Everyone was tired, myself included. For the most part, the mall was still considered safe. Or at least, mostly safe. We took turns showering, cleaning up as best as we could. Amanda was still out of it, with Serenity by her side keeping an eye on her.

  I didn’t ask for help. Even as the hot water only exacerbated the pain sparking across my body like fireworks. We got as much sleep as we could, taking turns to watch out for trouble. Though, it wasn’t much by the time the sun rose.

  Amanda stirred hours later. She sounded awful. Looked awful as well.

  “I don’t think she’ll be able to continue.” Serenity said after looking her over. With her awake, she could eat and drink, but it was clear she barely had enough energy to stand, let alone fight. “Whatever she did, it took a lot out of her. Not only that, but the massive loss of blood…” She trails off.

  “It’s actually a miracle she’s even alive.” I had to concur on that.

  “So, what now?” I asked the group.

  “I want to stay by her side.” Serenity stated.

  Diana looked more hesitant but shrugged. “Probably the same. We’re probably better off sticking together.”

  She wasn’t wrong. She wasn’t wrong at all…

  Only…

  “I’m leaving.” Serenity’s head snapped in my direction. A look of betrayal written on her face.

  “Prima!?” She exclaimed.

  Diana looked at me for a moment. Blinked. “Seriously? You’re just going to leave?” She sounded… disappointed?

  “I don’t plan on sticking around at all. I have to reach the top ten.” Even if I didn’t know what a gold coin did, it had to be valuable, not only that, but from what I’ve been seeing, what I’ve experienced… I needed power.

  “You could die!” Serenity yelled out. “People have died!” Our eyes unconsciously drifted to the monitor in the room, displaying the rankings. After midnight, a good number more had died. From a quarter to at least four in ten. We were close to half the total participants being eliminated, killed.

  “It’s a risk I’m willing to take.” I answered back calmly.

  “You can’t seriously be planning to just leave her, us? Are you?” Diana questioned further.

  “If you want Diana, you’re free to join me.” I gave her an in, but…

  She actually snarled at that. “I wouldn’t leave a partner behind.”

  Her words stung, but… “Even if all they’ll do is just slow you down?”

  Diana looked ready to come to blows at those words. “I’d never leave someone behind on a hike.”

  “Well, this isn’t a hike. This is an event, a competition of sorts. I can’t afford to simply lie about, waiting for a member that couldn’t even defend themself to recover. I have other priorities.” Keeping my voice calm was almost too easy. I almost didn’t need the ice. Almost… My words were cutting, but necessary. If I kept working with them, I feared the worst.

  Serenity gasped at my words. Diana, she rushed forward and roughly grabbed my clothes. “Repeat that again! I dare you!” She practically spit into my face with each word.

  It was actually surprising how emotional Diana was getting. She wasn’t wrong though. What I was doing was despicable. Abandoning a team member when they fell behind. All so that I could keep pushing forward.

  “I’m leaving Diana.” I stated. Keeping my eyes locked on her own. Her hands twitched. She looked ready to throw down, and I was prepared to defend my position. Just when it felt like we were about to throw hands…

  A voice cut through. “Let her go.”

  All eyes flicked focused on Amanda. Her eyes were open and while we were all focused on this bit of drama, she had managed to right herself. She looked exhausted.

  Serenity moved to help her down. “You shouldn’t be up.” She said, but Amanda merely brushed her off.

  “Diana, let her go.” Despite being exhausted, Amanda managed to put some real force behind those words. Diana grit her teeth, her hands shook. “She has every right to leave. There’s nothing keeping us together and I don’t want to slow any of you down. So… if you want to leave, leave.” She finished and looked at me, then to Diana and Serenity.

  “I’m staying.” Serenity re-affirmed.

  Diana merely scowled and pushed me back.

  “Fine, whatever, but I’m not leaving, I have loyalty.” She practically spit that last part out.

  Calmly, I brushed my clothing off, not that I needed to. I was wearing a simple tracksuit, my suit was long ruined and rent. And even then, instinct had me reaching for a tie I didn’t have. The motion seemed awkward, but I quickly corrected.

  “Despite everything, it was fun.” I said, none of them replied as I left, save for Amanda.

  “Don’t die.” Her voice clear.

  “I won’t.” I reply back and head out.

  My gait was steady and sure. I made my way out of the mall and past the parking lot. I walked a distance before working my way into an abandoned shop. Once inside, I made a beeline for the nearest bathroom and locked myself inside. The morning sun shone through a single lone window and illuminated the dark space, allowing me to see my own reflection.

  I let the mask off, the ice recede. My heart hammered. It was painful. I gasped and panted. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror. Even then, I had too…

  Whatever Serenity had done, it had really improved my looks. Just a single month of constant overwork wasn’t enough for chronic issues to develop, but it was enough for me to start developing dark circles around my eyes. A single session from her had completely eliminated them. Even made it look like I stepped right out of a skin care commercial.

