In the gym's warehouse.
The silence that followed the professor's revelation was as heavy as the breath escaping from their lungs. The man, feeling the stare of Tim and the hatred of the young people, slumped back onto his knees, his composure gone. Panic flooded his eyes.
"You can't do this to me!" he screamed, his voice a mix of terror and desperation. "It's illegal! The police will find you! You'll go to jail for killing a man. This is... it's murder! There are still rules!"
His words fell like stones into a still pond. Alex felt the panic stir among the students. They were still kids, with the mindset of a world that had vanished. They saw crime and punishment as absolutes, as if the laws of society still applied. Their faces, barely twenty-four hours after the global collapse, reflected the guilt and fear of being discovered.
But Alex knew that prison, as they knew it, no longer existed. The jails would be full of reanimated inmates, dead guards, and chaos. It was a society without law, and the only rule was survival.
Tim knew it, too. His face was a mask of dangerous calm; his eyes fixed on the professor like a hunter sizing up his prey. The man's words only confirmed for Tim that his existence was a danger.
Alex stood up, his voice quiet and firm, cutting through the tense air. "Tim, lower it. We can't. Not with them watching."
He looked at the students, whose eyes darted from him to Tim, to the gun. They were seeing two paths: mercy or barbarism. For the stability of the group, Alex needed to choose the former.
"Emily," he said, his voice now softer, but with an urgency that only she could hear. "Take them to the cafeteria. It's safe. Make sure the injured are okay. They need water and something to eat. And please, Emily... give them some comfort, they need to heal from what they've been through."
Emily nodded, her face grim. She understood the necessity. She approached the students from the warehouse and those she had rescued, her own innocence shattered. She gathered them all and, like a mother hen, guided them out of the gym, leaving Alex and Tim alone with the trembling man.
When the door closed, silence returned. Tim raised his gun again, pointing it at the professor. The decision that had been contained before now seemed imminent.
"This guy is scum, Alex," Tim said, his voice a whisper loaded with anger. "I've dealt with guys like him. You can see the evil in his eyes. In this world, a guy like him will only get worse. He'll abuse more people, manipulate, and kill to survive. We should get rid of him now and save ourselves a problem in the future. It's the sensible thing to do."
Alex stepped closer, placing a firm hand on Tim's shoulder. "I know. I get it. I've seen what fear does to people. I've seen what chaos does. But now isn't the time," Alex said with a mysterious tone. "Think about Emily. Think about the young people following her, about how they see us. They see us as guides, as the hope that something good still exists."
"Do you really want to be the one to kill a man in cold blood in front of them?" Alex asked rhetorically before continuing to convince Tim. "Don't do it. Not for the group, but for Emily. We can't stain her vision. She needs to believe we can still be human, no matter how hard it is. And that's what we're going to do, Tim. We're going to be human, in spite of everything."
Tim hesitated, Alex's hand on his shoulder an anchor in his internal storm. His rage boiled, but Alex's logic, the same logic that had guided his preparations, was undeniable. Survival wasn't just about killing, but about maintaining morality, about preserving what was left of humanity in those around them.
Finally, Tim lowered the gun with a sigh of defeat and frustration.
"He's only going to bring problems," Tim said once more, trying to convince Alex. "But somehow we have to get rid of him, we can't trust him."
Alex nodded. "I know. We'll figure something out."
Tim, still angry, turned and left the gym, his figure disappearing down the hallway in search of a moment alone.
Alex, now alone with the professor, felt the weight of his decisions. He knew he had avoided a mistake, but he also knew he now had a problem. The professor, a ticking time bomb, was a constant reminder that the threat didn't just come from the dead, but from the living, and that the war for survival had just begun.
The professor, who had been relieved to see Tim leave, tried to stand with dignity, but his legs trembled so badly he fell back to his knees.
"Thank you. Thank you, truly," he said, his voice shaking. "I knew you would understand. I'm not that kind of person. I'm a professor, a civilized man."
"I stopped Tim from killing you," Alex replied, his voice low and devoid of emotion. "But I didn't save you. I didn't save you from yourself, or from the world outside."
His gaze hardened.
"What awaits you now is to atone for your sins."
The professor froze. The word 'atone' echoed in his ears. He had imagined he would return to his group of students, manipulate them again, and regain the power he had tasted.
