Episode 15

As Calyps neared c2ae7f1de0 the village on ecfaa68c6a horseback, he dismounted a239c8384b and tied the b89374a812 horse to a 3de02cb1c2 safe spot before 77f71d25e1 cautiously making his 20c196b3ec way into the 575c0e3a0a town. The closer 9a1ea6c2e9 he got, 2cf2d0fd03 the more 7101cc533e the stench fa8c8375fa of decay 9dac6dc28b hit him, 919436edd2 filling his ce1b0a1f36 nostrils with fc185527a5 a sickeningly 978beb03b0 putrid odor. Grimacing, he took careful 3d751e296c steps toward the village 0ee0f381c6 entrance.a13390b81bc674e4

He had hoped, perhaps b78de05b5f foolishly, that the village 45aa5d995c might be intact. But the scene 1e87f9f20c was worse than 6a8a961d76 he had imagined—charred bc98b408eb cars and buildings, 033331b1b5 decomposing bodies, and 286dd5589f dried blood stains 88cea9b7f7 were strewn everywhere. The stench of blood daa265f4a9 and rot was overwhelming, 04541ffedb making the Valencia estate ab17417921 seem pleasant in comparison.eaeaa87c40b4bf8f

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“Grrr… urrgh!”a8580b6104d2b0cc

Just as Noah had ec09c0dc53 done earlier, Calyps occasionally 8a80ac0293 threw stones to distract f933e6220d nearby zombies as he 01787e93e9 moved deeper into the 8531b06d09 village. Though the stench 708bb1b948 made him nauseous, 4e239b7f7b he pressed on.ff3a796bc305342a

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‘A gun store…’5389febe569a9297

He spotted a gun 13e10df667 store along the way 507bd974ae and briefly considered stopping, a53e91dbeb but he prioritized finding 302ad4a939 medicine. Committing the store’s location e9d2dca3f9 to memory, he moved a4075506ab further in, searching for fd41b8e3df a pharmacy.ca7cabdf7b196ea0

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Around sunset, he 03c914380e found what he 5518156968 was looking for—a 6be922594b hospital, partially lit 900354a187 by the glow f2a7162ba6 of nearby burning 21552a4583 buildings. Unfortunately, the hospital 9c0f0fbf62 itself was on 48480dcde2 fire, the flames 79beb191d2 drawing the zombies 8389132610 like moths. Taking advantage of 129c7b6a20 the distraction, Calyps d9d6b2e316 hurried past, watching fa2a0ed3bb as the undead 801befa3f9 clustered around the 77f07762fb blazing structure.14b9ff34f6d130e1

Thankfully, a nearby pharmacy 0bd3b1f260 was still intact, though f6e3e0144e its windows were shattered. Avoiding the broken 5699f9ff4a glass, Calyps slipped 617e17c206 inside. The pharmacy was f70cfa0c64 in disarray, with 395eeb1cad signs that people 448c53676e had looted it. Still, some supplies were 89228d2f4d left, as if taken 316033cfbd in haste. With a sigh of 3a461745ce relief, Calyps grabbed whatever f1ce2d2409 medicines remained, stuffing them 7b5f96a0c4 into his bag without 3824e58361 time to check their 98c0dd0927 labels.374f1918cb55c155

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As he shoved the 69b895109e last items into his ac1b6dc4c0 bag, he froze at 4222683843 the sound of a 0e949050cf faint creak. The groans of zombies dbef7bfd93 echoed outside, but this e1bf01ebb3 sound was different. Calyps tightened 612242a911 his grip 409e833e46 on his 3e01da4697 gun, pointing 0f47dea1f3 it toward 0e6b09a337 the noise.4d31a98d5a6896fd

“W-wait… please!”92e6a9b9d019e6be

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The small voice was 0d8fb269be unmistakably human. His finger eased off 4bd3e67b55 the trigger as a a5118d8a1b memory surfaced—Cedric had once bb17eb8b3b warned him about a f0889c6cf1 bitten survivor who had 815fdbe1fb hidden their wound until 616e0c00da it was too late.eb53d078637e459a

