— Choices are... relative... you could say they are... infinite...
Once again, they were all in different places. Haoran woke up inside a plane. He looked out the window, it was daytime. The plane was not in the sky. He was in an airport, infested with zombies.
Z... Zombies?
He tried to mask his fear, but he couldn't. The door was open. He stepped out of the plane, entering the airport building. The bridge was empty, but the building was also infested.
What should I do? If I scream, they will hear me... But I'm scared, I have to find them...
He began his search. The zombies were all standing still, staring into space. He opened a random backpack next to the chairs in the lobby. There was a bunch of mundane stuff. He took out a pencil and threw it in a random direction, trying to gather all the zombies in one place. Instead, they noticed him and started chasing him. He ran with his maximum speed, screaming in fear.
Ria was on the runway, surrounded by zombies. She was calm, thinking of a way out. Then, she pointed her revolver at them. No reaction. She walked around until she found the main building. There were many zombies at the entrance, but she managed not to touch any of them and entered.
There were two zombies inside. The others were far away, so she was basically alone, excluding the crowd outside. She grabbed some bags and blocked the door. She lined up the two zombies and fired her gun, even though it probably wouldn't work. The shot did work, but as expected, the bullet didn't exist. Their heads were intact. Furthermore, they turned their heads towards her and started chasing her.
Masking her fear, she ran away. The zombies outside also looked at her and ran through the other entrances. She emptied her revolver at them, but now she was surrounded. She tried to fight them off, but she was too weak compared to her normal self. Seeing no way out, she cried and closed her eyes, cowering in fear.
— P... Please...
The zombies turned and walked away.
Haoyu was inside a bathroom stall. The zombies were silent, so he was surprised when he opened the door and saw them. Realizing that they were standing still, he calmed down so as not to make any noise. He walked to the exit and heard someone screaming.
Haoran?! I can't see him from here...
He jumped silently, until he saw Haoran running for his life. However, there were no zombies following him, or even noticing his presence. Haoyu wanted to tell him that there was no danger, but he was too scared to do anything. What if the zombies noticed him? He wanted to catch up, but something told him to stay still. They might even target Haoran if he did that. He couldn't risk everything because of a stupid choice.
Haoran ran past him, panting as if he was about to faint, until he passed out. The zombies around Haoyu suddenly targeted him, even though he had just been watching silently. Desperately, he fled, trying not to lead them to his unconscious friend.
— How long are you going to... run away...?
Huh? I can't put him in danger!
— The choices you make... are not yours... are they...?
Shut up! You just want me to die with him!
Ria saw the zombies walking away, until they left the building.
— How long are you going to... look strong...?
— Huh...?
— People are unpredictable, sure... but when things don't go your way... they're not always meant to be...
Haoyu was about to faint, until he saw Ria. The zombies were still following him, but only the ones behind him. The rest of the building was empty.
Ria... I can't even say anything... I'm out of breath...
— Wait, Haoyu! Stop right there!
He didn't stop. She punched him in the stomach, making him stop immediately. The zombies stopped following him. But they were just in place, they didn't walk away like the ones targeting Ria did.
— You're doing things wrong. Think, what should you be doing right now?
He was too tired to say anything. She shook his body.
— Answer! Do you regret something?
— I... I can't bring the zombies to Haoran...
— Then why did you bring them to me? Because you want to me to share your problems?
— No... it was an accident, I swear... If I knew you were here, I would...
— You would what? Sacrifice yourself? You would just stay in place and wait for your fate? What do you really want to do?
— I... I want to keep everyone safe...
— By running away from them? Are they mindless zombies that you need to protect all the time? Do they want to avoid your problems?
— Of course... why would anyone want my problems?
— You don't know anything about anyone. People are unpredictable, but... sometimes your way is not how things should go...
— ...
He held out his hand to help him up.
— What should you be doing right now?
— I should... We should look for Haoran.
She held him to help him walk.
— Slowly and steadily, things will work out naturally. Don't force anything.
— Ria, is this really you?
— What do you mean?
— You know what I mean.
— People can be unpredictable.
Haoran woke up and saw that most of the zombies were gone. The ones behind him prevented him from seeing what was on the other side, but his friends probably ran through the empty path, so he walked slowly, still tired. The zombies outside were staring at him. He tried to mask his fear and appear strong. He tried to make as little noise as possible, aiming to go unnoticed.
— How long... do you think you can be a ghost...?
Huh...?
— Even ghosts can be seen... no matter how hard they try... their efforts will be futile at some point...
Haoyu and Ria could finally be seen from afar. However, there were zombies around them, walking alongside them. Haoran walked towards them, trying not to attract the attention of the zombies outside. Suddenly, they targeted the two of them, breaking into the building and chasing them. They, however, were not scared. Only Haoran was desperate.
What should I do? I'm scared, but I... I can't just wait here! I have to save them!
At the top of his lungs, Haoran shouted:
— HEY!!! I'M HERE, DON'T YOU SEE? I'VE ALWAYS BEEN HERE! I KNOW YOU CAN SEE ME, SO COME GET ME!
All the zombies, including the ones walking beside the two, finally moved away. Haoran fell to the ground, exhausted. Haoyu hugged his friend.
— Haoran, thank you. I thought things would work out better if I did my part, but... my part also includes you and everyone else. Nothing I do is just my choice. I was too stupid not to tell you things right away.
— You don't have to tell me everything... everyone has secrets, but... I'd be happy if you told me yours. You were right, I should have more friends. I didn't want to be judged, but what does it matter? Everyone gets judged for everything they do all the time.
Haoyu turned to see Ria, crying slightly.
— Ria, thank you. You saved us.
— You said I was authoritarian. Maybe you were right. No dictatorship is good, no matter how happy the people are within it.
Haoran added:
— At least you're the good kind of dictator. It's better than being the other kind, right?
— Are you saying I can be redeemed? I'm afraid you're wrong, but I will try to live up to your expectations.
Haoyu contested:
— No, expectations are meaningless. Just be yourself. What should you be doing right now?
She was speechless, then smiled ever so slightly.
— This time you're right.
The man from before appeared in the center of their circle. His body and face were becoming more visible, though not enough.
— Your insecurities and confusions are... natural... but you're still too afraid... of death...
Haoyu said:
— Everyone's afraid of death. It's more than natural.
— Indeed... but karma is absolute... no matter your actions... death is inevitable for everyone... even for gods like me...
Surprised, Ria asked:
— Are you a god?
— Yes... the God of Infinity... Everyone has... someone they want to see... but they are usually not... meant to...
Haoran commented:
— You're vague... Even if you are a god, you should tell things more clearly.
— Most people are meant... to remain as memories...
The man joined his hands together in the symbol of Infinity.
Haoyu appeared on the top floor of an abandoned church tower. Before he could look around, he saw a familiar face.
Jing...?
She spread her arms and stepped off the ledge. He ran to see her. She disappeared. He looked around. He was in the middle of a vast desert. Not a natural desert, but a man-made barren land.