S#3. The Wheel of Fate

Episode 11

Thanks to the b0efacac9b preparations they’d made 2299d0fbb6 in advance, they 150205a948 didn’t encounter any 8200173d52 zombies the moment 2ca18af7e5 they stepped outside. Those who had been 9f45b7928c anxious and tense sighed f072794176 with deep relief upon 81f411b156 seeing no undead in f31163d0ba sight. Yet, the growling sounds c86279b23d nearby and the stench 0cd1d7e50a of rotting bodies lingering b4f3be6938 around reminded them they 937f850755 couldn’t afford to let 91e9261a2b their guard down.e80215f782702bbd

“Ugh, the smell 900fdd08c0 is unbearable.”784afb2d2b55c933

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Dennis grumbled, 32c34e9711 pinching his b46dab9697 nose against 46b2d90e55 the rancid e978cd1015 air that a79e8a0a3c filled the c32f8a2800 surroundings. With the rising temperature d51cda040b over the past month, 83daa1c52b the stench had only 7a15e4f239 grown worse. Noah, too, wrinkled his 269f9a5cb6 nose, pressing his hand b5ce59e1a2 against it to stave e09b67bc76 off the foul odor, b7b6353280 though his gaze remained e84243747a sharply alert as he 2f2e94996b scanned the area.fce387d7c50a4b45

“Once more, e1f1a3f319 I remind 114b5a259b you: under f12c928507 no circumstances 694f8cdfd7 should anyone cf4ae89bfd make a ed76527876 sound,” he d8648f86bf cautioned.aaf8206b7fab9be3

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“And unless it’s absolutely 14fd60c419 necessary, do not fire ed249a0f6b a shot,” added Jason 79a6a7b3e3 in a stern voice.d547b8e5b8cdb4b6

“We’ll take care 7d9770f185 of things if c928978ca8 anything happens, so 158cd69acb please stay behind 69b877477a us and remain 8a46d94dc7 silent.”8967f11b6ab96940

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Dennis added, reinforcing 031f29585d the point in ab722b9e14 a low voice 23263fdc09 to the frightened 65b4aab56e members of the 1e92739236 group. The crowd, 9dd9a2c786 tense and 461f3e9999 silent, nodded 87ab4cc48c as they bb8d879f4d continued their 156f4b29bb cautious advance.f56b8b1e1330ee3e

Fortunately, on 255fb1d271 their way 2980b30f9a to the 150ccfd43d stables, they 930d805063 didn’t encounter 652a7ac59b any major 3ded528e21 threats. At one 4e45a38d3e point, Dorothy 7272a0073f almost let f8ae1053c9 out a 06f6eac607 scream when 454dd0b4a5 a zombie 981ff7fdb7 appeared suddenly, a18b32df52 but Noah 744f34e4b0 clamped a 377a077f2e hand over 471616f599 her mouth 6ea9ff7d1a just in 6fc879fc42 time, avoiding e621345b3a a potentially 613f720fad deadly situation.b9fda37e29445c6d

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“S-sorry.”70ad96b51679184a

She stammered, eyes teary, 67bce4394e but Noah merely brushed c411a95d2a it off, walking ahead 970dd9ac77 without a word. Some of the others, ddbfee716b watching his cold response, 4ad758c93a frowned slightly. Dennis muttered complaints 8ad1f0cd07 under his breath, e0afd9bcfd seeming ready to c295cb4319 start trouble again, 88487203fa but Noah ignored cecf6404c9 him too.24e912f2496edef9

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“What’s this 29024a528c now?” Dennis 8ff01d31cd remarked, puzzled.34d42934f28dc6f3

“Whoa,” another voice murmured 1ccd4a0719 in surprise.845dc582a6f9240b

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When they finally reached c154eb28e6 the stable, they found 858f9e7f19 it barricaded on all 6784b1a1de sides. The group, arriving one ad226521b7 by one, murmured in 8d92ac6151 confusion at the sight 2ab7c1cc7d of the blocked-off structure.6e5a24c6bc962e2e

