It began with a noise too quiet for instinct to recognize.
Yu Ren's hand was on the pipe before he was fully awake. A whisper of breath, too close, not Kai's. Not theirs. His eyes flicked toward the bedroll opposite—Kai was there, sleeping with his arm slung over his chest, still as stone.
The door was ajar.
That door had been closed.
Yu Ren's body moved on memory. He crouched, crawled low, ears trained on the hallway. The faintest click echoed—something metallic brushing tile.
A blade?
He reached for Kai.
Before he could even whisper, Kai's eyes snapped open. He was already moving, already unsheathing the broken scalpel from beneath his blanket. His gaze met Yu Ren's, and no words were needed.
Someone was in the hallway.
---
They didn't run. Running meant noise, and noise meant death.
Yu Ren's heartbeat thundered against his skull as he edged to the doorway. Kai stayed behind, crouched and ready to strike. There was a protocol in the air—silent, military. Kai had done this before.
Yu Ren peeked.
A figure stood at the far end of the hall, barely lit by the emergency lights. Their back was turned, body wrapped in scavenged coats and cloth. A plastic bag hung from one hand. The other... dragged something metal across the floor.
A chair leg?
They didn't move like a threat. They shuffled. Tilted their head to listen. Then moved again.
Human.
But not unbroken.
[Warning: Unknown Survivor Detected – Status: Corrupted/Partial]
[Affection System Incompatible – Interaction May Be Hostile]
Yu Ren's throat tightened.
The System wouldn't register them unless they had potential. This one… didn't.
He drew back and whispered, "Half-turned. Still aware."
Kai hissed under his breath. "No light. No sound. If it's lingering, it's looking for sound."
Yu Ren nodded.
Still, they couldn't stay here. Supplies were running low. Their safe zone was now compromised.
"I have a blueprint," Yu Ren mouthed. "We build the barricade. Then move."
Kai frowned. "How long?"
"Ten minutes if we find the parts."
Kai exhaled. "Then we do it fast."
---
They slipped out the opposite side of the floor, sticking to the service corridors. The map gave them just enough of a guide—Yu Ren's trait helped them locate what they needed.
Scrap aluminum rods. IV poles. Plastic bindings. Abandoned stretchers.
[Improvised Crafting Activated – Compact Barricade x1 Constructed]
[Durability: 60/100] – Materials Suboptimal]
They rolled it back silently, every sound magnified by tension.
When the door came into view again, the figure was gone.
Yu Ren's hand tightened on the frame.
They began setting up the barricade, bracing it against the entry and securing it with wires across the frame. It wouldn't stop a determined creature, but it might slow it. Might give them time to escape.
Kai worked fast, but his injured leg was starting to swell. Yu Ren caught him grimacing, but the man didn't complain once.
They secured the last hook when the sound returned.
This time, it was closer.
A dragging footstep. Wet. Followed by another.
Then silence.
Then something scraped the door.
[Warning: Threat Imminent]
[Escape Options: Window Exit (Risk: 37%) – Fire Escape Hatch (Blocked) – Ventilation Shaft (Narrow Fit)]
Kai hissed, "Pick."
Yu Ren grabbed his pack. "Vent shaft. North wall."
Kai didn't argue. Just moved.
They barely got the panel open before the door banged once—then again. The barricade groaned under pressure.
Yu Ren climbed first, pulling himself into the cold metal tunnel. It was narrow, claustrophobic. Dust clung to his throat. But he kept moving.
Kai followed behind.
Below them, the door finally gave way.
Something entered the room.
But it didn't follow.
It just stood.
Listening.
Breathing.
---
They waited two hours in the vents before climbing down into an unused storage room.
Kai collapsed first.
Yu Ren helped him ease onto a pile of old linens. He was sweating now, shaking a little, not from fear—but from the leg. It was bad.
"You need rest," Yu Ren said quietly.
Kai didn't respond. His hand gripped the scalpel like it was part of him.
"…When was your first kill?" Yu Ren asked.
Kai blinked.
Then laughed, but there was no humor in it.
"I thought it would be a monster. Infected. Some nightmare from the quarantine zones."
His voice went flat.
"It was my partner. Liu."
Yu Ren said nothing. Let him speak.
"We were clearing an emergency zone. Family stuck inside. Three kids, all screaming. Liu was just ahead of me when she tripped a sensor. Gas released into the hallway—experimental, untested. Her eyes turned white. Skin turned. She didn't even scream."
He inhaled, voice rough.
"She begged me to shoot her. Told me she could feel it tearing her mind apart. I said no. I hesitated. Then she lunged."
His fingers curled tightly.
"I didn't hesitate the second time."
Silence again.
Yu Ren quietly passed him a bottle of water. "You did what she asked."
Kai didn't drink it. Just stared at it.
"People think monsters are obvious. Fangs. Claws. Glowing eyes. But the real monsters? They wear your memories. Your voice."
Yu Ren sat down beside him, close but not touching.
"…You're not the only one who's lost someone."
Kai finally turned to look at him. "Yours?"
Yu Ren stared at the ground.
"My brother. Asthmatic. He… panicked when the collapse started. We were on the fourth floor of a department store. Too many people. Not enough exits."
He clenched his fists.
"I tried to carry him. But the smoke was too thick."
He didn't cry. There were no tears left for that memory.
[Affection Increased: Kai +3]
[Affection Score: 5/100 – "Shared Pain"]
The System chimed, softer this time. Like it understood.
---
By morning, Kai's fever had stabilized.
Yu Ren kept watch through the vent, monitoring the hallway below.
The figure hadn't returned.
But someone else had.
A strange shadow moved across the far corridor—tall, armored, silent.
Not infected.
Not survivor.
Not corrupted.
[New Entity Detected – Status: Observer-Class Construct]
[Affiliation: System – Neutral/Unknown]
[Observation Rank: 2]
[Warning: Do Not Engage Until Level 10+]
Yu Ren's blood ran cold.
Kai stirred behind him. "What is it?"
Yu Ren didn't look away. "We're not the only ones being watched."
---
To be continued.