Vol 2 Ch 5(Sam): His Choice (Option B Route)

It felt like a massive headache woke me up, and when I opened my eyes I was sitting in a chair, lying my face on a desk. The air around me felt cold, yet warm, something that doesn't really happen often. I raised my head and looked out the window like it was second nature. The sun was setting, turning the sky into an orange haze. This wasn't where I was before was it?

"Guess Kai was right" I heard Lee's voice to my left, I looked over and saw him leaning in the doorway with his arms folded...Kai...it was still surprising knowing one of our teachers became a DT...moreso surprising that Lee wants him dead for some reason...I don't think Lee himself knows the reason why.

"Right about what?" I rubbed my eyes, even though I felt like this was a dream, a part of me felt calm, and it made me want this to last as long as possible.

"He was talking to me a few hours ago, talked about your sleeping problem...you have narcolepsy or something?" His question seemed genuine, I guess I have been sleeping a lot lately, but I didn't think it was that bad. I heard something drip onto the desk, and Lee seemed to have heard it. I looked at the desk and saw red "You alright?" I touched under my nose and I could feel it, blood was trickling out.

"I-I dunno, I feel nauseous" Was this corruption? But...did corruption cause headaches?...it shouldn't be this bad, I stood in the mist for just a few seconds, maybe a minute at most.

"Come on, Let's go see the nurse" Nurse...the school day was over for awhile..there shouldn't be one, and yet, a sense of unease washed over me...maybe I would just tag along.

"Yeah" I got up from the desk and covered my nose with my hand. When I walked over to Lee he got up from the doorway and incrossed his arms. We walked into the hallway, heading towards whatever nurse's office that supposedly still had a nurse here. Other than seeing the orange haze, the school seemed like a carbon copy of the one that I had when I was human.

"So, why is your nose bleeding?" Lee made a motion with his left hand, I couldn't really see it that well though, mainly due to the sun's glare piercing through the window. "Do you have some condition I don't know about?"

"Not really, the only "illness" I had is over" Being in the hospital for a lot of my childhood was painful, not being able to move the lower half of me only made it worse.

"Right...maybe it's coming back?" Right as he said that I felt hurt...if it came back...how many things would change? "Ah! I-I'm sorry...I was just thinking out loud, hehe, I mean, that illness didn't make your nose bleed if I recall" I nodded and the rest of the walk was in silence.

"Is this it?" Lee stopped in front of a door, so I asked.

"Yep!" He opened the door and looked around, as I guessed there was no teacher, Nicholai was looking out a window though... "Hey Nicholai" She looked over to us and immediately saw my bloody nose, and how my hands were getting stained in purple "You have something to h- Oh my god!" In the middle of him asking for something he looked over at me "Why didn't you tell me it got worse!?" He practically forced a handkerchief into my hand "Here...like I was saying...is there anything that can stop a nose bleed? Or just any other thing that can stop it from ending up on everything?"

"I'll look for something, you two should clean your hands though, looks like you just killed someone" Following Nicholai's advice, Lee and I went to one of those larger sinks that the office had, the type of sink that multiple people can use.

"You alright Sam? Feel like you're gonna pass out at all?" As he said that it made me think...wouldn't all this blood loss kill me? If anything, Lee looks like he's dying if anything. As I thought that, a headache washed over me again "Tsk! The hell?" The headache came once he said that. I looked over and saw that his hand was bleeding...why...why would it be bleeding, there's nothing in or on the sink that could cut you and he was fine just a second ago.

"Sam, come over here for a second" I turned off my part of the sink and went over to where Nicholai was calling me, sitting down on one of the beds. Lee soon followed "What happened to your hand?" Nicholai looked down at Lee's palm, seeing it turn into a glossy purple.

"I guess I hit something, or maybe something hit me!" He joked around, but a headache only washed over me once more clearly, my pain was visible to the both of them "Alright, that's it, Sam, you mind if I check something?"

"S-Sure?" After I gave the go-ahead, Lee moved my hair back, looking at my head

"Did a wound reopen or something? Do you feel blood on your head?"

"No...to both of those" I felt something drop on my head, Lee must've forgotten that his hand was bleeding. "Le-" I went to look up at him, but one final headache came over me, and my vision went black.

"Lee!" I heard Nicholai shout out. But I was more focused on another sound...no, not just a sound, a feeling, it was like a rhythm, something kept dropping on my nose. I opened my eyes and finally found the source of the feeling.

"L-Lee?" Lee was above me, a cut on his head dropping blood on me, a spear going through his shoulder and impaling his arm...and a sickle...that goddamn sickle stabbed in his already battered leg.

