Chapter 3: The Barbarian and the Beast

I don't sleep that night.Not really.I wedge myself between the remains of a half-collapsed bus, my makeshift spear clutched tight in my hands. The adrenaline from my first kill still pulses through me, a strange mix of exhilaration and raw panic. My whole body is tense, primed for survival.The city—Busan—is dead. But it's not empty.Strange noises echo through the ruins. Distant, animalistic roars shake the ground, and every now and then, I swear I hear something breathing nearby.I have no idea how long I stay curled up there, waiting, listening. But eventually, the sky starts to shift from pitch black to the hazy orange of a ruined dawn.That's when I hear it.Footsteps. Heavy, slow, deliberate.Not an animal.A man.I don't breathe.My grip tightens on the rebar as the figure steps into view.It's him. The man from last night. The one with the bone mask.Up close, he's even more dangerous-looking. Broad-shouldered, covered in armor made of stitched leather and salvaged metal plates. His long, dark hair is pulled back, revealing sharp cheekbones and an even sharper gaze.He stops a few feet away, tilting his head as he studies me."You're still alive." His voice is deep, rough. A statement, not a question.I swallow, not lowering my weapon. "Yeah. No thanks to you."His lips twitch. Not quite a smile, but close. "You handled yourself well." He gestures to the blood still dried on my hands. "That was your first kill, wasn't it?"I hate that he can read me so easily. "What do you want?"He doesn't answer right away. Instead, he steps closer, and I force myself not to flinch. He's huge, towering over me, radiating something that makes my stomach tighten. Not just danger—something else. Something I don't want to name."You shouldn't stay here," he says. "You won't last another night."I let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, and I suppose you have a better option?"His eyes flicker with something unreadable. "I do."There's something about the way he says it, low and certain, that sends a shiver down my spine. I should say no. I should run.But I don't.Because as much as I don't trust him… I trust this world even less.And right now, he might be the only chance I have.I don't like this.Everything in me screams don't trust him—but the logical part of my brain, the one that has already accepted that this world is different now, knows I won't survive alone.Not for long.I lower my weapon, just slightly. "Where?"The man watches me carefully, like he's measuring something. "There's a camp. Not far. Safer than here."A camp. Other survivors? My chest tightens at the thought. I'm not sure if that excites me or terrifies me.He must see something in my expression because he tilts his head slightly. "If you're thinking of running, don't. You won't make it past sundown."I scowl. "Gee, thanks for the encouragement."A deep chuckle. I don't like that sound. It makes my stomach feel weird.He turns without another word, expecting me to follow.And despite my better judgment—I do.We move fast through the ruins of Busan, staying low and quiet. The city feels even more foreign in the daylight, the remains of buildings twisted into unnatural shapes, the streets cracked open as if the earth itself had tried to swallow everything whole.But the worst part?The bones.Scattered along the roads, piled against walls. Some human. Most… not.I don't ask questions.I don't want the answers.The man keeps a steady pace ahead of me, silent, confident. He moves like he belongs here, like he knows every inch of this ruined world. Like he owns it.It pisses me off a little.Finally, I break the silence. "You got a name?"He glances over his shoulder, eyes flicking over me as if deciding whether I deserve to know.After a beat, he says, "Jae."Just that. No last name. No details.I snort. "Wow. Thanks for the deep introduction."He doesn't answer.Of course he doesn't.We walk for hours. The heat clings to my skin, and my body is starting to feel the strain of everything—the fight, the hunger, the exhaustion.Jae notices."You need food.""No kidding," I mutter. "Got any?"His lips quirk. "Depends."I narrow my eyes. "On what?"He slows, turns to me, and steps closer.Too close.The heat between us shifts—something tense, something sharp. My pulse speeds up before I can stop it.Jae studies me, his gaze slow and knowing. "Depends if you're willing to earn it."My throat goes dry. "Excuse me?"His smirk is pure sin. "Relax. Not like that."I hate that my mind went there. I hate that he probably knows it.He pulls something from his belt—a strip of dried meat. Holds it out. "You fight, you eat."I fold my arms. "Fight who?"Jae tilts his head toward the road behind me. "Not who. What."A low growl echoes through the ruins.I whip around just in time to see something huge charging toward us.My stomach drops.Because this time?I'm not sure if I'm going to survive.