Chapter 3 The promise of rescue and the stockpile of supplies quickly dulled everyone's fear. In the days that followed, Noah completely relaxed and indulged himself with Esmeralda-washing clothes with purified water, popping the emergency antibiotics like daily vitamins, and even stripping batteries from devices to power their music player. On the third evening, barely half an hour before the rescue team arrived, Noah burst through the door, interrupting my meeting with the others. "Skyla, quick, give me the serum!" he demanded. I frowned and looked up. "What do you need the serum for? Did someone get infected?" Yet, Noah's response made everyone's jaw drop. "No, but Esme's running a high fever! I've given her fever medication, but it isn't doing a thing. Enough chatter-give me the serum so I can give her the injection right now!" I slowly rose from my feet and inquired coldly, "Do you understand what you're asking for? This serum is the result of three years of research! It can halt the zombie virus within five minutes of infection. "It's still experimental, but it's humanity's last hope... and I only have one dose left!" "I know that!" he snapped. "But that serum kills all viruses, doesn't it? Esmeralda's in pain. Quit stalling and give it to me already!" The conference room went dead silent. The deputy leader couldn't take it anymore. He slammed the table and spat out, "Are you out of your mind, Noah? She just has a fever! You'd waste humanity's last hope for that?" "How is it a waste?" Noah seethed. "Esme's always been frail! What if her condition worsens? Besides, isn't the serum meant to save lives?" When I didn't budge, his gaze hardened. He abruptly raised his gun and aimed at my forehead. "Hand it over. Don't make me shoot you!" "Have you lost your shit, Noah? How could you-" One of my teammates was just about to intervene, yet Noah's gun went off, narrowly missing him. Gazing at the man I had once loved, the sheer absurdity of it all hit me hard. In my previous life, I had brushed shoulders with death countless times to protect him. Yet now, he was ready to kill me for Esmeralda. Reluctantly, my teammates surrendered the last vial and watched helplessly as Noah injected it into Esmeralda. Within minutes, her fever broke. Noticing the color return to Esmeralda's face, I laughed bitterly inside. She pretended to be weak as she pushed herself up, eyes glistening as she looked at everyone. "I'm sorry... It's all my fault! I used such a precious serum. I'm so useless, always dragging everyone down..." One by one, my teammates looked away, unwilling to watch her performance. "Don't say that, Esme. Nothing matters more than your life!" Holding her hand, Noah had tears in his eyes. Esmeralda gazed at him affectionately. "You're so good to me, Noah... I promise I'll protect you with my life for as long as I live!" The way the two of them clung to each other made my stomach turn. In my previous life, I had risked my life for Noah more times than I can count, only to hear him brush it off with, "Isn't that what you were supposed to do?" Yet, Esmeralda's empty promise had moved him to tears. How pathetic. ... Before long, the heavy thrum of helicopter blades filled the air outside the shelter. Realizing the rescue team had arrived, we quickly packed our gear and went out. Noah tugged Esmeralda toward the aircraft, brimming with excitement, but a soldier stepped in front of them. "Hold on. We need to confirm your identities." As the rest of the team filed onto the chopper, the smile on Noah's face ebbed away. "Noah, Esmeralda..." The soldier scanned the list, his brows knitting. "I'm sorry, but your names aren't on it."