CH 12: You Will Regret This Choice

Warning:

This chapter contains a slight indication of Derealization Disorder that might be uncomfortable for certain readers. Please read at your own discretion.

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[[...Martial Law. No one and no place is safe. Stay indoors and stay safe.]]

"Oh no," Samantha gasped.

"Well, it was to be expected anyway," Louis answered nonchalantly as he grabbed the remote and switched off the television.

"This can't be happening," Jared slumped onto the couch. Although the throbbing headache had ceased, Jared was still reeling from the reality he had come to live in.

“How can you be so relaxed about the entire situation?” Samantha demanded.

“Well, would you rather that I started screaming my head off and running around in circles?” Louis asked quietly despite his sarcasm. It was quite clear that the boy was in a grim mood.

Samantha gulped.

“N-No, but-”

“Exactly. Panicking won’t get us anywhere.”

'I must be in the video game,' Jared thought as he glanced at his friends, '...There's only one way I'll escape this.'

Jared stared at the presently blank television screen.

'I need to reach the end of this simulation. But how... Oh,' Jared tapped at his side as instructed by the game center staff, 'No, nothing is happening. Ah! Why did I think it'll work? I'd already tried several times when Doctor Heine tortured me.'

Jared sighed.

‘If I’m truly in a game, the system must have somehow malfunctioned. Could it be due to the lightning storm? Wait… Did that really happen or was that a dream? I think I was electrocuted, right? I remember feeling the pain before coming to this world… Or am I remembering the pain from Doctor Heine’s ‘treatments’?’

"So… What should we do now?" Samantha asked.

'Hah… What should I do now? I know that this isn’t my world… Maybe I need to proceed to the end of the game? But what is the goal?'

"I don't know either. All I know is that we're safe for now. If anything, we should double-check on the exits and do an inventory check."

"That makes sense..."

"Jared, are you coming?" Louis called out from the entrance of the room, just less than two feet away from the door.

"Ah... Yes," Jared answered as he started to get up from the couch.

"Are we really safe?" Samantha asked.

"Well," Louis turned towards them while his hand was turning the doorknob, "There's only one way to find o-"

Without warning, a zombie barged into the room and nearly bit off Louis' ear.

"H-Harold!" Samantha screamed as she watched helplessly while Louis tried to fend off the zombie.

From how the zombie was dressed, it would seem that he was an orderly who got infected. Similar to most of the zombies Jared had encountered earlier, the former orderly had a deteriorated and disheveled appearance. The same darkened blood was drooling from the former orderly’s mouth as he attempted to bite off Louis’ face.

‘This is a losing fight. The orderly is nearly double- no, triple- Louis’ size. I need to help Louis.’

Jared looked around the room hurriedly for any object that he may use to subdue the infected orderly. However, due to the lack of movable items in the room, Jared was left with no choice but to use a table lamp.

Unplugging the lamp, Jared rushed at the distracted orderly and slammed it on his head. The was a sickening crack before the orderly’s body slumped heavily onto the floor.

“Did… Did you kill him?” Samantha asked.

“N-No, I don’t think so…” Jared stammered as he glanced at the unconscious orderly.

Not a second after, there was a rise and fall in the orderly’s chest. The orderly was alive.

Jared sighed softly in relief. His hands trembled from the rush of adrenaline. It was the first time he had ever hit a person.

“Thanks, Jared. Another moment and I’d have been a goner,” Louis said appreciatively.

“Ah, yes… You’re welcome.”

"Are you alright?" Samantha asked although she was still standing a few feet away.

“Yes,” Louis answered as Jared pulled him up to stand.

Upon standing, Louis immediately looked outside the room and into the hallway to ensure that the four of them were the only ones on that floor. Satisfied that they were alone, he closed the door and locked it.

“I thought you said that you did a quick check of this floor?” Louis asked.

“I did… All the rooms weren’t locked, and I did check every room…” Samantha answered.

“Is there any other entrance or stairway aside from the East and West stairways?”

“Not that I know of… But it is an old building after all…”

“Hah… Well, it’s fortunate that you didn’t have to encounter him,” Louis gestured at the infected orderly who lay on the floor, “when you were checking earlier. It would have been a very different story if that happened…”

Samantha trembled slightly.

