A fireball, unlike anything the city had seen since the war, tore through Sea Fallen, incinerating everything in its path.
Aaron writhed in utter agony as the flesh on his body peeled and seared under the sheer heat of the explosion.
Just before the gas ignited, he had dived behind a ruined building, barely shielding himself from the worst of the blast.
He lay atop Eleanor, protecting her lifeless body from any further harm, afraid that the wounds might remain when she was revived.
I-I must have killed at least a thousand of them…
As he opened his eyes, the heat drained the last moisture from his face, drying his cold tears in an instant and leaving him with a clear view of what rested below.
The crumpled paper he had received from the deceased man had saved his life, yet it too burned away in the immense heat of the raging firestorm.
Thank you… I'm sure you would have wanted to do this to them yourself.
As if confirming his thoughts, a cold gust of wind blew past his neck, bringing along a fierce rain that soaked the burning city, as though the heavens themselves wept.
Within a few minutes, the inferno subsided, replaced by falling rain and dust that mixed into a foul sludge resembling the vile creatures' oozing saliva.
"Disgusting…"
Aaron grimaced as he stood up, pulling Eleanor along with him, and carefully hoisting her onto his back once again.
Fresh rain hit his scorched skin, making it sizzle with pain and drawing a groan from the boy as he staggered and nearly lost his grip on the girl.
In his hand, the last embers of the note once meant for a man—a father and a husband—turned to dust and scattered into the wind.
Rest well…
With that final prayer, the blue-eyed boy resumed his march through the ruined city, heading towards the town hall, which remained inexplicably intact amid the destruction.
Gravel crunched under his worn shoes, the sharp rocks digging through the thin soles into the balls of his feet.
However, even though his face betrayed the pain of every step, he pushed forward with unwavering resolve.
This is all my fault... I couldn't stop that monster. I couldn't save Eleanor. I couldn't even save the people I watched getting torn apart. I'm useless. Utterly pathetic.
Insult after insult filled his mind as he trudged through the debris, driven only by the earnest desire to save his friend.
Helping Eleanor came first—after that, he would gladly face whatever fate awaited him.
Throughout the entire time he wielded the power of the Ghostship, he had treated everything as a joke, avoiding the harsh truth that dwelt beneath his jolly exterior.
Yet, after losing so much, he knew that, for Eleanor and for everyone else who had helped him before, he had to do better.
This doesn't suit me at all.
His exhausted mind was filled with ridicule as his eyes settled on the clearing that marked the city center.
Hundreds of undead animals stalked the perimeter of the town hall, guarding its entrance against anyone who dared to intrude on their territory.
Another horde of these things? But these are animals, so they shouldn't be as—
His thoughts froze and his jaw dropped in horror as he watched an undead sheep's body convulse and twitch, its wool turning a disturbing shade of crimson.
Its horns swelled until they matched the length of the metal pipe in Aaron's hands, then twisted further, curving to form a pair of grotesque antlers.
Pitch-black eyes pierced the darkness that shrouded the city, staring through the rain and night at the young boy hidden in the shadows.
Oh sh—
"BAHHHHH!"
The once docile creatures whipped their heads in the direction of the sheep's call, and dozens of dead eyes fixated their gaze on the boy's position.
Within seconds, the clearing was filled with horrifying parodies of cows, pigs, dogs, cats, and more, some with vicious teeth and others with talons sharp enough to cut steel.
In any other situation, it would be unthinkable for such a vast range of species to share a single goal, but this situation was far from normal.
This fact, Aaron understood better than most.
Every animal in the gathered herd had only one target, and that target happened to be a fifteen-year-old boy armed with nothing but a metal pipe.
T-This is bad… really, really bad.
Then, as if suddenly unleashed, the horde of monstrous animals charged at him without delay.
He knew that the only way he could survive was to fight; however, there was one thing holding him back.
"Eleanor…"
Gently, he lowered her from his back and set her down near a boulder that shielded her from the animals' view.
She should be safe unless I die… and if I die, she'll stay dead anyway.
