POV Leo Cromon
I returned home after plowing the soil. Lately, my father has been spending a lot of money on drinks and gambling, but there is still enough left for me. My friend, with that unusual smile of his, walks with me. On the way, he asks me for food, as always, and, as always, I can't bring myself to reject him. When we arrive, I see my father all bruised and the house completely ransacked. I immediately rush to help him, while my friend walks around the house, probably checking if they took anything important.
I immediately ask my father, "What happened? Are you okay? And why is the house a mess? Did bandits come?"
He replies, coughing, "This was a warning... I hadn't told you yet, but I lost a bet and had to borrow money. Since the amount was too large, we won't be able to pay it back. We planned not to tell you; you will be safe, I guarantee you that."
Even with my father saying I would be safe, I can't just look at this situation and do nothing. But how can I help? While I was thinking, my friend spoke up, "There are rumors that say there are many treasures in the ancient capital of Zins."
But I immediately reply, "Isn't that the city that was attacked by hundreds of zombies? The city was abandoned because of that. What saves us here is that the barrier works thanks to a measure taken by the soldiers. There's no way we can go there."
My friend then responds, "However, because of the sunlight, many zombies died, and only a few are left compared to what there used to be. Besides, it's daytime, which is when it's easier to explore the city."
I start thinking. I might be safe, but my father won't be, since he was the one who started the debt, and my mother would never be able to get that much money. In other words, I would have to take care of things on my own. I would only be delaying my end, so it's better to at least try.
My father was against the idea at first, but I explained my logic and he had to agree. I asked my friend where we had to go, and he said we just had to follow the direction of the sun. For that, we took our camels and went straight toward the sun. My father waved goodbye and wished us good luck.
The path was incredibly difficult. Outside the city's protection, the heat is hellish, and the wind moves the sand every now and then. Although difficult, we brought enough to survive. It's a two-hour journey—of course, if you don't get lost. If you do get lost, it can take many days to reach the destination, which can even be fatal. Luckily, we brought a borrowed magic map that shows our location until we get there.
After a few breaks, we reached our destination. There is the smell of corpses and blood everywhere. We enter the city, and the weather gets cooler, though no less terrifying. Maybe the treasure is in the house of the former owner of these lands, perhaps a Duke. I look at the magic map again, showing how useful it is, and we arrive at the Duke's house. It looks incredibly old and abandoned, but very large. There are paintings of a couple in various places around the house, probably the Duke and his wife.
We search all over the house, but find nothing. Then, we hear a groan. We hide, but just as the creature was about to leave, my friend knocks over a jar. The noise not only attracts the zombie's gaze, but we also start to hear slow yet steady footsteps. A zombie scratches my arm without me noticing, but I kick it away. Searching quickly, we find a hatch under the rug. We run and descend quickly, finding a gigantic vault. It seems the vault's lock opens easily due to the passage of time.
We open it and step inside. The noise of the zombies outside is getting louder and louder, so we don't even pay attention to the vault at first. However, when we look, we are left speechless. A debt? That was nothing; you could buy a whole country with all these rare treasures. I'm no expert, but just those gold coins would be enough to live the rest of my life without ever worrying about money. No wonder he was a Duke. I grab a small bag, which is more than enough, and notice another exit. However, my friend looks at the other exit and gives me a heavy kick, incapacitating me.
"What are you doing? Are you crazy?!"
My friend responds with that typical smile of his, "You really are naive. Did you think I actually wanted a partnership with you? I only used you—spending your money for food, stealing things from your house when it was easy... and even this trip was to get rid of you. I saw that you weren't going to be useful for me to get easy things anymore. With your family in debt, I won't gain much from you. And look at you, you got scratched and didn't even notice because you were so scared."
Only now do I look at my arm, which is starting to go numb. Then, I look at his face and realize: that smile was always a smile of malice. He had this intention for a long time. Why didn't I understand it before? Why did I make excuses for him that didn't exist? When did that friend of years become like this?
I was left without answers, fallen there without being able to leave, as the zombies approached. Before leaving, my friend smiles even more, seeing that I finally understood.
"Goodbye, 'friend.' Say hi to the zombies for me."
He flees, taking my bag of gold and much more, stuffing his pockets with gold. He leaves as if nothing happened. I look around for anything that can save me, and then I see a magic lamp. Regardless of whether it's real or not, whether it holds an evil genie or not, I crawl toward it. Holding onto the wall, I grab the lamp. I think of my three wishes: saving myself seems good and useful, depending on the genie; money, because the zombies are coming and I don't want to take too long; and knowledge, so I never fall into a situation like this again.
The zombies have already broken through the entrance, and I can hear their groans very close by. The zombification has already taken over my left arm, and I decide to rub the lamp immediately, completely desperate.