Chapter 8 "Wait for me, Esme!" Noah called out as he charged forward, but all he could do was watch Esmeralda climb the emergency ladder. He tried his best to reach for the ladder, but his hand caught nothing but air. Esmeralda looked down at us with a triumphant smile, clutching the precious sample tight against her chest. "Esme... Lower the ladder. I haven't climbed up yet!" Noah's voice trembled uncontrollably. Esmeralda chuckled derisively. "And why should I save you?" Patting the sealed container in her arms, she continued, "With this, all the credit for the mission will be mine!" The blood drained from his face in an instant. "That's not what we agreed on! You... You said once we found the sample, we'd both-" "You fool!" Esmeralda cackled. "You actually believed that? I only stuck with you to get into Skyla's team to stay alive! Do you know how funny it was to watch you argue with Skyla over me every time? "Did you genuinely think I liked you? You're nothing but a pathetic loser..." With that, she swiftly pulled up the ladder and disappeared into the ventilation shaft. Right then, the guttural growls of the zombies were closing in. I raised my gun and took down the first two that charged at us. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Noah standing frozen in place, shaking like a leaf. When one of the zombies lunged at him, I was sure he'd be torn apart. Yet, he dropped into a swift side roll, grabbed a steel pipe, and smashed it hard. He might have been the team's weakest link, but he was still miles better than Esmeralda. I tuned him out and focused only on mowing down the horde of zombies that kept pouring in. Noah, however, looked like a different person. He weaved through the horde with quick, precise strikes. When the last zombie dropped dead, only our ragged breathing remained in the lab. Fortunately, we had stocked up on ammunition and weapons before setting out, and we were in better shape than before. That was the only reason we made it out unscathed. As soon as the danger was over, the deputy team leader rushed over and slapped Noah so hard his cheek puffed up immediately. "You bastard! Was this all part of your plan to kill us? If I'd known, I'd have blown your head off before we even left!" Noah didn't fight back. He dropped to his knees and sobbed, "I'm sorry... I never meant for this to happen. I didn't want to get you all killed..." His voice trembled as he confessed, "It... It was Esmeralda's idea. She said if we took the sample and claimed all the credit, we'd get special treatment back at base. I-I just wanted-" "So, you were ready to get us all killed for her?" I demanded, suppressing my rage. "No!" Noah jerked his head up. "I never meant to hurt you! Esme told me she just wanted to trap you guys here for a while. I didn't know she'd unleash the zombies... I never thought she'd leave me behind!" He crawled to my feet, clutching at my pant leg. "S-Sky, I know I was wrong. I was stupid to trust that bitch. Please... forgive me just this once!" I yanked my leg back and spat out, "Forgive you? You don't deserve my forgiveness!" 1/2