His hurried breathing echoed in the quiet surroundings of the forest as he glanced in every direction, looking for signs of potential foes. Even if he is alone now, being aware of these things can save his life. He knows that much very well. Shuffling noises reached his ears, followed by bushes rustling or leaves, which caused him to stop and frantically search for any sign of the undead near him.
Only to have the scariest moment of his life when it was squirrels that passed through between the gaps of the foliage before disappearing from view. That almost made him piss himself on the spot as he flinched instinctively at the sight. "Ah..." Embarrassment came to mind, but a sigh of relief escaped his lips after realizing he was actually safe for the moment.
"My back is aching," tiredly commented Bruno, placing a hand on his chest as he inhaled deeply, exhaling loudly afterward to calm himself down. Panting a few times after that, he heads over to a nearby tree before dropping himself onto the ground with his back resting on the wooden surface.
Staring down at his own hands and legs, he thought thoroughly about what he should do now that all of that had happened. The undead are out there, ready to tear him apart and eat his flesh. He was terrified for life, but deep down, he understood that it was morally wrong to just leave men out there.
Genno is currently endangered, fighting for survival and putting his life at risk for him to survive. "I can't...I can't go back." extremely fearful of his own life, Bruno doesn't want to die for the sake of someone he just met today. However, those two did rescue him, so wouldn't it be fair to repay the kindness?
Shaking his head in distraught, "I'm too weak to save anyone," fear overwhelmed him as tears trickled down his cheeks. "If I go out there, those things will kill me." Accepting his own weakness without hesitance, knowing he isn't a fighter, let alone a courageous man.
With all his ambitious ideas and discoveries, what he lacked was confronting the enemy head-on rather than challenging them intellectually. He never got involved in physical altercations, resulting in his being a total pushover during these types of scenarios.
"I can't do anything," self-doubt and despair filled him. "I'm weak," a feeling he experienced every day in his childhood. "No one needs a weakling like me," he muttered under his breath, a terrible truth that no one should know while being cursed to be aware of this problem.
Besides, it's more logical to comply with what Genno said; after all, even if Bruno himself decides to head back just to check on him, his companion is surely dead anyway. No matter how tough a human could be, they have limits just like any animal would.
Raising his head above, he closed his eyes; exhaustion coursed through his body and mind. "I'm sorry," he said, apologizing for his cowardice. It's fine to always stay weak; a fact he is okay with, just so he could feel himself a little better toward the person who saved his life, twice this time.
"Pointless to keep myself occupied," he said, opening his eyes. He cautiously stood up and surveyed the area around him once again, making sure there weren't any undead around that could hurt him, before starting to walk away in the opposite direction from where he came from.
Walking at a rather slow pace, Bruno was filled with uncertainty about whether this was truly the right answer to his selfishness. A best decision that he himself believed in. Although the guilt and self-doubt were putting some weight on his stomach and mind at the same time,.
Yet, his goal of returning to safety is above all else—a journey that only he should endure, no one else. Therefore, abandoning Genno was the only choice he could make at this very moment. However, as he continued to walk, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Dammit!"
Grinding his teeth and with one swift motion, he turned around to where he had left his ally. "Its time to be a man for once in life," to hell with the risks or dangers of heading back, the only thing that matters is owing them for saving him. "Those guys helped me, so now its time that I return the favor." Pumping himself up in spirit, he hurriedly walked while preserving his energy.
Running isn't a good idea for him; he already consumed so much of his stamina to the point that doing such action would be detrimental in the long term. He "got to be careful," advising himself while gripping his fingers to his fists in determination. Uncertain of how it will turn out, he can only prepare for the worst.
Through the darkness, Bruno scanned the immediate areas in search of either the undead or the monk, carefully and quietly tip-toeing in order to lessen his chances of being detected. If anything can pounce on him and attack him unexpectedly, the possibility of being caught off guard will increase proportionately.
Treading along the wilderness, the man noted some peculiarities with how random this forest is: "I just hope that I won't get completely lost," afraid of finding himself in more danger. All around the trees, dense vegetation hinders his view due to how thick and tall they are.
Either way, this isn't the time to worry about that; he needs to focus on searching for that man. Hopefully, Genno has already destroyed all the undead and somehow survived in the meantime. Bruno didn't want to be responsible for yet another death; it was already bad enough to begin with.
Although he wouldn't mind it because that alone would remove any chance of being haunted by a vengeful soul, "I never thought it would be this complicated," he thought while continuing his stroll through the dark environment without a weapon in hand.
Minutes passed, and so far, nothing was out of the ordinary; the wind peacefully blew from the west, creating a relaxing sensation along with the annoying crickets singing in their mating calls. Otherwise, the poet felt chills crawling up his spine upon hearing a sudden change of atmosphere.
Stopping on his tracks, he can't quite put it into words what's going on, but there's definitely something in the air that is out of the ordinary. Something screams of danger, and he needs to be wary of it. "If anything, I better speed things up," he determined with confidence in mind, and he broke into a jogging pace.
