Liam’s unusually urgent reaction left Noah montarily stunned.
Before he could say anything, Liam was already striding toward the door.
His pace was quick and purposeful, making it obvious that sothing had put him on edge. Noah hurried after him, nearly jogging to keep up.
"Brother, why are you in such a rush?"
Liam’s steps paused briefly. "I’m not rushing."
"If you’re not, then why are you walking so fast?" Noah muttered.
Liam shot him a look.
"Stop talking and keep moving."
Noah puffed out his cheeks. His brother could be unbelievably stubborn. He was clearly worried, yet refused to admit it.
Still, Noah wisely kept the rest of his thoughts to himself. The last thing he wanted was for Liam to leave him behind and go find Suzy alone.
The brothers started climbing toward the twentieth floor once again.
They had no idea who the people approaching from below were or what their intentions might be. Liam only knew that he needed to warn Suzy as quickly as possible.
He took the stairs two and three at a ti.
Poor Noah, with his much shorter legs, had no hope of keeping up.
Within monts, he was lagging far behind.
"Liam, wait for !"
Noah couldn’t help calling out. The instant the words left his mouth, he lowered his voice, worried soone might hear them.
Fortunately, Liam heard him.
Turning around, he saw his brother standing several steps below, glaring up at him indignantly.
"Why are you so slow?"
"What do you an I’m slow? You’re the one moving too fast." Noah huffed as he finally caught up, breathing hard. "You didn’t even wait for ."
Then he added pitifully, "Brother, you’re really anxious."
This ti, Liam didn’t bother denying it.
Noah imdiately pressed his advantage.
"Are you in such a hurry because you want to see Suzy?"
"Stop talking nonsense." Liam cut him off sharply. "I should’ve left you at ho."
"I wouldn’t have stayed." Noah quickened his pace and overtook him. "I want to see Suzy too."
Suddenly, a faint sound drifted up from below. Liam’s expression changed instantly.
Noah hadn’t heard anything, but he saw the shift in his brother’s face and imdiately felt his stomach tighten.
"Liam... what’s wrong? Why do you suddenly look so serious?"
Liam pointed toward the lower floors and lowered his voice.
"Keep it down. I think they’re coming this way."
Noah imdiately clapped both hands over his mouth.
He hadn’t heard a thing. Was his brother’s hearing really that sharp?
Liam focused intently, listening. Then he cautiously leaned over the railing and looked down.
The stairwell plunged into shadow, making it impossible to see much.
Even so, he could faintly make out footsteps. Voices, too. The sounds were subtle, almost imperceptible, but Liam still caught them.
Without hesitation, he scooped Noah into his arms.
After a brief mont of consideration, he decided they should continue upward and warn Suzy.
Noah obediently wrapped his arms around Liam’s neck. This was not the ti to complain.
With Noah no longer slowing him down, Liam moved even faster. It took only a short while for him to reach the twentieth floor again.
He imdiately knocked on Suzy’s door. The person who answered was Suzy herself.
As the door swung open, surprise flashed across her face. Noah lit up with delight the mont he saw her. Liam didn’t speak right away, but his eyes brightened noticeably.
For a brief instant, the tension inside him eased. Then Thomas appeared beside Suzy. And the atmosphere changed completely.
Liam’s gaze brushed briefly across Thomas. The mont he saw him, that familiar suffocating feeling returned.
It was impossible to describe.
A dull ache settled in his chest, and even the back of his throat seed tinged with bitterness.
For several awkward seconds, everyone simply stood there staring at one another.
Suzy was so caught off guard that she forgot what she had intended to say.
She was still wondering why Liam and Noah had co back. They had only left a short while ago. Had she forgotten sothing at their apartnt again?
"What’s going on?" Thomas’s voice finally broke the silence.
The others snapped back to reality. Suzy quickly looked toward the brothers.
"Noah, Liam, why are you back?"
Liam took a mont to compose himself before answering.
"There’s sothing I needed to tell you."
"What is it?"
Liam gestured toward the lower floors.
His voice dropped. "Soone’s coming."
Suzy’s expression changed instantly.
"So far, I’ve counted four people. All n. They’re already in the building."
A shadow passed through Thomas’s eyes as well. This was not good news. In tis like these, unexpected visitors rarely brought anything positive.
The apocalypse had taught everyone to expect danger first and explanations later.
A new threat could erge at any mont.
That wasn’t pessimism. It was survival.
"I just wanted to warn you," Liam continued. "Be careful."
Suzy’s expression softened. "Thank you."
"...You don’t need to thank ."
For a brief mont, their gazes t. Liam suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Everything that needed to be said had already been said. There was no reason to linger.
"I’ll take Noah back now."
His voice was quiet.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and headed toward the stairs. Perched in his arms, Noah remained unusually silent. He rely lifted a hand and waved goodbye to Suzy.
"Wait," Suzy called after them.
Both brothers stopped.
"I’ll walk you back."
She shot Thomas a aningful glance, slipped on a pair of slippers, and hurried after them.
She couldn’t shake the feeling of unease. What if those n happened to run into Liam and Noah on the way down? What if a confrontation broke out?
Liam was carrying a child.
Four grown n against the two of them would be a terrible matchup.
The more she thought about it, the less comfortable she felt. Following them was the only option.
Liam paused and turned around.
"You don’t have to. I don’t want to trouble you."
"Stop talking about whether it’s trouble or not." Suzy frowned. "I’m coming with you."
Her tone left little room for argunt. "If I don’t, I’ll be worried."
Then she added, with complete sincerity, "I don’t want anything to happen to either of you."
The words ca naturally. Straightforward and honest. Without hesitation or calculation.
Sothing inside Liam tightened.
It felt as though an invisible hand had plucked a string deep within his chest.
Before he could respond, Suzy had already reached his side.
"Co on," she said. "We’ll see you downstairs."
Thomas followed imdiately behind her.
The mont Liam noticed him, the faint warmth that had just begun to stir inside him vanished.
His mood sank all over again.
And for reasons he stubbornly refused to examine too closely.
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