Hello everyone! This is part two of "the outbreak" same warning as before.

Heavy gore, body horror, blood, and more, so if some of you are uncomfortable, please skip this

Also there will be also some ooc and typos because this is a long chapter and i am lazy TvT

Its kinda cringe to me but is a waste if i decided to delete all of this work, so yeah-

That is all, enjoy! -------------------------------------------------------------

Thorn stood paralyzed with his back against the wall as the infected launch himself toward him, its gnarled teeth inches away from his face. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to fight back, but he couldn't.

He had already given up.

"If Abang Hali couldn't win against it, then what hope do I have?" he thought internally before he shut his eyes and bracing himself for the end.

"THORN!"

The sound of his name rang out and shattering the silence, before Thorn could even react, an axe whistled through the air, embedding itself into the infected's shoulder with a sickening crunch.

The creature roared in fury, clawing at the weapon but another figure leapt onto its back and wrapping a rope tightly around its throat before using all their strength to strangle it.

Thorn's mind was still in a fog, barely able to process what was happening. He couldn't comprehend the speed, the suddenness of the attack.

His eyes wide and frantic scanned the scene as the infected struggled, the second figure rushed in, sliding beneath the creature with surprising agility and without hesitation, they grabbed Thorn's hand, dragging him away from the danger.

"Run!" Thorn barely had time to register as he looked at the figure holding his hand, wearing a bloodstained dirty clothes but the sapphire blue tornado pendant swaying from his neck was unmistakable.

Taufan.

Thorns eyes widen before he looked back, catching a glimpse of the other figure battling the infected. The golden earth pendant hanging around his neck was clear even in the dim light.

Gempa.

Gempa wrestled the infected to the ground and tightening the rope around its neck, his arms straining as the creature thrashed violently, its claws swiping inches from his face but he didn't relent.

He then reaching for the axe that was still stuck on it's shoulder, preparing to end it until his hand brushed against something cold.

He froze.

Hanging from the creature's neck was a pendant, a red lightning bolt, his breath hitched as his blood ran cold.

"No..." The infected seized the moment, lunging at him with a guttural snarl. Gempa barely dodged and stumbling back as its claws grazed his arm, tears blurred his vision as he turned and ran, clutching the pendant tightly in his shaking hands.

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In the dim safety of their hiding spot, Taufan held Thorn close, his voice frantic as he tried to calm him down.

"Thorn talk to me, Are you hurt? Did it bite you?" thorn shook his head, tears streaming silently down his face, his chest heaved as he sobbed into Taufan's torn shirt, unable to form words.

Taufan eyes soften and gently brushing his little brothers trembling back, he can't help but felt relief as both him and gempa decided to check out the commotion.

If they didn't... Who knows what would happen to thorn.

The door creaked open and Gempa stumbled inside, his shoulders were slumped with his face pale and streaked with tears.

"Gempa! Are you okay? Did you-" Taufan's relief turn into confusion when gempa didn't respond, instead he knelt on the ground with his hands trembling as he held out the red lightning pendant.

"Where... did you get this?" Taufan's brow furrowed as he took it, his voice wavered as he inspecting the necklace while gempa stayed silent with tears sliding down his cheeks.

Thorn's sobs grew louder, his body shaking violently upon seeing the pendant before holding his own.

"Thorn? Gempa? Whats going on?" Taufan asked, panic rising in his voice.

"Why are you crying? Why do you have Hali's pendant?" Thorn hiccupped, his voice cracking as he tried to speak.

"It w-was him" he whispered, taufan froze for a moment, getting even more confuse.

"What?" Thorn clung tighter to him, his words tumbling out between broken sobs.

"The infected... the one that almost got me... it was Hali, it's him Abang!" The world seemed to stop, taufan stared at the pendant in his hand, his mind refusing to accept the truth before he shook his head.

"No... No, you are lying. You're wrong!" Thorn shook his head frantically, his emerald green eyes wide with anguish.

"I saw it! The pendant was on him! It was our brother!" Taufan staggered back, his chest heaving as his breath came in ragged gasps.

"No, that can't be true!" he screamed, his voice cracking with anguish.

"Hali can't be... He can't..." his knees buckled and he collapsed to the floor, his hands clutching his head, he look at gempa to confirm it, but when he saw him sat silently with his body trembling and tears that continued to flow down his face.

He know that it's the truth.

The weight of their loss hung heavy in the air, suffocating all of them in this cruel world, the three brothers cried together.