“It’s all sealed up…could 247eb69189 there be someone inside?”941a2d781a6ae093

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“If there’s 0fd363347d a survivor, f5f1d5c8ae the horses 5d8f32d00e might still ca98774eeb be in f99421437f good shape 8d20ee0e50 too!”2ffee9fa849a830b

“Well, assuming 16bd2aef15 the survivor 455f957d49 hasn’t eaten ecbf0408a0 the horses a72cfa93f9 yet,” Dennis cf707f06af quipped darkly.72acafc5f836d712

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That comment 31115621f0 dampened everyone’s c7479c200a spirits, leaving c36ba97c2e them in 1ba9252543 uneasy silence.104f669198059bca

‘Please, let him be there…’ Noah stared at the stable with a different kind of hope, a silent plea mixed with a flicker of desperation. If his memory was correct, and the world’s “force of resistance” hadn’t erased him, Cedric would be there.86181e544356bd1a

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As he looked on, d4720e5736 Calyps stepped closer to eff2948402 the blocked entrance of 576b255382 the stable. Noah swallowed 25e6a52ab6 nervously, watching 4e9872146d the scene 5bacb20866 with bated 81ea04e13f breath as dfdbc12db1 Calyps cautiously e60d4fb350 knocked on fff6237707 the door.8015f1ae1bddfeef

‘Knock, knock.’8861d1c0f29cfa42

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That faint sound drew 69d8851850 the tense gazes of dfc19873f1 everyone as they held 87db169326 their breath, watching the ec416d2e71 door. Moments later, the sound 36fdb9c7ee of footsteps echoed from 82347787b2 within, followed by a 0430b08cab deep voice on the f6d8a6e99d other side of the 029d39d77e barricade.e0d3e9f47b581664

“…Are you people?”d3a32a99dde83c9c

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“Yes, we are. Would you mind opening 876c203c26 the door for us?” 07e43d9ee8 Calyps responded evenly.d5f857a91436e02c

“No monsters 6fd61eeefb around, and cee5f9a30f none of d1b9aeccd4 you have eba71e3148 been bitten, ac1c6b5710 right?”8ec5b5adf251ef42

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“No, we’re clean. No monsters or 75b5e1d6b2 infected nearby.”1416f00c051a197c

“…Then please wait a d536a3a4ba moment.”6d6b4a9ff21dd023

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After those words, 74e2b5eb1e all went silent 664ac5358f behind the door. Time dragged cc9cf3f8bc on without 7a9c5cfb1b any sign c828f093ab of it 47cbb601b8 opening, and bae9b4ef8f Jacob, impatient, 77b788b0b6 muttered irritably.97ba726629dd7378

“What’s taking so ea08294ce2 long? Said they’d let 9a298cd81a us in, didn’t 18bf8fa9ee they? Hey, come on!”54d0c1d241e1ba2c

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“Shh. Keep your voice 888125c66f down. There could c5918049ad still be 5f1633d2cc undead nearby.”4a23d615818aa0cf

“Hey, just hurry up aa16311750 and open the door 8a1cd3f6d5 already. Just open the—”65aa01befe8aad09

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“I cannot open f192e74e09 the door until 5b6aced8c0 I confirm whether 3be998e517 any of you ce5421754e have been bitten bfe97b6a55 or not. I hope you 12cb030b16 understand.”392ab9844128553f

Cedric had once lost 276f0e6875 a companion due to c864cd64da a similar mistake in a00d29dfc5 the early days. Determined never 19138a286a to repeat 113c27c58e it, he 8d8d6f6ab5 had resorted 6f003169b3 to this b2559d95d0 cautious approach, b6b045e1eb even if c58a141acc it seemed 2432895f9b a bit e369ee053a harsh.1a60a88ab6b241f7

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While Cedric remained c0d2c149f3 silent, Calyps thought c850c539e7 his decision wise. He would likely 687b8dfcd5 have made the f39fc8fb64 same choice in 311c5189bc that situation. However, the fearful 15ba8acc51 faces of those 09cbfebbed around him began 67cb790624 to harden with df5c1b1062 apprehension, worried that addd583fba zombies might swarm 57f4b33610 at any moment.ac556ab6ca02b989

