North of France, City Center, Lille, April 10, 2030 – 10:00 AM
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING, CHIEF?!" Sana shouted.
Rose was putting on her backpack, filled with bandages, basic supplies, food, and ammunition.
"I already told you. No one gets left behind, Private First Class. You're in command now."
Without another word, she disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind the shadow of her doubts. She had to find Antoine. No matter the cost.
Lille – 10:20 AM
Rose had returned to the place where she had last left Antoine. Her breath caught when she saw at her feet a mountain of corpses stretching to the end of the hallway. Disgusted by the smell of decay, she still moved forward, rifle in hand. She cast a quick glance into the group's apartment.
"Shit... Fuck... Is this really a virus?" she thought, her eyes wide, seeing the radiator Antoine had been tied to completely smashed, taking the wall with it and leaving a gaping hole.
"...Rose?" Rose felt a breath on her face. A chilling gust caressed her skin. From the corner of her eye, she saw the impossible: a creature stood before her, its pained grimace twisted into a grin, blank white eyes locked on her. It was so massive it had to stoop to pass under the doorway. One enormous hand gripped the fragile wood. Rose knew that one strike from the creature could reduce her to dust.
"R-Rose...? I-is that... y-you...?"
His voice trembled, yet she recognized him instantly: it was Antoine beneath the monstrosity. Paralyzed, Rose felt incapable of moving. Disfigured, his form a mix between zombie and demon, Antoine slowly pressed his forehead against the barrel of her gun.
"Hey... guys... Wait for me... I'm coming, okay...? Don't laugh... at my nightmare... Rose... I saw an angel... It told me... that I..."
His words echoed like the cries of a broken soul, manipulated. Rose understood in a flash: some malevolent force had taken Antoine, masquerading as an angel. A shiver of helplessness ran down her spine.
"It's true... Come, Antoine... Mom and my brother made us a lovely meal..."
A tear slid down her cheek as she pressed the trigger with terrible gentleness.
BOOM!
Antoine collapsed to the ground with an immense crash, his giant size shaking the concrete floor. Rose couldn't hold back her tears. "I've had enough…", she thought, weeping, before collapsing in grief beside Antoine. The darkness seemed to target her.
"NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!"
A cruel voice rang out, and with a jolt, Rose saw Antoine staring at her with a twisted smile, as if he had never truly died. A scream of panic tore from her throat. She trembled, her body frozen in horror, unable to flee. Gasping for breath, she checked Antoine's state.
"He's really dead…"
She whispered the words to herself, almost trying to believe them. Picking up her weapon again, she wandered down the dark hallway, until a strange light caught her attention. In a nearby room, an unexpected scene awaited her: her childhood apartment, bathed in the soft glow of an unreal light.
"Mom... What are we doing here?"
Rose's mother gave her a brief smile. She was clearly confused. Her mother held a knife in her hands, carefully peeling a potato. The war, the pain — it all felt so distant in this peaceful haven.
"Tell me, Rose... What do you want to do with your life?"
asked her mother, her back turned, cooking a piece of beef whose tender sizzling tickled Rose's ears, mingled with the delicious smell of a warm meal.
"I want to join the army, become stronger, and protect Lyris, like you told me to... I haven't thought of anything else, Mom, since…"
Her mother stopped what she was doing, a smile on her face — one Rose could only see from behind. She couldn't see her eyes or full expression.
"Not even marriage? A peaceful life with your husband, a house… Not even that?"
A chill ran through Rose. Doubts flooded her mind. She gripped her knife tightly.
"Mom... who are you really?"
Rose was shaking, her breathing becoming strained.
"Look out the window, my dear..." her mother whispered with a calm so disturbing it was almost unnatural. She picked up her butcher's knife to slice one last piece.
The young girl, her heart pounding. Her worried gaze turned horrified and furious. Lyris was surrounded, beaten to death by his so-called "friends." Enraged, Rose grabbed her knife, gripping it tightly with murderous intent toward her own "mother."
"MOM... NO... WHO ARE YOU?!"
Rose knew her mother well, and though this woman looked like her, her behavior was foreign, alien. The monster disguised as Rose's mother turned around, wearing the same demonic grin Serge, Antoine, and Lana had — the cadaverous look of the infected, their eyes pure white and skin pale.
"I'm your mother... Aren't I?"