Their grief a raw unrelenting force, halilintar... their protector, their brother was gone, reduced to a mindless shell consumed by the virus.

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The sound of rapid footsteps echoed through the abandoned streets, accompanied by a chorus of snarls and growls.

Blaze darted ahead, his hair are messy and wild before he glanced back over his shoulder.

"Why are there so many of them?!" he yelled, his voice cracking with panic, behind him, Ice jogged with a frustratingly calm expression despite the sweat glistening on his forehead.

"Maybe because you thought it'd be fun to throw a rock at one of their heads?!" Blaze shot him a glare, narrowly avoiding a trash can as he skidded around a corner.

"How was I supposed to know they will bring their entire family reunion?!"

"Family reunion?!" Solar shrieked from the back, struggling to keep up.

"They look like they are hosting a zombie marathon, and guess what? We are the finish line!" The youngest brother who are usually calm and logical are now looked utterly frazzled, his usually tidy hair stuck out in all directions.

"Hey at least we are getting our cardio in!" Blaze laughed nervously, trying to keep the mood light, but this only cause solar to shot him a death glare.

"If I wanted cardio, I will join a gym! Not run for my life from an all you can eat buffet!" Ice somehow still managing to stay composed, glanced at Solar with a smirk.

"You know, for someone who's always the smartest, you sure didn't calculate how bad of an idea it was to come here" this cause solar to look at him with annoyance.

"Oh, excuse me for trying to find food so we don't starve!" Solar snapped back.

"But someone decided to throw a damn rock and getting a whole infected chasing us!" Blaze raised a hand, unapologetic.

"Guilty! But in my defense I was bored!" He shout back

"And in my defense" Ice chimed in, dodging a toppled shopping cart with ease

"I told you not to bring Blaze!" Blaze huffed, his tone indignant.

"Hey! I'm the fastest one here!" Solar wheezed and clutching his side.

"Fastest at getting us into trouble!" Suddenly a loud roar echoed behind them, solar risked a glance back and immediately regretted it.

"Oh no oh no no no no, THEY ARE GETTING CLOSER!" Blaze now clearly panicking turned his head too.

"WHY ARE THEY SO FAST?!" Ice sighed dramatically, as though the situation wasn't as dire as it was.

"I don't know Blaze, maybe because they are literally trying to EAT US?!"

"STOP BEING SO SASSY AND RUN!" Blaze yelled, picking up his pace.

They rounded another corner and Solar stumbled, nearly falling before Blaze grabbed his arm and yanked him forward.

"Keep up dumbass!"

"I'M TRYING!" Solar screamed, adjusting his glasses.

"Also dumbass? Really?! You're the one who can't even do basic math!"

"THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR MATH SOLAR!" Blaze yelled back.

Out of nowhere, Ice who had been the calmest up until now, let out a low groan.

"Oh great, this road's a dead end" All three skidded to a halt, staring at the brick wall in front of them.

"DEAD END?!" Blaze shouted, throwing his hands up.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOMETHING EARLIER?!" Ice rolled his eyes, gesturing vaguely behind him.

"Oh sorry, i was a little busy running for my life, but sure i will give you a heads up next time!" Meanwhile Solar was pacing frantically, muttering to himself.

"This is it, this is how we die, eaten by infected because my brothers are complete idiots" blaze jabbed a finger at Solar.

"Hey! Watch your tone mister!"

"I'M THE YOUNGEST, I CAN TALK HOWEVER I WANT!" Solar yelled, throwing his hands in the air, the growls grew louder and the infected closing in fast, ice sighed before crossing his arms.

"Okay since arguing isn't helping, how about we figure out a way out of this?" Blaze snapped his fingers.

"Got it, I'll fight them off with my good looks" solar pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh sure, That will totally work" he stare at his brother with a i am so done with you look.

"Maybe they will be so dazzled by your stupidity that they forget they are hungry"

"HEY!" Blaze protested before pouting, ice ignored their bickering as he scanning the area before finally spotted a fire escape ladder hanging just out of reach.

"There, we climb up" blaze squinted at the ladder before looking at ice.

"Yeah great plan genius, but how do we reach it?" This question cause ice to smirked before he point at himself.

"I will boost you up" blaze blinked at the sudden statement.

"Wait, you are actually helping me?" Ice rolled his eyes before looking behind his brothers to find a group of infected getting closer and closer.

