"Na’s Annie Vale."
"And I’m Lina Rowe."
The two of them held out their hands without hesitation.
Jaxon paused for a brief mont, then reached out and shook their hands one after the other. "Jaxon Hawk."
A short silence followed. Not awkward, just... expectant. The kind that cos when no one wants to waste ti with small talk.
"So," Jaxon said calmly, looking between the two, "what do you want to talk about?"
Annie and Lina exchanged a glance. It was quick, like they had already talked about this before. Then Annie looked straight at him and spoke without going around it. "Our squad leader is interested in you."
"I’m not into n."
Lina covered her mouth as a small laugh slipped out, while Annie imdiately rolled her eyes.
"That’s not what I ant," Annie said flatly. "He’s recomnding that you apply for B-1, the elite units. He said he’s willing to ntor you personally and give you private training before the test."
Jaxon blinked, caught off guard. "That’s... quite an offer," he admitted after a pause. "But I don’t think my sniping is anything special. There should be plenty of soldiers here who are far more skilled than ."
This ti, Lina was the one who rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms.
"You’re seriously downplaying yourself," she said. "Your aim is sharp. And you’re athletic. Your speed and agility are above average. With that alone, I’m confident you have a high chance of passing the elite test."
Jaxon let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. "You think too highly of . I might be physically capable, but I’m not as skilled as you think. I never had any military training in the first place."
"You didn’t?" Annie asked, her eyes widening in genuine surprise. She quickly cleared her throat a second later, as if realizing her reaction was too obvious. "How old are you?"
Jaxon raised a brow at the sudden question. "Is that important?"
"Not really," Lina replied cheerfully, tilting her head. "But now I’m curious too. Annie and I are both turning twenty-one this year. How about you?"
Jaxon looked at the two young won standing in front of him. They were skilled, sharp, and carried themselves like trained soldiers, yet their mannerisms still showed their age. Young, but already used to danger.
For a brief mont, he wondered what kind of life they had before ending up inside a safe zone like this.
"I’m turning twenty-five," he answered simply.
"Hmm... so the gap isn’t that big," Lina muttered, nodding to herself. Then her expression brightened again almost instantly. "Anyway, if you join B-1, it would honestly be good for you. And for your group too. You’ll get better rations, better housing, more zone credits, priority access to supplies, dical care, and equipnt. Elite units are treated very differently here."
She counted them casually on her fingers.
"And training facilities, weapon access, and faster clearance if you want to move between zones."
Jaxon listened quietly without interrupting.
Luxury food, shelter, protection. To most people, those would be more than enough reason to accept imdiately.
But to him, those were things he had already learned to live without. Even simple als and a safe place to sleep were already luxuries compared to life outside.
Lina leaned forward slightly. "So? It’s a pretty good deal, right?"
"If that’s all you wanted to talk about," he said calmly, "then please tell your squad leader I appreciate the offer. I’ll keep it in mind."
Annie’s eyes narrowed slightly as she studied his expression. "You don’t sound very interested."
"That’s not true," Jaxon replied without any defensiveness. "I am interested. I’m just not in a hurry to decide."
He gave them a small nod, polite but still distant, then turned and walked away at an unhurried pace.
Right now, he had no desire to tie himself to any group.
He understood their reasoning. The rank, the privileges, the protection. It was a good offer by any standard. But deep down, he still felt like an outsider in this place.
Committing to it so early didn’t sit right with him. He preferred to observe first. To understand the place, the people, and the rules before making any decision that could bind him.
Behind him, Annie and Lina stood still, watching his back as he disappeared into the crowd.
Lina leaned slightly closer and lowered her voice. "What do we do now? I don’t think he understands how big that offer is. People line up for a chance like that. I didn’t expect him to be so calm about it."
"He understands," she said quietly after a mont. "That’s why he didn’t jump at it."
Lina glanced at her. "You think so?"
.....
anwhile, Jaxon made his way toward the dical sector. The noise of the market slowly faded behind him, replaced by a quieter atmosphere.
When he arrived outside Sumiko’s room, he stopped. Natasha was standing near the door, arms folded, as if she had been waiting.
"You’re here, Natasha?" he called out.
She looked up quickly when she heard his voice. As she stood straight, he noticed the tension in her face. Her hands were clasped tightly together.
Jaxon’s expression turned serious at once. "What’s wrong? Did sothing happen?"
Natasha hesitated, her eyes flickering toward the door before returning to him. "...Sumiko," she said softly. "We should go see her."
Without wasting another second, Jaxon pushed the door open and stepped inside. Natasha followed quietly behind him.
The room was quiet.
Sumiko was curled up on the bed, hugging a pillow close to her chest. Isabel sat beside her, watching over her in silence.
Physically, she looked better than before. Her breathing was steady, and the color on her face had returned. But sothing about her posture felt off.
"Sumiko," Jaxon called gently as he walked closer. "Are you alright?"
Sumiko slowly turned her head. Then, without a word, she turned back around and curled in on herself, facing the wall as if she didn’t want to look at him anymore.
Jaxon stopped where he stood. Confusion flashed across his expression.
Normally, she would smile the mont she saw him. Sotis she would even perk up and call out to him first.
