Mike and Jay stood inside the ruined police station, breathing heavily. Jay kept glancing toward the shattered windows, checking if those people would return — thankfully, they didn't. Both men were battered and shaken, but alive.
"What should we do now, sir?" Jay asked quietly.
Mike let out a long sigh. "I don't know, Jay. I really don't know…" He paused, then looked at his companion. "What do you think about what I did back in the city?"
Jay met his eyes, his voice steady but low. "Honestly, sir, I think anyone in your position would've done the same. Taking revenge, taking control — in this world, that's survival."
"Yeah," Mike muttered, "that's what I thought too. But…"
Jay continued, "It can't be helped. You did what you needed to do to live. We did what we needed to do. The only real mistake we made was taking that bastard Kane in with us."
Mike looked down, shoulders slumped.
"Even so… even without Kane, we still did it — we ate our own flesh." His voice trembled. "I can't forgive myself for that. I don't even know what came over me. Maybe it was madness… or grief. My wife died right after I lost my job, and I blamed the world for it. Guess I became the monster I hated."
Jay's expression softened. "There's still a chance for redemption, sir. We can start now," he said with a faint smile.
Mike stared at him, then slowly nodded. "You might be right."
He thought about that group who had attacked them — the ones who wiped out his men. Strangely enough, part of him felt… grateful. If it hadn't been for them, he might never have realized what he'd become. Maybe that was fate's way of giving me a second chance, he thought.
Maybe I should thank their leader someday… even if it's strange coming from someone like me.
Mike clenched his fist, staring at the blood-stained floor. "Maybe Jay's right," he whispered. "I can still redeem myself."
But what do you think about those guys?" Jay asked again.
Mike frowned, thinking. "You should already have an idea what they might be talking about."
"Yeah," Jay said. "They might be the reason this all happened — or they know who did it."
Mike's voice hardened. "Personally, those people are dangerous. If what they said are true and they're from the UK, then they're madmen — murderers who unleashed this chaos."
At the word murderers, a chill ran down Jay's spine. He's right, Jay thought. They're basically planning to annihilate the rest of humanity while keeping themselves safe.
Mike leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"Anyhow, this stays between us. Don't leak it until we have the power to act."
"I know, sir," Jay replied. Then he hesitated. "What if we ally with those soldiers that attacked us?"
Mike shook his head. "Bad idea, Jay. Considering what we've done, they won't trust us."
"Figures," Jay muttered, and the two men fell into a silence filled with uneasy reslved.
"I doubt they would recognize us," Mike thought, his gaze distant and heavy.
When morning came, the pain from their wounds had dulled but not disappeared. Mike clutched his abdomen, feeling the burn beneath the bandage, while Jay limped heavily beside him, his leg wrapped in torn fabric that was already soaked with blood. Every step Jay took made him wince—he knew he was slowing Mike down.
The silence of the ruined streets outside was broken by the sound of voices.
"Stay quiet," Mike whispered, his hand tightening around his pistol as both of them ducked behind a fallen cabinet near the shattered window.
A voice called out from outside.
"We know you're in there! Come out!"
Mike's heart pounded. He and Jay exchanged glances, breaths shallow and fast.
"Could it be them?" Mike murmured under his breath.
Jay nodded grimly. "It's them… that camp nearby."
Last night, when they arrived, that camp was supposed to be their next target, supplying them with the supposed stock. However, due to what happened last night and Mike regaining his senses, shame spread across his face. He still couldn't get over the fact that he had almost gone too far and continued becoming a demon.
Mike then said, "We are injured! We need help! Can you help us?"
The other side responded, "Come out, we will help you."
They slowly began to head outside while Mike helped Jay walk.
Naturally, both of them were cautious, since the people outside were complete strangers to them.
Basically, they were gambling their lives on the kindness of the people outside.
Outside the police station, dozens of people could be seen. At the front stood three individuals — a man who seemed to be the leader, flanked by another man and a woman at his sides.
"Are we really helping them, leader?" asked one of the men, who looked to be in his 40s.
The leader looked at him and replied, "What do you mean by that? Of course we'll help them."
"But our supplies—" the man continued, but the woman on the other side cut him off.
"Shut up, Alex! Last night we just watched while they were being massacred. Are you even human?"
The man was about to retort but ultimately decided not to argue with her. He turned back to the leader and said, "We can't just keep accepting survivors, especially ones who've stepped onto the graves."
The leader's face darkened. He was about to say something when one of his people interrupted, "They're coming out!"
"I'll deal with you later," the leader said to the man in his 40s before turning his gaze toward the duo approaching them.
When Mike and Jay approached, they introduced themselves—but only by name. Meanwhile, the leader also introduced himself as Roman, while the woman was Sara and the other man was Nathan. The moment they met, Mike was already observing the three in front of them and immediately came to the conclusion that the one leading the nearby camp must be Roman, with the other two acting as his deputies or assistants.
Mike then told them about the supplies and guns they had, mentioning that some came from the police station. Roman, in turn, explained that they had also planned to raid the station for weapons, but had delayed their move because of the herd that passed through three days ago.
Jay sighed in relief—thankfully, this group of people seemed reliable and trustworthy. Roman, unaware that the two before him were murderers and cannibals, continued speaking with Mike and Jay.
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