"Guess… this is our last stand," Alexei said, forcing a grin, though a line of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Melina gave a small, weary smile. "Then let's make it count."
The ground trembled as the horde roared and lunged. Melina reloaded her pistol with trembling hands. Alexei's shield—cracked and blood-smeared—raised once more. But before the first corpse could reach them—
Everything stopped.
The zombies froze mid-lunge, twitching as if confused. Then, slowly, they turned… not toward the two survivors, but somewhere else entirely.
Melina blinked, lowering her weapon. "What—?"
The moaning grew louder and angrier—and the undead suddenly shifted direction, rushing toward a new arrival. The sound of cracking skulls and tearing flesh filled the air.
A calm, amused voice echoed through the haze.
"These parasites are really getting annoying."
The smoke parted as if sliced by invisible blades, revealing a man walking through the carnage like a stroll through a park. His coat flared lightly in the breeze, not a single speck of blood touching him despite the slaughter unfolding around. His expression was almost casual—a faint smile curving his lips, eyes sharp yet calm.
He raised one hand lazily in greeting. "Hallo. My name is Alastor. Good to see you. I thought everyone died."
His tone carried no urgency, no fear—just mild curiosity, as though meeting old acquaintances in a café instead of the apocalypse.
Behind him stepped two figures—Shalltear, crimson eyes glinting mischievously, her silver hair flowing behind her; and Kate, holding her bow tightly, scanning the ruins around them.
Melina and Alexei blinked in disbelief.
Kate stepped forward, her voice quick, almost hopeful. "Do you guys know someone named Kamala or Riri?"
The two exchanged glances, hesitant. Alexei scratched the back of his neck, while Melina's gaze softened slightly.
"I know Kamala," Melina said quietly. "We worked together for a while. But… Riri?" She shook her head. "No, I don't think I've met her."
Kate's expression flickered with both relief and worry. "At least she's alive then… " She extended her hand awkwardly. "Sorry, my name's Kate. Kate Bishop."
Shalltear stepped beside her and curtsied slightly, her voice elegant but sharp. "And I am Shalltear Bloodfallen."
Alexei raised an eyebrow. "Bloodfallen? Huh. Sounds… dramatic."
Shalltear's grin widened dangerously. "You have no idea."
Melina, ever the pragmatic one, wiped a smear of blood from her cheek and looked at Alastor. "You're not from here, are you?"
He chuckled softly, glancing at the still-writhing zombies that avoided his proximity as though repelled by something unseen. "Let's just say… I'm visiting."
Melina didn't push further. Instead, she motioned toward the north wing of the base, her tone shifting back to command mode. "If you're looking for survivors—or Kamala—she's in the garage. That's where we left her… and our daughter."
Kate blinked. "Your daughter?"
"Yelena," Melina said simply. "She's holding the line there. Or at least, she was."
Alexei gave a weary laugh, his massive frame shaking. "She's probably yelling at us for taking too long. "
For the first time, a hint of warmth crossed Melina's battle-hardened face.
Alastor nodded slightly, turning his gaze toward the direction Melina pointed. Through the drifting smoke, faint gunfire echoed—rhythmic, precise. Someone was still fighting.
"Then we shouldn't keep them waiting," Alastor said.
Kate adjusted her quiver, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly now that there was a direction—a goal. "Let's go, then."
••••
The garage was louder than I expected—clattering metal, hurried voices, and the scrape of crates being pushed into armored vehicles. It smelled of oil, gunpowder, and desperation. Three figures were loading food and water into what looked like a reinforced military Hummer. They moved like people who had done this too many times before—efficient, exhausted, and barely holding on.
Melina walked ahead, and before she could even call out, a woman with silver-white hair spotted her. "Melina!"
The woman sprinted across the garage, throwing her arms around her. Melina froze for a heartbeat before wrapping her arms around the woman tightly. A rare softness crossed her battle-hardened face.
I stepped in with Shalltear and Kate trailing beside me. The moment Kate entered, a blur of brown skin and curly hair shot from the far end of the garage.
"Kate!"
Kamala Khan practically tackled her into a hug, tears already streaming down her cheeks. "How—how did you survive? I saw you die! Captain Marvel… she—she burned you alive; I saw it!" Her words tumbled out between sobs, her voice breaking.
Kate froze for a second, arms still stiff from shock. Then slowly, she wrapped them around Kamala. "It's… it's a long story," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
Kamala clutched her tighter, crying into her shoulder. "I thought you were gone. I thought—"
Kate gently shushed her, brushing a strand of hair from Kamala's face. "It's okay, Kamala. I'm here now."
There was something painfully human about that scene—two survivors clinging to each other in a world where hope had long since burned away.
But even in the middle of that warmth, Kate's whisper carried a different weight. "What happened to Riri?"
Kamala froze. Her lip trembled before she whispered, "She… she sacrificed herself. To save me."
The words hung in the air like smoke—heavy, choking, final.
Kamala's knees wobbled, and Kate caught her before she could fall. The two stayed there for a moment, surrounded by the faint sounds of machinery and muffled sobs.
I wanted to give them a second longer—I truly did—but the sharp scrape of metal on concrete pulled my attention back to reality.
A tall figure in a white cloak was walking toward me. His steps were deliberate, his aura sharp like honed steel. The dim light glinted against the long blade strapped across his back.
He stopped a few meters away, his face half-covered by a cracked mask. The white glow of his eyes pierced through the shadows.
We stared at each other in silence.
Then, without a word, he drew his sword.
The metal hissed like it was hungry.
For a heartbeat, the world went still—even Kamala and Kate froze mid-embrace, sensing the killing intent that flooded the air.
The Blade Knight's stance shifted. His muscles tensed.
Then he lunged at me with impossible speed.
The ground cracked beneath his step, the edge of his sword flashing toward my throat like a streak of silver lightning.
I exhaled softly.
"Now what?"
The fight had found me again.
~~~
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