"Do you want to be their food?" Ice replied kneeling down which cause blaze to click his tongue and getting ready.

"No thank you" with Ice's help, Blaze jumped up and grabbed the ladder before pulling it down for the others.

Solar scrambled up first while muttering curses under his breath before he was followed by Ice, blaze was the last to climb, his eyes widening as the infected swarmed below.

"DON'T LOOK DOWN, DON'T LOOK DOWN!" Blaze chanted to himself, gripping the rungs tightly.

Once they were safely on the roof, the three brothers collapsed, panting and drenched in sweat before Blaze broke the silence first.

"Well... that was fun" blaze comment which cause solar to glared at him.

"FUN?!" Ice snorted while lying flat on his back.

"You are lucky you are too dumb to die Blaze" blaze grinned, being totally unfazed by the remark.

"Aw thanks Ice! Love you too" Solar groaned, before covering his face with his hands.

"I hate you both so much right now" but despite the chaos and their constant bickering, all three of them were alive, and for now, that was enough.

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The room was quiet, save by the faint sound of the infected shuffling outside, Taufan held his brothers close, his arms wrapped protectively around Thorn and Gempa.

Their breaths were shallow, their movements minimal as even the smallest noise could bring the infected crashing through the flimsy barricade.

Thorn leaned into Taufan with his body trembling slightly while gempa sat on his other side and burying his face in his knees.

The weight of their loss hung heavy in the air, unspoken but deeply felt. Halilintar was gone, he's one of them now, taufan's chest ached at the thought but he couldn't crumble

Not now, not when his younger brother need him.

As he tightened his hold on Thorn, something caught his eye, a baby blue scarf loosely draped around Thorn's neck. The soft material was frayed at the edges, but the color was unmistakable.

Taufan frowned with his fingers brushing the fabric lightly, his voice was a quiet whisper, barely audible over the distant groans outside.

"Thorn... where did you get this?" Thorn stiffened while clutching the scarf protectively, his wide green eyes looked up at Taufan, filled with hesitation but after a moment, he whispered.

"I found it... inside the convenience store, It was on the floor near the back..." Taufan's breath hitched, he recognized the scarf immedietly as it was belonged to Ice, the pale blue color, the soft lightweight fabric, it had always been Ice's favorite.

Gempa looked up sharply at the mention of the scarf, his tear streaked face pale as he also look at the pabric.

"And... and not far from it..." Thorn's voice hitched, fresh tears spilling down his cheeks.

"I-I found this too, It was lying there... just a little further away..." He held up his hand where the familiar leather band with tiny flame charm catching the dim light.

Taufan's throat tightened as he stared at the two items, Ice's scarf and Blaze's bracelet, His mind raced with questions, with fears he didn't want to voice.

"Do you think... they were there?" gempa's hands trembled as he reached for the bracelet, brushing it lightly with his fingers.

Taufan hesitated for a moment, his chest heavy with the weight of the question, Ice and Blaze had been missing for days and they can only hope that maybe, somehow, the two of them were still out there, alive and surviving.

"I don't know" Taufan admitted, his voice barely more than a whisper, he pulled Thorn closer, resting his chin on the boy's head.

"But if they left these behind... it means they were there, It means they fought to hold on" Thorn sniffled, his small frame shaking.

"Do you think they're like... Hali?" The question hit Taufan like a punch to the gut, he didn't answer right away, forcing himself to stay steady for their sake.

"We don't know that" he said quietly.

"We can only hope they are not one of them" gempa looked at him, his eyes searching.

"What do we do now?" Taufan's jaw clenched, his hand tightening on Thorn's shoulder.

"We stay together and search for them" he pause before he look at his two brothers.

"We will find them, blaze, ice, and solar"

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Blaze sighed while dangling his legs over the edge of the building, his bracelet was missing but he didn't seem to care at the moment.

"So" he said, breaking the silence.

"we made it out alive again, that's something, right?" Ice leaned against the wall, while he pull out a random pabric before tied it around and make it a makeshift bandage on his injured arm.

"Barely," he muttered, his usual calm tinged with exhaustion, he glanced at Solar who was slumped against a vent, glasses askew and hair still sticking out in all directions.

"You two are idiots," Solar said, not even looking at them.

"But thanks for staying alive" Blaze grinned, ignoring the ache in his legs.

"Aw don't get all mushy on us Solar, You know you love us" this cause the youngest to look at him.

"Shut up," Solar replied, though there was no bite in his voice.

