Episode 31

Noah, having steeled his resolve, was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of knocking at the door.

‘Derek?’

But contrary to his expectations, it wasn’t Derek who entered. As Dominic slowly approached, Noah sat up, his gaze wary.

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“You can stay lying down. I was worried since you hadn’t woken up in a while, but I see you’re up now.”

At Dominic’s words, which implied he had been concerned because Noah hadn’t woken for three days, Noah looked at him with skepticism. Dominic, ever perceptive, wasn’t oblivious to the blatant distrust on Noah’s face. However, he feigned ignorance and instead commented on how he had been deeply moved seeing Noah desperately searching for Jacob in the pile of corpses.

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“Noah, you truly have a dreadful amount of care for your companions.”

“……”

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Dominic’s face was filled with a smile as he said he had been surprised by Noah’s unexpected display of concern. Noah, frowning at his snake-like grin, raised an eyebrow at Dominic’s next words.

“And your shooting skills are quite impressive.”

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So, even though he had been hiding like a rat in the building, he had still managed to notice that?

“You sure saw a lot for someone cowering inside a building.”

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“Ah, my subordinates told me.”

At Noah’s indifferent reply, Dominic responded smoothly, as if unfazed. Then, without hesitation, he casually perched himself on the edge of Noah’s bed. The sheer audacity of his action left Noah momentarily speechless, but his body soon stiffened in response to Dominic’s next words and gestures.

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“It’s quite a shame I couldn’t witness it myself. Such talent in these delicate hands…”

The low whisper sent a shiver down Noah’s spine, but even more disturbing was the cold sensation that touched his hand. The moment his eyes met Dominic’s, a suffocating feeling overcame him, making his breath hitch. Startled, Noah violently shook off Dominic’s hand, which had been stroking his own.

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A sharp slap echoed through the room from the force of Noah’s rejection, and heavy silence followed. Swallowing dryly, Noah kept his guard up while Dominic, watching him intently, spoke with a gentle smile.

“My apologies. Did I startle you by touching you so suddenly?”

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Yet, there was no trace of remorse or embarrassment on Dominic’s face. His neatly folded eyes, the gleam in his pupils—Noah felt a chill creep down his spine as he met his gaze.

Dominic’s smooth, overly familiar demeanor brought back unpleasant memories. The mere recollection of Sienna being harassed by him made Noah feel sick to his stomach, and his brows furrowed instinctively.

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Seeing the delicate brows knit in displeasure, Dominic’s smile deepened. Noah, catching the way the man was studying him as if savoring the moment, felt an uneasy thought flash through his mind.

‘No… There’s no way…’

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This was an apocalypse novel, not BL, right?

He desperately wanted to believe that his suspicions were wrong, but the sight of Dominic smiling at him made goosebumps rise all over his skin. As an unsettling wave of emotions surged through him, a sudden knock at the door brought him back to his senses.

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“Noah, I’m coming in.”

A gentle voice filtered through from the other side of the door, and Noah let out a sigh of relief. Forcing himself to mask his unease, he answered as calmly as possible.

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“Come in.”

Dominic, observing Noah’s reaction as if studying him, clicked his tongue in disappointment before rising to his feet. His deliberate actions made Noah’s briefly relaxed expression turn cold once more.

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“I heard you had woken up, Noah. How are you fee—… Dominic?”

Derek, who had entered with a smile, stiffened upon spotting Dominic sitting at the edge of Noah’s bed. Feeling the man’s gaze on him, Derek quickly masked his surprise.

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“Dominic, what brings you here?”

“Ah, I was just worried. I heard he hadn’t woken up for three days.”

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“I see… Well, how are you feeling, Noah?”

Derek spoke to Noah, all the while keeping an eye on Dominic. Watching the two interact, Dominic finally rose from his seat.

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“Now that the doctor is here, I’ll take my leave. Please rest well, Noah.”

Leaving behind a casual remark, Dominic exited the room at an unhurried pace. Noah watched his retreating figure with clear disdain.

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Once the man was gone, Derek, noticing the unusually grim expression on Noah’s face, spoke in a low voice.

“Are you really okay?”

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“Ah, well. As you can see, I’m fine.”

After finally getting some sleep, Noah’s accumulated fatigue had mostly dissipated. Though his dreams had been unsettling, his physical condition was better than ever.