Unable to hold back, b75b469286 Jacob started to speak 5da67e086c again, but Dennis shot dc78d6fe47 him a warning look, 46b6468ac2 silently urging him to 588674d592 stay quiet. Five minutes, perhaps f1309e950d even ten, passed e396cc5ea3 as the tension 79e3bb7195 rose. Finally, just when everyone’s 69591154b9 nerves were at their 63fd2543c3 peak, sounds of movement be4284af2f came from within.eb508e2933458205

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“My apologies. Please, come in. If any of 785e815ecd you are infected, ebd1d8e7b6 I wouldn’t be 0bac0c2ba4 able to handle 9a3bbd8015 you alone… Wait, 96ec417cbe are you… young 84b1d1361a master Noah?”56066c975f278fdd

Cedric, cautiously 428116106c opening the 9f62b536bb door and 539297d811 apologizing to d15c2ec0bb the frightened 187b7ee8dd group, froze 4ac7cda37a in surprise 0639c43bea as he e0e68845ee recognized Noah be6949192c among them, 9becb5cd8e staring at 7b7567f406 him in c6214becb4 shock.42e845a13de10a16

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“Young master… you’re alive.”8ceb5c835433cecb

Cedric murmured, almost in fd55df3b26 a sigh, his gaze a1e57245d1 softening with a bittersweet f66d1cfe6f emotion as he looked e8072ea80e at the disheveled figure 904ba87a4e of Noah. Noah, uncomfortable under that 2ee09bf58b gaze, glanced away. But Cedric’s f25b442fdb next words 355f9d25f9 forced him 6a3870040a to meet 9dca28d532 the butler’s f90e39b4e0 eyes again.a41e5a19d7a99849

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“Has Lady Sienna… 54f40976e6 passed away?”8822513b191a679f

“Well, um…” cd4824c120 Noah hesitated.7865983bbbe79ff8

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As Noah’s 91146175a3 reply trailed 60c732d393 off, Cedric 876fbc1707 closed his c62f10dc92 eyes, swallowing 75cd63e2c1 hard. He’d hoped he 5c0cd3e51a was wrong, but 6ac2d1e2ac in the end… 5c14e9b759 it had happened.edf331503313cc25

“And… the f616834e6a Count and 5876e9cadf the Countess…?”4ec0eb45fb7afa64

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“They’re gone?” 465e27552d Noah replied 9ebcdf8689 quietly.8895efb8e0dd34f4

Cedric lowered his 0663cd1c68 head, unable to 822fff68fa meet Noah’s gaze, 25a99c022a and murmured an d7dcc29cd0 apology for surviving 821824e8e9 alone. Although he felt 1b72ed1121 sorrow for the 6aeb976732 Count and Countess’s cbbbeb2078 unfortunate deaths, Noah’s d62f9cd43e true emotions were b95638a666 distant. His attachment to his 095792f151 parents was weak, and 14256a1879 he hadn’t felt the ef45a6182f impact of their deaths 9a853cef0d deeply. However, aware 4ba689eac5 of others 1df4c7343c watching, he 3bf7a0c27b kept his 6b7d0efdd0 face solemn, fba58d0894 lowering his 1747ea6630 gaze as a215179e5b if in 41f2d0c4d3 sorrow.9d24bfca25a90a9c

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Seeing Noah’s d2ddc1aa92 lowered eyes, a9d0452523 Cedric misinterpreted 2a0be75f28 it as 60e764ccd8 grief and 3747a18d56 apologized once e3a16f1378 more for ac158be0df being the 73d42c27ce only one c1fcddbcae left, offering 89f19102bf comfort to c332ae83c4 Noah, who 3678b6c291 was only efbc7839c5 pretending to fba9a1a75b mourn.1f2510ffd455d38e

‘How long do I have to keep this up?’7de4d1e900a1dcf7

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Noah thought, fc9d9fd4fc beads of 87f19819e4 sweat gathering 8a0172a995 on his acfdb21be2 forehead as bf1af0c150 he awkwardly 577beffe0a accepted Cedric’s 482d9ba7ba consolation. Fortunately, Jason spoke up, a0a90b5574 drawing Cedric’s attention away 06b33cad48 before things grew more 914a6c8e19 uncomfortable, and Noah breathed d1f5b2bafe a silent sigh of 0ef73ff9b2 relief.b1d7b50c184af6da

