She ran until her muscles burnt under her skin. Until her veins strained against her flesh and became harsh, vile scars cut out from the inside of her body, pushing to burst forth in sicking puddles of red over the earth. Until her feet left bloody, shining crimson marks on the broken streets.

She climbed up hills made from fallen buildings and crushed steel boxes on wheels made to carry men and all their departed wishes. She gripped and crawled over stones, pipes, and wires like some kind of enormous creeping bug...using the hands and feet and heads of the limp, long torn apart and rotting dead within them as very good footstools and ladders. Cresting each by each, all to go deeper into the heart of a long-dead place. One that had finally begun to show it's uncountable wounds. The fires in the street were her helpers; guides that warned her were the rage of the men in masks who'd brought down the city screamed loudest! Where they still gnawed and bit and shredded to pieces the last of the few false guards who refused to accept the truth. Who ignored the flames and their message; who were deaf to the death of Chernobog.

Yet she ran: It was she who could hear them. Who could listen and know their portent, the cold and awful omen coming about right before her eyes, and in exchange for her ear? They helped her. They gave light to the hidden places in this new and mangled land. Showed her the true paths throughout the song of screams for carnage and deliverance that abounded wherever you went. And, from the tops of buildings, or the bodies that littered the ground she walked, they would burn without end.

Burn, and burn, and burn. Burn, and tell her the way.

She saw the black stone of the building. She could taste the fresh blood on the air, but she ignored it. She saw his throat, but she ignored it. She knelt by his side, took the boy of eight years in her arms, and set the bag of food she'd stolen in the madness in front of him.

Feed him? What dead man can open his mouth to eat? Yet, she tried. Took bread, chicken sandwiches, his favorite-chocolate cake to his mouth, and he was still.

Speak? Show me a dead man who can talk, and I will show you the greatest liar in all the world. Yet, she would not face the truth. She talked at length with him! Spoke about all the games they'd played and the lands they'd imagined in the decrepit, disgusting pits of rubbish and shit they'd called home in the alleys and sewers of the city. Of all the wounds she'd taken for him and others; as the false bastards that called themselves protectors drank heavily that thing that kings make in their most wretched and mad hours, and give to the people as poison. That thing that once given but a drop, brought them to strike and kill and maim their own children. The children of their realm. The children of their lands. The children of their own labors and hopes!

She would speak of all of this and so much more, and he was still.

Ah, then-she did all that was left. All that she had left to her: she gripped his cooling body in her arms, she cried without end, and she prayed. Prayed and called out to the heavens for all that the earth had taken from her. She promised herself to god! Promised all that she was and all that she would ever be, all that she knew and all that she felt, to him. To let God do all that she'd seen men who lived in the dark places do with women they took from their homes in the dark hours or anything else he desired. She promised to even give all the world to God, to display all of the treasures and possessions of the world at his feet no matter the cost, should he return to her arms the one thing she had kept alone, in all her time on this earth.

Yet only the ever-burning flames were there for her; only their eternal promise, for greater tragedy. Greater horrors to soon come was her response. What happened next?

Why? she buried her head into the chest of her child and brother and cried. Cried long and hard. Cried, and reviled all the world that God had made and that the one thing that was her's to protect, she no longer had.

A man in a white lab coat walked on the nearby street and glanced over at her. He noted the body she curled close to her, and the marks on his neck.

Huh. Strangulation...you don't see that too often. They usually just shoot them in the head or beat them to death. I guess the people are angry enough to try things slow now. Strange.

With that, he was off. Lin Ye. Male. 22 years old. Veterinary intern. Turned and walked away.

There was something going on up ahead from what he could see. The police were clearing up the remains of a fight against the reunion forces if he was right...

{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}

Gotta be slick now…I'm close...

Lin Ye hastily tried to move past a burly officer in black clothes and light armor, but the man put an arm over his chest.

"A Medic? Oh thank god-but be careful! There's an Infected not far from here. She's gone completely berserk!"

"Oh? Really?"

"Yeah! She's from that terrorist organization-Rhodes Island, I think? A bunch of fucking Infected freaks! Damnit, this whole fucking mess-I kept telling the folks up above we should've killed every-"

"Officer, thank you, but I've got a job to do."

Please, let this be real!

Lin Ye prays.

It has been two years. Please, dear fucking god, let this be real!

He yells this fervently in his heart.

Lin Ye ran into the remains of the battlefield for what seems to be an eternity, and it's not easy in the slightest-all of Chernobog seems to be nothing more than broken buildings, upturned cars, and ruined...well, everything really. Eventually, Lin Ye sees a wounded man lying in the debris and covered in blood.

"Save me, doctor!" The man screamed as he reached out his hands towards Lin Ye.

At first, Lin Ye wanted to ignore him. Looking for the Infected was more important to him.

But, the responsibility of being a doctor makes that impossible. After some hesitation, he ran to the man.

"Be quiet. I will help you stop the bleeding," He said as he took out some bandages. The man wanted to thank Lin Ye, but when he saw Lin Ye's badge, he nearly choked on his words!

"YOU'RE A VET?!"

"Huh, look at that, THE SKIES FUCKING BLUE! Can you fucking shut up?" Lin Ye got a bit pissed. He was saving this fucker's life and he wanted to complain?

