Ash was startled awake by the sound of argument. He groggily sensed his surroundings to find that the noise was coming from above him. He also realised that he was lying on soft comfortable thighs. Jule's must have shifted him from his initial sitting position into a more comfortable lying position. As the realisation hit him he debated if he should sit up and let them know that he was awake or pretend to be asleep and get up when they wouldn't notice.

"Ash are you up?" A soft voice drifted into his ear as the hand on his hair slowly stroked away the curls in his face. An embarrassing flush filled his face as he buried his face deeper into the guy's stomach to hide his shame and hummed in confirmation. He felt the vibrations of a chuckle and felt the hand continue to patiently stroke him as if he had all the time in the world. Ash felt happy inside. An indescribable feeling filled his heart and he squeezed his eyes shut in fear that it will bust out.

"You are still playing dead? Stop being a bother and get up." A hash voice scolded him. It at once chilled all his happiness and gave him a fright instead. But why does the voice sound sour? Seems like saving his life was not enough to change Rhys's opinion of him.

"Mind your own business. Its not like he is bothering you." Jule's defended him and comfortingly patted him to reassure that it was okey.

"How can I do that when we have been waiting for 2 days just so he would wake up. I for one would like to get out of this place. And fast." He said his voice sounding more strange than before. He beckoned to the barricade they had placed against the door. It was rattling softly as if bodies were pressing against the door to get in.

Ash quickly got off Jule and blushed deep red. He knew he was a burden on these two. But he hadn't yet given up on life and thus wanted to get out of this place just as much as the other two. "Let's get going then." Ash responded quickly and jumped up to his feet. The sudden motion made him dizzy and it took him a moment to get back his balance. All three of them shoved a desk against the wall and climbed up into the vents. Right before he got in after Jule, Ash was pulled aside by Rhys and his whisper reached his ears. "Once we get out of here we need to have a long conversation." The words send a chill down Ash's spine. He didn't say anything and as soon as he was released slipped into the air duct at lightning speed. He was still drained of energy. The two days of sleep only gave him enough strength to walk around. If they got bitten again, then all of them were doomed. He slightly hinted about it to the two men so that they would be more careful and not let down their vigilance just because they had a healer with them. They moved swiftly but carefully. Every time a opening came into view, they would check their surroundings and the situation outside. After around 15 minutes of uncomfortably crawling around Ash hd a feeling that they were lost. After all they had only paid attention to the ducts to get them to the blood bank and didn't focus too much on their return journey.

Just when his knees were about to give out and he was about to take a break, he spotted something through the opening closest to him. There were obvious signs of battle. And they were freshly done a few days ago. Ash was sure that other than them there was no other group foolish enough to venture into a heavily infected area such as a hospital. That could only mean that it was done by their own team. Just like him the other two had also witnessed this scene. Ash who was still unaware that Josh was already safe and sound looked at Jule with concern. The battle scars showed that the living had a great disadvantage over the other as the were overwhelmed by shear numbers. Ash noticed the dead body of a former comrade and then spotted the gun and ammo bad clutched in his hands. He and Rhys were already out of ammo and thus could only depend on their bare hands to fight the zombies once they get out of the ducts. Unless the gathered the loots from their fallen comrades.

But what Ash found suspicious about the whole sitution was that this was not an area that the other team was supposed to enter. They were told to stick to the cleared out and safe areas of the hospital, gather the supplies and get out. So why were they wandering into the places that they weren't supposed to be in the first place.

Ash looked back at Rhys to see his opinion and he saw him nod slightly. Without any words spoken he understood that he wanted to risk going down and retreating the gun and bullets. With a bit of hesitation Ash lifted up the cover and observed outside. It was mostly empty as the zombies must have chased after the few escaping humans. With quick fluid motions he jumped down and landed lightly on the soles of his feet. Rhys and Jule followed after him. They approached the corpse of the comrade and observed the numerous bite wounds were the flesh had been torn out. His chest was torn open so much that his rips could be vaguely seen. The person had his eyes wide open as if he was still in disbelief. A clean bullet hole was visible on his forehead. "Its strange." Ash whispered while observing, as he was afraid that his normal voice would attract unwanted attention.

"What is?" Jule asked as he bend down to retrieve the gun and the bullets from the corpse. He then proceeded to close the wide open eyes in a show of respect for the departed.

"The man has his gun and body turned in one direction while his gaze is looking in the complete opposite direction." Ash pointed out .

"He is looking in the direction from were the bullet shot came." Rhys concluded for him in a dark voice.