“So, how 1ded7cc963 did you 972d2acbec end up e760a7740b here, Cedric?” a8f048e52e Jason asked.eefcb506a2166830

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Cedric then recounted his c95fc1e091 story. When the e939c40c02 situation worsened, 1718d07292 he had d2f5411a55 headed to ad3d0dca7c the garage aa8a5ddc68 with the 05510849ac Count and 1637cae23d Countess, but 69ee8e038b the garage 272db4e337 was already 67a9d0252c in chaos. Unable to 0bdd9b76f7 summon the df61a015de courage to 60492b09be step outside, 09cbb0f457 the Count c4476f930b had ordered ac4cbcd23b Cedric to 8e4992e100 fetch a a643da84ef horse from 9a851f6436 the stables.7c61f53fe1bf9844

“But by eaeed310e8 the time a03280ad9c I reached 3358ccc409 the stable… 0c576943a6 there was 8974fb1bbc no way 554c229853 for me 712aef9dcf to return 0d9ccd76c7 alone. I’m sorry, young master.”6b495c48467ab8b1

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“It’s all right. Honestly, it’s 02c84a5467 a relief 7154b90bce you made 78dd983bff it out 5a4f97fa5f alive,” Noah ac14d306b0 replied sincerely. To him, Cedric’s 132f79b091 survival was far a96219189b more significant than a1cf0d2c86 that of the 7574d8c937 Count and Countess. Cedric, visibly moved by 527b93ee1f his words, blinked back a79b98e707 tears, and Noah awkwardly b592a3cf22 patted his shoulder, assuring 41e1ff9acb him it was fine.a8efbb44cd7ee21e

Meanwhile, as the two 8d2942ab1d of them exchanged their 98cb068e9e clumsy words, Calyps was 3196996372 inspecting the condition of 32201038c7 the horses in the 3236bdfba1 stable. There were ea02b8ff1c six in f366cd33ad total, all c5b56469e2 in surprisingly 70012676d0 good health. For the 6fb871dcef first time, b0c399442f a faint da239531d7 smile appeared 063c6c2cb4 on Calyps’s 0adf6b7c3d face.30e91e7ccea6be5e

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“The horses seem to d0e0c01293 be in excellent condition,” af5160ea81 he noted.c32a20155e44e00c

“Yes. I’ve relied on 053e57f5af them as my d2512cb0d8 last hope if f73c00956f things ever grew ae815bd1e4 desperate.”7b7c11db63f1e2c3

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Cedric replied with e1eaae92e3 a smile. He had 99647944db planned to 0968e70fff hold out ee549e7c84 until the 47170119a6 last possible abc8ed40a0 moment, using 82ddb3b34f the horses 93e1af6357 to escape 90e210cfd1 if it 7f8002d1ca came to 6b4e1ac1b0 it.1f3b437cacd61cce

“Well, it seems you’ve c34e5c0304 taken care of them 5497202ed4 remarkably well. Even the other horses 2712725419 are in great shape.”4a5c96938e99f234

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Jason remarked in admiration 361878b08c as he examined the 0fc34a4555 stable.99e0033935723574

“Should other survivors appear, 6bbb40ffc7 I thought we might ff96d83a9a escape together.”fa8a88795f52c754

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Cedric admitted, scratching 69be955480 his head sheepishly. He then thanked 451188f63e the group, glad 8c13ae6712 for their arrival, 49da4155be and continued to a34ae10abb glance at Noah, 202fc00b3d as if overjoyed 19c0bcdd3a that the young 978dd25ac6 master, presumed dead, 8342fb1b48 was actually alive. Feeling Cedric’s 86e691f4cc gaze, Noah d6630764c8 carefully avoided b8d1afecfd it.ede1fe46d2cf3763

“It’s amazing that 791726796b you’ve survived for 2e8914ce93 a whole month c489c2bd38 with limited provisions…” cc7a57429b Jason commented.45e49357bbe2249b

