Read Novel Full Chapter 418: Ember’s Death
Chapter 418: Chapter 418: Ember’s Death
However, the Ember inside that memory did not even register Jay’s presence. The moment she caught sight of the surroundings, she turned around and ran.
Her footsteps were frantic, uneven, as if the ground itself was chasing her. Jay’s heart lurched.
’Wait... Ember.’
His legs moved before his mind could catch up, and he chased after her without thinking.
No matter how fast he ran, the distance between them never truly closed. She stayed just far enough away to remain out of reach, like a cruel mirage.
Then the scene shifted.
He watched as Ivy’s family returned, their silhouettes emerging from the haze.
He saw Ivy standing there, her shoulders slowly caving in as the truth spilled from her lips.
Her voice trembled as she spoke about Ember, and then Ember herself appeared, silent and pale, existing only to prove that everything Ivy said was real. Jay stood there, invisible, forced to witness every second.
The next day followed like a blade drawn across his throat.
Jay saw his past self stepping forward, ring box clutched tightly in trembling hands, determination shining in his eyes as he went to propose.
The hope shattered the instant he saw Ember. Her skin was ashen, her eyes dull and unfocused, her movements stiff and wrong.
A half-zombie.
Rage consumed the Jay of that life. It burned so violently that he lost himself, his attacks turning wild and reckless as he lashed out at Ivy.
The air filled with shouting, panic, and the sour stench of fear. Before he could go too far, Ember stepped in.
She stopped him.
Her grip was weak, her touch cold, yet firm enough to halt him. Weakly making sounds, desperately asking Jay not to harm Ivy.
Without a word, she turned and ran again, disappearing into the shadows. Jay watched helplessly, his chest tight, his vision blurring as something inside him cracked.
From then on, the memories dragged him through quiet suffering.
He saw his other self sneaking back to Ivy’s hideout time and again, always careful, always watching from a distance.
Sometimes, when no one was looking, he would leave pieces of animal meat behind, placing them carefully as if handling something precious. He would hide and wait, holding his breath.
When half-zombie Ember came and took the food, the other Jay would release a shaky sigh of relief, his lips curving into a small, broken smile.
Jay’s hands trembled as he watched.
’There was a time... there will be a time... where Ember becomes like this?’
His heart pounded violently, each beat echoing in his ears. Fear crawled up his spine, cold and suffocating.
’No. This can’t be real. This will never happen.’
His fingers curled into his palms as if gripping onto reality itself.
’It hasn’t happened yet. And it never will. I won’t let it.’
A terrifying thought struck him, and his breathing turned shallow. ’What if this is a dream? Some twisted vision of the future?’
At the same time, he desperately wished it was a dream.
He followed his other self again and soon realized that this version of him had reached a base.
Heavy metal doors slid open, releasing the sharp scent of disinfectant and chemicals. Inside one of the research areas, his other self worked frantically, hands moving with practiced urgency.
An antidote. An antidote meant for half-zombies.
Jay’s breath hitched as realization dawned on him. ’He’s... making this for Ember.’
Relief washed over him so suddenly that his knees nearly buckled. He let out a long, shaky breath.
’At least... at least one of us was smart enough to do this.’
When the antidote was finally completed, hope bloomed painfully in Jay’s chest. He watched as his other self left the base, clutching the vial like it was the last piece of the world worth saving.
Then everything went wrong.
On the way, news reached him that Helena and Felix had been captured. Panic rippled through him, but another thought quickly followed.
As long as the antidote reached Ember, she could be cured. With her cured, they would have more people, more strength.
So his other self changed direction, desperately searching for Ember.
That was when he saw it. A severed hand lay on the ground.
Horror flashed across the face of his other self, and Jay felt it too, sharp and paralyzing.
The world seemed to tilt. He watched as his other self screamed Ember’s name over and over, his voice breaking, cracking against the empty ruins.
Then he found her.
Ember’s body lay there, torn apart in several places, unmoving, lifeless. The air around her was thick with the stench of rot and blood. It was unmistakable.
She was dead. She had died alone, still trapped in her half-zombie form.
The sight was so unnatural, so horrifying, that both Jays stood frozen, unable to accept it. Before either could break down, Jay clutched his head, his fingers digging into his scalp.
"This is impossible... this is impossible..."
His voice trembled as he repeated the words like a prayer.
"How can Ember die? She was just with me. She’s right beside me."
His eyes darted around wildly.
"This isn’t the future. It doesn’t make sense. How did Ivy become blind? Why do Helena and Victor look so lost? What about Silas? What about the base we love now? There should at least be SiIvy base."
His chest tightened painfully.
"This family... this family could never end up like this."
Confusion and despair tangled inside him.
"So how did it all end this way? Why was my Ember killed? Why didn’t we end up together?"
He watched as his other self gathered Ember’s body into his arms. The rotting smell assaulted him, thick and suffocating, and soon his other self transformed into a zombie as well.
Yet instead of roaming mindlessly, it collapsed beside her, unmoving.
As if its entire world had ended. Jay swallowed hard.
’If Ember ever died... this is exactly what I would do.’
He watched his other self lie there, still and silent, as though every reason to stay alive had been ripped away.