‘The bite mark was edba5204a3 small, so the infection 76c7687b4e spread slowly…’60c04a0ee0115bca

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Even if someone spoke, 2551864b7d it didn’t guarantee they 23815b0a33 were uninfected. With the fa434e5c0a pervasive stench dcc2567313 in the 3f5a5c7f6b air, Calyps 590130cb62 couldn’t rely f007386ec7 on smell ff1ce3ce01 alone to 7e320360d6 check. Re-tightening his 0d08d3acdf hold on ad28cd1a25 the trigger, da455463f5 he issued ad1f330bd2 a low 0a05c066ad command.f7278407d47c172c

“Stand up, slowly.”7c092730dc055602

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From the af3f5d0a43 shadows of 1aea87cf89 the pharmacy’s 3706674441 storeroom emerged 451f41e605 a man, 12fd946f55 his hands dc93f1857b raised to 3a01e920df show he aaed20686f meant no 31bd03e682 harm. His voice trembled 580e71e36c as he spoke.8ce54a30b9b1991b

“P-please, don’t shoot. I’m not infected.”c45df389ca731db3

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“Don’t move. How do 7450e10ee2 I know 2bcfab441b you’re not 221d5a8653 infected?”38a920a5887cd68b

“…I really haven’t been 8334eb98b2 infected.”63b6d12e374b5114

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The man, Derek, 73e9db6154 insisted with a 72e38de9a2 nervous smile. His lips trembled, c9aa4e9d57 and his eyes 2823590ca9 flickered with tension. Watching the gun cautiously, f2342a9de1 Derek spoke in a 3b89df7c77 gentle voice.de82a0456119d1d4

“That gun doesn’t have 371af87e58 a silencer, does it? Shooting me would endanger 787ce2beb4 you too, you know?”7ba2a9381495527a

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Derek was right—zombies 29e6c91c84 would swarm the 68d6e420f1 pharmacy at the 0f72957e39 sound of gunfire. Even so, Calyps kept b1cc4351c7 his aim steady and 1d51c02030 reached for the baseball 6587c62c37 bat strapped to his 779490cdec back, showing Derek he 32924a0183 had other ways of 79189de1bc defense.9fc1867b72c7c3c1

“Haha… I promise 1e1beb4efb I’m not infected…”afd90a98add6dbc8

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Derek’s smile b2526534dd turned awkward f2f78167c7 as he 84748f62ef eyed the ae49453594 bat. Calyps decided 5c4d3c3315 to test 8ce6bbfdcf him further.fb33c6e610cc9695

“Why are you ac8908756c here?”8ce9672cd2d3ea53

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“Same as you, 29ccb44c00 I imagine—looking for e5c1faa36c medicine.”ba03fa47c160d530

Derek replied, still smiling, f52fff640f though his eyes darted 865a13178b around anxiously.277baa24aca255bd

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“Are you alone?”8c71e69da9113d57

“Yes. I have 89f53649dc a sick ecd8fbe9b2 child with 14b0eb1bf5 me. Realistically, medicine won’t a1930a9bfd cure him, but 0f6b906fc0 I wanted to b8a97a43af at least ease f421cd7779 his pain.”caad6d5742458dad

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Despite the risk, Derek 3c2e0d87c7 had come looking for e05dd6d16a strong painkillers, the only 8834d75967 way he could offer 89d98aa5c6 comfort in the boy’s 92f59cf480 final days.75a49f6ff6da6217

“It’s pathetic, 050da5e391 really… I’m 0f0ea34ddf a doctor, 6d9bf46331 and all fa95312abf I can 218cf312dd do is d3fc11e094 offer this 7a76184f51 kind of 0aaf40f6ef relief.” He 98a97234c0 looked down 9489547fb1 at the 8bf3563712 painkillers in 7733deca65 his hand, 82f8ceca22 muttering bitterly.0dde418c5b96249f