"That would mean that someone had gone further into the facility rather than running away." Jule's asked surprised. "What could have been their purpose." Just as he was pondering deeply about it all three of them heard a faint rattling sound followed by rhythmic soft knocks. There was no way that it was done by a Zombie. This could only conclude that there were still survivors other than themselves inside the facility. They must have heard their faint conversation and started signalling out to them.

"Let's go and check?" Jule asked his team and saw both of them nod before following his lead.

The rapping sound came from inside a tightly closed door that had storage written across the door. With everyones consent Jule slowly knocked back at the door in the same rhythm coming from inside. As soon as he finished a hurried and desperate voice sounded from behind the door. "Who is it?"

"Its Jule, Rhys and Ash." Jule responded carefully. The voice they head sounded similar to the captain's. Just because he was alive didn't mean that it was ck

Completely safe inside. Once they listened closely, faint roars and growls could also be heard from inside.

"Please help. Its safe inside. I will unlock the door." They had never heard the captain sound so desperate. Soon they heard the door unlock and Rhys slowly pushed it open with the newly found gun raised in defence. Once they saw the inside of the room they all panicked at once. There was lot of dried up blood on the floor. The captain lay against the wall drenched in his own blood. He had a glaring wound across his stomach and parts of his intestine could be seen. He must have used his jacket to stop the bleeding as it was completely soaked and dripping. What was more concerning than this was that there was a familiar faced zombie in one corner tied up tightly against the shelves. She started snapping and growling as soon as she saw the fresh humans. Elaine? Ash only knew her as the woman who was always by captain Ian's side like his secretary. While he froze at the sight, Rhys didn't hesitate to raise his gun and point at the zombified Elaine.

"No wait. Please don't." Ian stopped him with his plea. The injured man even tried to find some strength to block the path of the gun. As Ash saw the wound start to bleed again he rushed forward to support the captain who was swaying dangerously on his feet. But I an refused to budge and Rhys and he ended up in a staring contest for a while.

"It is dangerous to have a zombie in the same room as you." Rhys spat but Ian refused to listen and remained standing regardless of Ash's tucking to get the injured man back to sit down. His face was very pale and he was breathing hard while fighting against the obvious pain that he was enduring. Finally Rhys lowered the weapon and hissed, "you better have a good explanation for this."

Ian finally relaxed and let Ash lead him to sit back down.he coughed several times and blood came out from his mouth. The smell made the zombie in the room go wild. Ash was feeling worried and frustrated. Ever since he started supporting Ian he had been trying to inject his power to save him. But it was like something was blocking off his skill. Not even a drizzle came out to stop the bleeding. Instead he felt like his energy was draining even without the intended result. He looked worriedly at Jule who was watching him intently. 'Not working?' He mouthed at Ash. And he shook his head desperately. He came over and placed a hand on Ash's head to help him calm down. While he was trying to comfort the boy who was still trying his best, his eyes darkened. It was obvious that Ash had overexerted himself before and that he was still out of it. Now he was forced to use his power again and it wasn't working. The boy was just too kind wanting to save everyone he could. If the captain dies now, he would be riddled with guilt and self blame. But observing the wound that the captain had, it was impossible to save him without Ash's skill. "Ash remember what you told me before, you have to know when to let go." He whispered close to his ears. At once he saw Ash's eyes tear up. He looked at Captain Ian who was observing him curiously as to why he was holding on to him and then at Jule who gave him a serious nod. Tears tickled down his cheeks as he finally let go of Captain Ian and was pulled into Jule's embrace.

Ian was confused as to what was going on. Only when Ash burst into tears did he think that the boy was so worried and sad about his state. He felt touched inside. He already knew that he was on the brink of death and that there was no one who could save him. His impression of Ash immediately raised by leaps and bounds. 'Such a kind child. If its him he will do the task well.' He softly touched the box in his pocket and sighed. He did what he had to do. But his image as a caring commander wound be ruined. Even with the risks he was the one who led the people here to their doom.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Why is Elaine tied up here!" A cold voice with a tint of anger said breaking his train of thought. Ian looked over at Rhys and saw that even though his words were directed at him. His burning gaze was glaring at the two by his side. He really looked unhappy.