Ice smirked faintly, watching Blaze and Solar bicker, despite everything, they were alive and that was enough to keep them moving forward for now.

But then a memory flash in his mind, causing him to pause for a brief moment, his smile dissapeard and got replace by a frown.

Flashback

His gaze locked on the creature crouched over the corpses, it's jaw worked feverishly, ripping apart what little remained of the body.

Each bite echoud like thunder, the movement were erratic, broken yet disturbingly deliberate, almost protective.

From behind the crumbled wall, ice froze with his body presses tightly againts the jagged stone, his finger trembled uncontrollably, clenching into fists at his sides.

He couldn't scream, couldn't cry, couldn't do anything but stand there as silent tears carved Icy trails down his cheeks.

He didn't dare to move or make any sound, his wide eyes flickered from the mangled corpses to the infected's bloodied hands, every part of him screamed to run, to get away from this nightmare yet his feet remained rooted in place.

Then he saw it

A glint of red dangled from the infected's neck, catching the faint flickering light in the room, a pendant... A red lightning pendant...

He knew that pendant...

His knees buckled and he clung to the wall to stop himself from falling, his tears fell faster now as grief consume him whole.

This infected, Is not just any infected... It wasn't some monster crouched over a corpses.

It was him...

"Abang..." The word echoud weakly in his mind, a fragile please that broke his very soul.

The realization hit him like a punch in his gut, threatening to drown him in despair, he wanted to deny it, to force the thought away but the truth was undeniable, that was his older brother, his protector, his pillar.

Ice's lips trembled as he bit down hard, forcing back the sob that clawed at his throat, he couldn't let it out, he couldn't let halilintar... No... The infected hear him.

His gaze darted down to his clenched fists, nail digging into his palms so hard he felt the sting of broken skin, the pain grounded him... Barely.

He turned his gaze back up with tears blurring his vision, but he forced himself to move, each step filled with silent scream of regret and sorrow, he refused to look back but every fiber of his being wanted to.

He hold his own pendant located around his neck, the red lightning pendant burned in his memory and seared itself into his soul, a cruel reminder of what had been lost.

His brother was gone, what remained was a monster wearing his face.

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Solar waved a hand in front of Ice's face, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Hey! Earth to Ice! Why are you crying?" Solar asked, his voice soft but insistent.

Ice blinked rapidly, he raised a hand to his face after realizing his cheeks were wet. Before he could respond, Blaze crouched down next to him, his usual mischievous grin nowhere to be found.

"I was just... thinking about Hali" Ice admitted quietly, he hesitated before continuing.

"It's... hard not to" solar and Blaze exchanged a glance, the weight of Ice's words settling over them, they both sat down beside him with silence, blaze was surprisingly the first to speak.

"You know... Hali wouldn't want us to drown in this" blaze paused before he look at the two.

"He always said that grief should never win, and we should move on" Solar blinked in disbelief, staring at his brother.

"Huh" he said slowly, tilting his head.

"You can act wise too huh? Where did that come from?" Ice despite still crying let out a small chuckle.

"It is unexpected" he admitted, wiping his face, blaze shrugged at the respond with a faint smirk appearing.

"What can I say? I'm full of surprises" the room fell quiet again though the weight in the air seemed to lift just a little, Ice's gaze dropped as he look at them.

"I wonder... how are Taufan, Gempa, and Thorn doing? Do you think... they are still holding on?" Solar frowned before crossing his arms.

"I don't know... Taufan's always been the cheerfull one and Gempa will tries to act strong, but... you know him" he pause before looking down, the road are still broken and dangerous with many infected wondering around.

"But Thorn..." He trailed off, his voice catching.

"What if... what if they all turn out like Hali? What if they-"

"Don't say that!" Blaze suddenly interrupted, he sat up straighter with his expression serious.

"Don't even think about it! They still out there" solar blinked, surprised by Blaze's outburst while Ice glanced over but the worry in his eyes mirrored Blaze's.

"Let's just hope that they are alright..."

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The alleyway was a labyrinth of chaos with the snarls and shrieks of infected echoing through the air, taufan, gempa, and Thorn sprinted through it, their breaths ragged as adrenaline pumped through their veins with every step felt like a race against death itself.

"Keep going!" Taufan shouted, vaulting over a stack of overturned crates. His eyes darted around and scanning the area for any sign of safety amidst the chaos.

