The Undying Epoch (Incomplete)

Chapter 14: Whispers Of The Night

In the dead of night, I awoke to an eerie silence within the shophouse. The dim moonlight filtered through the boarded-up windows, casting elongated shadows on the motionless figures sprawled across the floor. Everyone seemed to be locked in the embrace of restless slumber, everyone except Blair.

Curiosity propelled me to venture into the darkness, to look for Blair. My footsteps muffled by the hushed tones of the night. The door, a stoic guardian, stood firmly shut, which hinted that Blair is still inside the shophouse, prompting me to explore further.

My quest led me to an unexpected discovery-a pull-down ladder concealed in the corner of the shophouse. It beckoned me towards an unseen realm, and as I ascended, a rooftop panorama unfolded before my eyes.

There, under the starlit canvas, Blair stood silhouetted against the city's fiery glow. The skyline, once familiar, now bore the scars of chaos-screams intertwined with distant gunshots painted a haunting symphony.

"Couldn't sleep either?" I ventured, my voice a mere whisper against the backdrop of unfolding nightmares.

Blair turned to face me, the weight of the world etched in the lines on his face. "Sometimes, it feels like sleep is a luxury we can't afford."

"Are those gunshots? Thought we didn't have guns here." I said, aknowledging the distant gunshots and flashes that highlighted the streets.

"Yea, probably the military. You'd think that they would have control over this tiny country wouldn't you?" Blair answered with a rather questionable sypnosis.

"Hmm. Maybe we should go towards the gunshots tomorrow. I mean not literally but we should see if they have a place for us to go." I added, with a little shade of hope.

Blair nodded as an indication that it may not be as bad of an idea.

As we gazed upon the city engulfed in turmoil, our conversation delved into the profound. Life, death, the fragility of existence-we explored the depth of our thoughts under the vast expanse of the night sky.

Blair's eyes, usually dancing with mischief, now held a solemn truth. "There's something I need to tell you," he confessed, his words punctuated by the distant echoes of chaos below.

In the quietude of the rooftop, Blair bared his soul. He revealed the hidden truth-his encounter with the infected larker in the armory, the inevitability of his fate, and the unspoken pact he sought.

"I don't want to turn into one of them. If it comes to that, I want it to be on my terms," Blair admitted, a plea for understanding lingering in his eyes.

"There's a place, not too far from here. Hela knows where i'm reffering to. It's a really weird place if you ask me. There's a tree in the middle of it, surrounded by a tiny patch of grass, about four meters in diameter. But, thats the only green there. Surrounding it are dead grass and bushes and just dirt. It's weird but i always find it beautiful in a way. A single birch tree surrounded by a small patch of grass with nothing else around that. 'The Lonely Tree'. " Blair explained about a tree that surprisingly, made him seem enlightened in the moment.

"I always told Hela that i would want to be burried there someday. She would constantly wonder why and i would always reply by saying "maybe then 'The Lonely Tree' wouldn't be so lonely anymore. " Blair continued.

Somehow his insight on this is indeed enlightening, even to me. I let out a sigh of relief with a heart that is contented.

A solemn agreement emerged between us-a promise to face the impending dawn together, to navigate the treacherous path that awaited. As the city below continued its descent into chaos, a new resolve took root.

The fiery horizon, a tapestry of despair, fueled our determination. Tomorrow would lead us to a military base, a beacon of hope in the relentless storm. Little did we know that the shadows that whispered their secrets would shape the choices awaiting us in the dawn of a new day.