But Alex wasn't talking about that.
Banishment was his fate.
Ten minutes later.
Alex and the professor walked through the streets. The world Alex had seen in his visions was now a palpable reality. Newly abandoned vehicles blocked the road. The businesses that had closed the day before due to protests now had their shutters down, painted with graffiti and with shattered windows. Broken bodies, some from bites and others from human violence, lay on the sidewalks and in the streets.
Alex, who had driven through this very city the night before to reach the high school, had grown accustomed to the sight. But the professor, who had only seen this through a screen, trembled with every step. His eyes moved frantically, searching for a danger that was everywhere.
They advanced a couple of blocks in tense silence. Alex suddenly stopped, causing the professor to almost trip over him.
"Do you really think what you did was right?"
The professor saw an opportunity.
"No... of course not... but I'm not a monster," he said, his words stumbling over each other. "I was just trying to save the people in the warehouse. I didn't know what was happening outside... I'm not that kind of person..."
Alex couldn't listen to him anymore.
His hand closed over his knife and he pushed it hard against the wall. The professor let out a choked cry. Alex's knife grazed his cheek, leaving a slight cut.
"I know exactly what kind of person you are," Alex said, his voice low and full of contained fury. The knife moved with his words, deepening the cut in the skin. "I know you didn't do what you did to save them. You did it for power... power that this chaos gave you. What you did is unforgivable. It's not moral, it's just a coward's excuse."
The professor whimpered, tears running down his blood-stained cheek.
"I'll go far away, I swear, I won't come back. I'll leave the city. Just... don't kill me."
Alex released him, his hand trembling. He wiped the knife on his pants, a fresh trail of blood from the professor and another, dark and almost dry, from the fights of the night before.
"Don't make a lot of noise," Alex warned, his voice calm again. "Noise attracts those things."
He turned and walked away without looking back. The professor was left alone, a pathetic figure in the midst of the desolation.
Alex made his way through the vehicles, the city sirens still wailing in the distance. His hand was still trembling with guilt, but a wave of relief washed over him. One worry, one potential point of future conflict, had disappeared.
"This is the right thing," he whispered, his voice lost in the echo of distant gunshots. "This is the right thing."
The verdict had been delivered, and he had been the judge, the executioner, and, at heart, the first victim of the new morality they would have to live by.
The next day in the early morning.
A few hours had passed since Alex had left the professor to his fate. The sun hadn't yet appeared over the horizon, but a grayish clarity was beginning to tint the sky, signaling the arrival of dawn.
5 a.m. marked on Alex's phone as he stood in one of the high school hallways, facing a group of young people. Beside him, Tim had an expression of guilt and concern. Emily, for her part, looked sad, her eyes on the ground.
In front of them were Marlon, his friend Louis, Minnie, Sophie, and other companions who had survived. They were the ones who had helped Emily from the beginning, since that Friday afternoon when the world had broken. Now, in the early hours of Sunday morning, it was time for goodbye.
Alex took a deep breath, feeling a lump in his throat. He had grown attached to these young people. They had fought together; they had created a makeshift shelter. They had seen the worst of humanity and, in spite of everything, had maintained their integrity. They were good kids, innocent in a world that no longer allowed for innocence.
"I want to thank you all," Alex began, his voice firm despite the emotion he felt. "To everyone who helped Emily, to everyone who fought and risked themselves to secure this place."
A murmur of gratitude was heard among the young people. Not all of them spoke, but their eyes said everything.
"Thank you, Alex," Marlon said, his voice barely audible. "You helped us more than you know. We didn't know what to do... but you... you showed us there was still hope."
"Yeah," Louis added. "We thought we were lost, but you and Tim, you taught us how to survive."
Their words, full of genuine gratitude, made the lump in Alex's throat grow bigger. He felt like a traitor.
But even with those feelings, he still remembered his goal.
His mission was simple: to rescue Emily and take her to her father. It wasn't his job to form a survival group, or to be responsible for these lives. But guilt still gnawed at him.
He decided to be blunt, without frills or lies. He owed it to them.
"I have to be honest with you," he said, his gaze fixed on them. "I need to take Emily to her father. And he's been waiting for her for more than a day. The way back is very dangerous. There are zombies, soldiers, criminals, and the roads are blocked. And we don't have large vehicles to take you all. Unfortunately, we can't take you with us."