  It was laughable.

  “You really did it.” I muttered with nobody here, but my own reflection. I sighed. “You really did it again.”

  ‘It was the best decision’, rationality muttered.

  “Doesn’t change that my actions have hurt people.”

  ‘They would have slowed you down. You can’t stop here’, rationality continued.

  “They would have, but…” I’m alone now… I didn’t dare voice that part.

  ‘When have we not been alone? Even back then, when we truly thought we had a partner, did we ever feel like we could rely on her? Did we ever consider her a true equal? After all, why else did we leave her? And what of him? You trusted him as well, and look where that got you.’, Rationality countered.

  I didn’t have an argument. After all, it was right. If I wanted to keep going forward. If I wanted to reach the goals I had set for myself…

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  Was there even a point? For the longest time, my goal had been to prove my parents wrong. To go to college, start a company, become rich enough that I could laugh in their faces. Prove that I wasn’t a waste of space, that I was worthy of attention. Not just to them, but everyone…

  Alex made me question my dream, my desires. She helped me. loved me without condition, she saw me as someone worth being around, sticking through it with. She was willing to weather all manner of trials and tribulations with me, for me. Truly, I didn’t deserve her…

  Perhaps she really did have a poor choice in men.

  After all, when I realized that perhaps, perhaps just maybe, that I would want to give up my dreams and hopes to live a life with her. When I realized that, I realized I couldn’t keep being by her side. Like a coward, I fled. Abandoned everything. Went as far as to assume a fake identity to avoid her.

  Laughable. Truly laughable. The only thing I had that reminded me of her was the cigarettes. A comforting warmth I reached for, until it too became a problem. It consumed me. Became everything. Until…

  ‘You’re a bright young man with a good future ahead of himself. You shouldn’t piddle away your life on sticks of cancer, not when you have so much potential.’

  Right… he cared. He cared an awful lot. Even when it cost him everything, he cared. It was, probably the first time I remember being genuinely praised. The man, my professor during college had gone out of his way to prove just how much he truly meant those words.

  Still… Where was I going to go now? Climb the corporate structure? Gain more power?

  I sighed.

  “For now, I suppose I should focus on getting in the top ten.” I muttered and looked at myself. “So, get ready. The rest of the event is going to be hell.”

  With a final nod to my reflection, I gathered myself and left. After all, it was all I had. It was all I could ever do. Move forward, consequences be damned.

  I exit the bathroom and take stock of what I have… It isn’t much. The clothes on my back, a single cigarette, and that’s it. I hadn’t taken any supplies with me. No food, nor water, just whatever I had on me in the moment. I didn’t even eat breakfast and that was going to bite.

  Really, just another mistake. I was too hung up on everything. On hearing that Amanda nearly died, and everything related too it… it just threw me off.

  Now, I get to live with the consequences. Regardless, this was the best path for me. I knew that much. Only with my back against the wall did I truly succeed. Stepping out of the store, I looked up at the sky. The city was dark. Something had disrupted the power supply.

  If I remember correctly, I saw somewhere that there was a power plant outside the city to the far north-west. There was a substation just outside the city, near the industrial district that lies to the north-west of the business district. The port district was next to that, making it north-east of the business district. The lower city district was located next to the business district, to the east of it, or North-east of the central district.

  I didn’t think there was a district to the east of the central district. Which, now that I think about it is odd…

  Not that I had time to check it out. I could pass through the business district and head to the lower district. It was filled with lower income housing, which meant there were likely lots of zombies to hunt. Only, it was on the other side of the city. I’d have to cut through the central or business district to arrive there.

  It was entirely possible, that both the central and lower district were both being cleaned out by the others. Which meant competition. Business district likely had a team there too, so, I had to range further out. There were no districts further west, as far as I knew. Nor was I aware of what lay beyond… which, again, was really strange now that I think about it.

  I’ll have to investigate that sooner or later…

  With that in mind, I had only one place to go. The industrial district. I have never been there, but I do know most of the city’s manufacturing is done there.

  Though… I’m curious as to how the industrial district even operate, seeing as we don’t have a proper mine… do they import?

  Does that even matter right now? No. No it does not.

  With a sigh, I roll my shoulders. Wincing at the stiffness that still remains. This was going to be tough, but I couldn’t keep stalling.

  Walking forward, I head towards my destination.

  Lacking a proper map, and only what lays in my head, it still took time. It didn’t help that the surrounding zombies had clearly improved. Smaller groups of zombies were accompanied by their stronger variants.

  Brutes, a fitting name for the hulking body builder zombies with more brawns than brain. They were tough, but their bodies were the kind of body only a steroid fiend has. Strong, tough, but inevitably lacking in agility. With my smaller frame and ice bolstering both my weight and power, fighting them was almost too easy.

  They usually appeared in pairs.

