Facing Kael Voss's gaze, Scout Finch lowered her head, her voice faltering.
"I... I'm not going. I'm going to wait here for my mum to come back."
"She's not coming back," Kael said quietly. "It's been six months. If she were coming, she'd be here by now. The chances she's still alive… are next to none."
Seeing the girl like this, Kael's brow furrowed tightly. He didn't want to lie anymore. No matter what, if she stayed here, it was as good as a death sentence.
Reality was cruel, but as long as she was alive, she had to keep surviving. And that meant facing cold, unflinching truth.
His blunt words made Scout lift her head sharply, her teeth clenched. "You're lying! Just now… you said my mum would come back for me!"
Kael sighed. "I admit it. I lied. Now, are you coming or not?"
Scout's face flushed bright red. "You're a liar… I don't want to see you again."
Kael shook his head, disappointment all over his face. His voice turned distant, almost weary.
"This is your choice. So be it."
Without another word, he turned and left the takeaway shop. He flicked on his torch, his fingers covering most of the light, and held a tactical kukri in his other hand, carefully navigating the dim corridor.
After only a dozen meters or so, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him. He instinctively turned his head—just in time to see two zombies shamble into the takeaway.
The exhaust fan on the kitchen wall was small, but the sliver of sunlight it let in stood out starkly in the gloom of the abandoned shopping centre.
The zombies seemed sensitive to light. The moment they saw it, they moved toward the takeaway as if by instinct.
Kael hesitated. His expression twisted, torn. But after a breath's pause, he exhaled a heavy plume of white fog and spun around, heading straight back into the shop.
The moment he stepped inside, a panicked scream came from the back kitchen. Without wasting a second, Kael bolted in.
Scout was gripping the cupboard doors with both hands, kicking frantically as she struggled to shut them.
The two zombies had blocked the doors, clawed hands flailing wildly in front of her. It was a dire moment.
If nothing changed, it would only take a short while for her strength to give out. Then she'd be dragged down, torn apart, and turned into one of them.
Kael didn't hesitate. With two swift, fluid strikes of his kukri, the undead were dispatched, clean and efficient.
He wiped the blood from the blade with a ragged cloth, then looked at Scout.
"I just saved your life. We're even now. Whether you come with me or not is up to you."
He paused, then added coldly,
"If you stay, this time I'm really leaving. Don't expect me to come back for you again."
Having just escaped death, Scout was visibly shaken. She quickly crawled out of the metal cupboard—it was about a metre and a half wide, and with her height, she hadn't even been able to stretch her legs while lying down.
They moved quickly out of the takeaway. In the darkness of the corridor, the guttural moans of the dead echoed eerily, bouncing off the walls like demons whispering in the dark.
Kael led the way, Scout right behind him. They passed through several corridors before reaching an area where flickering light revealed seven or eight zombies milling about near the passageway.
Kael gave Scout a light tap on the shoulder and signalled for her to crouch. He knelt down beside her, unstrapped his crossbow, and aimed.
Thwip!
The bolt struck clean through the skull of a zombie, dropping it instantly.
…
Seeing it, Scout's dark eyes sparkled in the gloom with admiration.
"Kael, that was amazing! Where'd you find this bow?"
"It's not a bow. It's a crossbow," Kael replied with a small smile.
"Want one? Once we're upstairs, there are three more. Take your pick."
Hearing that she could have one of her own, Scout's face lit up with excitement. In her mind, she pictured herself firing bolts at the undead with precision and ease.
Kael swiftly dispatched the remaining zombies. Then the two of them moved forward, carefully exiting the corridor.
Just beyond the passage, the circular balcony and terrace were crawling with swaying undead. Kael scanned the area intently. Finding a way past them and getting back upstairs wouldn't be easy.
There were stairwells and escalators connecting the circular walkway, but charging up those would make far too much noise—and draw far too many eyes.
If the zombies swarmed, Kael could handle himself, but it would be an annoying mess.
He assessed the surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes caught something—across the atrium, strings of colourful bulbs hung suspended from the ceiling, leftover decorations from some long-past shopping centre event.
Kael's eyes lit up. He whispered something quickly to Scout, then raised his crossbow and fired at one of the bulbs.
Crack!
The glass shattered.
The zombies all turned toward the sudden noise and burst of light.
In that moment, Kael and Scout made their move, sprinting low and fast into the fire escape stairwell. They raced up the stairs, their steps echoing faintly, and soon reached the ninth floor.
Kael gently pushed open the fire door. Across the way on a rooftop terrace, three zombies were aimlessly wandering.
Though he'd cleared this rooftop floor earlier, Kael knew the mall had multiple stairways. It wasn't surprising a few stragglers had made their way up.
He'd noticed this issue before, and usually just dealt with the occasional wanderer as they came. A permanent fix—blocking all access—was easier said than done.
Peeking through the crack in the door, Scout asked curiously,
"Kael, why don't you just block off all the stairwells? Then they couldn't get up here."
Kael pointed ahead with a helpless expression.
"Look at that stairwell—seven or eight meters wide. How exactly do I block that? And there's more than one stairwell up here."
Kael quickly dispatched the three zombies, then led Scout into the roast duck shop. From a concealed stash, he dragged out a snakeskin bag and pulled out three more crossbows for her to choose from.
Though most girls weren't into weapons by nature, Scout wasn't one to fuss. She understood: if she wanted to find her mother, she had to survive first.
And to survive, she needed a way to defend herself. Physically, she was at a disadvantage—but a long-range weapon like a crossbow? That levelled the field.
She picked one out quickly. Lyra Solis had done her homework—aside from the metal ball bearings Kael was using, she'd also packed a good number of proper bolts.
Crossbow in hand, Scout looked at Kael, a little sheepish.
"Kael… how do I load this?"
He took the crossbow and bolt from her, then turned to look at her seriously.
"Scout, this thing's powerful. We'll be fighting the infected side by side from now on. But you have to promise me—never point it at me. No matter what."
He wasn't being paranoid. Kids were clumsy. The last thing he needed was to get shot by accident in a scuffle.
Scout nodded hard, no hesitation.
"I promise, Kael. I swear!"