Gempa followed closely, his focus unwavering as he helped Thorn navigate the narrow alley, the youngest of the group was struggling to keep up as his legs was trembling with exhaustion.

"Watch out!" Gempa called, grabbing Thorn by the arm and pulling him just in time to dodge a falling pipe.

But as they rounded a corner, Thorn's foot caught on a loose brick, he stumbled before hitting the ground hard with a gasp.

"Thorn!" Taufan and Gempa turned back simultaneously, their faces pale with horror as they saw an infected lurching toward Thorn. Its twisted, decayed form snarled as it closed the distance, claws outstretched.

"No!" Taufan roared before gripping the rusted steel bar he carried and rush toward his brother along with gempa.

But suddenly an infected come rushing them from behind, slamming Taufan to the ground as he yelp in suprise, gempa who notice this immedietly turn around and slam a brick toward the infected head.

Freeing his brother from it before gempa took the chance to crush the infected head with the said brick, Taufan eyes widen as he saw how dangeriously close the infected are to thorn as panic rise inside him.

But then, a loud crash rang out, a large trash can lid smashed into the infected, sending it careening into a wall. A figure emerged from the shadows, wielding the lid like a makeshift shield.

"Oho, your Hero come to the rescue!" Blaze said as his fiery eyes glaring at the creature, he shoved the lid into its snapping jaws, effectively blocking its bite before he rammed it against the wall with all his strength.

"Blaze!" Gempa exclaimed, helping Thorn to his feet as Taufan rushed to Blaze's side.

"Hehe! Hello brothers!" Blaze cheerfully said as he slammed the infected again before throwing the trash can lid at another one that had appeared.

"Now, RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!" The four of them bolted down the alley, dodging debris and sliding under low beams, The snarls grew louder with the infected chasing relentlessly.

As they turned another corner, two more figures sprinted toward them from the opposite direction.

"Over here!"

"Ice! Solar!" Taufan shouted, relief flooding his voice as he recognized his brothers.

Ice carried a steel pipe similar to Taufan while Solar held a makeshift flamethrower fashioned from scavenged materials.

"Don't stop!" Ice ordered with his calm tone laced with urgency, he stepped forward before swinging his weapon at an infected that lunged toward them, knocking it aside.

Solar aimed his flamethrower before throwing it and releasing a burst of fire that lit up the alley, forcing the creatures to scatter.

"Keep running!" Blaze shout as their steps pounding against the cracked pavement, the infected pursued them relentlessly but they pressed on, each of them driven by a single thought.

Survival.

"Up ahead!" Ice pointed toward an open manhole cover.

"This way!" Taufan shouted, leading the group toward the only escape route they had left.

The group raced toward the manhole, the sound of infected screeching growing louder with each passing second, adding more tention in the air, one by one, they leapt into the dark abyss below.

First Blaze was in, landing with a soft grunt before quickly moving to the side to make room for the others, Next was Ice, his calm demeanor unwavering even in the chaos, his pipe still tightly gripped in hand, Solar followed closely behind with his makeshift flamethrower now safely secured at his side.

"Come on, Thorn!" Gempa called, reaching a hand down to the trembling boy.

Thorn still shaken hesitated for a moment, his breath ragged as he looked back toward the alley where the infected were closing in fast.

But with Gempa's encouraging grip, Thorn finally gathered his strength and jumped into the hole, landing with a soft thud beside Solar.

Taufan was the last to go, his heart racing as he glanced back one final time and hearing the screech of an infected getting closer, without hesitation he jumped, his legs stretching out as he descended into the darkness below.

Just as Taufan landed, he quickly grabbed the heavy manhole cover and slammed it into place, the screeches of the infected were muffled almost instantly, leaving only the sound of their ragged breaths echoing in the quiet darkness.

They all paused for a moment, catching their breath as the last of the adrenaline faded, a heavy sigh of relief swept through the group, The danger was far from over but at least for now, they were safe.

Thorn still trembling turned to Solar, his eyes wide with fear and exhaustion, without saying a word, he rushed forward and enveloped the youngest brother in a tight hug, his small body shaking as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Solar... you're okay... you're okay..." Thorn whispered, his voice breaking.

"I-I was so scared... I thought... I thought I lose you too..." Solar though surprised at the sudden embrace hugged Thorn back gently, his hands rubbing the back of his brother's head in comfort.

"I'm fine" Solar said softly, his voice a quiet reassurance amidst the chaos that still lurked just beyond the manhole.

