A few seconds later, a second figure slowly emerged from the other side of the car. Both stood motionless, watching them in complete silence, like predators waiting for the exact moment to approach their prey.
Koen gripped the steering wheel tightly.
—Oh, shit…
And then, one of the car doors opened.
A man in his thirties stepped out. He was tall, broad-shouldered, and stocky. His blond hair, somewhat long and unkempt, fell over part of his forehead, and several scars crisscrossed his weathered face, especially one that ran from his left eyebrow down to his cheek. He wore a dark leather jacket, worn jeans, and military boots caked with dried mud.
His appearance exuded danger.
But the worst part wasn't the scars.
It was his smile.
A crooked, arrogant smile… like that of someone accustomed to always getting what he wanted.
The man calmly surveyed both vehicles before gesturing for Koen and Elion to get out.
Inside the truck, Koen frowned immediately. He quickly grabbed the radio.
— Ethan… there are some guys here, and they don't exactly look friendly. Stay alert.
The reply came right away.
—Understood.
Elion kept his gaze fixed on the stranger and picked up the radio.
—Don't get out until I say so —he ordered in a firm voice before looking at Koen—. We'll go first.
Koen nodded.
They both slowly climbed out of the truck.
The cold air in the alley felt heavy right away, as if the tension were palpable.
Elion spoke first, trying to keep the situation under control.
—I'm glad to see there are still survivors.
The blond man smiled with a hint of amusement.
—Same here. I was starting to think everyone in this damn city was already dead.
His voice was relaxed… too relaxed.
His eyes slowly scanned the trucks until they settled on the radio hanging from Elion's belt.
—Though now that we're here… tell your friends to get out too.
Elion hesitated for a moment.
Something about that man gave him a bad feeling.
But before he could respond, the stranger added:
—Come on, don't make me think you don't trust us.
Koen's jaw tightened slightly.
Elion finally took the radio.
—Ethan… get out.
The door of the second truck opened immediately.
Ethan stepped out first, watching the strangers without letting his guard down. Reize followed cautiously behind him, staying close.
And that was when the atmosphere changed.
The blond man fixed his gaze on Reize.
It wasn't a quick glance, nor a casual one.
He scanned her slowly from head to toe, without the slightest attempt to hide it.
Boldly; hungrily; with an intention so filthy that it made Ethan tense up instantly.
Reize's expression changed immediately. She took a small step back, uncomfortable.
The man smiled even wider.
—Now I see… —he muttered—. They look a lot better up close.
Elion decided to cut through the tension before it boiled over.
—Listen, we're just passing through —he said coldly—. We don't want any trouble.
—Really? —replied the blond man as he shoved his hands into his pockets—. Then I suppose you've already heard the army's announcement.
Koen frowned.
—We're aware of it.
The man nodded slowly.
—Then you know this city's days are numbered. The military is going to bomb the whole place. Infected… survivors… they don't care about the difference."
Those words made the silence even heavier.
Reize felt a chill.
Ethan clenched his teeth.
Elion was about to reply that that was precisely why they needed to get out of the city quickly and return to their group, but the stranger raised a hand to interrupt him.
—Though maybe you'll get lucky —he said with a crooked smile—. We know a safe way out. A path away from the military zone. But of course, everything comes at a price.
Koen didn't trust that smile for a second.
—What do you mean?
The man slowly turned his head toward Reize.
And he looked at her just as he had before.
Without shame; without respect.
The discomfort was immediate.
—Let's say… —he murmured in a low voice— that we could come to an agreement. You hardly see women around here anymore… So hand the girl over to us, and we'll help you get out of the city alive.
Silence fell suddenly.
Ethan's eyes widened in fury.
Without thinking, he grabbed Reize by the arm and pulled her behind him.
—That's never going to happen.
Elion stepped forward with a cold expression.
—We reject your offer. Now move the vehicle out of the way and let us go.
The blond man let out a short laugh.
Then he slowly raised his hand.
At that moment, more men began to get out of the vehicle, blocking the alley.
Two.
Then two more.
All armed with knives, metal bars, and sharp objects.
The blond man's smile vanished.
—The funny thing… —he said as his eyes hardened— is that I never gave you the option to choose.
The atmosphere became stifling.
—Hand over the weapons… and the girl —he said slowly—. Or we'll end this the hard way.
Koen let out a dry laugh and took a step forward.
—I'd like to see who destroys whom.
And the very next second, everything exploded.
One of the men lunged straight at Ethan, trying to knock him down, but Ethan reacted first. He slammed his forearm brutally into the man's face and then slammed his head against an abandoned car. The impact echoed through the alley.
Koen dodged a metal bar swinging toward his head by inches and responded with a savage punch straight to the attacker's jaw. The man fell backward onto the pavement, letting out a groan of pain.
A few feet away, Elion was struggling with two men at once. One was trying to pin his arms while the other reached for the gun on his belt.
—Let go of me! —Elion growled, striking one of them with his elbow.
Reize quickly stepped back, gripping the knife Ethan had given him tightly. His eyes darted frantically across the fight as he tried not to lose sight of anyone.
Everything became chaotic.
Blows. Screams. Metal clanging against metal.
Heavy breathing echoing through the alley.
But something was strange.
Elion's group avoided drawing their firearms.
They didn't want to make noise; they didn't want to attract the infected.
The others, on the other hand, seemed to have no fear at all.
One of them tried to stab Koen with a rusty knife while another circled the vehicles, trying to get directly toward Reize.
Ethan saw it.
—Reize, get back!
The attacker barely managed to grab her arm before Ethan brutally punched him in the stomach and threw him against the wall.
The tension was mounting by the second.
