A strand of white hair fell across Levi's eye. He didn't brush it away. He just sat on the cold floor of his cell, staring at the stark, unnatural color against his finger.
The fever had started three days ago. The dizziness, just this morning.
He had surrendered himself to the military.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the hall. Sharp.
The heavy metal door slid open with a hiss. A squad of soldiers in sleek black armor filed in, their movements precise and co-ordinated. At the front stood their leader—a tall, imposing middle aged man.
He stopped a pace from Levi, his boots planting themselves on the concrete floor. His eyes hollow. He didn't so much as flicker toward the room's darkness, or the lingering scent of sweat. It remained fixed on Levi. The man's hands, encased in black gloves, simply hung at his sides, utterly still.
One gloved finger twitched, a minuscule gesture. Two soldiers broke from the formation, their steps echoing in unison as they moved to Levi. The leader's eyes finally drifted from Levi's face. A fraction of a second later, his focus returned, and the faintest crease appeared between his brows
"After me" the officer spoke
He took one, silent step forward. Levi could smell the sterile, ozone scent of the armor and the faint, soap on the man's skin. It was definitely unlike what he was used to back at the slums
well this is it. Levi old buddy you've had a good run.
The officer's gaze held on for a flicker of a second. As they walked down the long, narrow hallway, the officer's eyes, hard and weary, scanned Levi from head to toe, lingering on his threadbare clothes. "Sector 7 slums, right?" He didn't wait for confirmation, his voice a low grunt. "why do i always get left to oversee the fodder? could be nice to be assigned a real job nice in a while" He shook his head, almost to himself. "The city-folk kids, they at least have a fighting chance. don't even bother trying to survive. not that i'd care anyways"
never thought i'd agree with a military dog on something
They entered a dimly lit chamber where twelve others stood waiting. Boys and girls, each marked by the Shackle Spell. Some trembled, others sobbed quietly. None of them spoke.
A low hum filled the room, the sound of distant machinery working tirelessly to keep the city alive.
The officer surveyed the group, his expression unreadable. "let's get this over with already" he said, his voice flat and utterly devoid of emotion. "Men!! are you ready to slaughter?!!""YESS SIIR!!" the other officers shouted in unison."Well we only have a couple of minutes until a warden shows up so enjoy this while you can"
Bastards, these guys are ,bastards. if I could..if i could, i'd murder them all
Levi's stomach churned. His nails dug deep into his palms.
The government has always urged the newly infected to turn themselves in, but many refused. Those who hid themselves only made things worse especially if they were slum dwellers.
Not even one warden bothered to show up. all those bastards are the same
The silence was suffocating.
Someone sobbed. A quiet, fragile sound that barely broke through the heavy air
Levi exhaled slowly.A sudden profound weakness made him go limp. The world swam at the edges of his vision, the harsh lights smearing into halos. His vision blurred at the edges.
Then—
Darkness.
His body collapsed, his white hair fanning out around him. And then, in the blink of an eye—
He was gone.
The soldiers stood, rifles still trained on the empty space where he had fallen.
An officer exhaled, gripping his weapon tighter. His men shifted, bracing for what was to come. Their bullets would do little against the monster that was about to appear, but they could care less.
The officer's voice was grim as he muttered under his breath.
"Today's gonna be a fun day. let's just hope a warden bothers to show up before we here all die."