LOGINThe moment those words left his mouth, waves of shock and utter disbelief shot down Ivy's spine."What kind of expensive joke is that?" Ivy asked with a light chuckle, shaking her head as she wiped her tears away."It's not a joke," Darren replied immediately. "I'm being serious. Though, honestly, I don't think that day will ever come. You're strong, Mrs Ivy.""And it's Miss, not Mrs or better still just call me Ivy like you do sometimes please," Ivy corrected with a heavy sigh. "My husband and I are nothing to each other anymore. I'm raising my children on my own.""Oh..." Darren swallowed hard, instantly realizing he had stepped into a sensitive topic. "Okay then. I'm sorry about that."A brief silence followed before Ivy spoke again."Anyways, we'll see the children again tomorrow. Let's discuss more outside and of course find something to eat."She carefully laid little Hope down beside the others before rising to her feet. Darren followed shortly afterward, and together they made
Darren and Ivy got back to the base at nighttime, and the moment the truck drove in and the gate closed behind them, both of them immediately climbed down and made their way into the building to check on the children.The moment they stepped into the living room, they found all three children fast asleep on a large mat covered with soft duvets which Aria and Lila had carefully prepared. The both lay close together with little Hope sleeping peacefully in the middle while another duvet was draped over their tiny bodies.A faint smile appeared on Ivy's face as tears gathered in her eyes."Oh, my little angels..." she murmured under her breath, her voice barely audible.The sight of them sleeping so peacefully after everything that had happened today made her heart ache with relief."I'll go and have a bath first," Ivy said quietly. "You should do the same, Darren."Without waiting for a response, she turned around and headed toward the bathroom.Once inside, she thoroughly scrubbed away
Without waiting for an answer, he suddenly slowed the truck before bringing it to a stop at the side of the road."Darren?"Ivy called out in confusion.Ignoring her question, Darren reached for the first-aid box positioned between his legs. He opened it and began pulling out supplies.Cotton wool.A bottle of water.Dettol.Spirit.Plasters.A small bowl.He placed everything neatly on the dashboard."I'll treat it when we get back to the base," Ivy replied casually. "My system will heal it completely the moment I wash the blood off."But instead of listening, Darren gently grabbed her injured leg and carefully rested it across his lap.The sudden action startled Ivy.Her eyes widened."You really don't have to.....""Just stay still," Darren interrupted immediately.His tone wasn't harsh, but it left no room for argument.Ivy blinked in surprise.For a brief moment, she found herself speechless as Darren carefully adjusted her leg before opening the bottle of water and pouring some
Josh and Darren handled the digging until the grave was soon large enough to contain Nathan's body, and before long, they were finished. With heavy hearts, they gently lowered Nathan's lifeless body into the pit, placing his severed head beside him before they slowly began covering the grave with sand.For several moments, nobody spoke.The only sounds that could be heard were the shovels scraping against the earth and the distant groans of the collapsing factory behind them."Uhmmm..." Darren began after a long silence. He released a heavy sigh and stared at the grave, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I can only say that you should rest in perfect peace, buddy."His voice cracked slightly as he spoke.Josh swallowed hard before stepping forward."You're our brother, Darren," he said quietly while staring at the freshly covered grave. "We love you, and we'll always love you. Nobody is happy seeing you lying there like this."He clenched his fists tightly."You were a great warr
Darren lowered his head but remained silent."Nathan changed," Erick continued with a heavy sigh. "One day he was our teammate, and the next he decided to become a complete motherfucker. The choices he made led him here. He's dead now, but that's not on you."Darren clenched his fists, trying to regain control of his emotions."Yeah..." he muttered quietly."7...""6..."The countdown echoed through the facility once more, reminding everyone that they were still in danger."Let's come back to this later," Ivy said firmly. "For now, let's get the hell out of here before this place blows itself apart."Nobody argued.The remaining team members immediately entered the elevator.However, as the doors prepared to close, Darren noticed something.Ivy wasn't moving.She was still standing outside."And you?" Darren asked, frowning. "Get in.""I'll be right behind you," Ivy replied calmly."What?""Just go. I need to take care of something first."Darren's expression darkened."Take care of w
It was Erick who had just protected them from the monsters."10...""9...""8...""Did you all hear that?!" one of the team members shouted, gritting his teeth in frustration. "That's the fucking second stage of the destruction countdown, all thanks to that motherfucker Nathan!""Let's fucking get the hell out of here!" Ivy yelled with absolute seriousness in her tone.Without wasting another second, she crushed the water barrier Erick had just created on one side. At the same time, she continued firing at the monsters, blowing their heads apart one after another and clearing the path leading toward the elevator."Move! Keep moving!" she shouted.The rest of the group immediately followed behind her. Erick was right behind them, continuously fighting off monsters as they advanced. Gunfire echoed through the facility while monster corpses dropped around them.Just as Ivy had planned, the team managed to reach the elevator in time and escaped from Basement Level Two.....the most dangero
A few days later...Darren had become a capable assistant to Ivy, handling the farm work every day with the help of his two little "farmers.""When will this one grow?" Lila asked curiously, holding a tiny watering can almost as large as her little arms could manage.Darren glanced at the seedling
"Are you sure about this, Darren?” Erick asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at him carefully. “You made a decision to serve her because of me....so you could save my life, and for that, I’m truly grateful. But I’m not asking you to abandon your promise to Mrs. Ivy. I only want to spend a little
Suddenly, the bunker door creaked open.Erick had finally awakened again, causing every member of the group to instantly rise to their feet.“We thought you were asleep, Captain. Turns out you’re awake.” Josh was the first to speak as he hurried toward Erick alongside the others. “How are you feeli
Once outside, the others were still eating and drinking happily while celebrating their victory.“Where’s Darren?” Josh asked while chewing a large piece of meat. “He should call the captain too. The captain needs to eat.”“He’s discussing something with him,” Ivy replied with a small forced smile