Everything was spiraling out of control too quickly.
And then…
The blond man calmly took a few steps back, moving away from the fight.
As if he'd never doubted the outcome.
He slowly opened the car door and pulled out a weapon.
But it wasn't a normal gun.
Koen caught a glimpse of it.
—Elion, watch out…!
Too late.
A sharp sound cut through the air.
Pfssht.
A small dart shot out and lodged itself directly in Elion's neck.
He barely managed to touch it with his hand.
—What…?
His expression changed instantly, his legs gave way, and the world began to spin before his eyes.
And he fell heavily to the ground.
—Elion! —Reize screamed in horror.
The blond man smiled smugly as he raised his weapon again.
This time, at Ethan.
Ethan had barely finished taking down another attacker when the second dart struck his shoulder.
His expression changed instantly.
He tried to stay on his feet.
—No… fuck…
But the effect was too fast.
He fell to his knees.
Then to the ground.
—Ethan! —Reize screamed desperately as she ran toward him.
Koen spun around immediately.
And he saw something that made his blood run cold.
The blond man was now aiming directly at Reize.
Without thinking, Koen lunged toward her and shoved her hard behind a pickup truck.
They both fell to the ground just as another dart slammed violently into the metal bodywork.
Clank.
Koen was breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath. Outside, they could still hear footsteps approaching rapidly.
The men were already coming toward them.
Reize tried desperately to get up.
—Ethan! We have to help him!
Koen grabbed her arm before she could rush out.
—Reize, listen! You have to leave right now!
She looked at him in horror.
—What?!
—I'll stay and help the others.
She shook her head immediately, tears welling up in her eyes.
—No! I'm not leaving Ethan!
—You can't stay here! —Koen growled, glancing toward the alley—. They're going to catch us all!
The blond man raised his voice, giving orders to his men.
—What are you waiting for?! Check behind the trucks!
Koen frowned as he heard the footsteps getting closer and closer.
—There's no time…
He gripped Reize firmly by the shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes.
—I promised Arika I'd protect you. So, just this once… think of her, too. She needs you alive.
The words brought Reize back to her senses a little.
Reize clenched the knife tightly in her hands.
—Promise me you'll come back… — she whispered, her voice breaking.
Koen smiled faintly.
—I will.
He pointed to a narrow passage between the buildings.
—Go that way. Run, and don't stop.
Reize looked at him one last time, then began to run.
—The girl's getting away! —shouted one of the men.
The blond man smiled.
—Catch her.
Three men ran after her.
Koen intercepted the third one before he could reach her and slammed him brutally to the ground.
Then he ran over to Ethan and tried to shake him awake.
—Ethan! Hey, wake up!
There was no response.
Without wasting any time, he reached into Ethan's pocket and pulled out the keys to the truck.
Then he heard the shot.
He instinctively ducked, and the dart grazed his arm before embedding itself in the wall behind him.
The blond man let out an irritated sigh.
—Annoying…
He fired again.
Koen dodged the next dart by inches, retreating between the trucks as he looked for an opening.
His breathing began to quicken.
He knew he couldn't keep dodging the shots forever.
In one swift motion, he pulled the keys to the two trucks out of his pocket. Taking advantage of the chaos and the poor visibility between the vehicles, he crouched down next to one of the tires and hid both keys underneath it.
This is the best I can do, girls… I hope you find them before they do.
As he stood up, he saw the blond man aiming directly at him once more.
Koen didn't move right away.
He waited.
The shot echoed through the parking lot.
And just at the last second, he shifted his body just enough to dodge the dart… while pretending it had hit him.
A stifled gasp escaped his lips.
His body staggered as if all his strength had suddenly left him, and he ended up falling to his knees on the asphalt.
The blond man smiled, finally satisfied.
—That's better.
Koen kept his head down, pretending the sedative was starting to take effect, while carefully regulating each breath.
Footsteps drew closer.
One of the men leaned down near Koen and gave him a light kick to check if he was conscious.
—These idiots put up quite a fight.
Another let out a short laugh as he looked at Ethan, unconscious on the ground.
—Yeah… they almost ended up being a problem.
The blond man slowly stowed the dart gun inside his jacket and surveyed the scene with a satisfied expression. The alley was a mess: bloodstains on the pavement, broken glass, scattered weapons, and several of his men in pain after the fight.
Still, they had won.
—Put them in the car —he ordered calmly—. They'll be very helpful when they wake up.
Koen remained completely still.
He barely opened his eyes enough to observe what was happening around him without arousing suspicion.
He watched as two men carried the unconscious Ethan toward the vehicle. His body barely reacted due to the sedative. Elion didn't move either as they brutally dragged him by the arm.
Koen clenched his jaw slightly. But he kept up the act; he had to wait.
Two men finally approached him.
—This one goes inside too.
They grabbed him by the arms and began dragging him across the pavement. As they did so, Koen let his head hang to one side as if he were completely unconscious.
Then he saw that one of the small darts had been left lying near a tire, probably after the chaos of the fight.
His eyes focused on it immediately.
Without rushing; without making any sudden movements.
He waited for the exact moment.
One of the men tightened his grip on his arm, and, taking advantage of that brief lapse, Koen slowly slid his hand across the ground until his fingers brushed against the small metal projectile.
He grabbed it, quickly and precisely.
And before anyone could notice, he discreetly hid the dart inside his pants.
It all happened in barely a second.
—Get moving —one of the men growled—. Before the infected show up.
Koen slowly closed his eyes again and let his head fall to one side, pretending to remain unconscious as they dragged him toward the vehicle.
On the outside, he looked defeated, completely defenseless.
But on the inside, he remained alert, patiently waiting for the right moment to act.