Chapter 5: A Dangerous Game

Morning comes too soon.

I wake up to the faint sound of embers crackling, the distant cries of mutated creatures in the ruins outside, and—

A weight draped over me.

My eyes snap open.

Jae.

At some point during the night, he moved closer. Too close. One of his arms is resting over my waist, his breathing slow, steady, the warmth of his body sinking into mine.

My heart stumbles, because for half a second, it feels… safe. Like the world outside isn't a nuclear wasteland and we aren't constantly fighting for our lives.

Then I remember exactly who I'm lying next to.

I shove his arm off and sit up, ignoring the sharp pain in my ribs. "You do this with all the girls, or am I just special?"

Jae stirs, stretching like a damn cat before cracking one eye open.

"You were shivering." His voice is husky from sleep, and I hate the way it makes something hot curl in my stomach.

I scoff. "So you just decided to use me as a pillow?"

"You're welcome," he murmurs, closing his eyes again.

Smug bastard.

I grab the nearest object—a scrap of old cloth—and throw it at his face. "If I wanted your help, I would've asked for it."

He catches it midair without even looking. Of course he does.

Before I can come up with a new insult, a sound outside makes me freeze.

Voices.

Jae is already moving, blade in hand, completely awake now.

We exchange a look.

It's not one of the monsters this time. It's people.

And in this world, people are sometimes worse.

The Encounter

We slip out the side entrance of the ruined building, moving silently through the debris. The sun is just barely rising, casting a bloody glow over the broken city.

I spot them first—three figures picking through the wreckage of a nearby collapsed shop.

They don't look like scavengers.

They look like hunters.

Weapons strapped to their backs. Scarred faces, sharp eyes.

Jae tenses beside me, jaw tightening. I don't ask if he knows them.

I already know the answer.

"We need to leave," I whisper.

But it's too late.

One of them turns. His gaze locks onto mine.

A slow grin spreads across his face.

"Well, well," he drawls. "Look what we have here."

My grip tightens around my rebar spear. I don't like the way he's looking at me.

Like I'm prey.

Jae steps forward before I can, placing himself slightly in front of me. Protectively.

The leader—the one with the grin—chuckles. "Didn't think I'd see you again, Jae."

So they do know each other.

Fantastic.

Jae's voice is cold. "Walk away."

The leader laughs. "Come on, old friend. Don't be like that. We were just passing through, looking for supplies. Maybe we take a little, maybe we trade a little…" His gaze flicks back to me, slow and uncomfortable. "Maybe we share a little."

My stomach turns.

Oh, hell no.

I tighten my grip, shifting slightly, ready to lunge, but Jae moves first.

His blade flashes, so fast I barely see it.

The tip rests against the leader's throat.

The grin fades.

"You're still fast," the man mutters.

Jae's voice is low. Dangerous. "Faster than you."

The other two men tense, hands drifting to their weapons. The air is thick with unspoken violence.

I swallow hard, heart pounding. This is going to end in blood.

Mine. Jae's. Theirs.

I don't know yet.

The leader's eyes flick between us, calculating. Then, after what feels like an eternity, he lifts his hands in mock surrender.

"Alright, alright," he says. "We're leaving."

His gaze lingers on me for a second too long. A silent promise.

Then, just like that, they're gone.

I don't let myself breathe until they disappear from view.

Jae doesn't either.

The Aftermath

"Friends of yours?" I ask dryly.

Jae doesn't answer right away. He just stares at the empty street, jaw tight, like he's thinking about going after them anyway.

I should let it go.

But I don't.

"They're going to come back, aren't they?"

Jae finally looks at me. Something dark flickers in his expression.

"They always do."

A chill crawls down my spine.

I know what he's saying without saying it.

Those men? They weren't just passing through.

They were hunting.

And next time, they won't leave empty-handed.

Unspoken Things

We walk for hours, sticking to the shadows, staying off the main streets.

Jae is quiet, even more than usual. I can feel the tension in him.

He keeps checking behind us, his shoulders taut, like he's waiting for something bad to happen.

It's unsettling.

And, if I'm being honest, a little comforting.

Because no matter what he says, no matter how infuriating he is—Jae didn't have to step in back there.

He didn't have to stand in front of me.

But he did.

Not because I was weak.

But because he didn't want me to fight alone.

I don't know what to do with that.

So I say nothing.

But later, when the sun dips behind the ruins and we find a safe place to rest, I make a decision.

I don't sit far away this time.

I sit close.

Not touching, not speaking. Just close enough that if something comes for us in the night, I'll know he's there.

Just close enough that, when sleep finally takes me, I don't feel so alone.