Lowly Ascent

Soldiers lined up along the wall, peering down as the undead continued to climb. There were groups of zombies congregating, understanding they had to climb. Their ranks swelled by the minute.

As piles of dead rose, soldiers hurled flammable oil and rocks, crushing and disposing of many. 

Yet the horde appeared inexhaustible, with more joining the climb rather than dying. Zombies began climbing higher and higher, nothing the soldiers sent down seemed to make a dent.

To Cain's left, he noticed another field commander. He was yelling so loud that the whole segment of the wall could hear him. He was berating some slaves he had brought to the wall, forcing them to throw stones down below for him.

"Faster! More! More! Can't you incompetent shits see they're climbing higher?!" 

The commander had a bushy mustache and slicked-back brown hair, his face seemed smooth but still concealed some wrinkles.

"Damn contaminants! You can't even do this right? No wonder you're nothing but slaves!"

He then kicked one of the slaves off, and the poor soul fell into the clutches of the undead, screaming until the end as they tore him apart.

Witnessing the unwanted death of one of the only other people in this world in a similar situation to his own, anger surged in Cain without end.

He, too, was a contaminant. Did he also deserve to be thrown off the wall?

'Why! Why kill him, why treat contaminants like this!? We are people as well are we not!' These were the thoughts of a people formed together through circumstance. 

Cain despised how contaminants were treated to his core. Even from a young age, his own master treated him as an object.

He detested dehumanization of himself which sprouted to others similar to him. The hate grew to a point where Cain even began to view non-contaminants as different from himself and developed a prejudice against them.

If not for Luna, who knows how bad this hatred could grow. 

These emotions also tied into a side project Cain had been doing recently. Under the guise of buying subjects for experiments, he would buy contaminants, then rescue them and ensure their safe escape from Free City.

During this time he also conversed with these individuals and learned of their harrowing experiences, which were often far worse than his own. 

Most if not all would wander upon arrival in this world, until someone noticed them, subjecting them to slavery, abuse, or something far worse.

These were the horrors they faced, their stories sickened Cain to his core. He despised how his people were treated so deeply that his eyes would turn red, and veins would bulge at the mere thought of it.

But, now…he could do nothing but watch his fellow man be plunged into the maws of creatures more terrifying than nightmares. 

'At least your hell in this place is over…I'm sorry.' 

Cain then shed a single tear as an act of repayment for his inaction.

...

It was night. Cain was sleeping in his makeshift barrack. 

He was awoken by the sounds of explosions and drowning screams. Rushing outside, he went to find the cause, but he could only stop in shock.

"No…no no no no no!"

Everything in his eyes was in a sea of fire and smoke. Soldiers were fleeing for their lives as the undead advanced up from the walls.

Chaos reigned, and the defense had crumbled. The dead had entered the city.

'Luna!'

For the first time in forever, fear found itself in Cain's heart. Disregarding everything, he ran, he ran to where Luna was stationed. 

Sprinting until his legs ached. Crossing over the gate section of the wall, he saw below rubble and rebar littering the once indestructible stone. 

'Destroyed? How... what?' 

The undead flooded into the city, the number of them uncountable. 

He continued to fight off zombies as he dashed atop the smoldering wall, slicing through rotting heads with his weapon. 

Cain didn't have time to breathe it was better not to breathe with the rising smog. 

But Cain couldn't keep his pace, the Zimo virus was a king among bacteria, resilient to its kind. Certain diseases could tear through it with ease. 

And so, to maximize his effectiveness, Cain unleashed his trump card. His most potent virus, Animum. It was a major risk, but he had to.

Uncapping a vial, the air began to rise in degrees as corpses burst into boiling blood. The popping bubbles turned to a mist as it rose and unleashed its terror.

All the zombies hit by this velvet cloud began to melt without cause. Cain had studied Animum, at this point he almost understood most of the basics.

But even he was amazed by its strength. 'This…this isn't magic, is it?! Just what sort of mutation happened to make such a curse on the land…'

Animum was a bioweapon, devastating everything it touched.

With the help of the ever-encroaching mist, Cain made it to where Luna should have been stationed. He scanned the chaotic scene for signs of life, however, everything before him was burning fires and wandering corpses.

Yet there was a lone survivor, a lone man with a scar on his face putting up a valiant fight against the zombies.

To the soldier's astonishment, the zombies suddenly began to dissolve into pools of oozing black blood. It was his turn to look around, spotting a young man in an officer's uniform almost cloaked in a crimson mist.

"W-Who are you?"

Cain approached the bearded soldier. "Tell me everything you know about what has happened in the last few hours."

The soldier regained his composure, seeing Cain take charge. "Sir? Don't you know what happened?"

Cain frowned. "I was asleep…"

The soldier stared at Cain with widened eyes, disbelief washing over him. Someone could sleep through the horrors that had unfolded?!

Even if what Cain said was true or not, he was his superior nonetheless. He did as he was told. 

"Well, we were defending the wall, and the zombies kept getting closer until there was an explosion at the gate. It was breached, and we were ordered to abandon the outer wall and retreat to the inner one."

Cain raised a brow. "Then why are you still here then?" 

Although he asked, he didn't need to, he saw many other soldiers trying to fight, still on the walls or in the streets. He had guessed what happened.

The soldier became emotional, revealing the truth. "We were sacrificed…so the rest could escape." the scarred man spoke with bitterness, clenching his fist in anger.

Cain couldn't muster any sympathy, he wasn't a contaminant after all. But he had one more question. 

"Where is your commander?"

"The Commander? She left with Lord Darius during the retreat. She didn't seem pleased about it; she was practically dragged away by him."

Cain nodded and just turned away. He didn't have time to assist people he cared little for. His sole focus was on finding Luna.

This didn't stop the man from pleading. "W-wait! Can you save me, take me with you!"

"You'll just slow me down." Cain's cold tone seemed to bring out utter desperation in the man.

"I said wait!" He reached out and yanked at Cain's arm, stopping him. "I-I'm sorry, but please, you can't leave me here to-"

Cain turned, but he didn't look like the calm man from before. It was pure rage forming on his face, utter disgust and rage that began to burn.

The soldier couldn't say a word before his entire body broke down into a bright red pool, almost as if an evil witch's cauldron was knocked over. 

'Do not stop me from getting to her. Pay this sin with your life!'

Cain turned and ran with everything he had.