"I-It's fi-fine...It didn't hit anything vital...i-i'll be okay, I've been...been through worse right?" Even if Lee was right, and he would live, what kind of painful treatment would he have to endure in order to fight with us again...would he even fight again? Eaxura...Raymond said you couldn't die in Eaxura...I just need to get him there. I looked around for my weapons, I was too tired and exhausted to summon it, I'd have to grab it myself. One of my daggers was under Lee's hand, I wouldn't be able to grab it...but my other one, it was slightly to my right, if I just reached I could get it, and maybe use it as a crutch and stand up...but how would I get Lee out?

"Madok-!" I heard an unfamiliar voice call out to one of the Madoka's, yet they were cut off by rocks being launched our way. Before I could grab my dagger, Lee was thrown to the ground, causing my dagger to go out of reach

"You Fucking kid!" Madoka K Resummoned her sickle, it was clear she was tunnel-visioned into only killing Lee. Before she could do anything I grabbed my dagger that was previously blocked by Lee's hand and threw it at Madoka, she deflected it but before she could act the other Madoka tackled her.

"The hell is your problem!?" It didn't take long for both Madokas to stand up and attack one another. To my right, I could hear something, I looked over and saw Nicholai cutting the spear, and ripping it out of Lee.

"I-Is that the best idea?" I knelt next to her

"Better than trying to carry a guy with a 4-foot spear impaled into him, not to mention, I have healing magic, maybe I can stop the bleeding a bit...here" Nicholai moved my hand to cover the bleeding on Lee's shoulder "Just give me a second" I saw Nicholai summon her pistol and fire at something, I looked to where the bullet went and saw a body drop to the floor.

"What's going on!?" I had to shout over the clanking metal from Madoka P and K, the gunfire in the distance, and the audible pain from Lee.

"You remember fighting zombies?" My heart sank as I heard Nicholai answer my question, even if we did have magic and stood a better chance...that doesn't mean the horrors I've seen as a human weren't real. "Well, I'll take that as a yes" Nicholai looked back at Lee, seemingly trying to do something.

"What're you doing?" I don't even recall seeing Nicholai using healing magic...was that how Lee got healed last time.

"It's not working"

"What do you mean it isn't working? How does magic not work!?"

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what the...

"Sam! Catch" I heard someone call over to me, when I looked something was coming my way, when I registered what it was, it was some sort of box. I caught it "Give Lee one" I looked up and saw Neal fighting zombies...from the looks of it, he didn't have magic either. I opened the box and saw gas masks, the type that I saw during the trials.

"Here, give me two" Nicholai grabbed two from the box, using one arm to put on her's and the other to put it on Lee's face, when she got done setting her's up she helped Lee adjust his, all while I was setting up mine, yet it wouldn't go on, all I could feel was the mask hitting something

"Your...ponytail is stopping it" Lee sat up, seemingly trying to stand, despite being against Nicholai's resistance. I pushed my hair out the way and set it on.

"Alright! You wanna stand then come on!" Nicholai raised Lee up and leaned him against herself, luckily we're practically all the same height.

"You fine on your own?" I made sure Nicholai would be alright carrying Lee by herself, after all from the looks of it he had tons of gear on...there was something else I noticed though, it was hard to see, but from where me and Lee originally were, there was cloth laying there, something that you would put your arm in so it could heal, right...his arm was in some sort of bandage when we first found him. I fully stood up as I got my bearings. Kenneth was being helped by Matt

Two other people were helping out Kyle, two people I haven't seen before.

"Sam!" Nicholai called me, helping me regain my focus "They'll be fine, let's go!" I followed Nicholai's Lead.

"The gasmasks will allow you to enter the mist, I already gave the others some" Neal came to my side, looking behind us "Is Lee gonna be fine?"

"I...I'm alr" He began coughing, and although it was a very small and unnoticeable amount, blood came out "Nevermind" He put his hand to his shoulder, covering his wound, staining his hand in purple

"We'll get him to Eaxura" Neal went to some form of radio, but all we heard was static. "Damn it, MEMP"

"MEMP?" All three of us said it at once, although, Lee was struggling

"Think of it as an EMP but it also affects magic, so magical EMP and so on." Neal answered our question immediately. While we were chatting a sickle flew past our heads.

"I think it's about time we go!" Matt walked past us, supporting Kenneth.

"You said it!" Then one of the people I haven't seen before spoke, helping Kyle get out as well...I thought to myself, Madoka P would be fine right? While looking back at the two Madokas I knocked into something, it was my dagger that Madoka K deflected, I picked up my dagger looking back to the others

"I'll cover!" One dagger was enough, it's zombies after all and I was used to fighting now...no who am I kidding, I'm a sniper for a reason, but if I was going to get used to it, I needed to fight.

