Escaped

The time read 5 PM, and the oppressive silence stretched between the seconds, each one dragging Azumi and Adelina further into their growing anxiety. The weight of the day hung heavily over them, with every tick of the clock feeding their unease. It had been hours since Victor and Hiroshi had left, and yet there was no sign of them. The tension had become palpable, a sharp edge pressing against the stillness of their waiting.

"Where the hell are those two?" Azumi muttered under her breath, her voice laced with frustration. "If we leave, we leave while there's still light. Otherwise, we'd run straight into a sea of zombies out there."

Adelina, ever the calm presence, reached out and gave Azumi a light tap on the shoulder. "Relax. They must have found somewhere to build us a shelter for the night."

Azumi scowled, shaking her head as she scratched the back of her neck. "Well, we can’t get in there unless they come back." Her gaze shifted to the barricades they had erected outside, their makeshift fortress of hope. The unease bubbling in her chest had no outlet, and the stillness of the world around them only made it worse. It felt like the whole city was holding its breath.

The air between them was thick with silence, the only sound being the occasional rustle of their movements. The stillness had a strange effect, making the world outside feel more like a distant memory than a place they could survive in. There was something unnerving about it. If they didn’t speak, it felt as though the very act of sound itself would be an offense.

"You haven't gotten any flashbacks?" Adelina’s voice broke the silence, quiet but probing.

Azumi turned toward her, furrowing her brow. "No, why?"

Adelina sighed, looking down at the dirt beneath her feet as if weighing something invisible. "Me neither. I thought I'd be flooded with them by now, especially now that we’re all together again."

Azumi considered this, her thoughts swirling. "That’s what I thought too. But it’s okay. We’ve already figured out a few things. I’m sure more will come in time—"

Before Azumi could finish her sentence, a rustling noise interrupted her thoughts. Her eyes snapped to the source, ears straining for the familiar sound of Victor’s boots, but what she heard wasn’t the familiar rhythm of his steps. The heavy thud of boots was off, too measured, too deliberate.

"Finally, they’re back!" Azumi said, the tension in her chest momentarily relieved.

But the relief was short-lived.

Adelina, whose muscles had already tensed with readiness, was quicker than Azumi could react. She had already sprinted toward the entrance, her figure a blur against the fading daylight. But before Azumi could even shout out to her, the sound of the barrel being moved aside was drowned out by a deafening explosion that tore through the air. The world seemed to shake, the walls of their barricade buckling as the force of the blast sent debris flying.

Adelina was thrown back like a ragdoll, her body hurtling through the air with terrifying speed before crashing into Azumi. The force of the impact was bone-shattering, knocking both women to the ground with a violent force that left Azumi gasping for breath.

Pain erupted in Azumi’s chest, the wind knocked out of her as they slammed into the cold, unforgiving floor. She could barely process the chaos around her—the ringing in her ears, the dust and debris clouding the air, the taste of copper as it filled her mouth. But what lingered in her mind was the sharp realization that they hadn’t just been caught off guard. Someone had been waiting for them.

Azumi’s breath came in short gasps as she tried to push herself up, her body trembling with the shock of the explosion. Through the haze of dust and disorientation, she saw Adelina groaning beside her, clearly dazed but alive.

"Adelina!" Azumi called, her voice hoarse. She reached out, gripping her friend’s arm to pull her to her feet.

Adelina’s eyes fluttered open, the fog of confusion still clouding her expression as she slowly became aware of the danger. The two women exchanged a fleeting look of disbelief before the reality of their situation hit them like a sledgehammer.

"W-We have to hide," Azumi groaned, her voice barely audible over the chaos as she pulled Adelina toward the escape ladder Victor had made just for this kind of moment which she thought would never come.

The reality of their situation was crashing down on her—this was no longer just a matter of survival; it was a desperate scramble for their lives.

The ladder was nothing more than a makeshift contraption of ropes and wooden slats, hardly the best escape plan, but at the moment, it was the only option.

Azumi's hands trembled as she gripped it, her mind racing. She knew it would hold the two of them, but it was the uncertainty of what lay beyond that gnawed at her as the ladder didn't reach the ground floor.

They'll still need to jump to the windows of the lower floors to escape with fewer injuries.

The sound of unfamiliar footsteps echoed through the crumbling building, growing louder with each passing second. Azumi’s heart skipped a beat, the panic surging through her like a tidal wave.

She couldn’t afford to hesitate. She quickly, though unsteady, threw the ladder down, her hands slick with sweat.

"You go first," Azumi said, her voice shaking with a mixture of fear and urgency as she pushed Adelina toward the ladder.

The figures in black suits were closing in fast, their heavy footsteps like a drumbeat of doom. They were relentless, ruthless, and worse, they had come for them—whether to capture them or end their lives, it didn’t matter. Their mission was clear.

"N-No," Adelina stuttered, her voice trembling as she glanced down at the escape route, but her hesitation was brief as though she saw something else.

She looked up at Azumi, her expression a silent plea. Her gaze flickered briefly to the men in black, already swarming the area.

They were getting closer. And then, in a voice so resolute it seemed to echo in the empty space between them, Adelina spoke again.

"You are humanity’s hope, Azumi. Bring them back at all costs."

For a heartbeat, Azumi froze, caught off guard by the weight of Adelina’s words. She saw it then—tears threatening to spill from Adelina’s eyes, yet her lips were curved into a smile, a sad, bittersweet smile that told Azumi everything. She could feel it in her chest, the overwhelming tide of fear, sorrow, and guilt.

Azumi reached out, her heart pounding in her ears, but before she could say another word, before she could plead for them to escape together, everything shifted. The world seemed to slow to a crawl, the air thick with tension, as though time itself had paused in anticipation.

Adelina, with the grace and strength of someone who had accepted her fate, turned to Azumi with a final, lingering look. And in that moment, Azumi knew. It wasn’t just a sacrifice—it was a choice. Adelina wasn’t just giving her life; she was giving her hope.

Before Azumi could protest, Adelina’s hands shoved her with surprising force, propelling her downward. Azumi barely registered the fall, her body tumbling through the air as the ground rushed up to meet her. She had no time to react, no time to process what had just happened. The world spun wildly, her heart torn in two as she screamed, "ADELINAAAAA!!!" Her voice echoed in the void, her words lost to the wind.

And then, everything went black.

Azumi’s body hit the ground with a sickening thud, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs—suprisingly, the ground was softer than she expected. Slowly, she pushed herself up and realized she landed on a damtruck filled with trash.

Adelina must have seen it.

The ringing in her ears drowned out everything else—the explosions of gunfire, the sound of men shouting in pursuit—until it was all just a distant hum.

Adelina.

Azumi's mind struggled to make sense of it, but her thoughts were clouded, the image of her friend’s sacrifice, of her final words, haunting her. For a moment, she couldn’t even find the strength to move, the weight of her loss settling on her chest like a leaden blanket.

But then, through the haze of her grief, the faintest sound reached her ears—footsteps, distant but growing closer. She forced herself to stand up, her body aching, her heart heavy with loss. The men in black, the ones who had brought this pain, were coming for her now. She couldn’t let them capture her.

Not when there was still hope, not when Adelina’s final words rang in her ears—the words, now a mantra, fueled Azumi’s resolve.