Elias and Ivy stuck to the shadows, ducking behind trash bins and half-burned signs as the curfew bots floated by. Their red scanner lights swept the streets like lazy searchlights. One got close, too close. Elias shoved Ivy against the wall and pressed his hand over her mouth, holding her still.
The bot paused, hovering just feet away, humming softly.
Elias didn't breathe.
Seconds dragged. Then the bot beeped and drifted off, vanishing down the alley like it had never seen them.
Ivy let out a shaky breath.
"That was too close."
"Yeah, well, maybe next time don't yawn right in the middle of a fucking scan," Elias muttered, already moving again.
Ivy diverted her gaze. She forgot that she was in danger for a minute. She was talking about how Elias pressed his body against hers. That's the *close* she was talking about.
They wandered for another hour, staying off the main roads. Ivy's feet ached. Elias didn't look tired at all—just angry. Like he always was.
Finally, they saw it.
A hotel.
At least, it used to be a hotel. The sign was crooked, letters flickering, *H tel Orbi *. Half the name was gone, but the building was tall, and more importantly, it had lights.
And bed...
Ivy stared up at it.
"This place doesn't look... friendly."
"No place is," Elias said, heading for the door.
Inside, the air smelled of rust and old cigarettes. The lobby was small, dimly lit, with worn couches and peeling wallpaper. A vending machine in the corner blinked "Out of Order." Behind the front desk stood a woman, pale, skinny, wires running from her neck to a panel on the wall.
A cyborg.
Elias walked up like he owned the place.
"Need a room," he said.
The receptionist's mechanical eyes blinked slowly.
"Do you have city points?"
Ivy stepped forward. "We don't..."
"Yeah, we do," Elias cut in, flashing a grin.
He reached into his coat and pulled out something small, a black, chipped device, barely holding together. He held it to the scanner. The light turned green.
"Room 3C," the receptionist said. "No fighting. No noise. No refunds."
Elias took the key card.
Ivy blinked at him.
"What was that?"
"Old hobby. I must have stolen it from one of those dumbass at the bar. They were busy talking shit to notice," He smirked. "Told you I had it covered."
As they climbed the stairs, Ivy looked back at the desk.
"You think we're safe here?"
"Nope," Elias said. "But it's better than sleeping in a fucking alley."
They reached the room.
The room was small but clean. It smelled like mildew and regret, but the door locked, and the walls didn't look like they were about to fall apart. One bed, a sink, a water heater, and a narrow window facing the dark alley outside. Elias tossed his bag on the floor and kicked off his boots before sitting on the bed with a sigh.
Ivy stood in the doorway for a moment, watching him.
"Who are you, really? I don't even know your name," she asked softly.
Elias didn't look up.
"Someone who should've stayed dead. I don't even know who I am either," he muttered.
Then he lay back, one arm over his eyes.
"But you can call me Elias. Elias Kael."
"Elias," she repeated the name as if he asked her to.
"I'll wash up first," he said, already pulling off his shirt.
Ivy looked at him when he turned. Her eyes moved slowly over the scars on his back and chest, trailing down to his waist. He noticed.
"Eyes up, nun," he warned, half smirking. "Unless you're hungry."
"I'm not..." she said too fast.
Elias chuckled. "Good. Because if I lose it again, I might snap your neck instead of just grabbing it."
She winced.
"Look, I didn't mean it that way," he added. "I just don't trust myself yet. I could take you any time. But I won't. Not until I've figured out who the hell I really am."
He went into the bathroom, steam rising behind the door.
When he came out, towel around his waist, Ivy sat on the bed in a long shirt, brushing her hair. He could feel her watching again, but he ignored it.
"Sleep," he grunted, crawling to the edge of the bed and closing his eyes.
.
.
It was sometime in the middle of the night when Elias stirred. He heard something. A sound... soft, low.
Almost like a moan.
"Ivy?" he mumbled.
He heard it again.
"Mm... Elias..." her voice whispered. "Don't... too much... not so rough..."
His eyes popped open.
The hell?
He glanced over at her. She was asleep. Eyes closed, lips parted slightly, cheeks red. But she wasn't touching herself.
And neither was he.
Elias sat up just as a cold gust of air blew in. His head snapped to the side.
The fucking window was open.
His instincts alerted him immediately.
He turned and saw it.
A zombie. Grey skin, black veins, eyes glowing faintly blue. It stood right above Ivy, drool slipping from its mouth.
Elias didn't think. He lunged and slammed the thing's head into the wall. Blood sprayed. It screeched and clawed at him, but he grabbed it by the jaw and tore its throat open with brute force. The zombie collapsed in seconds.
Ivy sat up, startled and gasping.
"W-What the—!?"
"Stay down!" Elias growled, rushing to the window.
Outside, chaos bloomed. Smoke. Screams. Running people. Dozens of infected surged through the alleys, ripping open doors and dragging bodies out into the street. Broken curfew bots filled the street, blinking red.
"The fucking city's under attack," Elias muttered.
He turned back. Ivy was staring at the body of the zombie he just killed, her hands trembling.
"How did it even get in...?" she asked.
"No fucking clue."
She stood but avoided his eyes.
"I'm sorry for... for earlier."
"Yeah, you moan in your sleep. Real classy," Elias said, half-joking. "Thought you were gonna soak the sheets."
She turned beet red.
"I didn't mean to—"
System Notification:
Elias froze as the familiar screen flashed before his eyes.
[Your bonded companion's Loyalty has reached a threshold.]
[Do you wish to accept the full Bond with Ivy?]
[Benefits: — Increased Stats — Boosted Loyalty — Claim Mark: Prevents other zombies from targeting your bonded. — Physical Bonding Bonus Unlocked.]
[ACCEPT] [POSTPONE] [REFUSE]
Elias stared at the prompt, jaw clenched.
"Well, fuck me..."
He looked over at Ivy, who sat there confused, embarrassed, and totally unaware that she was being discussed in his goddamn system like some RPG character.
He sighed.
"Of course, it couldn't just be one quiet night."
[END OF CHAPTER FIFTEEN]