  Next, were more annoying, but still manageable. Crawlers was a name I considered. Another name was Roof Racers, but the name seemed a bit on the nose. They had longer limbs, their fingers and toes elongated, each tipped with sickle claws that cut through my ice, flesh, and even concrete or steel with incredible ease.

  They were annoyingly cunning and agile. More suited for ambushes than upfront fights. They tended to roam in packs of three, where they would crawl and leap between rooftops. More annoyingly, as ambush predators they had good hearing, so they just loved engaging when I was in the middle of clearing a group of zombies.

  Every encounter with them left gashes and cuts along my arms. Luckily, though they can cut my flesh and ice, they can’t cut through bone. Small victories. It was easier to bait them in and finish them with a single powerful blow and move on, than to avoid their blows and have them keep harassing me.

  Worse still, their good hearing meant whenever they cried out, they called more of their kind from the nearby area, just… just making it so much worse.

  My ice prevented the gashes on my arm from bleeding out, but I couldn’t keep it up forever. Medical supplies were surprisingly easy to find throughout the city, and using liberal applications of alcohol and bandages, I prevented the worst from happening…

  Mostly…

  Crawlers were annoying, but… nothing compared to the final variant I encountered. The leaders. They were rather simple, and they stood a good head and shoulder taller than their brethren. Leaders really did just look like normal zombies, but taller, with a bigger head as well, almost conical in shape and that was it. Their height advantage let them look over their fellows and better guide them, though, how they did it, I didn’t know.

  I just knew that fighting one of them was a real pain. They were exceptionally good at commanding common zombies. To the point where I had to actively avoid them. I had no counter for them. I couldn’t push through the crowd to kill them, and unless I killed them before they even noticed me, otherwise the fight would turn into a slog.

  Many times, I was turned around after having to flee a leader. Worse still, was when there were multiple variants in the same group. With the leader in charge, any fights not only became slogs, but a complete waste of time and resources.

  Food was scavenged where I could find it. Out of fridges in break rooms, broken down shops. Then medical supplies were found and kept on hand for when I inevitably needed them.

  By the time I arrived at the industrial district, my arms were riddled with wounds. With multiple layers of bandages firmly wrapped around them to prevent me from bleeding out whenever I ease back on the ice from flowing in my veins. Fortunately, the bandaged doubled as armor, coated in both my blood and ice. Preventing further injuries.

  Still, I was alive, and the journey wasn’t wasted. Every variant was a guaranteed coin. Not much, but they showed up with enough frequency that they swiftly added to my personal wealth. The few televisions I passed had me rising in the rankings, but not enough to reach the top ten.

  I had more killing to do.

  Stepping into the industrial district was… interesting. Gothic architecture continued on, where in the commercial district it felt more, subdued. Here, it was like stepping into an alien world.

  Tall buildings dominated the skyline. Almost like cathedrals or churches, with large smokestacks married to the structures. Pipes ran through the entire district, the main roads were wide, with what looked like rail lines for trolleys or smaller trains. Smaller alleys sat under arches or overhangs in the buildings, with countless pipes snaking into the shadows.

  The air smelled thickly of factory exhaust. A mic of gasoline, and countless chemicals. Water plip and plopped along the roads and on pipes. The sounds echoing in the tight side roads and alleys. Ominous figures, gargoyles, carved angels dominated the building ledges and eaves. Giving the entire district an ominous overtone.

  The moment I stepped inside, it felt like I was always being watched. Like in every corner there was something waiting for me. More worrying was the severe lack of undead wandering the streets.

  Passing by factories that had their doors open. Exposing the abandoned internals. Trucks and larger vehicles were left to rust with boxes of goods scattered about. Most of the goods were useless, but a lucky find revealed a box full of ration bars. Perfect for my needs.

  As I went further into the district it felt as if something wasn’t just watching me, but actively stalking me. The constant sounds made it impossible to discern what was happening around me. A click had me looking over, only to see a leaking pipe. A moving shadow turned out just to be a vent pushing out steam or heat from some unknown source.

  Even without power, the district felt alive in a way that just felt… wrong. It made my skin crawl. Like I was inside the belly of a beast.

  Still, I pressed onward. Onward until I reached what must have been the central building of the district. Something told me that this place was similar to the mall. Only, I didn’t see any zombies still. There was only silence.

  It was a central rail for the trolleys. Inside, countless goods were stacked upon each other. Raw ores, refined metals, goods of various kinds. The place was a veritable stockpile. On top of which were the countless machinery hanging above, the vaulted ceilings did nothing to ease my concern, nor did the large windows made with stained glass.

  I could hear chains rattle above, hidden in the darkness. Every step I made echoed ominously into the shadows where they died. The very air felt cloying. I took it all in. Every sense I had screaming at me, up until I stopped at the center of the building.

  Every sound faded away…

  A pall fell over everything. Color bled away. Leaving only black and white. Warmth left, until I only felt the comforting cold enveloping me.

  Over it all, I could only hear the light rattling of chains from above…