"Mum…"
The girl seemed to fall into a daze of memories. After a while, she finally said, "I… I don't know where Mum went. That day, the shopping centre just turned into chaos. The speakers were telling everyone to evacuate."
"Mum grabbed my hand and we followed lots of other people, trying to get downstairs. But there were just too many of them. We got separated in the crowd. I couldn't find her anywhere, so I came back to our family's shop…"
"Later on, I heard people screaming for help outside, and those terrifying howls… I-I got so scared, I just hid inside the metal cabinet… Do you think Mum will come back?"
Her voice began to tremble, and though Kael Voss couldn't see her clearly in the dark, he knew she must be crying.
"Don't worry. I'm sure your mum just doesn't know you're here. She'll come back to look for you."
Faced with a little girl, Kael couldn't bear to speak cruel truths. So, he told a well-intentioned lie.
"Really?"
There was unmistakable hope in her voice—clearly, she hadn't noticed that he was merely trying to comfort her.
Kael sighed silently to himself, then quickly changed the subject. "What's your name?"
"I'm Scout Finch. My dad gave me that name."
As she mentioned her father, her voice lit up with pride, her eyes seemingly glowing even in the dark. "My dad was in the army! He died saving others."
Kael nodded. "Then you have to live well. And more importantly, be brave—just like your dad."
"I will!" Scout replied with determination.
Kael introduced himself next. "I'm Kael Voss. You can call me Kael, or just Voss if you prefer."
Scout gave a soft "mm" in response before asking, "Kael… have you seen anyone else out there? I mean… not those things."
"I have…" Kael hesitated a moment, then added, "The outbreak happened so suddenly, but quite a few people survived. They're just in hiding. It's dangerous out there, after all—crawling with those monsters."
Then a thought struck him. "Right, I almost forgot—I saw a woman after I got in here. She said she escaped from Harrington Tower. There might still be survivors there."
At this, Scout grew visibly excited. "Kael! Then let's go to Harrington Tower! Maybe my mum's there!"
Kael's expression turned grim. There were far too many undead roaming outside—it wouldn't be that easy to get to Harrington Tower. They'd have to go eventually, yes, but not without careful planning.
Just then, Scout asked again, "Kael? Why aren't you saying anything? Please?"
Only then did Kael realise—of course. The cabinet was like a metal coffin; once the doors shut, it was pitch-black inside. She couldn't see him shaking his head.
He quickly explained, "Harrington Tower isn't far, but right now… not just the shopping centre—even the streets outside are full of zombies…"
"Z-Zombies?!" Scout interrupted, her voice full of fear.
"Yeah. Just like the ones in Resident Evil. You've seen those, right?"
In the darkness, Kael heard a soft, chattering sound—Scout was clearly shivering at the word "zombie."
"Don't be scared."
He tried to soothe her. "We might not be able to go there right away, but if we get stronger—little by little—one day, we'll wipe those things out. And when that happens, we'll go."
"Okay…" she murmured, though her voice was tinged with disappointment.
Kael continued, "Actually, this shopping centre isn't a bad place. It's well-stocked—supplies, food, everything we need. If we clear out the undead, this could be one of the safest shelters we'll ever find."
…
"No! I want to go to Harrington Tower! I want to find my mum!"
Before Kael could finish, Scout threw a sudden tantrum, her voice rising sharply. Inside the metal cabinet, the sound became amplified, bouncing off the enclosed space and sounding unnaturally loud.
"Quiet!" Kael's face darkened as he snapped, "You shout like that and the zombies will hear you! Is that what you want? If you die, then you'll never see your mum again!"
"…hic…"
Scout curled into herself, arms hugging her knees as she began to sob quietly. She understood, deep down, that she'd made a mistake.
Kael couldn't see her in the dark, but he could imagine her trembling, lips quivering, fists clenched as she tried to hold back the tears.
He sighed. If it hadn't been for her opening that small door earlier, he might not have made it out alive. It may have been nothing more than a simple act on her part, but to Kael, it had saved his life.
She was, technically, his saviour.
He felt a pang of regret for raising his voice.
"…Alright then."
Kael paused for a moment, then said, "We'll rest here for a bit. I've still got injuries that need healing. Once I'm better, I'll take you to Harrington Tower. But…"
He stopped short of saying what he was really thinking—that her mum was most likely already dead.
He didn't have the heart to say it. She was still a child. If she lost all hope now, who knew if she'd even survive?
Sometimes, even a lie was better than the truth—if it gave someone a reason to keep going.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a guttural shriek echoed from right outside the cabinet. Kael felt Scout flinch violently, but she didn't make a sound. She had at least that much self-control—maybe that's how she'd survived this long.
Kael gripped his sword tightly—it was no longer a Chinese miaodao but a slender Western longsword he had scavenged earlier. Judging from the sound, there was only one zombie outside.
Peering through the gap between the cabinet doors, Kael jolted slightly. A pair of cold, pale eyes—more white than black—were staring right back at him.
"Bloody hell," he muttered.
He thrust his sword through the gap, straight into the zombie's skull. With a sickening crunch, the blade pierced clean through.
He kicked the cabinet door open and sent the corpse sprawling backward. In one motion, he yanked the sword out and headed for the kitchen entrance. From there, he could just faintly hear the distant groans of more undead.
"We can't stay here."
Kael turned around and reached for Scout's hand. "Come on. We're heading upstairs."
But Scout recoiled, hesitant. "I-I don't want to. There are so many zombies out there…"
Her face was pale. Her eyes stayed fixed on the body lying on the ground. She wanted to move, but couldn't bring herself to do it.
She'd survived alone this long, but she was still just a kid. The fear she felt was deeper and stronger than any adult's.
Kael's expression hardened. "If you're not coming, I'm leaving."
His voice was so cold that even he felt a chill. But this was a matter of life and death. There was no time for coaxing a frightened child.