The Red Room

The city was in chaos at this moment. For Dominic, it was a wise move to avoid these places, but his girlfriend lived in a building scheduled for demolition in the coming months.

Emma was overwhelmed with rent, but Dominic assured her that by then, nothing like that would exist. Life as they knew it was about to change.

"I can't let you enter the building." A security guard stopped Dominic from entering the building.

Dominic looked at the armed guard and said, "Sir, my girlfriend is upstairs, and I'm going up those damn stairs. You have two options: take the money and leave with your family to rural areas, or let's see who's luckier drawing our guns."

The security guard looked at Dominic and, realizing things were escalating, accepted the money. He was going to leave this place after all; he didn't want to stay here any longer.

Dominic then approached the building where his girlfriend lived and headed for the stairs. Today, he definitely wouldn't take the elevator for fear of getting stuck without help.

The last thing he wanted was to be trapped somewhere by mistake, having prepared everything, only to die in a damn elevator. As he climbed the stairs, Dominic pulled out his gun, attached a silencer, and increased his pace.

"Come on, answer my call." Dominic called Emma, but she didn't answer. There wasn't a good signal in the city, so he considered that possibility.

"Let's get out of here quickly."

Dominic looked at a family leaving with their suitcases and hid the gun. The last thing he wanted right now was chaos. When he reached the door, he looked both ways and knocked loudly. "Emma, open the door for me."

Knock! Knock!

"Emma, open the door; it's Dominic."

"Don't come in." Emma's voice sounded weak; she seemed unwell. Without hesitation, Dominic shouted, "If you don't open the door, I'll break it down."

At that moment, Emma, who was behind the door, opened it and faced Dominic, who immediately noticed her condition. She tried to hide the blood coming from her shoulder and couldn't help crying out of helplessness.

"What happened?" Dominic closed the door and looked at Emma in silence, while a ringing in his ears made it hard to hear clearly.

Emma, in tears, looked at Dominic and said, "My mom got very sick. She wasn't like this before, but after a few hours of convulsions, I called an ambulance, but no one answered. When I turned around, my mom had changed."

"It's a bite..." Dominic felt like the world was collapsing; his trembling hands moved Emma's shirt aside, revealing the bite mark.

Emma smiled faintly; she had never thought something like this would happen, and neither had Dominic, who had thought he had everything under control. "This is my fault. I should have taken you to the shelter."

Dominic's breath became heavy, his vision blurred, and he didn't know how to react. He couldn't amputate Emma's arm because of the bite's location and because the infection had spread.

For her, it was impossible to keep living from today onward. Being bitten by a walker is something that has no cure. Dominic didn't know what to do; he couldn't see beyond these four walls.

"You have to go; go to the shelter." Emma, after seeing Dominic, felt more confident. There was no regret in her eyes now, and her voice became firmer.

"I'm not going to leave you."

"You don't have a choice."

"There are no options; I'm staying." Dominic looked at the gun in his hands, and an idea came to mind. He looked at Emma, who was sitting beside him, and asked, "You have about six hours at most. Shall we do it together?"

Emma looked at the gun in Dominic's hands and smiled slightly. "Have you suddenly become an idiot? Who will remember us if we're both dead? You told me yourself that people don't die if someone lives on in the other's memories."

"You know what I mean? Emma, you're the only thing I have in this world. My father is missing and most likely dead; my mother died a long time ago. You know I've been building that shelter for us; how can you tell me to let you die alone?" Dominic hadn't considered shooting Emma; he didn't want to do it.

"When we met, I always knew you weren't like others. You didn't feel much attachment to feelings that would crush others. I want you to prove to me that I wasn't wrong; you must do it." Emma looked at Dominic, making sure he understood what she wanted to convey.

Dominic stopped showing his emotions, took a deep breath, and said, "I've killed people before, Emma. I've never forgotten those I've shot."

"And were they bad people?"

"They were all bad people, but you're different. You're the most honest person I've ever met; you gave me a chance, and I'll never forget you."

"Then promise me one thing: help as many people as you can." Emma held Dominic's hand, making sure to give him a purpose before she died.

Her eyes begged Dominic to make that promise.

But Dominic didn't fulfill that promise immediately. Instead, he asked a question: "Why cling to life?"

"Because I know you can and will make a difference." Emma knew that Dominic, despite his flaws, would be a good person. He could make a difference in a world like this.

She could have ended up worse, and she knew that if she told Dominic to end their lives here and now, he would. But she wasn't selfish; she knew that in the future, he could find another genuine purpose in this life. Her death wasn't the reason for Dominic to stop living.

"Take my necklace; let it go when you know you've healed." Emma also didn't want to be someone Dominic clung to forever; he had to continue his life.

Dominic took the necklace, looked Emma in the eyes, and said, "I'll always love you."

"Me too." Emma forced a smile as tears streamed down her face.

At that moment, Dominic, without a second thought, raised the gun and fired.

Bang!

The shot went straight to Emma's forehead, and she immediately died without making a sound.

Silence filled the room.

Dominic stared at his fragile girlfriend's body, unable to do anything but remain silent. The internal screams were eating him alive; his trembling hands dropped the gun to the floor.

He walked over to Emma and picked her up. He wanted to take her to their room.

This world was cruel, and Dominic learned that in the most painful way possible. Immediately, reality brought him back; he had underestimated the virus he thought was weak.

"Aaaaarghhhh!" Dominic screamed as he punched the wall repeatedly with all his might.