Czar's breath felt weak. With timez his skin turned grey covered with blisters. He observed himself, feeling life slip out of him.
Yet, he stopped not. He persevered, taking slow, heavy steps forward. Sometimes, he hid from an Undead, sometimes he ran. But right now, he could only pray that no Undead would sight him. Otherwise he would be dead.
"I must've been poisoned somewhere," he thought, releasing a laboured breath.
Aliyah was wrapped in rags. Every part of her body including her face which made her look like a mummy. That was the best he could do before she got poisoned like him.
It had been twelve hours since the start of his journey. Eight since he met that woman. His stomach churned remembering his choices, but he shook his head off.
Yes, he could've taken the baby with him, but at what cost and risk? He wouldn't lie to himself. Even Aliyah was enough burden for him. Yet, he should add an infant to the struggle? He doubt they'd all survive if he did that.
His best bet was to get him and Aliyah outta here. As for how he would do that, he had no idea. However, he wouldn't be adding an extra burden until then. Or maybe not at all.
He pushed shrubs away. Hid behind trees. Observed everything, then crept forward. That was his pattern so far, and it had been helping. Sometimes he would hurl a stone into the distance, just to be sure nothing was hiding waiting for prey.
Czar stared at his shadow for a few heartbeats, he sighed.
"It's been an hour since I climbed the last tree," he mumbled.
He had been climbing the trees periodically to gain an aerial view. That way he could widen his vision and look out for any Undead, or even a human. A few hours ago he had taken a detour all thanks to the aerial view, where he saw a group of six Undead hundreds of yards away.
Luck was on his side. His muscles had relaxed and they no longer burn — otherwise. He didn't want to imagine what would've happened had he bumped to them directly. Probably dead by now.
Checking the shredded fabric he used to wrap Aliyah and himself. He stretched his hands holding tightly on to a tree.
"Argh." He cried, a blinding pain exploding in his head making him lose his grip.
Thud!
He fell to the ground with Aliyah his eyes bloodshot.
"This stupid poison." He clenched his fists. Face contorted.
"I won't be able to climb any tree this way. "
He couldn't risk it. Even if he proved stubborn and climbed all the way up, he might risk falling from that height. Also, climbing might worsen its spread.
Defeated, he supported himself up with the stem, kicking the tree. He needed to change his plans.
Czar left the spot and continued forward. Sometimes he looked for an open space where the thin rays of the sun pierced, observed the shadow of a stick, adjusted his position, and advanced. Stopping now was a crime and the penalty was death.
"Hold it there." Czar flinched, drawing out a rusted knife. His eyes gazed in the direction of the voice.
There, a lanky brown man, not older than thirty came out from behind a tree. He stared at Czar, his eyes cold and scrutinizing. Czar stared back, his eyes murderous.
"Take a step forward and one of us would be lying dead." Czar warned.
"And I promise it won't be."
The man was taken back, hearing such a preposterous proclamation from a brat.
"What? Who do you think I am?" He met Czar's murderous look, taking a step back.
'That boy is a psychopath,' the man thought.
But then again who wasn't at this point? Anyone who had survived the fall to this point was not only a psychopath, but a traumatized and twisted one. He had done a number of heinous and inhumane stuff himself just to survive. Who knew what the boy had done himself, and he had a child too. That made the man see Czar in a new light.
Surviving alone was one thing, but having a child with you? That was on another level entirely.
"You look like shit, are you sure you want to fight." The man taunted him, hands in pockets.
Czar didn't reply. He might've tried to hide it, but his face alone let him out. 'I should've wrapped myself as well,' he thought.
"I'm Ezekiel, I harbour no harm."
"Okay?"
"Okay?" Ezekiel raised his brows. "Shouldn't you be rejoicing that you met another human?"
"No thanks." Czar turned, moving in his ten o'clock. His eyes still locked on Ezekiel.
"Wait."
"You'll die in a few hours if you continue like that."
Czar halted. He turned his bloodshot eyes meeting Ezekiel.
"Phew, I finally caught your attention I guess."
"What do you mean?" Czar asked, his grip firm on the old knife.
"I guess this isn't common knowledge after all."
"Let me guess, you live in the outskirts of Ebonspire — lived."
"What about that?" Czar watched the man, glancing at his surroundings.
"See, if you want to rob me off my ration don't even think about it." Czar's left hand squeezed his pocket.
"What? Oh, no, no." Ezekiel burst into laughter, finally seeing where the misunderstanding came from.
"We have more than enough."
"We?"
"Ah, yes, I'm with a group of survivors. But before then."
"You really didn't know."
"But you can feel your body weakening right, and the grey skin, the blisters all over your body too."
While Czar didn't reply. He didn't denied it either, the obvious grey skin aside, his body was weakening gradually. As for how the man knew about it, he had no answer to that. However, he at least cared to listen to him now.
"It's the Wastelands."
"The Wastelands?"
"Yes, this place is home to the purest form of necrotic energy. What do you think would happen when you expose yourself to it for too long?" Ezekiel laughed.
It clicked in Czar's ears, his eyes flickering in understanding. All this while he had been wondering how he got poisoned, but it appeared that he was never poisoned. Something worse happened.
"After exposing yourself long enough, you start weakening and when you don't reverse it, you die. And that's not all." Ezekiel paused, his voice hushed.
"You turn to an Undead."
Czar flinched. His heart skipped. He peered at himself breaking into cold sweats.
"Why do you think the Scavenger Corps work in a team of five?"
"The Scavenger Corps?" Czar's brows knitted.
"My, my, you're really from the outskirts." Ezekiel giggled.
"For a human not to succumb to the necrotic energy, you need enough vitality energy to repel it, a minimum of five humans."
"It's in the academy curriculum for capital residents." He shrugged.
"Damn, how did you survive alone this far being just a duo." Ezekiel facepalmed.
"Five humans?" Czar bit his lips, caught in between conflicting thoughts.
"Yes, so tell me, do you still intend to leave, or you'll join my group?"
Ezekiel looked Czar dead in the eye. Czar stared back, his gaze wavering.