"Not...needed" Lee summoned his sword, seemingly causing him pain "Blood is...an issue for you right?" He got off of Nicholai, seemingly with her approval "At the very least I can stand on my own" His breathing was heavy, and his hand was beyond drenched in pur-...purple...I've said that many times, how haven't I noticed it before...blood, from what I've seen, even as a DT it should be red. "I'm fine" When I looked back up at him, he was looking at me, seemingly noticing my worry.

"You sure?" I heard Neal's voice to my right as a body dropped, when I looked it was another zombie, I could feel my heart rate going up...this wasn't like killing the Reunion or corrupted "If so then we better move!" We all started walking out of the cave into a purple...mist...it wasn't a coincidence, was it... I heard metal hit the floor, I turned around and saw Lee using his sword as a crutch.

"Le-"

"If one of you...were supporting me, it wouldn't change how fast I am! Just go..." Lee cut off Nicholai. We all slowed our pace, walking, hoping to find an end to the mist. "Wait!"

"What is it!?" wind started picking up, to the point where I had to shout for me to be heard

"New Min, the real New Min, we could rest there" Lee mentioned before, I guess Lee trusted the people there. "We just have to go...that way!" He pointed in a direction "If we keep going there, we'll be fine...I hope..." We kept trekking through the mist and wind. Until we heard noises, groans, many of them

"Great..." One of the guys I didn't know complained

"Everyone...group up!" Lee gave us an order, an order for which we followed, going back to back. Lee...unhinged his sword revealing two barrels, Everyone started transforming their weapons into their ranged versions...I wondered, if I needed both daggers to make a sniper, what would happen if it's one. I tried transforming it, thinking of almost anything, and then it changed, my dagger, instead of a sniper, turned into a small pistol...I guess Lee would know what gun it was...A gunshot interrupted my thinking, Nicholai shot the first shot, dropping one of them, as the body hit the dirt I could feel myself getting more panicked...The Reunion and corrupted did bad things or at least don't look human...but them...what did they do...no...do I even know if the Reunion are the bad guys...I mean, the DTs in Eaxura led us to a fake New Min, brought us to the Madoka that wants Lee dead...

"It doesn't matter" I mumbled to myself, I would just kill them and look away...simple as that, I won't see blood, I won't see them dismembered. I saw Lee raise his sword up, pulling a trigger to fire off what seemed like shotgun shells but the force caused him to lose balance, and trip over, falling backwards. I ran over and caught him

"I think I was wrong...I can barely feel anything" Lee held a ring that was on his finger, I've been wondering about it for awhile now.

"Lee, what does the ring do!" He looked up at me

"..."

"Lee..."

"Time travel...I think..." He looked back at the ring, fiddling with it

"I'm sorry what!?" Nicholai looked at us "The hell do you mean time travel!?"

"Can you do it now?" Both of them looked at me, surprised

"W-What? Why?" I sat him down as he questioned me

"Think about it, Madoka K is right around the corner, and she absolutely obliterated us, and it's clear she still has magic, there are zombies all around us as well!" I motioned all around us.

'We don't have a choice do we?" He grabbed his finger where the ring was

"Excuse me!? Will anyone of us even remember this!?" Nicholai continued to detest it

"At the very least Lee and I will" I threw myself in there, I hoped I would considering I was in one of those vision things he had.

"Why would y-" He thought about it for a moment "Nevermind..." He used his sword to stand up again "So, we doing this?" The others were distracted by the gunfire and zombies and Nicholai wasn't responding anymore. "Guess we are" Lee put his sword in front of him, facing the blade towards him "Hope this works" It slowly started registering to me

"Lee! What're you do-" Before I could stop it, he had already stabbed himself and a giant white flash covered my vision.

I just floated there, in a bright abyss, was this what time traveling was...or did I die. I spun in the air just floating around doing whatever I could do to find a way out, during my spinning I banged against something, cutting my arm, I could see and feel the blood seeping out, it felt like my heart was going to pound out of my chest.

"On three, alright?" I could hear an unfamiliar voice, it felt like I could open my eyes, but it was difficult.

"Ok...ok" I could feel something pressed against my left arm...my arm was over some edge whatever it was that was on my arm, felt like it was on a pointy edge...or...sharp.

"One" My eyes slowly started opening.

"Two!" I felt dull and exhausted but I managed to open my eyes, then I could see it, a hand saw against my arm, with a tourniquet around my upper arm.