"Seriously, if you keep talking I'm going to inject you with the rabies vaccine motherfucker! I'm saving your damn life!"

The man didn't try to rebut Lin Ye. He had lost too much blood, and when he learned he was saved by a vet? He fell unconscious out of shock.

Lin Ye felt speechless. He wanted to ask the man about where the Infected was, but he actually fell unconscious on him.

Why the fuck did I do this? I'm just wasting my damn time!

But soon after patching the man up, Lin Ye discovered a trail of bloody footprints behind the man, who seemed to have escaped from an ambush. The footprints led towards an alley.

Perhaps…

Lin Ye was shaking with anticipation! He got up slowly and followed the footprints. But, when he came into the alley, he was hit with a strong feeling of nausea. It was almost like he was in hell.

Eight badly mutilated corpses were in front of him.

They were killed with sharp objects...The alley is filled with their blood and intestines. Alright, take a deep breath. I need to do this.

When he was somewhat calmed down, he stepped into the alley. Was he afraid? Yes. Extremely. He'd never been brave. But compared to life and death, there are values in living in this world. It was difficult to explain to others, but after experiencing death once already, Lin Ye understood this more than anything else.

That's why he was here.

Walking past the corpses, he noticed one thing: most of the dead were infected. Very few of them were uninfected.

This many...the infected don't always gain powers, but in numbers, like these, there's at least one mutation you've gotta watch out for. This...whatever did this knew what they were doing.

Lin Ye couldn't come to a conclusion on his own, but it didn't take long for him to find the answer. At the end of the alley, he found the only survivor.

The perpetrator.

From the shape of her body, it was unquestionably a woman. One wearing a black robe with a hood over her head. But with white, fine horns. Her head was lowered, so he couldn't see her face.

Is that an Infected?

Lin Ye squinted at her.

She was carrying a long sword kept in a black sheath on her back. He noted the blood on the wall next to her...a crescent splash like someone swiping a long object to get something off of it. Without a doubt, it was her who killed these Infected. When he realized that, Lin Ye felt his chest tighten. He finally found her! He clears his throat, but before he could say anything, she seemed to have noticed his presence and raised her head.

Silver hair. Black eyes. An outrageously beautiful face. Lin Ye was surprised by her beauty. He wanted to say something, but he noticed something strange about her. That woman… No, that girl's body was trembling. Her beautiful eyes show neither signs of calmness nor surprise, but instead?

Rage. Unrepentant pure fury.

Shit!

Lin Ye intuitively takes a step back. That Infected is almost out of control! She's turning from being "human" into being a "beast."

The fuck is this? Is she some kind of infected with an anger mutation? Hulk smash but the hulks a fucking Sarkaz-probably, I can't fucking tell with how many horned races there are not to mention the goddamn rare bloodlines-waifu?... Yeah, that sounds about right for an anime rpg game.

"Go. Leave me…" The girl bit down on her teeth. It seemed to take her much effort to utter a few words alone. Fortunately, there seemed to be something left in her that held her back.

Huh, the cliche that never works. This must actually be Rhodes island...

Perhaps, this is why that man was able to escape. The most reasonable thing Lin Ye should do right now is run away. As far, far, away from her as possible, before she loses control completely and he becomes a stain on the floor.

However...he takes a step forward.

"Don't be afraid," he tries to speak as gently as possible, "Let me help you."

Lin Ye reaches his hand out to her, just like how he tries to pet an irritated cat at work.

The girl's eyes show signs of surprise, which distracted her and made her lose that last bit of control.

"Go now!" She yelled as she drew her sword out. A sword that draws a beautiful arc in the air.

Aiming straight at Lin Ye's head.

She's too fast, but Lin Ye isn't slow. He quickly ducked down, only to barely survive. A few strands of hair on his head were cut off. At this point, the man knows he can no longer hesitate. Running is a death sentence against a fighter like this, so before she could swing her sword at him again, Lin Ye jumped on her and held her tightly. That helped, but it didn't disarm the girl.

She lightly hit his back with her elbow in enormous surprise, and the pain of it almost made Lin Ye let her go.

But he didn't relax his arms. He held her even more tightly.

"It's fine. It's going to be okay, I'm here," Lin Ye says, "Look into my eyes. Wake up and come back!"

He forced the girl to look into his eyes. From the reflection of her pupils, he sees his determination staring back at him.

You brought me to this world,

But for what reason?

Let me see it.

Lin Ye tried to calm her down like petting a cat and said: "Don't be afraid. I am here."

Inside, here's what he's actually thinking: this damn ability of mine better work!!!

As if answering his call, her strength actually subsided. It's almost like putting out a fire. Her rage was diminishing at a noticeable rate right before his eyes. The sword that was supposed to cut him into little bloody chunks to become accessories on her clothes ends up hanging in the air, and all that's left is the surprise in her eyes soon enough.

At that moment, Lin Ye relaxes. He knew he made the right decision.

He takes a deep breath and tries to put on a smile as he says to the girl.

"Welcome back."

{Rhodes Island's Psychologist}

Draft by Demosama

Rewrite by Unreality6