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“That’s not what I meant. Did Dominic do anything to you?”

Noah blinked in surprise at Derek’s concerned tone. His silence only seemed to confirm Derek’s suspicions, and the doctor pressed further.

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“Something did happen, didn’t it?”

“Not really. Nothing serious enough to worry about.”

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Dominic’s subtle actions had definitely left Noah feeling uneasy and disgusted. But the man hadn’t crossed a clear line—yet. More importantly, Noah still had things to do here. He didn’t want to create unnecessary conflict with Dominic when there was no solid proof.

“He just came to check in on me… or rather, to monitor me. But nothing really happened, so don’t worry.”

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“Check-in… and monitor, huh?”

“Yeah. Though I’d say it was more about monitoring.”

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Since it was already an open secret that he was being watched, there was no point in hiding it. Even so, the unsettling feeling from earlier still gnawed at Noah.

Derek, silently watching him, let out a deep sigh.

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“If anything happens, you have to tell me immediately.”

“Yeah, I will.”

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Despite Noah’s agreement, Derek could tell that he wasn’t entirely at ease. But for now, he chose to hold his tongue.

‘I’ll have to keep a closer eye on Dominic.’

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Making a mental note, Derek shifted his attention back to Noah’s health.

“How’s your stomach? Any pain or nausea?”

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“No, nothing like that. I’m fine. But what about the others?”

“They’re all fine.”

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Noah had already confirmed this through Calyps, but hearing it again from Derek gave him more reassurance. He let out a small breath of relief, which didn’t go unnoticed by Derek.

‘So he really was keeping his distance on purpose.’

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Noah had always maintained a certain detachment. That barrier had only started to fade after the mutant zombie attack, when their group was scattered.

After speaking with Cedric while Noah was unconscious, Derek had learned about the boy’s past—how he had watched his sister die right before his eyes.

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‘So it wasn’t just because he was a noble.’

Derek now understood that Noah’s distant attitude wasn’t just arrogance. It was fear.

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‘Losing someone precious… of course he’d be afraid.’

It wasn’t uncommon for people to shut themselves off after losing loved ones. Just like Dante, who had fallen into mutism after his trauma, Noah had likely been drawing a line between himself and others out of fear. And now, seeing him worry about his companions despite that, Derek felt a strange sense of kinship.

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Noah, still unsettled from his earlier encounter with Dominic, failed to notice the shift in Derek’s expression.

“Since you threw up so much that day, I’d recommend taking something to settle your stomach.”

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Derek handed him some medicine and advised him to rest for another two days. But with the unpredictable nature of their situation, Noah couldn’t afford to stay idle. He refused without hesitation.

At his firm stance, Derek could only sigh and relent.

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“Fine. But if anything feels off, you need to tell me right away.”

“Got it.”

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“Then I’ll take my leave.”

Derek left after giving him some emergency medicine, and once alone, Noah sank into thought.

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‘Damn. I need to check the outer wall to find Eve… but how do I justify it?’

He had no real excuse to go there. If he wanted to find Eve, he needed to scout outside the walls, but there was no clear reason for him to do so.

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Yet before he could come up with a plan, Dominic’s side approached him the next day with an offer.

“You want me to stand guard on the wall?”

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“Yes. It would be a waste to let such sharpshooting skills go unused. Would you be willing?”

Noah agreed without hesitation, before Dominic could change his mind. Seeing the barely concealed excitement on his face, Dominic smirked slightly and extended a hand.

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“I’ll be counting on you.”

Noah’s expression instantly soured at the gesture. But with so many eyes on them, he reluctantly shook the offered hand. He half-expected Dominic to try something again, but to his relief, the man behaved—perhaps because of their audience.

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Five days had passed since he had last been on the wall, but the scene before him remained unchanged.

The only difference was that, before the mutant zombie attack, there had been around twenty guards stationed here. Now, that number had doubled to forty.

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‘Not that it makes a difference. They’re still an undisciplined mess.’

Watching them huddle together and fire their weapons, Noah clicked his tongue. He wondered where they had even found enough people to fill the gaps after so many had died. But since an increase in numbers wasn’t necessarily a bad thing for a watchman like him, he kept his thoughts to himself and held his position.

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Lowering his gaze, he took aim at the approaching zombies and pulled the trigger.