"Three!"

"Wa-" Before I could warn them that I was awake, they already got one cut into my arm before they realized...the panic they had made it so I couldn't hear my own scream...or was that because I felt nauseous?

"What the hell!? I told you she would wake up!" I heard Lee's voice yelling at everyone. I could only lay on whatever I was on, covering the wound. "Sam, are you alright" Everything was blurry but I could see Lee crouching down, putting something on the table. I could only hear the case opening and myself hyperventilating. "Listen, just pay attention to me, ignore your arm, ignore the blood, listen to my voice, or just ignore everything all together" He put a bottle on the table "If you are listening though...this is going to be painful" He put his hand on my arm, making sure it wouldn't move "It's either this or you die...so this is preferable"

"Wha-" I felt a giant sting in my arm, to the point I had to put my right arm on the table in a fist, slamming it onto the table "Hnng..."

"Sorry, I should've given you something to bite on...Cypher! hand me the bandage" I could hear a loud heartbeat ringing in my ear...I wanted to pass out, until Lee sat me up "Luckily Sam, as much as I hate to say it, the saw was sharp, cleaned, and had no issues, so if you can just get through this, you'll be fine...alright" I gave a weak nod, I wanted to fall over and sleep but Lee kept me sitting straight, soon my hearing became less dull, and I could hear things more clearly. I heard banging on wood and groans outside.

"Here" One of the guys who cut my arm gave Lee a bandage, he then looked at me, but quickly looked to the floor "I...sorry" He walked away, when I tracked him I saw that he was looking outside...I seemed to be in some warehouse that was cleaned out. Then another wave of pain hit me, I looked at it and saw Lee bandaging the gash in my arm, now that it was clean I had a clearer look at it, not only was blood still pooling out, but I could see what looked like I small nerve holding on by a thread, I could feel my heartbeat rising again, until I heard snapping in my face

"What did I say about looking at it!?" When I got a closer look at Lee, he looked nothing like how he did a few minutes ago when we were in the mist. He had his green hair, and the uniform he normally wears to school, alongside a bag he had on his back. This was the zombie apocalypse, wasn't it..."Those jackasses wanted to cut off your arm...they thought you were bit...I kept telling them you were fine they didn't want to listen though...fucking idiots...how are you holding up...I haven't asked in a long time..." He finished bandaging my arm and looked up at me, waiting for an answer.

"Not good..." I answered, whether it was the truth or not...not even I knew.

"Sorry...I've been dragging you along on these terrible missions for supplies, next time when we get to base, let's play some games, I heard Kenneth got the solar panels working" I didn't remember this at all, but Cypher...he sounded familiar...but I don't remember meeting him...did I connect to Lee's memory somehow? I didn't think so though... after all, why would I be here then...so at least, a very minor part of me took some of Lee's memories.

"Yeah...I would like that" I haven't played a video game in forever...DTs, Zombies, the pe-...I hadn't thought of it...who shot us? The way we died originally, at least for me and Lee, we were shot...wouldn't Raymond know who shot us since he saved us? Or did he come after they were long gone...

"Hehe, knowing him though, he won't let us" He smiled after saying that "But we'll find a way, we always do" Lee stood up and looked around "Let's head for the roof, one of Kenneth's ziplines should still be there" He looked at my arm "I'll find a way for you to get through it...you can stand now if you want...unless you still feel sick, I know blood isn't really your thing" I stood up to Lee's surprise "Well, nevermind then" He looked back to the others "Cally! Cypher! let's move" The pounding on the wood got louder. I looked around and saw a door that seemed to begin breaking, with the top hinge snapping. Cypher and Cally, at least I think, stayed behind us, most likely covering us, me and Lee's path was interrupted by a closed elevator. Lee got on one side trying to pull it open, I got on the other side, pushing it, but fell to the floor as a stabbing pain hit my arm.

"I...can't..." I felt tears swelling up in my eyes, the pain was unbearable. Lee looked at me with an expression of sorrow, eventually closing his eyes and sighing

"Fuck my life" He put his foot in the small opening he made, pushing one side with one of his legs and pushing the other with his arms "Go!" He was clearly struggling with his voice being shaky. I stood up, still slightly whimpering from my arm, and hopped lightly over his leg, landing on the elevator, a part of me realized how stupid I was, I didn't even check if it was there. Soon the basta- I mean the two people with sawing issues joined me on the elevator, helping Lee keep it open, Lee jumped on the elevator with us, and so the two let go, causing the elevator, with a loud thud, to close.

"We safe?" Cypher looked at Lee.

