The forest was dense, but the highway couldn't be far away. The air smelled of dampness and dried blood. The branches scratched their skin, but they didn't stop.
After walking in silence for a while, Reize began to breathe more calmly. Her steps were no longer so frantic. Arika kept looking around constantly.
—How much further do you think it is to the highway? —Reize asked, out of breath.
—Not far. —Arika pointed through the trees—. Look, over there… in that mist. That's the edge of the road.
They stopped for a few seconds to catch their breath. The shadows of the trees seemed to swallow them up, but at last they felt there was hope.
—Reize —Arika said softly, without turning around—. I'm sorry… for everything.
Reize frowned.
—Not that again? —she stepped closer to her and looked her straight in the eye—. None of this was your fault.
—If it weren't for… what I am… maybe…
—Enough! —Reize's voice cracked—. What happened to Grisel wasn't your fault. And Sebastian… he chose to stay. You didn't force anyone. Is that clear?
Arika looked down. Reize took a deep breath, calmer now, and smiled faintly.
—Besides…—she continued gently—, if you hadn't been there, I wouldn't have gotten this far.
Arika looked up.
—I always thought I had more heart… but now I realize that you… you have something different. Something I lost a long time ago. Faith.
Arika gave a small, sincere smile.
—Maybe that's why I clung to you, Reize —she whispered—. Because you weren't afraid to drag me along with you.
They both remained silent for a few seconds, sharing the night, the pain… and the closeness of knowing they were alive.
Until the sound of staggering footsteps abruptly pulled them out of the moment.
—Did you hear that? —Reize asked, tensing.
A figure appeared among the trees. It was one of the refugees. His clothes were torn, his face drenched in sweat. He had bite marks on his arm and neck, and his eyes glowed with a sickly delirium.
—You… you! —he pointed at Arika with trembling fingers—. This is your fault! You brought this… you!
—Wait, calm down! —Reize raised her hands—. You're injured! You have a fever; you're not thinking clearly!
The man advanced toward them with unsteady steps, as if he might collapse at any moment. His breathing was irregular and ragged, and his eyes, wide open, didn't seem to focus on anything clearly.
The weapon in his hand was trembling.
—I didn't want… —he muttered—. None of this… was supposed to happen…
She stopped a few feet away. Her expression hardened, twisting into something darker, more broken.
—But everything's ruined… —her voice cracked—. It's all your fault!
She raised the gun.
—Don't shoot! — Arika shouted.
The blast tore through the air.
The bullet struck Reize in the abdomen.
The impact shook her violently; her body tensed for an instant… and then she fell backward.
—¡REIZE! — Arika's voice broke instantly, and she fell to her knees beside her.
The air escaped from Reize's lungs in a choked gasp. Her hands clung weakly to Arika's clothes.
—Ah… —she exhaled—. This… hurts more than I expected…
The blood began to spread, dark and warm.
—No… no… — Arika pressed down on the wound with both hands, trembling—. Stay with me… please…
Reize shook her head slightly, with a faint smile.
—I don't think I'll make it out of this…
—Don't say that! —Arika shook her head, desperate—. You will… you have to…
Reize looked at her gently, as if she wanted to memorize her face.
—Arika…
She leaned in closer, clinging to every second.
— I'm here…
— Don't stop… — Reize murmured—. No matter what happens… keep going…
—No… — Arika's voice broke—. Not without you…
Reize let out a small laugh, barely a whisper.
—Of course I will… —she whispered—. You always did…
Her gaze began to fade, but she still sought Arika's one last time.
—You're stronger… than you think…
Reize's fingers slowly loosened.
—Live… for both of us…
Reize's hand lost its strength… and fell limp.
She was gone.
—…No… — Arika's voice barely came out.
She hugged her tightly, clinging to her body as if she could bring back the warmth, as if their closeness were enough to deny what had just happened. She buried her face against her, breathing in short, ragged gasps.
—No… no, no… Reize…—she whispered, trembling—. Don't go…
But there was no answer.
Behind them, the man staggered. His breathing grew rough and irregular, breaking into wet sounds. His body began to warp; his back arched and his hands twisted as the skin creaked over the shifting flesh.
—You…! —he roared, his voice tearing between the human and the monstrous—. You… you took everything from me! You took it all!
Arika didn't answer.
He remained on his knees beside Reize, his hands stained with blood, his body stiff, as if he hadn't yet fully grasped what had just happened. But little by little, something inside him changed. It wasn't immediate. It was slow. Heavy.
He stood up.
Not quickly, but with a strange stiffness, as if his body weighed more than before. He looked up and stared at him. There was no fear in his eyes. There was no doubt. Only a pain so deep that it had turned into something colder.
—… How pathetic. — he said, in a low voice.
The man took a clumsy step forward, shuffling his feet, his body still warping before her.
— You took everything away from yourself because of your fears.
The infected man lunged; Arika didn't back down.
She moved forward, colliding with him forcefully and pushing him until he fell backward onto the damp ground. The impact kicked up dirt and leaves, and they both rolled for a moment, but Arika stayed on top, pinning him down with her full weight.
The infected man roared, trying to reach her; his twisted hands flailed, searching for something to grab onto.
—Look at me! —she shouted, shaking him—. Look at me, you damn coward!
But there was no one there anymore.
And that made her scream even louder.
—YOU KILLED HER! —her voice broke completely—. YOU RUINED ME…!