Blaze grin went wider before he pull gempa into a tight hug, relief written all over his face as he buried his own on his shoulder.

Gempa hug back with a sigh of relief, he could feel ice's hugging him from behind as he kiss blaze's forehead lovingly.

The three stay still for a minute before letting go, gempa walk toward solar and pull him into another round of hugs, same goes for blaze and ice to thorn.

"Thank goodness all of you are alright" gempa whisper as he could feel solar hug him tighter, follow by the sound of thorn sob as he hug the duo.

But then, solar eyes darted toward Taufan who stood a little further away, his face show nothing but a smile that felt off.

Solar pull away and walk toward him but Taufan step back, this action cause gempa who watch the scene to furrow his brows in confusion.

"Abang?" A bittersweet smile curving on his lips, It was faint, almost imperceptible but it wasn't one of his usual carefree grins, this one was laden with something darker, something they hadn't seen in him before.

The rest of the brothers exchanged glances, confusion and worry clouding their expressions, they could feel something was wrong and Taufan wasn't himself, this strange smile was unlike any he had ever shown.

"What's going on?" Gempa asked softly, his brow furrowing.

Taufan didn't respond immediately, Instead he stepped back, his eyes avoiding theirs, the air around them grew heavy and the brothers exchanged uneasy looks, their hearts beginning to race in sync with the rising tension.

"abang... what's wrong?" Solar started, voice trembling, and finally with a slow deliberate movement, Taufan turned his back to them with his posture rigid.

It was as if he was trying to put distance between himself and his family, trying to hide whatever it was that was gnawing at him but before anyone could react, Taufan lowered his collar slightly just enough to reveal the back of his neck before collective gasp filled the air.

On the back of Taufan's neck was a dark jagged bite mark, an unmistakable sign of an infected's attack, the wound was fresh, the skin around it bruised and angry red as though it had only just happened.

The brothers froze in horror, their minds struggling to comprehend what they were seeing and for a long moment no one spoke, the world around them seemed to fall into a quiet, suffocating stillness.

"Th-That... that can't be..." Blaze stammered, his voice thick with disbelief.

"Taufan... please tell me thats not what i think it is" blaze finger trembling as he look at the angry bite mark, fear rushing inside him.

"No no, this can't be happening!" Gempa's breath hitched in his throat, as he took one step closer.

"I'm sorry..." Taufan's voice was small and broken, he slowly turned back around to face them with his eyes filled with regret and sorrow. His shoulders slumped as if the weight of the confession was too much for him to bear.

The brothers stood there, wide eyed, their hearts sinking into their stomachs, they could feel the cold sweat on their own skin as the gravity of the situation set in.

"You're... infected?" Solar started, his voice barely a whisper, taufan nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving his brothers.

Taufan sighed deeply, the weight of his guilt pressing down on him like an iron chain, his heart breaking with each glance, His brothers who had been his strength, his light, now looked at him with fear and sorrow, thorn's face twisted with panic, his voice rising in desperation.

"No please!" His breath came in ragged gasps as his voice cracked.

"Not again! Please tell me it's not real!" The words echoed in the heavy silence, each one like a knife to the heart, thorn staggered forward, his small frame shaking violently as tears blurred his vision.

"Taufan, no... you can't... please..." His voice trailed off, a sob choking him.

Ice stood frozen with his usually calm demeanor shattered, his tears flowed freely now, slipping down his face in a silent stream, his hands trembling at his sides.

The others stood just as still, all of them fighting to hold back the flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm them.

"Taufan... please" gempa whispered, his voice barely audible, he wanted to shout, to fight this, but all the words had abandoned him, his world was falling apart and there was nothing he could do.

Taufan watched them all in silence, his heart shattering at the sight of their brokenness. His brothers... his family... They were everything to him.

But there was no escape from what he had become, no way to shield them from the truth, with a sad defeated smile, Taufan whispered, his voice barely a breath.

"Please... kill me." The words hung in the air like a death sentence.

"I don't want to hurt you... I don't want to lose myself completely" he continued, his voice cracking with pain.

"I don't want to become a monster, a threat to all of you. Please... end this now."

The brothers stood there, unable to move, unable to speak, as Taufan's words sliced through their hearts like a razor. The agony of the moment was unbearable, suffocating, and yet there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Taufan took a shaky step back, his eyes never leaving theirs, his face twisted with regret.

"I'm sorry... so sorry... just end me" His voice broke, and the tears began to fall just like his brothers.

