The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 619

Chapter 619

Ark Two had a rule: children under ten didn’t receive a daily food tation. In their eyes, kids that young had no value.

If parents wanted to keep them alive, that was their own responsibility.

So, if his father didn’t send food, the boy didn’t eat.

The tiny portion his mother received wasn’t enough for both of them.

Before long, his father stopped sending food entirely.

After asking around again and again, the boy finally learned the truth.

His father had found another woman.

She was a Gifted.

They had built a new family together in the middle zone. The woman already had a child of her own, and his father nov feed that child, too.

That day, the boy grew up all at once. He realized that he only had his mother now.

From then on, he scraped by however he could. He begged, tricked people, even stole when he had to. He swore he woul go looking for his father again.

Then, his mother got sick.

For several days, the boy struggled with the decision.

In the end, he gave in and went to find his father.

It took enormous effort. He begged people for help, asked everywhere he could.

Finally, during one of the supply trips outside the base, he managed to see the man.

Even now, he couldn’t describe what he felt at that moment.

He ran forward and grabbed his father’s leg, crying uncontrollably.

After hearing the whole story, his father stayed silent for a while. Then, he took the boy out for a full meal. He even packed a of food for the boy to bring back to his mother.

“Go home and wait,” his father said “I’ll arrange everything Once I get a dos tor ready, I’ll bring bash or ou into the middle

At that moment, the boy fell something warm agak

His father was still his father

So he waited

And walled

Eventually, the day came when his father told them it was time

That was the first time the boy had ever stepped into the midblic come the plane looked so grand that it almost didn’t feel real

His father led him and his mother deeper inside

Eventually, they stopped behind a massive opera house

The boy tell confused

Were there doctors here?

Before he could even finish asking, his father walked over to a registration desk and collected two large sacks of rice. Meanwhile, the boy and his mother were shoved forward by rough hands and pushed inside like livestock.

The boy panicked and called out to his father.

His father turned and looked at him once.

That single glance held everything: calculation, relief, and the greedy satisfaction of someone who had just gained a p

supplies.

Only after being thrown inside did the boy finally understand that look.

His father had sold them.

For 100 pounds of grain, his father sold him and his mother to the beast battle arena as disposable bait.

When the boy realized the truth, he sat there for a long, long time.

His mother held him and cried until her voice broke.

But he didn’t cry a single tear.

Because he knew crying wouldn’t change anything.

Now, in the arena, he and his sick mother had been pushed to the outer edge of the crowd.

A zombie that looked strangely like his father limped toward them. It wore a torn suit jacket, one leg dragging behind it. I mouth opened wide, red and wet,

The creature lunged straight at them.

The boy stepped in front of his mother. From inside his coat, he pulled out a thin tree branch.

“Mom,” he said quietly, “I’ll protect you.”

“Billy!” his mother screamed.

Forcing her weak body forward, she rushed in front of him and turned her back to the zombie, shielding hun with her body

Just as the zombie’s claws were about to reach her, an invisible barrier spread out in front of them

“Raarh!”

The zombie slammed face first into the unseen wall Its (wisted face hung only ushes away

Thick red saliva dripped from its cracked yellow teeth instead of falling straight down, the blood sind along the curve of something invisible in the air

“Raarh! Raarh! Raarh!”

The zombie opened its mouth wider and bit at the empty space in front of it’s jaws snapped over and over again

The people it wasted to tear apart were right there, and yet it couldn’t reach them