My Ruin to You - Chapter 58

By the time the city gates came into view in the distance, dusk had faded into full darkness.

Grrrruuuuuh—

Their time had come. The eerie, dragging footsteps of beasts searching for prey echoed through the streets. She had planned to keep moving all night, no matter what happened below—but instinctive fear rooted her in place.

Leaning against a chimney, Roseline peeked down.

Chaos.

Infected spilled into the streets, staggering into walls, sniffing the air like hounds catching a scent. When their gazes suddenly snapped upward toward the rooftops, her hair stood on end, breath catching in her throat.

I’m screwed. What do I do?

“Ggghhheeeek!”

An infected spotted her and lurched forward, dragging its feet. Grrrlk—Kkhh—Kraaaa! Shrieks erupted from all directions. Below the three-story building, the infected shoved and trampled each other, swarming toward the base of the wall.

Even though she was out of reach, they didn’t stop. Some slammed their heads against the brick, while others scraped at the walls with guttural, inhuman sounds.

Just as Roseline shakily rose to her feet, her hands trembling—

Fwoosh!

A brilliant curtain of light surged past her in an instant, sweeping far into the distance. A barrier. The infected caught in its path collapsed like withered leaves, not even given the chance to scream. Clutching the chimney, Roseline stared in disbelief at the distant barrier and the inn it was protecting.

“…Huh?”

Then, flames erupted somewhere along the street where the inn stood. In the pitch-black darkness, the fire spread like a beast licking its lips, methodically tightening its noose. It was too deliberate to be accidental—flaring up, dying down, then flaring again, creeping closer as if feeling its way through the dark like the fingers of a relentless pursuer.

Some infected caught in the flames crumpled to the ground like shadows, while others fled from the light. And now, it was Roseline’s turn.

“She’s not here.”

“Burn it.”

Just as the flames licked at the rooftop where Roseline had stood moments ago, she heard the voices below with perfect clarity. The sound of boots scouring the building only confirmed it.

She was trapped. Moving across rooftops wasn’t impossible, but the knights would surely notice. And surrendering? Out of the question. Not after I’ve come this far.

“Given the infected swarming, she must be nearby.”

Now, the voices of pursuit came from directly below. Roseline, crouched behind the chimney, clamped a frozen hand over her mouth. The blazing buildings and the knights’ torches illuminated the streets like daylight. Valen, seated on his horse, slowly swept his gaze over the scattered corpses—some still clinging to the walls as if they had died trying to climb. His eyes flicked to the rooftops, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

“Not a cat, are you?”

He had spotted the edge of her clothes peeking out from behind the chimney. A knight quickly approached after finishing his search.

“She’s not inside.”

“Burn every building around this one. Leave this one standing.”

“Every single one, Your Highness?”

“Yes. Every last one.”

The order was carried out without hesitation. With each neighboring building swallowed by flames, Roseline’s mouth grew drier. Acrid smoke and the stench of burning filled the air, and she muffled coughs into her sleeve. This was the end. No more places to run, nowhere left to hide. Her only choice now was to jump before the fire consumed this roof too.

“Damn it.”

Roseline wrapped herself in a protective barrier first. Then, she began inching across the rooftop toward the side of the street not yet occupied by the knights. Pressing her weight onto her toes, she rose and stepped to the edge of the roof—only to lock eyes with Valen, who had been looking up at her as if waiting for this exact moment.

“Jump, Roseline.”

As if inviting her into his arms, Valen spread his own wide. And in that instant, she realized—the outcome had been decided from the very beginning.