The brothers stood frozen, paralyzed by Taufan's words, the air in the sewer felt suffocating, thick with despair and disbelief, none of them could comprehend what he was asking, what he was demanding.

"No" Blaze whispered, his voice barely audible, he staggered backward with his hand pressed against the damp wall, his eyes darted around the group, searching desperately for someone to speak sense into Taufan.

"You can't ask us to do this, You can't" Taufan's eyes glassy with unshed tears, softened.

"I am not asking because I want to, I'm asking because I have to" His voice trembled, but his gaze held firm.

"I only have three days before this... this thing takes me completely" He touched the bite on his neck, his fingers brushing the swollen, discolored skin.

Solar gasped clutching Thorn tighter as his knees buckled, thorn buried his face in Solar's chest, sobbing quietly.

"Abang..." Ice finally spoke, his usually calm demeanor crumbling, his hands trembled as he stepped forward.

"You don't know that for sure, three days? Maybe there's more time! Maybe there's a cure"

"There isn't!" Taufan's voice cracked, loud enough to echo down the sewer tunnels, he shut his eyes tightly, tears slipping down his cheeks and when he opened them again, his expression was full of pain, but also a quiet acceptance.

"I can feel it already, the fever, the ache in my bones, the... the hunger" His voice broke on the last word, his shoulders shaking.

Gempa stood rooted to the ground, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails bit into his palms, his heart screamed at him to fight, to argue, to refuse, but when he looked into Taufan's eyes, he saw the truth.

"I don't want to turn into one of those things" Taufan continued, his voice quieter now.

"I don't want to lose myself but even more than that..." He paused, his gaze sweeping over his brothers.

"I don't want to hurt you so please... don't make me endure the next three days knowing I might" blaze slammed his fist against the wall, his voice breaking into a shout.

"This isn't fair! First Halilintar, and now you?! Why does this keep happening to us?!" Taufan flinched at the mention of their eldest brother's name but he forced himself to stay steady.

He reached up and unclasped the pendant hanging around his neck, a simple silver chain with a small sapphire blue tornado pendant, he held it out to Gempa with his hands shaking.

"This now belong to you, gempa..." He whispered, gempa stared at the pendant, his breath hitching.

"No..." he choked out, shaking his head.

"No, I'm not... Abang please..." Taufan gave him a faint, broken smile.

"I am sorry" His gaze flickered to Solar, Thorn, Blaze, and Ice.

"I am sorry for leaving all of you" gempa's legs buckled as he fell to his knees with his tears falling freely, he reached out, his fingers brushing against the pendant but he couldn't bring himself to take it.

"abang..." Blaze's voice was hoarse as he turned back to him.

"Please... Please just let us find another way"

"There is no other way" Taufan said softly, his voice cracking.

"If there was... do you think I will be asking this of you?" For a moment, the only sound was the distant dripping of water and the quiet sobs of the brothers.

Finally, Gempa gritted his teeth and forcing himself to his feet, his entire body trembled as he bent down and picked up a sharp piece of metal from the ground, it felt cold and heavy in his hands, like all the weight of the world had been poured into that one shard.

"Don't look" he whispered, his voice barely audible as he turned to the others.

"Please... don't watch" Blaze let out a strangled cry, sinking to the ground as Ice wrapped an arm around him, his own face pale and tears streaming while Solar and Thorn huddled together, clutching each other as they sobbed into each other's arms.

Gempa turned back to Taufan who was kneeling now, his head bowed, he looked up at Gempa with a trembling smile, his tears glistening in the faint light.

"Thank you" he whispered, his voice full of love and sorrow.

Gempa couldn't hold back the sob that escaped his throat as he raised the shard, his vision blurred with tears, his chest aching as if his own heart was being torn apart.

"I love you" Taufan said, his voice so soft it was almost lost.

"Take care of them... for me and hali"

"I love you too" Gempa choked out, his voice barely more than a whisper and then with all the strength he had left, he brought the shard down.

Taufan's breath hitched and then he went still, his body slumping forward into Gempa's arms.

Gempa cradled him, his tears soaking into Taufan's hair as he rocked back and forth, the pendant dangled from his hand, its silver surface catching the faint light as the brothers' cries filled the darkness.

In that moment, the world felt emptier than it ever had before...

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"CUT! GREAT JOB, EVERYONE!"

The director's voice echoed across the set and the dramatic tension instantly evaporated.