Ian came to a sudden realisation and couldn't help but chuckle in his heart. Outside he showed a serious expression expression and answered honestly, "She has been by my side for a long time. Elaine, she was my junior in the military. Honest and trustworthy. After my wife died she was the one who took care of my baby girl, Emma. I owe her a lot. Even now. Were it not for her taking the bite for me, she would not have turned. I..." Ian eyes became a little cloudy as he spoke. She had been interested in him since their training days. He only realised how much he meant to her when she sacrificed herself to save him. "She is always protecting me. Even before she turned she told me to tie her up so that her presence would keep away the monsters outside." As he said this he felt his heart clench painfully. "Before we left for this mission, we were talking about getting together and starting a family."

A few tears slid down his cheeks as he looked at the woman he had fallen in love with. Happy memories of their time together filled his mind. Ever since his wife died soon after their child was born, Elaine had been a constant support in his life. She had been always there, when he broke down because of his loss, when he had parenting issues, when the apocalypse started... He just now realised how a big role she llayed in his life. "It is a bit hard to shoot at the person you love. Right now although she is not sane, she is still alive." As Rhys heard this he scoffed. Ian smiled at him sadly. "We promised each other that if we became infected the other would shoot them down." His voice quivered as he continued. He coughed into his hand and traces of blood could be seen. "I wish to do it myself, but since I am also going to die, I was hoping I could be by her side until the last moment."

"You knew that this raid was a big risk. You also had your loved one beside you. So why did you not give the order to withdraw?" Jule asked curiously. As also sat up and watched Ian for an answer. He had already thought from the start that something was going on. Based on the captain's reputation, he was't the kind to risk his comrades lives so why did he go ahead with this mission?

"Emma was born weak. She got a similar constitution to get deceased mother. Before the apocalypse started, she was diagnosed with active tuberculosis. Of course she can get better but the medication cannot be interrupted and has to be taken 6 months continuously. While we were rushing to escape, there was no opportunity to grab her medicines. After we reached the camp I consulted one of the doctors and he said its still possible to cure her as long as I can get my hands on the right medicament. Her drugs cannot be found in your neighbourhood pharmacies so I had no choice but to pick a hospital to raid. She has been getting worse recently. I had no choice but to come here to find some. She is after all my daughter." As he said this he buried his head in his hands and cried. As he cried Ash felt the heavy weight that he was carrying. Ian was forced to choose between his comrades and his daughter. And as a father he made a choice.

"What happened to the others in your team?" Rhys asked coldly believing that he made the wrong choice. His eyes showed the blame he directed at the man.

"My men who knew my situation followed me further in. The others were asked to find their way out of the hospital and get back to camp."

He responded and as if realising that Jule was Josh's brother he added, "Josh has left with the other team. If nothing unexpected happened he should be safe now." He coughed again. His complexion turning for the worst.

"I know." Jule simply said. Ash thought his answer was that of someone who was trying to be positive and think optimistically about their families safety. 'He must be really worried about him.' He thought at he squeezed Jule's hand in reassurance.

Everyone was silent for a long time as they digested their exchange so far. Everyone having their own opinion on the matter. Which choice was wrong and which is right could not be said. Ian had to fight against his consciousness and heart. His decision must have been the hardest one he ever made in this life. The devastation and self blame was clearly visible on his face. And now he was unsalable as well. So was the risk worth it? Did he accomplish anything? How is his daughter going to benefit from him dying? Seeing. The doubts on the faces of the people around him, Ian beckoned Ash towards him. He then gently placed the box of medication he had kept safely tucked in his pocket into the boy's hands. "You are a good kid. I ask you to do me a favour and look after my girl." Ash silently accepted the box with watery eyes and nodded his head head. He was blaming himself for his incompetency. He will look after the little girl as an atonement for not being able to save her dad. Until the day he dies he will ensure that she is alive and well. Seeing the boy's eyes tear up again Ian couldn't help but chuckle. Throughout his life as a soldier he had seen several comrades die. For him laying down his own life was alright as long as he knew someone good would take care of his little girl. Now that he found Ash he was finally relieved and could put down the worries in his heart. Josh made a good decision in bringing him along.

After he gave his final wish and suggestions, he ushered them to leave as soon as possible and not idle around. He left them all all his ammo, except for two which he kept with his gun. They also filled their bags with all the random medicines they saw in the storage cabins.

As soon as all three of them stepped out of the door and closed the door behind them, they heard two consecutive shots. The previous rhythmic knocking was gone. the low growls and roars were gone. A brave Captain and his love chose their deaths together.

They stood silently outside the door for a moment. Ash's heart was full of pain. He suddenly noticed Rhys looking at him with a mocking smirk. He shuddered. Whatever the guy was thinking about couldn't be anything good.