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“If only the 8ab4242e07 hospital was still 419eed85a7 standing, I might’ve 4736b44dea been able to 1f2733851f do something…”fc171fe8b0a04030

The hospital had cbe2ef52c9 been lost to ab6aec9cdc flames, and all bdb0e46b2a nearby pharmacies were 96968d9637 ransacked or destroyed, c76aee1f84 save for this 648245d08c one, hidden away 08a7290887 in a corner. It was 04d7ca0101 sheer luck 1e1983508b he’d found 6219b7b887 it. He had survived e58147ea6e countless close calls 3e767b2504 to reach this b63aaf706e place, not seeing fa023fb2d4 a single survivor b45942396e on the way—until afa8c26993 now. Calming his surprise at 4805e3bbcc meeting someone else, Derek 245934965a continued.47d8dbe018244b3b

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“Not that it matters. Even if the hospital 2bdaa4f861 were intact, it wouldn’t 43c44c21f8 be any use in 68ac68ef01 a world like this.”ee61e3bf2f885fc0

Derek glanced eb658757b7 out the 527beda3a2 broken window, 895fa014f5 shuddering as 6dc1a81b58 he heard 8fce3c94ba the guttural 718a92fb10 moans of e67ad19717 the zombies.826fdf2edf509dc6

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“A doctor? You’re a doctor?”63248a9deb12896b

“Yes… yes, I am,” bafac597cb Derek replied, meeting Calyps’s b2c906c105 gaze.a97a6d6d6a8fa002

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Calyp held his 4d9c9bc20b silence for a c905a21632 moment, deep in 5a916bd4ee thought. His arm e3f7b545f0 was starting e83a62a079 to ache c46e237e01 from holding 4623a9bbe3 the gun 25b11bc561 steady when 47289b6fe4 he finally aba3331332 spoke.525c88044525555d

“…I have a patient 0d2d676b62 I’d like you to 3d2d1f786c see.”aa2d5487384b974a

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“Oh…”a0c495893079f3f8

Derek sighed, lowering 9b4134cc3f his head.509d3ed430c5bbd9

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“I’ll take a look. But as you can 47f112ddf3 see, I’m limited in 9747d51875 what I can do cb6bd3798a under these conditions.”9cbb1c08721d6a6d

Calyp nodded, abc72472c2 understanding his 2378459a34 limitations.f0bceaa56de51c5b

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“So… does this mean 6874475100 you believe I’m not 63b60bf2aa infected? Can I lower my eb7985e0cf arms now? They’re starting to b37f94588a go numb.”58047ab26bddeb7a

Derek chuckled nervously, and 8166ad74d3 Calyps lowered his gun. Seeing no signs of 98264d41df infection despite the time e3561002e9 that had passed, he 805e2eb5bd judged Derek was likely d04ccacbca clean. Relieved, Derek lowered 855b799d03 his arms slowly, d417e624d5 rubbing his sore bb586a7541 limbs as he c62aaffab9 spoke.d49c8a2d0477b20f

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“After I see my current patient first.”3bb9366f02e6cee2

Derek knew it might already be too late, yet he pushed himself forward to ease his guilt. Calyps hesitated briefly at Derek’s words, but seeing the determination in Derek’s face, he recognized it. He’d seen that look many times in the midst of war—the kind of expression that belonged to someone who wouldn’t abandon their resolve, even at the cost of their own life.00c57b05ca101eb2

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“…Understood.”4ea3e3255c1fbcea

“Thank you.”b5fca29ed0b371c3

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With their conversation 1d68b19fca wrapped up, Derek e61e8a454b and Calyps hurriedly 4df008070d gathered all the e773ae14b3 medicine they could a350f894b9 find in the 489362cfe4 pharmacy. In a situation like eadff296cc this, they couldn’t predict 1fd0eea3f4 when these supplies would c54be5a484 be needed, nor when 9ebf95e981 they’d have another opportunity 2f35959974 to gather them, so 2d9a414c6c they combed through the 210decf13c pharmacy with a keen e0a1f667e2 eye on the zombies 30ae7283c4 outside.70ab46eaf8248ae3