Taufan, still sprawled on the ground, groaned and sat up before wiping fake blood off his neck.

"Finally! I thought I was gonna be stuck dead forever, do you know how itchy this fake blood gets?!" He glanced at the fake blood oozing onto his shirt.

"Also, this stuff smells terrible, What is it, expired ketchup?!"

Meanwhile Blaze was lying face down on the ground, not moving even an inch

"I think i screamed to much, my throat are so dry right now" gempa flopped onto a chair, letting the fake sharp metal fall to the floor with a clang.

"And my shoulders are permanently damaged from fake stabbing you over and over because you keep laughing mid scene"

"Can't help it, it's so funny seeing your face like that" Taufan laugh innocently causing our poor mama to sigh and gently rubbing his sore shoulders.

"Okay, seriously, who wrote this scene?!" Blaze threw his hands up after he's done drinking a bottle of water, ignoring the fact that he just yeet the empty bottle and it land perfectly on one of the staff head.

"Do they want our viewers to cry until they can't see anymore?"

"I agree" Solar muttered, crossing his arms.

"The script was way too emotional, do they need a hug or something?" Taufan ask while looking at gempa who raise his shoulder.

Thorn who had been sobbing on cue for the last half hour suddenly grinned and clapped his hands.

"That was fun! Did I nail the crying scene? I really got into it this time!" He darted toward Halilintar who was watching from the sidelines with a mask over his face and a jacket zipped up to his chin.

"Abang! Did you see me? Did I look sad enough?” Thorn practically tackled him, nearly knocking the chair over before halilintar coughed behind his mask and trying to push Thorn off.

"Get off me before you catch a cold thorn, I am still sick" His voice was hoarse and he looked thoroughly unimpressed.

But his hand gently pat thorn's head as if saying 'good job' while taufan dragged himself to his feet, still brushing off the fake blood.

"The real MVP here is whoever came up with this masterpiece of a script, Who writes this stuff?" Blaze waved the script in the air.

"Whoever it is clearly enjoys watching the audience suffer, Like I am pretty sure they are trying to make people cry so hard they dehydrate" He paused and squinted at the next page.

"Wait a minute..." Everyone turned to him as blaze’s jaw dropped before he smacked the page with his palm.

"REALLY?! I’M GONNA GET CRUSHED BY A BUNCH OF METAL NEXT?!" He held it up dramatically, pointing to the absurd stage direction.

"WHAT IS THIS?! A FINAL DESTINATION MOVIE?!" Gempa grab the script as his eyes slowly widen upon knowing what's next.

"Huh... I have to run while carriying blaze after he pass out while also being chase by the infected, that... Uh..." Gempa can't help but wonder what's on the writers mind when they write this scene, ice on the other hand lazily flipped to his part.

"oh great, I have to run for my life with one leg now? Did someone just wake up and decide to make my life a horror movie?" Ice shake his head as he look at the said culprit who pretending he didn't notice his stare.

"I am telling you, whoever wrote this script needs therapy" solar groaned while gempa nodded

"Seriously they just wake up every morning and think ‘How can I make the audience cry their eyeballs out today?’” thorn tilted his head as they talk about it.

"Do you think they are okay? Like, mentally?" Blaze sighed, dramatically throwing his arms in the air.

"No they are not okay and neither are we! Now who wants to trade scripts with me? Anyone? No?" Halilintar coughed behind his mask before he chuckle slightly.

"If it makes you feel better Blaze, at least you are not running on one leg" ice smirked before looking at their oldest brother.

"Yeah that’s my job and I am gonna be limping all the way to my therapist’s office after this" Taufan leaned back, munching on a snack.

"Don’t worry guys, you will be fine, Unless they rewrite the script halfway through and decide to kill everyone off"

The brothers all groaned in unison, it's going to be a long day.

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Hello! I am back with another chapter!

Hehe did anyone see that plottwist coming? Yes? Oh welp-

Btw, you guys won't believe what my friend said, so she read one of my chapter here and you know what she said?

"It looks like it's ai generated"

Like... Should i be offended or proud?😭 Idk TvT but i am gonna take that as a compliment i guess-

Anyways this is my gift for all of you and my last chapter in 2024!

This year is a heck of a challenge but i survive and hope all of you too

I am sure hope that in 2025 it would be easier for all of us TvT

Ehem anyways! Happy new year everyone!

Thats is all for today, hope all of you always happy and healthy!

See you in 2025 my little waves!

Peace out~

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