"Do you know where the bound man was taken?"

The woman nodded frantically, her head bobbing like a hen pecking at grains, before leading the way.

They walked in silence for several moments until she turned down another hall. The classrooms had all been transformed into cages, crammed with people. Naked women were chained like dogs, while men and children were shoved together without space to breathe. The air reeked of urine and feces.

Aron only gave them a passing glance, never slowing his steps.

It would be a lie to say he felt nothing. There was revulsion, of course. Perhaps even pity. But that was where it ended.

This was the apocalypse. Only the strong survived. If he freed these people now, what then? They wouldn't last long outside. Worse, they'd cling to him. Aron had no interest in carrying dead weight.

Which meant freeing them was useless, both to them and to him.

The only reason he even bothered to look into each cage was to see if any awakened were among them. His search, however, was fruitless.

Suddenly, the trembling woman guiding him stopped. Her body had shaken like a leaf the entire trip.

"H-Here," she whispered, bowing her head so low it seemed ready to roll off. She didn't dare meet his eyes.

Aron ignored her.

Bang!

With a single stomp, the door burst open. Inside was Mateo, bound just as before, tape still covering his mouth. Unlike the others, he was alone. The square mark on his wrist revealed his identity, an awakened.

Aron didn't hesitate. He grabbed the groggy man by the leg and dragged him out. Mateo stirred, startled awake by Aron's sudden entrance. The dark circles under his eyes told the story of someone who hadn't had proper rest in days.

A notification appeared.

[Claimable Ability Detected: Sense]

Aron dismissed it coldly.

Mateo's panic spiked as he realized what was happening. His drowsiness vanished instantly, replaced by raw terror. But with his mouth sealed and body bound, all he could do was squirm helplessly as Aron dragged him along.

The slave woman froze, her eyes wide. She had thought Aron came here to save someone. But the way he dragged the awakened man like a sack of meat told her she had been terribly wrong.

"That's all," Aron said flatly as he walked past her, hauling Mateo through the hall.

She flinched at his voice, shrinking back.

Not long after, he stopped at another juncture and forced the door open. For the first time that day, a smile tugged at his lips.

Inside was a large generator, the very one that had powered the school before the apocalypse. Beside it were two fuel kegs, one half-full, the other filled to the brim.

Aron's grin widened.

He drained the generator of its remaining fuel, then stacked the heavy kegs on top of Mateo's body. Dragging both man and fuel together, he walked out under the fearful gazes of slaves and guards. None dared to move. None dared to speak.

Killing two birds with one stone had never felt so literal.

--

Aron stood on a rooftop, whistling cheerfully as he sprinkled salt onto a slab of meat.

Except the meat was Mateo.

Bound to a chair, his body was nothing but a ruin of wounds. Veins bulged across his skin as he writhed under the sting of salt. Despair flooded from his eyes.

Aron finished salting the cuts and finally yanked the tape free from his mouth.

Mateo's screams erupted instantly.

"Please! Please, kill me already! What more do you want? I told you everything I know about his whereabouts!" His words tumbled out in sobs. "I only met him four days before the apocalypse! He got the executive seat, and a visa to Zone A, after you left! I swear, that's all I know! He left before it all fell apart, I don't know where he is now! Please, just end it! Kill me already!"

Aron scratched his chin.

(I guess I got too carried away.)

"En. Okay."

He shoved Mateo off the rooftop.

The man never touched the ground. The zombies waiting below tore into him mid-fall, each one grabbing for a piece.

And yet, as death claimed him, relief washed over Mateo's face. He even managed a smile.

Aron only shook his head, activated Stealth, and vanished from sight.

He returned to his car first, dropping off the fuel before grabbing clothes, raw food, and ingredients. Real food this time. A hot meal would be welcome, not just the milk and snacks he had been surviving on. Then he headed deeper into the city.

A sturdy five-story apartment building caught his eye. Its exterior remained intact, its doors barred from within. That wasn't a problem. Aron climbed to the second floor and slipped in through a window.

Odd. No zombies inside.

He knocked on several doors until finally, pounding erupted from within one unit.

(This is the one.)

Perfect.

He kicked the lock open, careful not to damage the door too much. Inside, a zombified family awaited him, a teenage boy and his parents. Aron dispatched them with ease.

He was about to toss their bodies out the window when his Danger Sense suddenly flared.

Every hair on his body stood on end.

Danger.

***

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