The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 277: Ch 276: We’re Out - Part 2

The air around Ethan shifted, cold and sharp.

His grip wasn’t tight, but it was enough. Enough to remind her that this wasn’t the Ethan she knew. Or maybe it was—and she’d never seen this side of him before.

Slowly, she pulled her arm back.

"You’ve lost your damn mind."

She muttered.

Ethan didn’t answer.

She scoffed, the bitterness rising again.

"So that’s it? You’re just going to pretend nothing happened? That you didn’t abandon everyone because of her?"

Ethan’s jaw tightened, but he still didn’t speak.

Zara took a step back and crossed her arms.

"Would you have done the same if it was me back there? Or Noah? Nora? Orion? Or is Selene the only one who matters now?"

Her voice dropped, laced with accusation.

His lips parted, just barely. He looked like he might say something. freeweɓnøvel.com

But then, his mouth closed again, and he lowered his gaze to Selene’s face.

Zara’s eyes narrowed.

"Thought so. I didn’t expect you out of all people to fall apart like this."

She let out a humorless laugh and shook her head.

Ethan didn’t respond. Just sat back down beside Selene, as if the rest of the world didn’t exist.

Zara clenched her teeth so hard it hurt. She wanted to scream.

To punch. To yell until he gave her the answers she wanted.

But she didn’t.

Not in front of the kids.

She forced her voice to stay calm.

"We’ll talk once we get home."

She said

Then she turned away, fists trembling at her sides, and walked back to the others without looking back.

Ethan stood still, eyes fixed on the unconscious form of Selene cradled in his arms.

Her breathing was slow, her body limp, but she was alive. That was all that mattered to him right now.

With a quiet sigh, he shifted his grip and glanced toward Zara, who had already begun walking away.

Without a word, he followed.

The kids—Nora, Noah, and Orion—walked a short distance behind them.

They were scratched up, dust-covered, and clearly drained, but none of them appeared to be injured. Ethan didn’t offer a word of comfort.

He didn’t feel guilt, not really.

They’d all chosen to enter the dungeon. No one had been forced.

They were survivors in a collapsing world, and survival demanded risk.

If they’d died, it would have been on them. That’s what he told himself.

It was easier that way.

Still, he knew Zara didn’t see it the same.

She was quiet now, but her anger had been loud and clear. He knew she wouldn’t let this slide.

As they passed over the brittle volcanic terrain, the heat still rising from the cracks in the stone, Nora suddenly froze.

"Wait!"

She said, her voice sharp.

Everyone halted.

She stared at the device in her hand—a sleek, glowing system tablet. Her expression shifted from confusion to unease.

"We’re being tracked."

She said after a moment.

Ethan’s gaze narrowed.

"Tracked?"

Nora nodded slowly.

"The map on my phone just updated. I made a special program that tells me the location of people with the Vale family ID cards. And they’re close by.."

"How close?"

Zara asked, already reaching for her weapon.

"Close enough."

Nora muttered, then looked up.

Noah groaned.

"Seriously? How the hell did they know we’d be here?"

"Have we been discovered?"

Orion asked, his voice shaky.

Nora shook her head.

"I... don’t know. It’s possible, but it’s also possible that they came here for another reason. This whole dungeon collapse might’ve drawn them in."

"But that fast? This was supposed to be off-grid."

Noah frowned.

Ethan shifted Selene in his arms and glanced over at Nora.

"You’re a Vale. Can’t you guess what they’re here for?"

She looked down.

"I was a Vale in name. But I am too young to be told much. They kept most secrets away from me. Even when I was younger, I wasn’t allowed into certain parts of the estate. They didn’t trust me. Probably still don’t."

Zara turned to Ethan, arms crossed.

"What do we do?"

He was quiet for a moment, eyes scanning the rocky skyline.

"Nothing. We don’t engage unless we have to. If we try to fight now, we’re in no condition to win."

He said at last.

"So we hide?"

Noah asked.

"We wait. Let them come. Let them leave. Then we move."

Ethan corrected.

The group fell into silence, retreating into the shadows of the cliffs and outcrops as the minutes ticked by.

Ethan kept a careful watch, using the jagged terrain to stay concealed.

His system pulse had nearly stabilized again, but he still felt off—disoriented.

Whatever remnants of the smoky entity now dwelled within him, they hadn’t settled yet.

He looked down at Selene.

Her face was pale, but her expression was peaceful, like she was merely asleep. He hoped she stayed that way—just for a little longer.

Behind him, Zara muttered something under her breath and sat down, her eyes still scanning the surroundings.

Nora leaned against a rock and pulled up another screen, monitoring the signal patterns.

"They’re moving. Looks like... they’re spreading out. Search pattern."

She said after a while.

"Then they’re looking for something."

Ethan said, frowning.

"Or someone."

Zara added.

Orion groaned quietly, leaning his head back against the stone.

"This is the worst. I can’t run again."

"You won’t have to. If we time it right, we’ll leave the opposite way they came. We’re not here to pick a fight.""

Ethan said.

"And if they find us first?"

Zara asked.

"Then we’ll do what we always do. Survive."

Ethan said, voice cold.

No one replied to that.

The silence returned, heavy and tense. The only sounds were the distant rumbling of the now-closed dungeon and the crackle of cooling magma deep beneath the surface.

Noah finally broke the silence.

"Do you think they know about the dungeon collapsing?"

"I’m sure they felt it. They might think there’s something valuable left behind."

Ethan said.

"Or they’re tracking the twins. Or maybe...even Selene."

Nora added quietly.

Everyone turned toward her.

"She’s the anomaly. You never know what could be happening."

Nora continued.

Ethan’s eyes darkened, and he held Selene closer.

"Then we make sure they don’t find her."

The group waited in silence a while longer, keeping close to the ground, hidden among the scorched rocks.

The sun had begun to dip below the horizon, painting the volcanic plains in dark red and orange.

A reminder that time was slipping fast.

Eventually, Nora glanced back at her screen.

"They’re moving away. Looks like they didn’t find anything."

She said.

Ethan stood.

"Then we move. Now."

No one argued.

They rose together, dusted off their clothes, and began heading away from the collapsed dungeon.

Ethan led the way, Selene still in his arms, his gaze sharp and fixed on the path ahead.

He didn’t look back. None of them did.