Before the silhouette humanoid man jumped out from the side and tackled him, its horrid smell was nauseating in the nose as they tumbled across the soil and crashed through shrubs, with the poor poet struggling against its grasp while the attacker was struggling to take a chunk out of him.
Clear as day, Bruno's whole face was full of fear when he recognized it: "GET OFF!" It's one of those undead things, the naked one, that is, "HELP!" Desperate to escape the thing's grip. He flails his legs while using his hands to push away its bony jaw filled with sharp teeth, along with putrid saliva drooling unto him.
Tearfully screaming at the top of his lungs, "SOMEONE! HELP ME!" Crying out for anyone that can save his pathetic self, "I DON'T WANT TO DIE LIKE THIS!" No avail; no one will hear his screams. Everyone was either busy or asleep on their own devices.
And here he is, out of nowhere and being wrestled by some man eating monstrosity, "no, no!" He can't die here, not now or ever! There are so many things he can do, discoveries he can invent, places to see, foods to taste, women to love, and many other opportunities to explore in the future.
That is why, "NO! GET OFF ME!" Bruno will use the last ounce of his strength to fight against it. Struggling to free his arms from this pinning hold, his strength began to slowly dissipate while his assailant continued trying to get its face closer to his.
Is this it? The day he will die? He should have expected this, of course. Traveling across the land outside of any civilization is a recipe for disaster, but here in all of these places? This is not what he hoped to experience; "not like this, I can't die here." Still, a person must do what he can to survive, no matter the cost, right?
However, there is nothing he can do now that his own strength is finally beginning to diminish. Bruno found himself being utterly helpless in this dire situation, but somehow, he already accepted his fate by this monster, "if only..." Closing his eyes, a sad frown formed in his mouth as his breathing reduced.
"Lord, save me from this evil," praying in his final moments, he accepted his demise.
Except that the moment he said those words, the undead man began to be covered by holy flames emitting all over its body, forcing itself to let go of his hold and hurriedly rolling on the ground at Bruno's side, causing the other to quickly stand up and take a couple of steps backwards.
When he was in safe distance, he shockingly watched it screech terribly while still being on fire as the thing continued rolling across the ground in hopes of getting rid of this strange phenomenon before bursting into ash altogether. "What?" It was amazing, yet terrifying and confusing at the same time.
Then the atmosphere changed once again, but this time it was more normal and pleasant than before. Intuitively turning around at his back, he saw a familiar silhouette of a figure approaching him from the darkness. He readied himself to see if this was one of those things again.
Bruno was proven wrong when the moonlight finally shined on his face. "Oh, thank the heavens, Bruno!" She happily exclaimed, seeing him find, "Why were you out here and where were you?" Question after question, he stood in front of him.
"Seth!" Relief washed through his features as he stepped forward to the other man. "You have no idea how glad I am that you're here," genuinely meaning, "I thought I was gone until you came!" Confusion was brought upon the young man in white robes.
Confused and worried at the same time, "did something happen?" He asked, not sure of what Bruno was getting at, "I just found you alone here," asking confusedly what to say as he was seriously unsure of the circumstances that happened while they were separated.
"Wait..." Narrowing his eyes a little, "you didn't save me from the zombie?" The question greatly alarmed Seth; worry then completely replaced whatever confusion the founder of his church has as the poet continued onward with this question, "Do you?"
Cautiously approaching him, Seth placed his hands on Bruno's shoulders in tight grip and said, "Tell me everything." His seriousness was apparent in his voice. "I need to know what really happened when we were separated," demanding his companion reveal everything that occurred.
To tell the truth, Bruno didn't care what it took to just spill the beans about what happened: "Okay, give me a breath of fresh air to relax." He allowed him to calm his nerves as Seth then withdrew his own hands and patiently waited for the explanation. It took a few seconds until he regained his composure and spoke, "So." Taking a deep breath, he explained everything from start to finish.
"We were strolling in the woods when those freaks started chasing us; Genno acted as bait just so I could escape and get you out of here." The answer was sufficient to satisfy Seth's curiosity, but it wasn't enough to calm him down after hearing it all.
"What?!" Seth panicked at this: "We need to get to him immediately!" Saying to the poet, "There is no time if we just stay here!" Stating the obviousness of this, "Show me where he is!" He ordered Bruno to lead the way before the two of them can begin their rescue.
Bruno insisted, "I can't do that," looking away in shame. "Were going to get ourselves killed?" The fact remains true, but it won't stop him from feeling the guilt that has been building up inside of himself. "The best we can do is leave him be," revealing a truth that is cruel and sad.
Seth didn't budge one bit by this: "You either come with me or leave in your own volition," remaining in his spot and facing the opposite direction. "I understand where you are coming from, but Genno is my friend, and the thought of someone being left to die in place like this isn't what either of us wanted."
Shifting uncomfortably, "we don't even have weapons," stating that they're defenseless without them, "I don't even know where to find him!" Telling the facts, "don't be unreasonable; there is no way we can fight them with just our fists," Bruno argued in defense of his own choices.
Nonetheless, the man clad in white pulled out his cross necklace and presented it to him, "for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the throwing down of strongholds," quoting it with the utmost passion in his words.
