Commander Max entered, his gaze fixed on Gimi. "Gimi, come here."
Gimi turned to her junior officer. "Lead them to their room." To A.D. she added, "We'll meet at dinner. Go get some rest."
The junior officer led A.D. and Jane down a corridor. As they approached a room, A.D. stopped. "It's a single room, and there are two of us."
"We have a shortage," the junior explained. "You'll have to cooperate."
"But!" A.D. started to protest.
Jane interjected, "It's okay, you may go." The junior officer nodded and left.
"Jane, what are you talking about?" A.D. asked once they were alone. "How can we share a room?"
"We're in a difficult situation, A.D.," Jane replied, a small smile playing on her lips. "So please!" She entered the room, and A.D. reluctantly followed. The room was simple, with a carpeted floor and a single sheet on the bed. A.D. lay down, trying to sleep. Jane sat watching his face, lost in thought.
Night fell, and Gimi appeared at their door. "Hey, let's eat. Come."
They went to the dining hall and ate dinner. Afterward, Gimi turned to Jane. "Jane, I have some work with you." She then dismissed A.D. "You can go." A.D. returned to the room alone.
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Confession and The Crisis
In Gimi's room, Gimi began, "Jane, how did you meet A.D. and where?"
"I just met him," Jane replied, a blush creeping onto her face.
"Why are you smiling?" Gimi probed, a knowing look in her eye. "Oh! You like him?"
"Yes," Jane admitted, "but he always ignores me."
"I know," Gimi said, her voice softening. "I saw it when you both came in together. That's why I had to meet you. I was in the same situation, but before I could tell him, he got bitten, and then I had to kill him. So, don't be late."
"What?" Jane gasped.
"No, don't question," Gimi instructed, a newfound urgency in her tone. "Only do what I said."
Meanwhile, back in his room, A.D. sat alone, grappling with his thoughts. He remembered his promise to Mia's mother to save Mia, and the tragic image of her death filled his mind. In a surge of despair, he took the knife he had used to cut his arm earlier, and once again, pressed it to his skin.
Just as Jane, nervously, opened the door, urged by Gimi to confess her feelings, she saw him. "A.D.!" she screamed, her voice tearing through the air. Gimi rushed in behind her. A.D., weakened by blood loss and despair, lost consciousness. Jane collapsed beside him, crying hysterically.
Chapter Thirty-Three: The Confession and The Crisis
In Gimi's room, Gimi began, "Jane, how did you meet A.D. and where?"
"I just met him," Jane replied, a blush creeping onto her face.
"Why are you smiling?" Gimi probed, a knowing look in her eye. "Oh! You like him?"
"Yes," Jane admitted, "but he always ignores me."
"I know," Gimi said, her voice softening. "I saw it when you both came in together. That's why I had to meet you. I was in the same situation, but before I could tell him, he got bitten, and then I had to kill him. So, don't be late."
"What?" Jane gasped.
"No, don't question," Gimi instructed, a newfound urgency in her tone. "Only do what I said."
Meanwhile, back in his room, A.D. sat alone, grappling with his thoughts. He remembered his promise to Mia's mother to save Mia, and the tragic image of her death filled his mind. In a surge of despair, he took the knife he had used to cut his arm earlier, and once again, pressed it to his skin.
Just as Jane, nervously, opened the door, urged by Gimi to confess her feelings, she saw him. "A.D.!" she screamed, her voice tearing through the air. Gimi rushed in behind her. A.D., weakened by blood loss and despair, lost consciousness. Jane collapsed beside him, crying hysterically.
Chapter rl: A.D.'s Despair
A.D. was rushed to the emergency room. Commander Max, his face grim, confronted Gimi. "What happened?"
"He tried to take his life," Gimi replied, her voice strained.
"What?!" Max exclaimed. Jane stood nearby, openly weeping.
Gimi turned to Jane. "Did anything like this happen when you first met him?"
"I don't know," Jane stammered, distressed. "When I met him, he was at a construction site."