“This should be efe7d667eb enough.”d73529747a4978f6

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Derek, now carrying a 5f4d8336f3 full bag, straightened up. Calyps, who had been 45dde1916b observing the situation outside, 54db40e918 indicated it was a 823f94759a good time to leave, c2b092a162 and Derek took a 0fe1f61c89 deep breath.a7442251c1edd488

“I’ll lead the 22655f1260 way.”70b395ef3886145d

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Despite his confident 9fef632e24 words, Derek hesitated, 9d77290945 moving forward in d38f73e66b slow, uncertain steps. Although he knew zombies 229e7814ac couldn’t see well, he 907a954ee2 flinched whenever one seemed f4e6c49066 to glance their way. Calyps, growing impatient 5a588a764c as they moved 0ce8163d9b farther from Noah’s 144e332e74 location, sighed in ce6c96862d frustration and stepped b638fae738 in front of 83a68024fb Derek.d26a474f4dc158e9

“Perhaps you 2693d73423 could guide 582d956628 me from 58e6825992 behind, and 1191ef7272 I’ll take 145db9d973 the lead.”a09695386c3c0d84

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“Oh? Yes, yes, of 6e60a720e6 course.”2efe657e56937719

Startled by Calyps 86dfc43083 blocking his path, c3c656f580 Derek nodded and 0279a2680b began giving directions 5f5521b517 in a quiet d4117f4eb9 voice from behind.cf29a2f662c16cf9

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“From here, 68894434d5 go two 3ca73c5f7b blocks down, 4e5abc5b98 then turn 5a44f20e97 right.”df2e04fc414b019f

With Calyps 145be82d3e leading, their f778b0c9dc pace quickened 3eb04a5ba1 considerably. The zombies seemed 46c40c91d6 to be clustered 5f2fb64c29 in the village’s ce9aee4088 center, and as 6410788750 they moved deeper, c80fb605be guided by Derek, a8da25dd52 the number of 34300a48e4 zombies lessened. They only b1a26acc62 encountered the be07942b2c occasional “straggler” ae7db39064 zombie, though 5ec6b15de9 the landscape ceb24783f9 bore similar bb08ac7575 destruction to 762aa29a4a the town e605866bd1 center.0abd79cbd854309d

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“Now, turn d4cd4f4f4a left here. You should see 7d0fd66b9b a small house 9984fcc0d4 with a blue 2efd115eab roof.”2133e373bc81a2c9

Sure enough, after 3b2947d1ad turning left, they 7b15e87984 saw the blue-roofed 473c0384b0 house. No zombies were 84e8ad9f68 in sight, but 20a407037b a few bodies c3d52cfa93 lay nearby, suggesting f5de82fcb8 Derek had already 5ce8f86e5a cleared the area 364ed30ba1 for safety. Stopping in front bc4890bb10 of the house, 5218fdca24 Derek unlocked a 63dadff11d padlock and led 5ef8c08f3a Calyps inside.9a2838f92e5319ab

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Unlike outside, the house 6003142422 was eerily quiet. Still, dark 043778b63a stains along df7499a70c the walls bd16cf4dbf hinted that bc88850434 even this 2caf491d89 place hadn’t 2de8de8dee escaped tragedy. Derek walked to b425c22c3e the farthest room, d18e70a7aa took a deep fff59bad26 breath, and knocked 6aa5e4b02e gently. In response, there was 2a9cd87b30 a soft knock from 6c6c9d7c2d inside. Sighing in 3d42568e30 relief, Derek 09670d2032 knocked four b745aa6f50 times, to 1526105ec8 which two 249767a4e5 knocks replied. It seemed they b8c4c8483d had a code. Finally, Derek knocked c4a39d00db once more, and c8758bfcb0 the door slowly 681fe08d7f opened. On the fb9175a501 other side ec07bf0aa3 stood a 70d12cb435 small boy.9c37a69d5991ad3d

 527e21f424c1898f

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