"For now I'd say, this place is old, so anything could break or fall, we should get off of it as soon as possible" Lee looked around, as did we all.

"How about there!" Cally pointed at a ladder, it seemed to lead to different floors, the ladder looked makeshift though...

"It cou-" Lee looked at me "It won't work...actually...Cypher, you still got that rope?" I looked at them confused. "Sam, I have an idea, I'll tie us together, I'll use my left arm to climb, and you use your right to climb, we'll climb as one, risky, but the only option we've got"

"Alright..."

"I've still got it" Cypher tossed Lee the rope, and he untied it "We'll climb ahead of you" Lee tied me to him with a rope, we both walked to the ladder.

"We have to be in sync, or go very slow, just be calm, it'll be alright" Lee put his left arm and leg on the ladder. I followed putting my right arm and leg on as well, Lee went one bar higher and I could feel the rope tugging at my waist. I stayed there, thinking how I would get up "You just need to hop up, put yourself away from the ladder, and as you let go with your right arm throw yourself at the ladder, don't worry, we can do this the entire way, I won't let you fall" I did as he described, it worked but I could feel myself hitting the ladder with my shoulder

"I have to do this the entire way?"

"Just two floors, can you handle it?" Instead of answering Lee, I went up to another bar "I'll take it as a yes" We kept climbing, it got tiring and I needed breaks every now and then, Lee seemed fine though, maybe because he was able to rest on both hands. As we made it past one floor I saw the elevator door open above us and zombies trying to grab us, Lee didn't notice it, he was three bars above me, waiting for me to continue "What's the holdup?" I continued to climb until I saw a zombie reaching for us, and soon, it fell off and a zombie came falling down, knocking into the rope while clawing it. Not only did I lose balance with my legs but before i realized it, I was falling, until Lee grabbed my hand.

"th-..." I was out of breath already, I could barely speak. Lee looked around and sighed again.

"Sam, just for a minute, grab onto the bar with your left hand, I know it'll hurt but then put your right arm on." I listened and until I put my left arm on he didn't let me go, and when I did, he let go of my right arm causing me immense pain, but, allowing me to put it on the bar. Lee let go of the bar, grabbing on when he was to my level. "Alright, it might be painful, but I can put your left arm over my shoulder, grab onto you and we can climb like that." I looked up, it was still ages until we reached the next floor, and Cypher and Cally were looking down at us

"You two alright!?" They shouted down at us.

"We're fi-" A zombie hitting the elevator interrupted us, it wasn't the same zombie from before, the zombies were throwing themselves at us.

"Hey Lee...Could we, by chance...we survive a fall like that" i looked down at them, the remaining amount of their brain was splattered on the elevator.

"We can..." We were both considering it, finding another way was better than doing this. Creaking from the ladder made us break focus, and instead rebuild it on the ladder.

"This thing can't support us on the same bar..." I made sure Lee knew

"Going back down will be just as if not more painful, jumping might be the only opti-" Just as we were worried, the bar snapped off, coming down with both Lee and I. We landed on the elevator, it knocked out the rest of the air out of my body, resulting in me gasping for air. I could hear Lee coughing, the only thing interrupting it was another body hitting the elevator. Blood splattered on my clothing, and the smell was beyond horrid, like it was some butcher shop. I managed to get more air into my lungs and stand, I saw Lee standing against the wall, as another body landed.

"This isn't going to stay up for long is it?" I referred to the elevator the number of bodies here could easily cause the elevator to break and fall.

"Here" Lee went and opened the hatch to enter the elevator "We'll be going down a floor but we should be fine, it'll just take longer than normal to leave this place" We both went into the elevator, but the door was closed, there wasn't even a small gap like last time. I looked up, there was no number, showing that the power was off. Lee still tried opening it, only making an extremely minor gap, not even his foot could fit...there was only one option. I went on the other side of Lee "You sure?" He stopped pushing it "We need to do it together if so"

"Yeah...I can do it" I put both hands on the left side of the door, it would be painful, but I had to.

"When I say go" He put his hands on the right side, and after preparing. "GO!" We both started pushing, I felt like my arm was going to snap, I could barely see that my bandage was getting more and more stained, but with one last effort we opened the door and I fell through in agony while Lee hopped down. "You did good...you did good..." I was laying on the floor while Lee patted me "You gonna be fine?"

"I think" I sat up while Lee extended a hand

"Good enough, come on, let's go meet up with the others" I took his hand and he pulled me up.

This world I was in, was it a real one, did it change due to what I know...Or was this some trial I needed to overcome before I can come back to reality?