The thought of death made the boy shudder; however, he stood firm, facing the charging beasts with his makeshift weapon in hand.
"Bring it on, you monsters!"
At that moment, an extremely fat cat lunged at him, only to be smashed aside by his pole, its body bursting in a shower of dark blood and rotten flesh.
They are weaker than the humanoid ones, but can I handle this many at once…?
Another animal leapt at him as he pondered; however, with a hard strike to the skull, it crumbled to pieces just as the first one had.
Behind the two fallen creatures stood another hundred, each more vicious than the one before.
They paused at the sight of their butchered comrades, then turned their gazes to the boy as he wiped the blood from his weapon.
"How about you guys keep coming at me one at a time, huh?"
…
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Aaron's desperate panting echoed throughout the clearing as he struck down the last of the monsters, surrounded by the carnage he had wrought.
His right pinky finger was missing, and a deep gash ran across his forehead where a bull's horn had slashed him straight to the bone.
The metal pipe had been reduced to useless scrap after the first fifty kills, forcing him to fight the remaining undead with his fists.
Every inch of his body was smeared with blood and grime as he collapsed onto the hard ground in shock.
"F-Finally… it's over…"
His vision swayed, threatening to send him into the icy grasp of death before he could even make it to the vault.
N-Need to stop the bleeding…
Blood gushed from the raw stump of his missing finger, which was torn away in a single bite by a zombified dog.
With his other hand, he ripped off a piece of his shirt and wrapped it tightly around the wound.
D-Disinfect it…
He looked around, searching for anything to clean the wound—a bottle of liquor, a well with clear water—but found only corpses littering the square.
The only thing that caught his gaze was the entrance to the town hall, which was cracked open, unlike when he had first arrived.
D-Did someone hide in there while I was fighting?
Fear gripped his heart as he thought about the possibility of someone else stealing the Old Man's weapon before he could, forcing him to break the pact.
He shuddered as the cold rain washed away the blood and filth from his hair, clearing his mind enough to rise to his feet.
He backed towards the crevice where he had left Eleanor's body, noticing with horror that chunks of rubble had fallen over her while he was away.
Dammit!
Without thinking, he rushed over and began to dig with his uninjured hand, quickly uncovering her, only to find her lying there, unscathed.
Thank the gods…
He sighed in relief, but the dizziness from his wounds only worsened as he began to calm down.
His legs nearly gave out as he lifted Eleanor's motionless body over his shoulder, painfully aware of how weak he had grown after the repeated battles.
Slowly, he hobbled towards the entrance, stepping carefully around the zombified corpses sprawled across the street.
Finally, he reached the massive doorway of the largest known government complex in the world.
"B-Basement…"
Aaron's words slurred as another wave of nausea washed over him, his body faltering, and Eleanor swaying dangerously on his shoulder
He stumbled, pressing his left palm against the door and pushing it open just enough so both of them could slip through.
Inside the building was a massive hall, its ceiling stretching high above the carpeted floors that were thick with dust.
There were no traces of anyone or anything in the main hall; however, Aaron had a strange feeling that something dangerous awaited him there, far more dangerous than what he had faced so far.
Guided by instinct alone, he wandered through the corridors, passing dozens of unlabeled doors that could have led to offices, storage rooms, or anywhere at all.
The Old Man hadn't specified how to reach the vault, but a feeling tugged at Aaron's subconscious, drawing him further and further into the building.
At the end of his long journey through the building, two doors awaited him, each adorned with a padlock.
One had been broken by force, dangling in pieces, while the other remained intact, sealed with an unknown combination.
There's only one way to go…
Having limited options, he wobbled closer to the door with the broken lock and pushed it completely open with an ominous creak.
Whoever opened the door to the building must've unlocked this too…
His vision blurred as he gazed into a deep tunnel stretching beneath the town hall.
Anticipation and joy flooded his mind as he realized his struggles had finally brought him the chance to revive Eleanor.
Only one step left, and she's as good as saved!