Mathew walked to the bottom floor of the building. Nadia followed silently behind him, unable to form a single cohesive thought.


    “What’s going on?” she whispered, once again trying to pry the truth from my lips.


    “If I tell you now, you won’t believe me,” Mathew replied, shaking his head. “Soon, you will understand everything. But for now, we need to wait,” He exined as best as he could.


    ‘What am I supposed to tell her?’ Mathew thought, despairing over the situation.


    Any attempt at boldly dering what was about toe would fester one question.


    ‘How did you know?’ Mathew thought, his face turning dark at the mere idea of such a thing.


    If he were to be someone believed to be behind the apocalypse…


    His life would be short and eventful.


    “Are we going to get out of this? Somehow?” Nadia asked as the two of them stopped in the same ce they saw at the very beginning. She rested her back against the wall before plummeting down.


    “Why can’t you just…” Nadia attempted to say something, only for the school to fill with the noise of sirens.


    Mathew’s n was quicklying to fruition.


    ‘Not a second too early,’ he thought, pulling out his phone again. Mathew then turned his head to the girl and lowered it in apology. “I will exin everything in a few moments when the police officer arrives,” he said before typing the short number.


    “Dispatcher,” the voice rang through the phone.


    “I wish to talk with the negotiator,” Mathew announced calmly.


    He could hear the sirens. Meaning the police were already there.


    And in the current era, the enforcement would do everything to stop a problem like this one.


    ‘I hope so fucking much I’m all wrong,’ Mathew thought before steeling himself for what was toe.


    For a few moments, the dispatcher turned silent.


    Then, the voice changed.


    “Here,” a voice of a tired, old man appeared on the phone.


    ‘I don’t recognize him,’ Mathew thought.


    Some figures made a name for themselves in the first few days of the apocalypse. But this voice didn’t belong to any of them.


    “To start it off,” the man got tired of waiting and initiated the discussion.


    Nadia trembled by Mathew’s side, the consequences of her friend’s actions finally dawning on her.


    “What the hell do you want?” the negotiator askedzily. “Drop the entire hero pretense and just tell me what do you want,” he added after another moment of silence.


    “First, I’m extremely sorry for this entire disturbance,” Mathew spoke calmly to the phone.


    Nadia froze, surprised by the unexpected development. By this point, she appeared to lose all hope in her friend.


    “To make sure we are on the same page,” Mathew continued, “I didn’t hurt anyone. Outside of a single cab, I didn’t hurt anything at all. And I would be the happiest man in the world to keep it that way,” Mathew stated.


    “What?” Naida kept silent, too scared to interrupt the call. But the expression on her face was clear.


    “But in the off chance that I’m right,” Mathew suddenly added, his tone changing a little. The difference even reflected on his face as he closed his eyes in peace. “Then I need one of your men to witness it first hand,” Mathew added.


    For a moment, the negotiator turned silent.


    Then, a faint voice reached out to the two of them through the phone.


    “You saw that too?”


    Mathew’s heart stopped beating for a moment.


    ‘What?’ he thought, his eyes opening wide.


    He then shook his head and took a deep breath.


    “Remember,” he said to the phone. “I need one, fully armed man. If nothing happens in twenty minutes, I walk out in cuffs,” Mathew spoke to the phone, his face calming down.


    “But if I’m right, then you will understand my need for a heavily armed team in this ce,” Mathew added, a small smile appearing on his lips. “I will be waiting by the infirmary,” he threw before cutting the call.


    “Is this all…” Naida muttered under her nose, “all necessary?” she asked, raising her eyes despite keeping her face low.


    “Oh dear,” Mathew whispered as he closed his eyes. “I hope not with all my heart,” he added before reaching out and patting Nadia’s head. “Whatever will be the case, I will make sure you will be safe,” he said, more to himself than to the girl.


    “Safe?” Nadia raised her eyes again. “Safe from what?”


    The look on her face started to change. As she learned more and more about the situation, she slowly managed to piece together some sort of exnation.


    Whether it was right or not, Mathew had no idea… But he could tell that Nadia’s mood had changed.


    “Just wait for a moment,” Mathew smiled in response. “Once the officer arrives, I will exin everything,” he said before sharply turning his head to the side.


    The sound of footsteps reached Mathew’s ears.


    ‘So he is here, already,’ he thought, turning his face towards the entrance of the corridor.


    The Cherif of the town.


    Not in the direct meaning of this world.


    This man was just your regr cop. But his disposition and poprity forced this moniker upon him.


    ‘I guess the cowboy’s hat did its part in this man’s image,’ Mathew thought.


    “So?” the man asked, his arms crossed over his muscr chest. “What do you need me here for?” he asked, puzzled by Mathew’s calm demeanor.


    “Twenty minutes of your time,” Mathew replied bluntly before gracing the man with his smile. “If nothing happens until then, I will surrender. And if something happens,” Mathew stopped, turning his eyes and directing them towards the opposite side of the corridor.


    Both his firearm and the fire ax rested against the wall. Each of them is at least two meters away from Mathew.


    “Okay?” the man muttered.


    The dissonance between his expectations and reality boiled in the policeman’s eyes.


    “For now, though,” Mathew nced over at Naida before revealing a small, sad smile. “I guess you need to hear what I saw,” Mathew muttered under his nose, only to raise his head and look at the officer’s face.


    “Roughly half an hour ago, I died.”