The shock was palpable. Some of the students couldn't believe it. Others, like Marlon, nodded slowly, as if they had already expected this news. The idea of group survival was a dream that, it seemed, only lasted a few hours.
They would stay in the high school, a refuge they had created with the help of Alex and Tim, but without them, things would become much more difficult. Without an adult's guidance, they would feel even more alone in the chaos.
Alex observed the students' faces, a mix of determination and fear. They understood the gravity of the situation, and that made him feel a little guilty for leaving them. But at the same time, he knew it was best for everyone.
While the situation at the high school wasn't easy, it was much safer than wandering aimlessly outside. Alex knew his priority was to get Emily to her father, and he couldn't risk more lives.
"I know this is difficult," Alex said, his voice soft but firm. "I know you feel alone and scared, but you've already gone through the worst. The transition from what was to what is now."
He paused, giving them time to process his words.
"You are survivors. Not only that, but you are so capable, you can survive on your own. You just haven't realized it yet."
He directed his gaze to each of them, highlighting their strengths.
"Marlon, your leadership thinking is impressive, the way you organize and protect others is invaluable. Minnie, your courage to do what's necessary is priceless. Louis, your loyalty is an anchor that will keep the group together. And Sophie, your ability to plan in moments of chaos will keep you safe... You are strong, stronger than you imagine."
Alex's words seemed to fall like fresh water on the tired spirits of the young people. The faces, which had previously shown fear, now filled with a new determination.
"It's very likely that Emily's father, Ron, will help you soon," Alex continued, giving them some hope, hope that he also wished would be fulfilled.
"The best thing you can do is stand firm, as you have proven to be. Follow the instructions we gave you about zombies, precautions, ways of confrontation, food rationing, and always stay together... And, above all, don't let fear control you, we are no longer in a world where fear is an option."
The confidence Alex conveyed was palpable. The students nodded their heads. Marlon stepped forward, his posture now straighter. "We'll do it, Alex. We'll keep this place running. And it will be a safe place you can come back to, if you ever need to. Or at least, we'll wait here for all of this to end."
Alex listened to his words, a bittersweet taste in his mouth. He didn't comment on what he knew about the future. He didn't say that this would never end, not in the way they thought. Hope was the only thing they had left, and he wasn't going to be the one to take it from them.
He bent down and left a couple of bags and backpacks he had brought from the car that Tim and Sonny used. The bags contained a large amount of supplies, such as first-aid kits, weapons, ammunition, and medications that Ron had collected for the rescue cars that Alex and his friend David, had recommended he prepare. There were also some useful tools to improve their combat capability. The students received them with eyes shining with astonishment.
The goodbye was quick and silent. Tim and Emily said goodbye with a simple nod, while the students looked at him with gratitude.
Alex turned and walked away with Tim and Emily, leaving the young people alone. As they walked toward the entrance of the high school, a group of students was waiting for them. They were Amy, George, Yuki, and Rose. This group of Emily's close friends would go with them.
Alex watched as Emily hugged her friend Amy, tears in her eyes from leaving the shelter she had put so much effort into building. Amy stroked her back, consoling her.
They all advanced toward the entrance that now had a barricade protecting it. The sun hadn't fully appeared yet, and the small rays of light were the signal for them to move on.
Alex looked back at the high school and felt the weight of his decisions, but also a strange calm. He had done the right thing. And the next chapter of his and Emily's story was just about to begin.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
I'm not going to lie, this was two or three chapters long, but it felt like I'd been developing Emily's storyline for ages, even though she had her own novel, hahaha.
Now we'll move on to faster flashbacks and other tense moments and fights, and a little later, we'll include some characters who appeared in the dreams of the first chapters.
So, for the few who've been with us since the beginning, you'll finally see some characters from the dreams.
Now the question is: Will they be the same ones? Has the author forgotten about them? Why did this chapter come out a few hours late?
We'll see that in the near future.
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Read my other novels
#Vinland Kingdom: Race Against Time. (Chapter 85)
#The Walking Dead: Emily's Metamorphosis. (Chapter 24)
#The Walking Dead: Patient 0 - Lyra File. (Chapter 9) (PAUSED)
You can find them on my profile.]