Purge

ㅤ A group of survivors hid in an abandoned house in the deep forest: towns and villages had turned into death traps. Stahn and his friends barely escaped from one of these. Not without losses… Although Kongman and Rutee were still alive, their days were numbered, so their friends could only look at them with pity. Philia couldn't hold back her tears, the others remained dejectedly silent. Kongman had sacrificed his life to protect Philia, and Rutee hadn't had time to react in time, unaware of the problem. And the bites didn't hurt as much as the soul, gradually leaving the body along with the mind. "There must be something!" Stahn exclaimed angrily. "There must be," Woodrow confirmed more calmly. "Miktran isn't a madman, ready to destroy the people he intended to rule. He must have had a plan. Death to the infidels and salvation to the obedient—a perfectly logical strategy for someone who had already been rebelled against. But…" "There's no time to search," Rutee finished for him when Woodrow couldn't find the strength to voice the predetermined fate of the friends with whom he had literally been through thick and thin. "For us, but not for you. And if we don't hurry, then nothing will truly remain of humanity." "As long as we can go, we will!" Kongman declared loudly. "If anyone stands before us, I will personally deal with them! And I will cover everyone for as long as necessary, otherwise I am not the Mighty Kongman!" They decided to search for hope in the ruins of Belcrant. Despair was overwhelming, as Miktran might have left no records at all, storing all the information in his head. But he had spread the infection, turning those caught in the unique weapon's beam into flesh-eating monsters. So it made sense to keep a cure for this unusual infection there. In a place inaccessible to ordinary people. Safe. On the spot, looking at Belcrant's condition, Woodrow realized more clearly that they had no chance. Even if they found the information, they might not have the technical equipment to create a cure: many of Belcrant's units had lost power, and the laboratory-like rooms they'd seen along the way were completely destroyed and beyond repair. "I suppose…" Johnny began, peering into the shimmering corridors at the first fork, pausing before his next word, "the 'people' haven't gotten this far yet, so we can afford to split up." Kongman and Rutee's condition worsened. However, while they weren't yet eager to sink their teeth into human flesh, hope still glimmered. That's why the proposal to split up was received warmly, because there was a lot of work to be done, and less and less time was left. Kongman, Philia, and Johnny went to explore the left corridor, Woodrow and Chelsea the right, and Rutee and Stahn continued straight ahead. Woodrow wasn't happy with the high probability of leaving Stahn alone with a heavy burden on his heart, but there was no better option. Just as there was a possibility that this was Stahn and Rutee's last chance to be alone together. However, the couple walked in silence, not trying to start a conversation. Rutee barely had the strength to drag her feet, shuffling. Leaving her unattended was also unacceptable. Stahn walked slightly ahead, sword at the ready. After Dymlos, a normal weapon felt so unnatural. Stahn had lost a faithful partner who had saved his life many times. Now he was left to fend for himself, shielding the loved one he couldn't even save. Although the light was still on, they couldn't find any working terminals with a database along the way. They were forced to return to the meeting place empty-handed. Even the corridor seemed to have grown darker. And soon, the sound of a falling body was heard, especially sudden in the lingering silence. "Rutee!" Stahn rushed towards the girl with concern, dropping to one knee, wanting to help. Reaching out to Stahn, Rutee exhaled slowly and heavily. Leaning on his shoulder, she raised herself up, pressing herself down on top of him. Stahn hugged her, saying distantly: "Everything will be alright…" No matter how naive, optimistic, or foolish he was, even Stahn understood that things wouldn't be all right. They had won, but the result of their victory was more catastrophic than if they had lost. It was as if they had stolen humanity's hopes… Gloomy thoughts overwhelmed him. Overcome by emotion, Stahn was about to hug Rutee tighter, to caress her cheek against his, but… He howled in pain: Rutee had sunk her teeth into his neck, biting until the skin bled. And no matter what Stahn did, she wouldn't unclench her jaw. Until he hit her on the back of the head with the hilt of his sword with all his might. In a panic, driven only by fear and pain, Stahn crawled to the wall. His hand trembled, his resolve lacking the strength to point the blade at Rutee. She looked at him with an unnatural gaze, crawling after him. Her mouth was stained with Stahn's blood, her face was flooded with her own from the wound in the back of her head. It was hard to recognize her as the perky, money-obsessed woman. Now she couldn't even be called human… Her hand touched his boot—there was no time left for hesitation. His chest burned with the need to kill the one he loved. And the knowledge that there was nothing left of her didn't help. And at some point, Stahn realized: he, too, had been bitten. He will be reunited with her soon anyway. Rutee's face contorted as she tried to bite into his leg—a true monster. Before she could do so, Stahn pierced her neck with his sword. It was as if something died inside. He continued to sit there, staring blankly at the spreading pool of blood on the floor.

* * *

"I found it!" Philia exclaimed. "It's a virus! William Birkin and Albert Wesker developed it back during the Aeth'er War, on Miktran's orders! He was already planning to use it against the rebels! The lab has a device for synthesizing an antivirus, but…" Philia read the text enthusiastically, but her mood suddenly changed. "But it's not that simple. Even if we spend all the energy left in Belkrant, we won't be able to save everyone. And…" she lost heart completely, "the antivirus can only help in the first hours of infection." "Then…" Kongman spoke weakly, sitting to the side: he no longer had the strength to even raise his head and look at his beloved, let alone protect her; in the current circumstances, he would rather kill her. "Do it for yourself. To protect yourself…" It was becoming increasingly difficult to pronounce words and form coherent sentences, "from us." Kongman managed to glance sideways at Johnny. As if to nod. It wasn't difficult to understand him. "Philia, find Woodrow," Johnny took the initiative. "If there's nothing on his end, then let him go to the surviving lab - we'll create as much antivirus as we can, and then we'll see what we can do." "Yes!" Flushed with success, Philia ran after Woodrow without a second thought, leaving Kongman alone with Johnny. A small dagger was of little use in a real fight. A stationary target was another matter entirely. With one glance, Kongman asked, "Take care of her." Johnny tried to do everything quickly…

* * *

Together with Woodrow, Philia found Stahn and helped him to the lab. Stahn unwittingly became the first test subject. His condition didn't worsen after using the antivirus. But the emotional state did not contribute to improvement. He had successfully outlived Rutee and Kongman, though he wasn't happy about it: he'd been bracing himself for a quick reunion with Rutee, resigned to his imminent death. And now he had to live with a heavy burden on his heart. "Rutee would say that idiots have the luck of the draw," he said quietly when the group was finally convinced the antivirus was working. Philia wanted to cheer him up, but she couldn't find the right words. "We can't save everyone," Woodrow concluded. "We don't have many options. We can try a global purge of the cities and kill all the…" he didn't know what to call the infected in the final stages, "non-humans, burn them to the ground along with their poisonous blood, but that will only work against humans and large animals. We won't be able to exterminate all the infected rats and birds." "Or?" Johnny couldn't stand the pause. "We'll build an impenetrable fortress for the survivors, where we'll wait for generations until the world is cleansed. Flesh doesn't last forever—and neither do non-humans." "So the only way to prevent the end of humanity is to lock ourselves in a cage?" Philia concluded, crumpling her skirt, looking at the floor. "At least until we master the technology to create an antivirus." "Then it makes sense to establish a fortress around Belcrant," Johnny added. "We'll need fertile land for fields and livestock," Woodrow nodded, continuing. The crisis wasn't over, but a loophole had opened up—hope for survival. Woodrow and Johnny quickly outlined a plan, gradually expanding it. All that remained was to unite the people and begin implementing it… ㅤ