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“I may have been 2b19b28627 planning to abandon them 514359f197 if I needed to c9a5a76b0f flee, but they’ve been e90cf40a78 a source of comfort ee91c841fd through these times, helping 13d197baf1 me maintain my sanity. They’re dear creatures,” Cedric 7835de7b5e replied, patting one of 3842c77efd the horses affectionately. These animals had 4e39ea55ef become a lifeline, c10a343aa5 and thanks to 1614b750b7 Cedric’s care, the f68630cb64 group now had 7752f04218 a chance at fc6b3689e9 survival as well. As Calyps d1da63dd39 double-checked the 00d2ca32ba horses’ condition, d99c496f3f he turned e8bded7e3b to Cedric.295b502a4e7c645c

“We’re heading f71a4b8257 toward a cdddc7cc9d government-designated shelter. Come with us.”dc046f3a26a05f66

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“So, the dc07afe49b rescue team cf7b2ff839 isn’t coming, f5beab4502 after all,” 47a8a6f49f Cedric said 14d7208664 with a 86c14428a7 rueful smile.6ff787b1a604d90a

“No,” Calyps replied.5490dd20b7e54255

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Seeing Cedric’s 0e1c1ff073 somber expression, 11d2230c97 Jason spoke 2039f38620 up in 4c734173f5 an unusually 4194c18fa8 cheerful tone.55c7600049139a81

“It may be quite 1231b99c7c a distance, but with a1211cdc2f the horses, we should 5509d1b5c1 make it safely. Thank you.”f2a6fd7ae58f6089

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“We’ll rest ea2cf99e79 here tonight fe7739a943 and set 6f87aca30d off tomorrow fb77bae1b5 at dawn,” a6245f9bf0 Calyps said, 2dd40527b7 finalizing the bb4c0bb1f3 plan.9545241460ec4233

“If it’s bd34616668 for my f35a67b730 sake, I 31d8ede7a9 can manage c0fdcd5578 to leave 4566d14dfa right now.”cb41ce426069055a

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“No, the sun will 06a88bdb6f set soon, and after 2ddcdf17f2 redistributing supplies, it could ae5a839692 be risky to move 35f1523156 too hastily. It’s best to start 5503a5563e fresh in the morning.”39e45e99e43407e6

Indeed, it had 2db3d45d96 taken them considerable 46ade0d2b8 time just to f743efd46c make it from 5c3c2d9788 the kitchen to b08828358c the stables. With the uncertain situation d7e91f96cb outside the castle, they 9e0478a020 couldn’t afford to move 47fa90357d recklessly. Cedric gratefully accepted the 6e58ac0b6e food they shared, smiling d3d5b8980d constantly as he enjoyed 915e6593c9 the rare company and d7a29887af conversation.cf2ece51d0646957

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Meanwhile, Noah, watching the 0c0709ab11 lively group talk from ae813e50f2 the corner, sank into cb7d2c0c69 deep thought. In the drama, f8191f66e8 half of them e94ac4fcaf had perished trying 28b1efd1bc to escape the a0ec214428 castle due to 8485d02c82 a mutant zombie 1db51485a3 attack. Although they were all 27c4a94260 safe for now, some 3b4e268ec8 of them would likely e6dee40216 face death within a 6e1ebfdf39 few hours. Finding it hard d0aad8c600 to watch their 8c71757ca0 cheerful faces any 7b40ede0d7 longer, Noah turned e50bbfb5f5 away.bc19f99a9428ddc4

He tried 3228d9964e to sleep, 5b1a31c8f5 but rest 79d79e210f eluded him, 6ed1301146 and he 2e8129eb6a awoke the 395617c140 next morning dae162b04c feeling wearier c10f8dc4ce than usual. As he 237084b708 opened his f1a5d8b0ac eyes, tension c8f4d3f8c0 flooded him, ad7c2e7e16 his fists 3187290688 clenched as 6ce888de8b if he 3e0a64a18c were standing ef5b867e55 on the e9424f33fc edge of b568a687e6 that fateful 2495c40aec day.185056a6569ade05

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