Earl aimed his gun at Jack. The tension in the air was razor-sharp, stretched so tight it felt like it could snap at any moment.
Lee took in the scene, then casually snapped his fingers. The sound was light, but his gaze held a firm, undeniable authority. "Alright, everyone. Stand down."
He swept his eyes over Earl and Jack, a faint smile on his lips, though there was an unmistakable edge in his expression. Raising his tactical flashlight, he let the beam drift across Earnest and Dr. Chan's exposed skin. No signs of infection.
"Earl, they don't look like the infected." Lee's voice was calm but carried weight. "What do you think you're doing? Don't throw our game into chaos now."
The tension thickened.
Jack wasn't about to back down either. His voice was cold. "Earl, if you lose it again, don't be surprised if we deal with you first."
Earl seemed lost in another reality, eyes distant, lips curled into something close to bliss. "You really don't see it? There's light… above their heads."
Silence fell across the room.
His voice was slow and steady, but his eyes burned with a strange, obsessive clarity. "They're not regular people. Their breathing is off. They're plants from the higher-ups—guides, or maybe just bait."
Jack scoffed. "You need your meds. You're losing it."
Earl ignored him, fixing his gaze on Earnest as if trying to see past him, into some unspeakable truth. His finger rested on the trigger, but he didn't pull. Instead, he stepped forward.
"I can hear them laughing," he muttered. "Laughing at us, at how we think we have control over our choices."
His tone sent a chill through the room. It wasn't a threat. It was a prophecy.
Lee narrowed his eyes and stepped forward, placing a steady hand on Earl's shoulder. His voice was easygoing, almost brotherly, but there was steel underneath. "Come on. Let's talk."
He glanced at Earl out of the corner of his eye, cursing internally at how much trouble this guy always caused him. But outwardly, he kept his cool, giving Earl just enough respect to keep things steady.
"You kill them, maybe you earn a few points, right? But we all saw. If word gets out… Do you really think you can keep playing after breaking the rules?"
Earl studied him, voice low. "What do you want?"
"That depends." Lee's signature smirk appeared as he gave Earl's shoulder a pat, a silent nudge for him to think it through. "What do you have to offer?"
-----------------
Lee turned, stepping back toward Earnest. He towered over him, his gaze shifting—once calm, now sharp, like someone who held absolute control over another's fate.
"Speak." His voice was cool and measured. "Who are you really?"
Earnest drew a deep breath. This was the moment—the trade that might mean life or death. Every word mattered, and yet, in this crucial instant, he found himself struggling for the right ones.
His eyes flicked past Lee's shoulder, scanning the other hunters, weighing who might be the first to pull the trigger.
"I'm Earnest. He's Dr. Chan. Whoever you're after… it's not us."
Lee raised an eyebrow, a faint, unreadable smirk forming. "Then who do you think we're looking for?"
Earnest didn't answer immediately. He spoke slowly. "Test subjects. The ones who escaped, lost control, showed… strange reactions. But we don't have those symptoms."
The air grew heavy.
Lee's eyes narrowed. "You seem to know a lot."
Earnest met his gaze. "Well… we've worked in the lab before."
That single statement dropped like a steel weight onto thin ice. The atmosphere chilled instantly. Even Jack, in the middle of fueling up his chainsaw, froze for a second.
Lee stepped closer, voice low. "What are you implying?"
Earnest spoke carefully, as if slipping a blade between words. "We have access—records, codes, experiment IDs… even copies of internal communications. Like the Agent Program."
Lee's expression darkened for the first time. He didn't reply immediately, just studied Earnest in silence. A silence that weighed heavier than any threat.
This wasn't just a bluff. It was a hammer striking a hidden truth—one everyone knew but never spoke aloud.
Information like that should have been locked tight in the hands of the lab's highest authorities. How had it slipped free? Whoever held it now—it could be a lethal poison, a shield for survival, or a weapon to turn the tables.
Lee's smile lingered, but it had changed. He draped an arm over Earnest's shoulder like an old friend, showing no fear of the explosives at his feet. His sheer confidence—his utter control—earned him the respect of his crew, even Earl.
"I can convince Earl to let you go," Lee said easily. "Unlike him, we're not the paranoid type. But you need to give us something worth our while."
From the distance, Earl watched, tense. He didn't know what game Lee was playing, but suddenly, he was uneasy.
"I'll give it to you," Earnest said, tapping his fingers against his thigh—a habit when he was staying calm under pressure. "But only after we're safe."
He knew this information was his only shield. Dr. Chan had hinted at it before, but Earnest suspected Chan's involvement ran deeper—more than just a lab scientist. His father had placed him here for a reason.
Lee studied Earnest, his smirk fading slightly. "You… wouldn't be lying to me, would you?"
Earnest remained steady. "Guess you'll have to find out."
Lee chuckled, a quiet acknowledgment. "Alright. You're different."
Then, turning away, he walked back to Earl, assessing his options. "Thoughts?"
The air tightened, like a wire about to snap.
---
Earnest watched them, fully aware that Lee was weighing both sides, calculating who could offer him the better deal.
He felt his pulse quicken. He couldn't wait for them to settle a bargain—he had to act.
Jack, still simmering with frustration, crouched to fuel his chainsaw, occasionally throwing hostile glances at Earl.
Earnest turned to Jack. "You're really not worried I'll lift my foot and take us all down together?"
Jack snorted. "Hah. Forgot to mention—Bonecracker's blast radius is barely a meter. See how far we're standing? And this gear?" He knocked his armored chest. "Bulletproof. Probably never seen it before, huh? Poor bastard."
Earnest understood now. This group wasn't a solid unit—cracks ran deep beneath the surface. That might be his only way out.
He took a steady breath, calming the rise and fall of his chest. Then, tilting his head slightly, he murmured to Jack.
"You ever notice something?" His voice was low, casual. "That guy looks at you… the same way he looks at us."
Jack's expression hardened instantly. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Earnest's lips curled into a nearly imperceptible smirk. "You guys must be tight. Splitting every cut evenly, right?"
Jack stiffened, fingers unconsciously tightening around his chainsaw's handle. He glanced at Earl, doubt creeping into his gaze.
Then, right on cue, Joe—the hunter—let out a whistle, drawing everyone's attention. He pointed straight at Dr. Chan.
"This guy's hiding something!"
In an instant, the entire group focused on the long-overlooked scientist.