Her eyes burned.
Then she saw it.
To one side, half-buried in the dirt, a large stone, heavy enough not to be ignored.
She grabbed it with both hands.
Her fingers clenched tightly around the rough surface.
—NOW YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! — she screamed, and this time her voice broke completely.
She raised the rock… and let it fall.
The impact was sharp, brutal. The body beneath her shook violently.
But she didn't stop.
She lifted it again, with effort, with rage… and struck again.
Again.
And again.
Each blow heavier, more desperate than the last, as if each strike were a belated response, as if in each one she were unleashing everything she hadn't been able to hold back.
Each blow laden with rage, with helplessness, with accumulated pain.
—GIVE IT BACK TO ME!
But there was nothing left to strike.
The body stopped moving.
Even so, Arika struck one last blow… and then stood motionless, breathing heavily.
She dropped the stone to the side; her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Her breathing was erratic and ragged, as if she couldn't return to a normal rhythm. Tears fell without her doing anything to stop them, mixing with the dirt on her face.
She looked down at her own hands, as if she didn't recognize them.
The fury faded… leaving only emptiness.
—…Reize…
She struggled to her feet and returned to her side. He knelt down slowly, his trembling fingers brushing her face, brushing aside a strand of hair with an almost painful gentleness; as if he were still hoping for some reaction, some tiny sign that none of this was final, but there was nothing.
—I'm sorry… —he whispered—. I'm sorry…
He stayed there for a few seconds, caressing her cheek.
Then he looked down and began digging with his hands.
The damp earth gave way little by little, sticking to his skin, getting under his fingernails, opening small wounds, but he didn't stop. Every movement was slow, mechanical, as if his body were continuing out of inertia while his mind was elsewhere.
He kept digging until it was enough.
Then, with a tenderness that stood in stark contrast to his earlier violence, he lifted Reize's body and laid it inside. He gently adjusted her position, awkwardly brushing a strand of hair from her face, lingering just a second longer than necessary.
Silence enveloped everything.
— I won't forget you… —she finally whispered, his voice barely audible—. Never.
He took a handful of dirt and let it fall. Then another. And another. Each one heavier than the last, as if every gesture cost him more than he could bear.
Until she was completely covered.
When he finished, his hands rested on the makeshift grave, motionless, trembling.
He stayed like that for a moment, motionless, his hands still resting on the earth.
Then he stood up.
And without looking back… he began to walk.
Leaving the forest behind, as the fire began to devour everything in its path.
The trees creaked, the flames spread rapidly, illuminating the darkness with an orange glow that flickered through the smoke.
He pressed on without stopping.
The forest gradually opened up, until he finally emerged onto the highway.
The asphalt strip was cracked, covered in fissures, dotted with abandoned vehicles, rusted wreckage, and debris that spoke of a world that no longer existed.
Arika se detuvo unos instantes. El viento le revolvía el cabello y traía consigo un leve olor a aceite viejo… y a fuego.
Arika paused for a moment. The wind ruffled her hair and carried with it a faint smell of old oil… and fire.
That was when she saw it. A few yards away, next to an overturned pickup truck, lay a body. It wasn't an infected. As she approached cautiously, she realized it was a dead survivor, covered by a tarp. Next to him, a dusty backpack peeked out from under his arm.
Carefully, Arika picked it up and checked its contents. Inside, there was a map. It was marked in red ink: a hand-drawn route leading from the highway to a distant point to the north. Next to the sketch, written in a hurry, were the words:
"Safe zone – ZNT-47 facility."
Arika frowned. ZNT… those initials seemed vaguely familiar to her.
Zenthera? Was it a base belonging to the same corporation? An abandoned facility? Or perhaps a secret shelter?
The doubt lingered in her mind, persistent.
She tucked the map inside her coat and looked up toward the north.
The horizon was beginning to lighten; the darkness was fading little by little, giving way to the first warm hues of dawn spreading across the empty road. The air was cold but steady, and for a moment everything seemed calm.
Arika took the first step and then another, without hesitation this time. Her footsteps echoed softly on the cracked asphalt as she moved forward, leaving behind what little remained of the night. The sun rose slowly, casting long shadows around her, and though the path was uncertain… she kept walking toward it.
...
Black.
Silence.
A deep breath.
Arika woke with a start, gasping for air. She was drenched in sweat, her heart pounding as if she'd just finished a run. She looked around, disoriented. The wooden walls. The dim light. The sound of the wind seeping through the window. She was in the house. Safe.
But it didn't feel that way.
She pressed a hand to her chest. It still hurt. The image of Reize dying, her voice, her blood… it was all still there, intact in her mind.
—It was just… a dream…—she whispered, her voice breaking—. Another one of those…
But it had been so real. Every word. Every wound. The despair. The fear. The pain. Everything.
Knock, knock, knock.
A soft knock made her lift her head.
—Arika? Are you there? —It was Reize's voice.
Arika felt a shiver run through her body. It took her a second to react, as if she were still amidst the ruins of that memory that wasn't.
—Yes… wait a moment, please —she replied in a trembling voice.
She remained seated for a few more seconds, staring at the floor as if trying to cling to reality. Her breathing gradually calmed down. Reize's voice… so vivid. So close.
She stood up slowly, her legs still trembling. She walked toward the door, unsure whether she was opening it to find comfort… or to wake up in another nightmare.