Three days have passed since the tragic death of Aurielle.
As reality seeped in and slowly settled, Vincent slowly learned to live with the grief and the weight of his mistake—the mistake that took a bright, young, innocent life.
Vincent sat on a bed in his new room.
Livia cleared the old room and disposed of the corpses, but Vincent couldn't stay in it.
His new room had two beds opposite each other. They stayed together with Livia for safety.
In the center of the room was a table with two chairs.
'Livia went to check the generators,' Vincent thought, glancing at the door.
His gaze landed on his bandaged arm. 'The wounds should have started closing.' However, he didn't know if the wound in his heart would ever heal.
However, under his grief, a deep fear lurked in his heart. He hadn't received a notification from the system in the past three days.
He didn't want to imagine the number of infected. He could only pray he never received the notification.
Creeak!
The door opened, and Livia walked in.
She had a serious expression.
"Something wrong?" Vincent took the initiative to ask.
"We don't have much fuel left," She spoke, her tone grave.
"So? It's not like we'll die from lack of fuel," Vincent spoke calmly.
With the pain in his heart, he couldn't care for the generators.
Livia frowned. "Vincent, although I understand you, it's time to stop. Dwelling on the past won't make a difference."
Vincent glanced at her and chuckled. But it was not a chuckle directed at her; he chuckled to himself, his patheticness.
Livia supported him mentally several times, and though he slowly let go, it still deeply influenced him.
"Hmph!" Livia scoffed. "Vincent, of Vincent, millions of people have died. Instead of grieving, you should rejoice. Do you know how many would want to be in your place? Be happy to be alive and continue preserving to stay alive."
Tears welled in his eyes. "But she died because of me…"
"Enough of that," Livia interrupted sternly. "You should have priorities, and grieving her death is not one. Especially not now, when death is a common occurrence, and thousands die daily."
"We must get fuel." Her eyes burned with determination. "The hospital is a great shelter. However, we need the generators and fuel to maximize the benefits we get from the hospital. To have the medical equipment working in times like those, don't tell me you don't realize what it means?"
Vincent grieved, but he was not stupid. He knew how helpful the large number of medical resources in the hospital, not to mention the medical equipment, were.
"We are also running low on food supplies." She added. "It's already late today, but we must secure supplies tomorrow."
Vincent nodded. "Alright,"
…
The time passed; several hours flew by.
After eating, they turned the lights off and went to their beds.
Vincent lay on his back, unable to fall asleep as the scenes of that day flashed before his eyes. The scenes that tormented his dreams for the past few days, keeping him awake at night.
The unforgettable scene of the grandfather eating the intestines of his granddaughter was deeply engraved in his mind.
He couldn't forgive himself because, deep down, he knew the real reason he had not noticed Aurielle.
Greed blinded him. He got greedy about contracting the awakened zombie. The thought of the safety it would bring excited him; he wanted to possess it as soon as possible.
Tears welled in his eyes, rolling down from the corners of his eyes.
[Ding]
Vincent's heart jumped.
He grabbed the left side of his chest, tightly gripping it, trying to calm down his heart.
His face twitched as the few tears drops turned into a river, flowing from corners of his eyes.
Looking at the window before his eyes, he tried to keep his voice in.
[The zombie virus successfully spreads]
[50.000 beings infected]
[You received: 2 attribute points]
Vincent's whole body started shaking.
Fifty thousand. The sheer number, he couldn't comprehend it, yet he took that many lives with his actions.
A wave of nausea attacked him as the scenes of rotting, flesh-eating zombies flashed in his mind.
Slowly, he rose from the bed and, with trembling legs, walked towards the door.
"Where are you going?" Livia's voice rang just as he grabbed the door handle.
"T-The bathroom," He replied, trying to hide his breaking voice, but unfortunately failed.
He didn't wait for her reply and immediately left the room.
"Sighh…" Livia let out a breath of turbid air, turning on her back. "I can't believe it. If it was me…" She paused, quickly suppressing her emotions and bringing them in check. "Never mind," She calmly closed her eyes.
…
Thud!
Vincent took a few steps forward before collapsing to the ground.
"Hic…Hic…" He grabbed his throat, struggling to breathe as he felt a huge stone stuck in it. Finally, the accumulated deaths and tragedies he had to witness broke him down.
Slowly, he crawled forward, trying to get as far away from the door of the room as possible.
"I'm sorry…" he muttered, his low, breaking voice bouncing off the walls in the darkness of the hospital as his teardrops fell on the ground.
"I'm so sorry…" He shook his head, thinking of Aurielle. "Had It not been for me…Had I not come here…You all…" Her bright smile as she held her grandpa's hand flashed in his eyes, stinging deep in his heart.
"I'm just so powerless…I can't get revenge for you…for your grandpa…for all of you." How could he get revenge for her? When he was the reason for her death. No matter how guilty one felt, could it compare to his own life?
"I'm… I'm just a coward,"
Thud!
He slammed his forehead on the floor, crying silently, his voice occasionally leaking.
He cried, his thoughts clashing: on one side, his thoughts to justify himself; on the other, his self-blame.
As time passed, eventually, he stopped crying. "I may be powerless..." He raised his head, looking forward in the darkness, his eyes burning with unknown determination. "I can't bring you back to life…but I promise you.
I'll get stronger. I'll create an environment where children like you can live happily and safely like before." He finally came to terms with himself.
His eyes turned sharp as he willed in his mind, and the status window appeared before his eyes.
[Name: Vincent]
[Species: Human (Carrier of the zombie virus)]
[Level 1] – [Exp: 98/100]
[Stats:]
[Strength: 8]
[Stamina: 8]
[Agility: 8]
[Perception: 8]
[Mana: 50/50]
[Attribute points: 4]
[Skills: (Contract);(Command);(Probe)]
'If I want to achieve my goal…to create a space for children…I need to survive first.'
[Agility: 12]
Willing in his mind, all attribute points went into his agility.
"AGHH…" He groaned as an immense pain surged in his legs, accompanied by burning as if his muscles were tearing.
The veins bulged, looking about to burst out.
'Aghhhhh…' Vincent broke the pain, the images of Aurielle flashing before his eyes. But this time, instead of being a source of grief and sadness, they became a source of strength.
'No innocent child shall suffer…especially not because of my greed.' He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain.
He buried Aurielle deep in his heart, never to forget the incident, and with it, he also suppressed the grief for the casualties of the virus.
'Since my mistake killed so many people, and I can't reverse it, I must use the powers it can offer to save as many innocent people as I can.'
As the pain diminished, Vincent steeled his resolve further and returned to the room.
He went to sleep, determined to make the most of tomorrow.