“There may be another access point that we aren’t aware of. We’ll have to do a thorough check after we’ve sorted this guy out.”

“I-Is Harold one of ‘them’?” Samantha asked as she tip-toed tentatively around the orderly’s body.

“Yes… However, unlike the level of infection we’d seen from Doctor Alister’s behavior and appearance, your colleague has unfortunately passed the point of no return. It wouldn’t benefit us in any way to keep him alive.”

“What? How can you say that?! Are you a doctor? What gives you the right to decide whether or not to end a person’s life?”

“You’re right. I’m not a doctor, but from what I’ve witnessed so far, your friend’s condition will only worsen. Once a person is infected and loses all rationality, they become a danger to the uninfected. The situation will only worsen and become more dangerous if we decide to save every single person who has been infected.”

“Wait… Is he saying what I think he’s saying?” Samantha asked and looked at the pale-faced Jared.

“Yes…” Jared nodded slowly.

“So, you’re going to kill anyone and everyone who is infected?” 

“Yes.”

“Then, what if it was Jared who got infected? Are you saying that you will cold-hearted kill him as well?!” Samantha demanded.

“Unfortunately, yes…” Louis replied.

“Don’t lie! I know how much you care for him! That’s no way th-”

“You’ve forgotten that there are still many patients in this building that we’ll need to look after. At a time like this, there is no place for sentiment.”

“But still… This is a human life we’re talking about!”

“True, but for the sake of the others who aren’t infected, difficult decisions must be made. That’s the only way humanity will survive this apocalypse.”

“I… Are you really okay with all of this?” Samantha asked Jared.

‘Well, if this is really a game, I will be able to exit this world one way or another, right? I mean, it won’t matter if I actually died or had successfully reached accomplished the end of the game… Unless this is like one of those science fiction stories where a character dying in a game would lead to the character’s actual death outside the game as well…’

“Jared…?” Samantha called out to Jared tentatively when he had not replied.

“Ah… Yes, I’m okay with it…”

‘Regardless of what I think, I must do my very best to survive. Only then will I be able to search for clues and hopefully, find a way out of this mess.’

A hand patted reassuringly on Jared’s shoulder. It was Louis.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure that nothing will ever happen to you,” Louis said in a serious tone.

“Ah, thank you. I’ll look out for both you and Samantha as well,” Jared replied.

Then right on cue, the infected orderly groaned softly on the floor. 

“We need to act quickly before he awakens,” Louis warned.

Samantha looked at the boys with sadness and hesitation, “Do we really have to kill him? What if there’s a cure?”

“There won’t be any cure.”

‘‘Won’t?’ Why didn’t he say ‘will not’ or even ‘may not’? I mean… He sounds very certain of that fact…’ Jared wondered.

“How can you be so sure about it?”

“Have you seen a person who has been fully infected? There is no coming back from that. No medicine or prayer can revert the effects,” Louis then gestured towards the orderly, “You should say your ‘goodbyes’.”

“No, I won’t…” as a drop of tear trickled down her face.

“Yes, you must.” 

Aside from the unintelligent groans that came from the infected orderly on the floor, the group was silent as Samantha and Louis glared at each other.

“What do you think, Jared? Should we spare the infected orderly or kill him now?” Louis asked without breaking eye contact with Samantha.

“I…” Jared hesitated.

‘What if there’s a cure, and it’s just a matter of waiting?’

“I think we should just monitor him for now…”

Louis sighed, and Samantha squealed triumphantly.

“Oh, Jared. Thank you for saving Harold!” Samantha said as she pounced on Jared and hugged him.

“Let’s get two things straight. One, that is not Harold but a ‘ZOMBIE’. He no longer has his humanity. We might as well acknowledge that fact in the least”

Samantha pulled away from Jared. She was about to rebut Louis’ statement when Louis continued.

“Two, you will regret this choice later in the future.”

Louis looked solemnly at Jared before he continued once again.

“You cannot be kind and compassionate if you hope to survive in this world.”