Elias and Ivy walked down the street, dressed like real guards. No one gave them a second look. Cameras buzzed above. Patrol drones flew by. But so far, there were no alarms. No guns pointed at them. No problems at all.
"Maybe we got lucky," Ivy whispered.
Elias grunted. "I don't believe in luck."
Just while they were walking, a group of guards in black and red uniforms marched towards them. They were fast, organized and armed to the teeth.
"Shit," Elias muttered.
"Did we get caught?" Ivy mumbled.
"Let's just leave..." He turned his head away quickly.
But it was too late.
One of the marching officers shouted,
"You two, join the team! Commander's orders!"
Elias stiffened. Ivy didn't even have time to answer before they were swept into the marching line.
He leaned toward the nearest guard.
"Where the hell are we going?"
The guy didn't look at him; he just kept marching. "Intruder alert. The population count changed. Two extra bodies showed up on the sensors."
Ivy nearly tripped.
Elias cursed under his breath.
"We're the damn intruders," he muttered.
The unit marched straight to the gates. Giant steel walls. Dozens of guards. Snipers on the towers. Drones in the sky. Everyone was on edge.
Orders were shouted:
"Shoot on sight. No mercy. Don't let them escape."
Elias felt his mouth go dry. This is bad.
They were looking for him. And Ivy. And they were standing right there, holding rifles like loyal little soldiers.
"I say we bounce," Elias whispered.
Ivy nodded.
"Now?"
"Soon as we can. These people are too damn serious."
He turned slightly, eyes scanning for a quiet exit.
That's when he saw him.
A tall man standing among the new citizens near the checkpoint. His neck, barely visible, had a symbol. The same one from the monsters. The same spiked circle.
Their eyes met.
The stranger smiled weirdly at Elias. His smile was not friendly at all. Neither was it too kind.
It was just... weird.
Elias blinked.
The guy was gone.
"What the actual—"
"Do we have a problem?" Ivy asked.
"No. Just saw a walking red flag." He said and looked around. It was not the perfect time for them to run away. "Let's wait for a few hours before leaving. As long as we're among them, they won't find us. No one will,"
"Understood!" Ivy responded with a smile.
They stayed until break time. No one noticed anything weird. No one called them out. But the second the crowd thinned, Elias grabbed Ivy's arm and pulled her into an alley.
"We need to find that symbol. We're not the only freaks in this place."
"What? You saw a symbol?"
"Yeah!"
"Does that mean, a zombie is roaming the city?" Ivy asked. Elias paused. That citizen was at the gate, and the alarm didn't go off that he was an undead. He was sure that's not how the symbol worked.
Maybe it's not just a symbol.
"We need to find him before he kills a person,"
They both moved through side streets, avoiding cameras and sneaking around patrols.
Finally, near an old storage building, they found a body.
Face-down. Neck torn open.
On the back of the man's neck, the same symbol.
Elias knelt beside the corpse, examining the body. The image of the citizen that smiled at him at the gaze flashed across his face.
"Too late."
Ivy looked around nervously.
"You think he was one of them?"
"He was the one. But... Who must have killed him?."
Suddenly, something moved behind them.
Before Elias could turn,
WHAM!
A hard blow struck the back of his neck. The world spun. His knees hit the ground. He reached for his weapon, but everything went dark.
Ivy screamed.
"Sleep tight, corpse boy," a voice said above him.
.
.
When he woke up, his head throbbed like hell. He was lying in a dusty garage, tied up at the wrists.
And standing in front of him was a woman.
She wore light combat gear. Knives strapped to her legs. Fingerless gloves. Her short dark hair was messy, her eyes sharp as hell.
She wasn't smiling at all.
But she was sniffing him.
Actually sniffing.
"Yup," she said. "You reek of dead things."
Elias blinked.
"Great. A bloodhound with trust issues."
She kicked him lightly.
"And a smartass."
Ivy sat in the corner, also tied up but unharmed.
"Who the hell are you?" Elias asked.
The woman crouched down.
"Name's Riven. I keep this city clean. That includes sniffing out undead freaks like you."
System Notification:
> > [Target: Riven Halcroft | Lust Level: 2% | Loyalty Level: 0%]
[Race: Human | Role: City Protector]
[Strength: 89 | Agility: 94 | Stamina: 86 | Senses: 100 | Combat Skill: 97]
[Unique Trait: Deathscent – Can detect undead and decaying matter within a 5-mile radius.]
[Status: Alert | Threat Level: High]
"Wow. Are you into that kind of thing? Tying strangers up, sniffing their necks? That shit could turn me on," he smirked.
She raised an eyebrow, ignoring his last words.
"Only when they lie about being human."
Elias grinned.
"I didn't lie. You didn't ask me any questions, did you? If you had done so, I would answer you truthfully,"
She didn't laugh.
Instead, she leaned closer.
"I should kill you. Right now. You're trouble."
Elias looked her over. The scars on her arms. They are super expensive-looking weapons. The calm way she moved. She was dangerous, more dangerous than most people he'd met.
And that smell thing?
Yeah, she wasn't bluffing.
He tried to wiggle his fingers.
"Listen, Riven, was it? I'm not here to start problems. I'm looking for whoever's behind those marked freaks."
She didn't move.
He kept going.
"You saw that symbol. You've smelled things coming. You know something's off."
Riven stared at him.
Then, finally, she said,
"You want my help?"
"Yeah."
"But you smell like them, just a little bit different," she rubbed the edge of her nose.
"Do I? That must be because I'm charming..." He smirked.
She smiled.
"Not funny, corpse boy. If you want my help, survive long enough to earn it."
And with that, she cut his ropes. She handed him the knife.
"Go untie your girlfriend and don't try anything funny,"
"Yes, mom!" He raised his hand in mock surrender and walked towards the spot where Ivy was tied to a chair.
[END OF CHAPTER NINETEEN]