Chapter 2
When he saw I was awake, Archie paused, his eyes cold and unreadable as they fixed on me.
I instinctively tensed up.
There were endless rumors about Archie.
Rumor had it he'd skin his captives alive, and he enjoyed listening to their agonized, final screams.
I was one of Gunnar's people, and now that I'd fallen into Archie's hands, my fate was pretty much sealed.
I closed my eyes, ready for whatever he wanted to do with me, like a lamb to the slaughter.
"You're Brinley Carlson?" he asked.
I didn't answer.
He didn't seem to care and just kept talking.
"Gunnar's healer," he said. "S-Level healer, bound to a single target."
He had me completely figured out.
He must've been watching me for ages.
Maybe he would just let me suffer, unable to heal myself, and watch me die slowly.
After all, my healing ability was useless to him.
"Want some water?" he asked out of the blue.
I opened my eyes and saw him holding out a military canteen.
I didn't move, just eyed him warily.
He caught on to my suspicion, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip himself.
Then he set the canteen down right next to my bed.
"No poison," he said.
He stood up and left the room.
It wasn't until the door clicked shut that I finally dared to take a deep breath.
The injury on my chest had been taken care of, wrapped up in clean bandages.
It still hurt like hell, but at least the bleeding had stopped.
I struggled to sit up, grabbed the canteen, and after a long moment of hesitation, finally took a sip.
The warm water slid down my cracked throat, making me feel a bit more alive.
For the next few days, Archie showed up like clockwork.
He barely talked, just sat around or wiped down his weapons most of the time.
He'd bring me something to eat—ration bars, sometimes a bit of jerky.
In a world like this, that stuff was worth its weight in gold.
I still had no clue what he wanted from me.
One day, one of his men burst into the room.
"Boss, Gunnar's people are here to negotiate!" the guy shouted.
He shot me a look full of contempt.
"They're offering three crates of ration bars to get this woman back," he said.
Then he turned to Archie, complaining angrily.
"Boss, this woman's just dead weight. Her power's useless to us. Why keep her around? Gunnar's treating her like garbage, just dumping her on us. Why waste our food on her?" he grumbled.
I clenched the sheets beneath me.
Three crates of ration bars—that was my price in Gunnar's eyes.
I waited for Archie to answer.
Maybe he would agree.
Honestly, there was no reason for him to keep me.
Archie didn't even look up, just rolled a translucent blue Crystal Core between his fingers.
It was the Zombie King's Crystal Core.
"Out," he only said one word.
The guy froze.
"Boss?" he asked, confused.
"I said, get out," Archie repeated, his tone cold as ever, and the room seemed to freeze over.
The guy didn't dare say another word and slunk out, tail between his legs.
Now, it was just the two of us left in the room.
I looked at him and finally broke the silence.
"Why?" I asked.
Why didn't he hand me over?
Why did he save me?
Archie lifted his gaze, eyes settling on the wound on my chest.
"When Gunnar pushed you out, how did you feel?" he asked.
It was a question that seemed completely out of left field.
I froze.
What was it like?
It felt like my heart was hollowed out in an instant, replaced by nothing but cold, crushing despair.
I didn't answer.
He just kept talking, not waiting for my reply, "How about I kill him for you?"
His tone was as casual as asking about the weather.
But in his eyes, I caught a flicker of wild, murderous intent—like he meant every word.
This guy's a total lunatic.
He'd actually do it.
I shook my head. "Don't."
My voice was quiet, but firm. "I'll deal with it myself."
I would settle the score with Gunnar myself.
Archie stared at me for a few seconds, then dropped the subject.
He tossed me the Zombie King's Crystal Core and said, "Yours."
I caught it instinctively.
The Crystal Core was cold to the touch, humming with an intense energy inside.
"Weren't you planning to use it to save someone?" I asked.
I meant Gunnar's favorite, Adelyn.
Archie scoffed, openly mocking.
He said, "The Zombie King's Crystal Core is insanely powerful. If a normal person tried to absorb it, they'd just be asking to die.
"For someone like Adelyn, who's only infected with the regular zombie virus, a diluted D-Level Crystal Core is all it takes.
"Gunnar isn't clueless. He just needs something to justify himself. A reason to throw me away and still sleep easy at night."