"Let's not linker. Hurry!" Jule said as he heard the faint sound of uneven footsteps approaching them. The sound of the gun shot must have attracted the nearby zombies over. "They are coming."

After the heavy blow to his emotions and the drain of his energy yet again, Ash was feeling completely out of it. He didn't really have the strength to run. But he forced himself to move after Jule's lead. The next few minutes were a blur for him. He remembered running a lot since they didn't get a chance to climb back into the ducts. Then there was shooting and more running as several zombies chased them down. He still doesn't exactly recall how they managed to get out of that building but once the heavy rays of the noon sun hit his face, he remembered feeling burden free and happy. They met up with the pitiably few survivors who were still lingering in the vicinity since Josh refused to return without his brother. He threw a big tantrum like a spoiled child and even broke someone's nose who tried to persuade the others to return. Right after the feeling of safety filled his heart, he fainted once again. The last thing he remembered were two sets of worried eyes, one blue and the other dark chocolate brown, looking down at him. The next time he opened his eyes they were back at the camp and he was attached to an IV drip lying in an unfamiliar room which appeared in to resemble a hospital ward. He was told by a Woman, who was supposedly the doctor, that he was comatose for almost a month. There were several people against wasting resources on him but most of the people he arrived with at the camp along with even a few of their own stubbornly stood guard so that not even an ant could pass without their knowledge.

The doctor continued to say that his body was completely fine so he must have fainted due to extreme stress/fright and malnutrition. Other than that she couldn't think of any other reason.

Later when people came to check on him, they found that his bed was empty and the person long gone. They wondered why Ash didn't come to them after he woke up. The reason was quite simple. One, he wanted to go and see the little girl whose guardian he was going to be from now on. Two, he was scared that his healing powers were now known by everyone and they would blame each death that happened on him. three just just wanted to be alone for the time being and sort out his thoughts. And fourth, he needed to gather some information. For that he had to meet up with Zuri.

He asked around several times before someone pointed him to the right direction. It was the house of an elderly woman. She opened the door warily as she noticed the unfamiliar figure standing in front of the door. A loud playful laughter of children drifted out from the open door. It seems like she took on the job of a caretaker as their parents or family risked their lives going on raids.

"Who?" She asked curiously. The boy standing in front of her looked very beautiful and harmless. Since the apocalypse started it was hard to find people like this. Either they will be full of cut and bruises that the previous glow was hardly visible anymore or they had gone on too many raids outside and their aura would become, cautious and dangerous. They boy had neither problems. There was hardly a scar visible on his pale smooth skin, and he gave of an impression of a little kitten rather than a ferocious tiger. 'He must be someone who is kept by someone powerful. Not having to worry about any dangers from outside.' Ash didn't know that his healing skills had caused such a big misunderstanding. If he had a normal person's body then his body would also be littered with wounds big and small.

"I am here for captain Ian's daughter, Emma." He said. The woman's eyes widened. Everyone in camp already knew that the hospital raid went very wrong. They did bring back medications but list more than half of its team. Along with captain Ian. After the woman had heard of the captain's passing, she was wondering what would happen to his sickly daughter. She would most likely not survive long now that her main pillar of protection was gone. But it looked like the captain had made arrangements before he departed. She slowly nodded at the youth waiting patiently for her response and beckoned him inside.

The room inside was one of the better ones he had seen so far. It seems like humans haven't thrown a way their conscience completely and still protected the young ones. There were several children of various ages running around or playing games. It looked harmonious and joyful. "Wait here for a moment. I will go get her." Ash wa s a bit confused. Was the child not in this group? Seeing his look the elderly woman understood at once and said, "Sometimes she likes to be alone. She is a strange kid." Ash simply nodded and watched as the woman walked off into one of the inner rooms which looked like a dining area. As soon as she left, Ash felt several gazes turn towards him. Some were curious, others shy, while others had a wicket glint in their eyes.

The woman took some time to returned as she had to persuade the child to follow her. On her return she found Ash under a heap of children. His cloths and were disheveled. There was some sort of paint on his face, under his eyes and lips. Someone had taken great effort to tie his hair up into small coconut trees. It looked like he was forced to play horse and ended up getting squashed underneath them. The woman couldn't help but chuckle. But she had to admit that the sight was adorable. The boy fit right in into the harmonious atmosphere pf the children.

After she dragged all the children off him, she saw him weakly stand back up before patting off the dust on his now wrinkled cloths. Even a few of his buttons were missing during the struggle. After he was able to catch his breath he noticed a small face peeking at him from behind the elderly woman. 'So we finally meet.'