I felt exhausted. "This isn't the first time you've made such a promise."

She grabbed my hand, her gaze both pleading and earnest. "I swear I'll do it this time, Zack! Just like before, you always had my back on missions. Zack, please, trust me one last time."

I looked at her hand that had once gripped mine through gunfire and danger. Then, I heard myself say, "Fine. One last time."

Emilia sighed in relief. "You should rest. I'll go make plans for the personnel and the route we'll take for tomorrow. Everything will be fine."

I turned and walked away without looking back.

Just as I stepped outside, I heard Dustin's low voice.

"Em, he was terrifying just now. Do you think he's already..."

Emilia's voice was soothing. "Don't worry, he's fine for now."

I returned to the isolation room and leaned against the wall, then slowly slid to the floor.

The burning sensation in my right arm was getting worse.

This was the second day since I was infected by the zombie virus.

According to the normal infection timeline, I should start showing signs of muscle stiffness and sensory decay by now.

But I wasn't.

Aside from the burning and occasional jolts of pain, my mind remained incredibly sharp.

The strangest thing was that I could feel something inside me stirring.

In the distance, roars of zombies echoed through the ruins.

The magnitude of it showed that it wasn't a small horde.

Without my mutative abilities to reinforce the camp's defenses, they wouldn't hold up much longer.

I clenched my fist, my nails digging into my palm.

Tomorrow would be day three.

Emilia, this would be your last chance.

The first light of dawn barely touched the horizon when I stormed out of the isolation room.

Those gray-white streaks on my right arm had already spread halfway up my shoulder.

A night had passed, and the air smelled even more rancid now.

I could feel the zombies closing in. Without me as the primary fighter, the camp wouldn't last much longer.

Emilia's door was slightly ajar.

I pushed it open and froze at the sight.

Emilia was curled up on the makeshift bed with Dustin lying beside her. Both of them were covered by the same blanket.

Dustin had his hand around her waist, while Emilia was resting within his arms in peaceful slumber.

For three seconds, my brain went blank.

Then, I exploded.

"Emilia!"

I rushed in and grabbed Dustin by the collar, landing a punch squarely on his face.

Screaming, Dustin rolled off the bed, blood gushing from his nose.

Emilia shot up, her face pale as she saw the scene unfold. "Zack! What the hell are you doing?"

I pointed at Dustin, my voice shaking. "What was he doing?"

Then, I continued shouting, my voice filled with rage. "You're really asking me that? Emilia, just look at the two of you!"

Dustin, clutching his face, scrambled to his feet and hid behind Emilia.

"I suddenly showed early symptoms of infection last night. I was scared, so I came to Captain Campbell to discuss the antidote..."

I laughed bitterly. "Did that require you two to share a bed? Did you need to hold someone else's girlfriend?"

Emilia stepped in front of Dustin. She was panicked, but mostly angry.

"Zack, enough! Dustin showed early signs of infection last night, and as the captain, isn't it my duty to take care of my team? We didn't do anything!"

I glared at her disheveled pajamas. "Emilia, do you think I'm a fool?"

Suddenly, her voice rose. "Look at you! You're paranoid and acting all violent! Do you even remember that you're vice-captain?"

I froze.

I remembered one time before the outbreak, in the infirmary at the military academy. My previous injury had flared up during a tough training session, and I ran a high fever.

Emilia skipped all her classes that day to stay by my side. She changed my towels, fed me water, and eventually fell asleep beside me.

When she woke up, she had said, "Zack, if you die in front of me, I'll go to the afterlife and bring you back to life."

Back then, her gaze was filled with aching and fear of losing me.

But now, it was frosty as she looked at me.

"Today's mission is critical. I don't have time for this. Dustin, get ready to leave."

Dustin immediately nodded, wiping the blood from his nose as he walked out. As he passed me, he shot me a taunting look.

I grabbed Emilia's wrist. "You're taking him with you?"

She wrenched her arm free. "He knows the terrain of the western district. Zack, look at your state. How can I trust you to lead the team? You stay here. I'll bring back the antidote."

Then, she gathered her gear and left without a second glance.

I stood there, staring at the empty room and at the blanket that still held their warmth.

The force inside me surged violently, with gray-white streaks quickly crawling up my chest.

My skin felt like it was about to tear open, while the burning sensation nearly consumed me.

But I held it in.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as blood dripped between my fingers.

Emilia, you chose him again.

This marked the end for us.

I staggered back to the isolation room, leaning against the wall and gasping for air.

It was clear now that this infection wasn't the usual kind.

I heard the sound of engines starting outside.

Walking to the window, I saw three modified off-road vehicles leaving the camp.

Emilia was in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle, with Dustin sitting right behind her.

Dustin leaned in and said something to Emilia, causing her to smile in a relaxed, unguarded way.

I hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time.

The convoy disappeared into the ruins, and I closed my eyes.

If Emilia didn't come back before sunset today, she would regret it.

I endured the burning pain until nightfall.

Gossip spread about unusual signs of a large-scale zombie movement.

I could only wait, hoping Emilia would bring back the antidote.

As the sun sank below the horizon, the camp's emergency lights flickered on.

Finally, the roar of engines reached my ears.

All three vehicles returned.

My heart raced.

Emilia was back.

I ran downstairs and into the center of the camp.

The doors opened, and Emilia jumped out first, followed by the other team members, and lastly, Dustin.

My eyes locked on their hands.

Emilia's hands were empty. So were Dustin's.

The team began unloading several crates of supplies, but there was no antidote.

My breath caught.

"Where's the antidote?"

My voice came out hoarse as the entire camp fell silent.

Emilia's eyes flickered for a moment, and she quickly looked away from me.

"We found the antidote," she said.

My heart leaped.

She bit her lip.

"But on the way back, we ran into a zombie horde. Dustin got scratched while protecting the supply vehicle. It was an emergency situation. I had to give him the antidote first."

I turned to Dustin.

He immediately raised his bandaged hand with a guilty look on his face. "Vice-captain, I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to..."

"Which hand?" I asked.

Dustin blinked. "W-What?"

I took a step closer. "How deep is the wound? How much blood did you lose? Are there any signs of infection?"

Dustin's eyes widened in panic as he looked at Emilia.

Emilia stepped in front of him. "Zack! He's injured, and you're interrogating him like this?"

I ripped open my shirt, revealing the gray-white streaks creeping across my chest.

"Emilia, look at me. I can only hold on until midnight at most. Yet Dustin, whom you say is injured, speaks with a clear mind. In what way is he infected?"

The other team members lowered their heads.

One of them, Leon Ryleigh, mumbled softly, "Actually, Dustin could have easily avoided this..."

"Leon!" Emilia snapped.

But it was too late.

I understood now.

Dustin did this on purpose.

Emilia gave him the antidote in front of the entire team, once again choosing Dustin over me.

I said in a low voice, "Emilia, you've chosen him again at my cost."

Emilia's face turned pale. "I haven't given up on you! I just..."

I laughed, my voice barely audible as exhaustion outweighed my anger.

"You did it because, as captain, you have to take care of every team member, right? Because you have to be impartial? Or is it because you no longer have any feelings for me?"

She opened her mouth but couldn't speak.

Dustin grabbed her arm, his voice cracking. "Em, doesn't the vice-captain trust me? I really was infected, look..."

He reached out to unwrap the bandage.

Emilia pushed his hand down. "Don't move!"

Then she turned to face me, her eyes filled with disappointment.

"Zack, you've really let me down. Dustin is a team member. He was hurt. What's wrong with me saving him? Do you expect me to just stand by and watch him die?"

I replied coolly, "No, you did the right thing. As a captain, you should be fair and just."

Emilia froze.

I watched her protect Dustin and saw the smug look on Dustin's face behind her, as well as the looks on the other team members. Some appeared sympathetic, while others avoided my gaze.

The force inside me surged again.

But I held it down.

I continued, my voice cold and still.

"So, now that I, your other team member, am about to mutate, how do you plan to take responsibility for me, captain?"

The camp was dead silent.

All eyes were on Emilia.

Her expression changed. Finally, she gritted her teeth.

"I'll keep searching. There's another one in the northern district..."

"It's too late," I interrupted her.

She fell silent.

Dustin's voice broke the silence, just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Em, the vice-captain poses a danger to us. What if he suddenly mutates?"

Emilia stiffened.

I looked into her eyes that once held so much love for me, but were now filled with conflict and hesitation.

The force inside me stirred again.

This time, I almost couldn't suppress it.

"Zack."

Emilia finally spoke, her voice strained.

She straightened her back. "You're the vice-captain, so you know the rules. Before an infected person mutates, they must leave the camp, or the captain must personally remove them."

The captain must personally remove them.

Although the words sounded light, they felt like knives stabbing into my heart.

The surrounding team members stirred. A few turned away, unable to watch further. Others quietly stepped back. Some had already had their hands on their weapons.

Right next to Emilia, Dustin whispered, "Em, you have to think about the whole team... What if he suddenly..."

"Shut up."

I glared at him.

Dustin flinched and stepped back behind Emilia.

Emilia took a deep breath.

"I'm giving you a choice. Either you leave now, or…"

Her hand moved to the knife at her hip. "Or I assist you."

Assist me to die.

I stared at her hand gripping the knife. That hand was the same one that had once held mine as we strolled through the military academy. It had once clung to me tightly on the first night of the apocalypse, refusing to let go.