"Please save him," Jane pleaded, tears streaming down her face.
After a tense hour, the doctor emerged. "Is he okay?" Gimi asked urgently.
"Yes, but..." the doctor began.
"But what?" Jane demanded.
"He's okay physically," the doctor explained, "but I think he's mentally suffering."
"What?" Jane gasped, a horrifying realization dawning on her. She turned to Gimi. "Sometimes before, when we were trying to rush to the ambulance, A.D. also tried to... to die. I think so!"
"What do you mean, 'I think so'?" Gimi pressed.
"Sometimes before he also tried that, but I think then it was my mistake to understand," Jane confessed, the memory of A.D.'s strange calm resurfacing.
Suddenly, A.D. appeared in the doorway of the room, looking pale but standing. Jane, Gimi, and Max quickly entered. Jane rushed forward, engulfing A.D. in a tight hug. "Why, why did you do that?" she cried.
A.D. pushed her away, his face impassive. "It's none of your business!"
"Huh! None of it?" Max scoffed, stepping forward. "Because of you, we could lose trust in our people! We didn't even want to let you in, and now we're killing ourselves on purpose?"
Just then, a blaring siren cut through the air: "Too!"
"Huh!" Max spun around, grabbing his radio. "What happened?"
His army assistant's voice crackled through. "Sir, zombies have broken the walls! They've entered!"
"Oh, shit!" Max cursed, and he turned and ran out. Gimi followed, but paused at the door. "She's crying for you because she likes you," Gimi said to A.D., her voice sharp. "Now you're saying 'none of it'!" She then left.
A.D. looked at Jane, a strange vulnerability in his eyes. "What did she talk about?"
"Yes, I like you," Jane confessed, her voice trembling. "I liked you when we met, but I couldn't tell you."
"No, it's not possible!" A.D. insisted, shaking his head.
"But why?" Jane questioned, tears welling up.
"Because...?" A.D. started, but a deafening roar of zombies came from outside.
"We have to leave!" A.D. urged.
"No, first tell me!" Jane insisted.
"It's an emergency, hurry up!"
"No! I won't go anywhere without knowing the answer!"
"Because I'm unfit for you!" A.D. blurted out, grabbing her hand. "Now, come!"
Jane hesitated, but A.D. pulled her, and they ran towards the seaside. Zombies were everywhere, their numbers overwhelming. A.D. spotted a wooden door floating on the water. "Jane, you know how to swim?"
"Yes," she replied.
"Then let's jump!" They were about to leap when zombies surrounded them. Suddenly, a huge tentacle erupted from the water, lashing out, sending zombies flying. It wrapped around A.D.'s and Jane's legs, pulling them into the sea, then hurled them a great distance, far away to another corner of the sea. Both lost consciousness.
Chapter Thirty-Five: A New Home
After some time, a voice called out, "A.D.! A.D.! Wake up!"
When A.D. opened his eyes, he was in a room. Jane was lying straight on a cot nearby. A.D. sat up. "Where are we?"
Jane came outside the room, and A.D. followed. They found themselves in a small village on another corner of the sea.
"What is this...!" A.D. whispered, then a realization hit him. "It's because of that squid! That bloody...!"
"Stop!" Jane interjected, taking his hand. "In this village, it's considered a good thing. Provided by God."
"What...?" A.D. looked at her, confused.
A couple approached them, smiling warmly. "How are you?" the woman said to Jane, then looked at A.D. "And your upcoming husband?"
"What?!" A.D. exclaimed.
Jane, blushing, squeezed his hand. "He's okay," she said to the couple. Then, to A.D., "What are you doing?"
The couple departed, leaving A.D. bewildered. "What did you tell them?" he demanded.
"It's a village," Jane explained. "They won't allow us to live here if they know we're not married. So, cooperate."
"You could have told them we're brother and sister!" A.D. argued.
Jane stepped closer, her face inches from his. "No. I already told them before because I knew you'd try that. If they knew we were lying, they'd throw us out."