"Jaxon, she’s..." Isabel began softly, her voice careful.
Before she could finish, a trembling voice cut through the quiet room. "You’re not my Brother Jun."
Jaxon’s eyes widened slightly. Then a small, quiet smile ford on his lips. "So... your mories ca back," he said softly. "I’m glad."
He had always known this day would co. It was never ant to last forever.
He took a slow breath, steadying himself. "You’re right," he continued in a calm voice. "I’m not him. Your brother..."
"He’s gone," she whispered, her voice breaking. Her shoulders began to shake. Tears slipped quietly down her face as she buried it deeper into the pillow.
"We left him behind," she murmured. "He’s gone... Brother Jun... he’s dead..."
Jaxon, who had been about to step closer, stopped mid-step.
His chest tightened, and his breathing grew a little heavier, though his expression remained steady.
He did not interrupt her, nor deny anything. He simply stood there and listened as the weight of her mories finally caught up to her.
The room felt quieter with every sob she let out. Then Natasha’s voice broke through from behind him.
"It wasn’t Jaxon," she said, her eyes shadowed with guilt. "I... I was the one who pulled the trigger."
Jaxon imdiately raised a hand, stopping her.
"We did what we had to," he said quietly. "It had to be done."
He lowered his gaze, letting the words hang between them.
"And I’m sorry..." he added softly.
Sumiko didn’t respond. She stayed curled into herself, as tears continued to fall.
"Let her rest," Isabel said softly, her hand resting lightly on Sumiko’s arm. "She’s just a child. She’ll understand one day."
Jaxon slowly shook his head. His eyes returned to Sumiko’s trembling figure.
"You don’t have to forgive , Sumiko," he said in a steady but gentle voice. "If you hate , that’s fine."
He paused for a brief second, his expression softening. "But no matter what you feel... you’ll always be a little sister to ."
There was no reply. Only the quiet sound of her crying filled the room.
Her sobs slowly grew weaker, her breathing uneven from exhaustion. After so ti, her grip on the pillow loosened, and her body finally relaxed as sleep took over.
Jaxon remained standing beside the bed, silent. Natasha stayed near the door, her hands clenched, while Isabel quietly adjusted the blanket over Sumiko.
None of them moved, none of them spoke. They simply watched, silent witnesses to her grief, until she was safe in sleep.
.....
Morning ca, and Sumiko still avoided him. At least she hadn’t refused Isabel when being fed, and that alone made Jaxon quietly sigh in relief.
"Sumiko," he said softly from the doorway, "I’ll head out for a while. I’ll co back and visit you later."
She didn’t answer. For a brief mont, her eyes flicked toward him, just long enough for him to catch the glance, then she looked away again.
Jaxon gave a small nod to Isabel and Natasha before stepping out.
As he walked down the quiet hall, the image of Sumiko and her brother lingered in his mind. He had prepared himself for this reaction. Accepting it was part of the choice he had made, and he would move forward, no matter what.
Heading toward the residential area, he spotted two familiar figures sitting on a bench near the road. Annie and Lina.
They looked like they’d been waiting.
Jaxon slowed and studied them for a mont. "Are you following ?"
Annie scoffed, "Don’t flatter yourself."
Lina tilted her head with a small smirk. "We just happened to be in the neighborhood."
"...Then I’m mistaken. Sorry," Jaxon said plainly and began to continue walking.
"Wait," Lina called after him. "We wanted to talk."
"If it’s about yesterday," Jaxon replied without turning, "I already said I’ll think about it."
Annie’s tone sharpened suddenly, serious this ti. "Do you really think these walls will keep you safe?"
Jaxon paused, glancing back. "Huh?"
"I thought you were different," Annie said, narrowing her eyes. "Most people who get here start believing they’re safe. They focus on raising their Class like it’s so kind of absolute protection. But out there... those walls won’t an a thing."
Jaxon let out a quiet sigh and turned to face them fully.
"I don’t know why you’re so persistent about recruiting ," he said calmly, "but let’s be clear. I have no plan to rely completely on these walls or on the soldiers. I know how dangerous the infected are. Nowhere is truly safe."
He t Annie’s gaze directly. "Even so... I don’t plan to beco a soldier."
Annie snorted lightly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "You say that, yet you also admit the world is dangerous. That’s... ironic."
"I plan to register for C-5," Jaxon said simply.
Both Annie and Lina blinked, taken aback.
"C-5?" Lina echoed, frowning. "You an the field runners? Why would you choose that? They give basic firearms, sure, but you’ll be going out there alone. No fixed team, no backup unless you sohow gather people yourself."
"That’s not your concern," Jaxon replied evenly.
Lina stared at him, disbelief and frustration flickering across her face. "I don’t get you. I thought you’d be smarter than this."
"Think what you want," Jaxon said, his tone calm, "I only have one goal, and that’s to kill the infected."
He started walking again, deliberately ignoring them.
The bluntness of his words made Annie’s eyes sharpen, a flicker of recognition passing through them. She stood quickly, moving to block his path.
"Don’t be so quick to decline," Annie said, her voice serious. "Co with us just this once. I promise, after this, we won’t bother you again."
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