Myles stepped into one of the classroom. The room had once been a place to study but now,with its overturned desks and scattered debris, it served as an impromptu military meeting room.
The five soldiers he had encountered earlier stood inside. Their eyes tracking his every move with a mix feeling of curiosity and wariness. Their rifles were slung over their shoulders and their postures remained rigid.
Myles sighed. He still remember that he had just fought for his life outside while they stood behind their gate watching. But enough of that, he will let it slide cause he kinda understand.
One of the soldiers stepped toward him. He was tall broad-shouldered man and built like a damn tank. Despite his intimidating presence his expression was calm.
He have sharp face and short cropped hair that made him look every bit like a real soldier but what stood out most was that he seemed around Myles' age, maybe twenty-four or just a little bit older.
"I'm Captain Ryan Carter," the man introduced himself. "I lead this unit and now the survivor here as well because of the situation."
Myles noting the captain's composure. Unlike the others Ryan didn't look at him like he was some kind of monster. More like he was assessing him, trying to understand what he was.
Ryan continued. "We arrived here about a few hours ago. We were close to the city when everything went to hell. The monsters came too fast for us to hold our ground. The chain of command in our unit fell apart instantly because some of us had become monsters so we took what survivors we could find and fortified this university.
"There were still students and teachers trapped here, so we made the decision to turn this place into a stronghold for now. We don't know how long we can hold it here."
Myles listened. So they had done pretty well and saving all these people.
Ryan sighed and gestured toward one of the overturned desks, silently inviting Myles to sit. Myles folowed him and sit.
"The situation isn't getting any better here," Ryan said. "We've been keeping this place secure but supplies are running low. Ammo, food, medicine, it's all drying up. A lot of wounded people here and sometimes monsters breaking inside."
Myles listened in silence.
"I can see that you're stronger than any survivor we've seen so far. You took down those things by yourself. Two of them. If we had someone like you helping us. We could keep this place save, and save more people."
Myles remained silent, mulling over his options.
He knew he couldn't do everything alone because sooner or later, stronger monsters would show up and he'd need allies.
He still had no idea when Lilian would return or what kind of help she might need when she did. Maybe by keeping these people alive, he'd find a few worth bringing with him when the time came.
But he couldn't be too soft. If he let them, they'd just rely on him until it got them all killed.
"I'll help," Myles finally said with firm voice. "But in the end, these people need to help themselves if they want to survive. You get what I'm saying, right? They need to fight, or they need to be useful. Otherwise, they will just die and I won't be bother to help them."
Ryan studied Myles for a moment, his sharp eyes gauging the meaning behind his words. The other soldiers exchanged glances, some nodding slightly while others remained skeptical and even give him a sharp scowl.
There was a heavy silence in the room before Ryan finally sighed.
"I get it," he said. "You're not looking to play hero."
Myles shrugged. "I'm looking to survive, just like everyone else."
"That's fair. But these people aren't soldiers. Some of them don't even know how to hold a weapon properly. They were students and teachers a few days ago but now they're in a war zone. If you expect them to fight they'll need to be trained first."
Myles smirked, shaking his head. "Training takes time and maybe we don't have that. I'm not a soldier either."
Ryan's expression darkened. "Then what's your alternative?"
Myles didn't answer immediately. He knew Ryan was right—these people weren't warriors. But if they wanted to live, they needed to learn.
"First of all, I guess you all already know about the System?" Myles asked, leaning back slightly against the desk.
Ryan frowned. "The what?" He glanced at his men, but they all looked just as confused.
Myles' eyes widened. "You're telling me you've been out here this whole time without even knowing about the System?" He scoffed. "Then how the hell have you managed to survive and protect all these people? You had to have killed at least one monster by now."
Ryan shook his head. "We haven't killed anything."
Myles narrowed his eyes. "Then how have you handled the ones that got inside?"
Ryan sighed. "We restrain them or we run."
Myles stared at him. "You restrain them?"
Ryan nodded. "Most of the ones that break in are mutated humans. We can't just kill them. They were people, maybe there's still a way to save them."
Myles blinked. Then he sighed, rubbing his temples. These guys still thought there was a cure. However, this was not something science or medicine could fix.
He could almost admire their hope if it wasn't so damn naive. They didn't understand. This wasn't some viral outbreak. It was a magical apocalypse brought down by cosmic entities from the far reaches of the universe.
One of the soldiers behind Ryan stepped forward, eyeing Myles warily. "You've killed people already, haven't you?"
Myles met the man's gaze without hesitation. "Of course I have. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be here right now."
A tense silence fell over the room. Some of the soldiers looked unsettled, while others simply stared at him as if trying to understand what kind of person he was.
Ryan studied Myles carefully. "So what? You think we should just start killing every infected person we see?"
Myles exhaled sharply. "You don't get it. This isn't about what you want to do. It's about what you have to do if you want to survive. Out there, those things don't care about your morals. They don't care if you want to save them. If you hesitate, you die. Simple as that."
Ryan's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.
Myles continued. "You want to protect these people? Fine. But you need to understand that there's no coming back from this. No cure. No miracle fix. The only way forward is through blood. You either fight and survive or you die wishing you had killed them instead."
"How you know about this?" one of the soldier asked.
"I just know. Its up to you wether you want to believe me or not. But I managed to survive until now and gain enough power that you already saw. That's the only way to survive," Myles said.
Silence settled once more, heavier than before. The soldiers exchanged uncertain glances.
"Then," Ryan sighed hevily. "What should we do first? Killing these people?"
"Yeah," Myles said easily.
Then Ryan stand and give his order.
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