✅ Completed Chapter
CHAPTER 138: DEAL WITH DESPERATION
DEAL WITH DESPERATION
You cough violently as the acrid smoke thickens, each breath a struggle. Grimacing, you lean out of the unyielding window, scanning the chaos below for any sign of life willing to negotiate. Bandits, distinguishable by their ragtag uniforms and scavenged weapons, take cover in the building opposite, firing sporadically at the encroaching undead.
With a deep breath, you wave an arm to gain their attention, your voice hoarse as you shout over the din. "I have supplies! Medical kits, ammo! Trade for safe passage!"
A pause follows, tension crackling like the flames creeping closer. One bandit, a grizzled man with a patched eye and a tattered jacket, narrows his gaze, clearly weighing the offer against the current mayhem.
A bullet whistles past your ear, embedding itself in the wooden frame—whether a warning or a missed shot, you can't be sure. But then, through the haze of smoke and chaos, you hear the bandit's gravelly voice. "You got yourself a deal! But make it quick!"
Relief mingles with urgency as you work the latch harder, finally forcing the window open with a grating screech. The heat presses against your back as the fire eats through the walls, hungrily making its way toward you.
With the window now open, you toss out the backpack containing your precious supplies. It lands with a dull thud near the bandit. He nods, gesturing for his comrades to stop firing at your position. But just as you prepare to climb out, the building shudders violently. The floor beneath you groans, buckling as the inferno claims its prize.
The ground drops away, and you're left hanging by the sill, the world spinning as the flames roar beneath you. Options race through your mind, each one a gamble with fate itself.
With a deep breath, you wave an arm to gain their attention, your voice hoarse as you shout over the din. "I have supplies! Medical kits, ammo! Trade for safe passage!"
A pause follows, tension crackling like the flames creeping closer. One bandit, a grizzled man with a patched eye and a tattered jacket, narrows his gaze, clearly weighing the offer against the current mayhem.
A bullet whistles past your ear, embedding itself in the wooden frame—whether a warning or a missed shot, you can't be sure. But then, through the haze of smoke and chaos, you hear the bandit's gravelly voice. "You got yourself a deal! But make it quick!"
Relief mingles with urgency as you work the latch harder, finally forcing the window open with a grating screech. The heat presses against your back as the fire eats through the walls, hungrily making its way toward you.
With the window now open, you toss out the backpack containing your precious supplies. It lands with a dull thud near the bandit. He nods, gesturing for his comrades to stop firing at your position. But just as you prepare to climb out, the building shudders violently. The floor beneath you groans, buckling as the inferno claims its prize.
The ground drops away, and you're left hanging by the sill, the world spinning as the flames roar beneath you. Options race through your mind, each one a gamble with fate itself.