desire!"Eventually, the crowd began to step back, giving Kai the opportunity to get Enzo and make his way toward the lab.Veronica, ready to help Enzo, followed closely behind. Inside the lab, a cabinet filled with vials of my blood caught their attention.A brief moment of silence enveloped the room, but it was soon shattered by the resumption of chaos.The guards had no choice but to seal the lab door, preventing the outrageous crowd from entering.Concerned and curious, Veronica turned to Kai and asked, "What on earth just happened?"“I guess they don’t believe me!” Kai answered. “Whatever it is, just fix him up!” He shrugged, getting a hold of his gun.Enzo's eyes fluttered open, his eyes gray, his complexion turning paler by the
William handed me a flask of water. I passed it to my father, watching as he drank it with trembling hands. "I've come to rescue you," I whispered, my voice filled with pain.William's handed me a bag containing warm clothes. I dressed my father, just as he had dressed me when I was a child."Come," I said, gently taking his hand. Together, we made our way toward the main exit of the building, ready to leave this place behind.But as we approached the final door, it slid shut, trapping us inside.I turned to face William, realizing that he had intentionally distanced himself from us.Anger welled up within me, and I confronted him. "You knew this would happen!" I accused, my eyes fixed on him. "Why did you let us out of the cage? What do you want from me?"His response was unexpected. "You!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with desperation. "I want you!"I rushed toward him, locking eyes with him. "Look at me," I demanded, my voice filled with a mix of pain and defiance."I am the same
Kai leaned in close and whispered calmly, "She’s safe, she's in the bunker!" Veronica's eyes were wide with concern as she asked, "How do you feel?" Enzo tried to smile through the pain, but he squirmed as he replied, "Like someone beat the crap out of me." He forced a chuckle, then coughed painfully. As I approached the Education Center, a sinking feeling settled in my stomach. The place was a wreck—shattered glass littered the ground, lights flickered, and the air was thick with dust and tension. We pressed forward, our steps echoing in the silence until we reached the bunker. I pounded on the heavy metal door with all my strength. The door creaked open, and before I could say a word, Lily threw her arms around me. "Thank goodness you're alive!" she cried, her voice trembling. "Zaria?" I heard my mother’s voice calling out, strained and anxious. The bunker was packed with people, making it hard to move, let alone see. I stood on tiptoe, scanning the crowd desperately. "Is that
Kai's eyes met Enzo's, a mutual respect passing between them. Enzo continued, his tone softer, "Now I understand why you both chose to be brother and sister rather than anything else. You two are just alike."Enzo smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small, delicate ring."This is the only thing I have left of my mother’s. I was going to ask her to marry me, but if I don’t make it out of this, please give it to her for me. Tell her to wear it, even if she marries someone else."Kai's heart ached at the sight of the ring. "Listen, we’re going to be alright," he said, trying to revive the dead hope, but the words were barely out of his mouth when the door burst open with a deafening crash, and people began to flood in.Meanwhile, as we reached the defense center, I turned to Lily, gripping her shoulders firmly. "Lily, I know you're still haunted by the things you didn’t do, but you need to listen to me. Focus on my voice and nothing else. Whatever happens, I’m here. I will
"Where’s Ella?" Kai shouted, his eyes darting around furiously, his fear and urgency written all over his face.Ella came running toward him, concern evident on her face. “Is everything alright?”“William is going to attack! Any minute now, the immortals will come through from everywhere. We need to get you all to safety!” Kai's shout drew everyone’s attention, and panic started to ripple through the crowd.“But we haven’t finished working on the weapons!” Amelia said, her voice trembling.“Haven’t you prepared at least one?” Kai's voice was now filled with fear.“We have,” Amelia replied, finally delivering some good news. “As Zaria demanded, we first prepared a sword, then as many arrows as we could, knowing there might be shooters in your army!”Kai breathed a sigh of relief. “Gather everything you hold dear and everything important for your survival!” he shouted to the crowd.The residents moved quickly, gathering their belongings as the noises grew louder. Suddenly, a loud crash
"Or?" Ella looked at him, her brow furrowed in puzzlement."Or... we could... you know?" Kai dropped to one knee, pulling out the toy ring from his pocket. "Get married? I mean if... you..." His voice shook a little as he watched her reaction, watching her cheeks flush from pale to rosy red.Ella covered her mouth in surprise, her eyes wide. Kai took a deep breath, his voice steadying as he spoke from the heart. "Ella, whenever you are around, everything seems better, every trouble seems smaller, because... with you, I find the courage to fight whatever obstacle comes my way.And since you’ve announced that something so beautiful is about to happen to us, I can’t stop imagining how it would feel to have a small house of our own, with our children, making noise and keeping us awake!"Ella sniggered, tears welling in her eyes. Kai continued, his voice filled with emotion. "So, Ella, would you... be my wife?" He extended the toy ring toward her.Overwhelmed, Ella nodded, too emotional to
When the preparations were complete, the area was a chaotic yet strategic landscape of cover points and firepower. We could only hope it would be enough.Turning back, we regrouped with Jennifer. Before leaving, I issued one final command. "Head to the last battleground," I instructed, my voice firm. "It's an open field—no buildings, no unnecessary cover. You'll be safer there, William wouldn't suspect you all being there."With that, we moved out, hearts steeled for the battles ahead, every step taking us closer to whatever end awaited us.When I reached the hidden city, Jennifer stood behind the machinery, even though she was very brave, I could still see a hint of fear in her eyes. “We have the machines ready,” she said, her voice steady despite the gravity of the situation. I glanced at the massive machine standing before us. The machine was an impressive feat of engineering—a bulky, metallic structure with a series of thrusters and stabilizers extending from its base.It looked l