They had a time limit. Worse still, an unknown one. So there was no... he had no time to waste, nor to question anything. Hesitation would bring him closer to death than anything he might attempt in this illusory space.

  So James picked out the tallest building nearby and began to climb it. It had to be him. It was only logical. Mary and her group might be of a higher level, perhaps, but they didn't surpass him in mobility or stamina. He’d be willing to bet on that. Not now that he possessed this armor.

  So it had to be him. It could only be him.

  It didn't take him long to reach the top. He stood up, took a deep breath, and looked down. He’d never been afraid of heights, but it was hard not to lose your head a little in this position.

  One giant leap for mankind and all that, James thought. That's all it is. One step.

  Steeling himself, he managed to jump.

  The fall was rough. But it didn't kill him. Nor did he wake up. However, it just hurt. He was still right where he was. He gritted his teeth and sat up with some difficulty, groaning.

  "Oof, I guess we can rule that out."

  The girls approached him.

  "It's a shame," said Natalia. "It seemed like a good idea."

  "Minimal risk," said Leah, "but I see it's no use."

  He wasn't quite ready to dismiss the idea just like that. After all, he’d only tried one thing.

  "Seems too early to throw in the towel," he said to himself. "I could try again. Throwing myself isn't exactly the same shock as falling..." But then he realized what he had said.

  "Well, that’s a good point," said Leah, "but if that's the case, it doesn't matter how many times you jump."

  I suppose that's true. Looking at it closely, it was an inescapable truth. Dream logic. If he got scared believing he was going to die, the shock would wake him up. But that was... in a normal dream. Where he could suddenly be falling with no other recourse and without being truly aware of the situation. At no point during the jump had James been afraid.

  He knew it was all fake. And, even if subconsciously, he didn't believe what the Masked Man had said. Not enough to fear death, at any rate. So, what kind of shock would that produce? None. None at all. Judging by the outcome... that was clear enough.

  "Any other ideas?" asked Leah.

  Mary...

  "No. I’m sorry," replied the latter, "but we have to hurry."

  Mary ran a hand over her face.

  "Look, James. Certain skills of Leah's will ensure the four of us are protected, even if an intruder comes to kill us. Not forever, but it will buy us more time."

  "That’s the problem. Because you are alone in a different room."

  James nodded, resisting the urge to swallow hard so as not to show weakness.

  "Right, okay."

  So the five of them weren't on the tightrope together. His rope hung from a different spot and was the slackest of them all. He almost shuddered. He couldn't stop thinking that, without knowing it, he might have a knife to his throat. His end could come at any moment, without him being able to resist. That was unacceptable.

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  So the idea that came to his mind felt very natural.

  "I can try it..." James said, "dying, that is."

  Had he said natural? Not sane. And definitely not safe. Mary looked at him, her eyes widening like saucers. I wasn't suggesting such a thing. She sounded offended, even.

  He supposed he could understand that. But he hadn't had that intention either. He didn't blame her for anything.

  "And I wasn't suggesting... anything." He opened his mouth to tell her that.

  And closed it. One of the others beat him to it.

  "Besides," said Natalia, "it should be clear to you that I’ll do it if there’s no other choice."

  That was the key word. Those were the key words, in the end. If there is no other choice. If there isn't one. If there is no other remedy. That was the crux of the matter. Neither Natalia nor Leah could see things from his point of view. Not when they were much more certain they would live. Therefore... if I'm going to die anyway...

  Mary didn't let him finish the sentence.

  "That is something for when we exhaust all other options. My throat might get cut while we look for those options."

  Fuck, he thought.

  "Several zombies have attacked us so far," continued Mary, crossing her arms. "Zombies... or something like that."

  "So what?"

  "We might find the exit if we investigate... the outbreak."

  The quotation marks were clearly audible, but just in case, she made the gesture with both hands.

  James thought about it, but not for too long. He had to admit she wasn't off track. The zombie virus, to call it something, was the only thing that existed in this space, apart from them. He would add the Masked Man, but he was nothing more than a spectator. Who had surely disappeared for good. Returning, perhaps, to the waking world. Or perhaps watching them anyway.

  In any case.

  "Could be," he admitted. "Better than sitting around doing nothing, anyway."

  Scene setup. They were a group of five, so it was clear; they didn't divide very well. But fortunately, Mary didn't mess around. She immediately made a decision. They would split into pairs and Mary would go alone.

  He didn't like the idea of her going alone, exposing herself to an ambush, or God knows what else, because this world wasn't even real. In a dream, literally anything could happen. This place was more magical than Asfal. But James didn't protest, because he was grateful for the company and grateful he hadn't had to decide or even influence it himself. Besides, he barely knew her. Leah and the others were her friends, but they just nodded and followed her orders without question. If the three of them were okay with it... what right did he really have to complain?

  By the way, Mary had also chosen the assignments so they wouldn't waste time on useless things. He supposed. He ended up with Leah. They didn't split up to search; they stuck together.

  Now they were searching the interior of a ruined house. He didn't know why Leah had gone in there first, but he wasn't going to bother asking. Leah knew the area better than he did, and anyway, any place to start investigating was good enough for him. It made no sense to get picky, but it was hard to find something when he didn't even know what to look for.

  "Do you know why Mary is so willing to help me with Davis and Julian?" James asked, without stopping his work, of course.

  Leah looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

  "Is that what you're thinking about right now?"

  James shrugged.

  "I'm searching. I can concentrate on two things, but if you don't want to tell me, that's fine."

  Mary had refused to do so. So it was to be assumed her friends would too, but it was worth a try. At least... he had no idea how right he was.

  "I know as much as you do," Leah answered finally. "She’s never given us details, honestly. I wasn't sure if I should believe it."

  But he supposed she had no reason to lie to him instead of just telling him to shut his mouth. Even so, it seemed strange to him. They were risking a stable life and quite a bit of money on a whim. Or so it seemed. And for what reason? A reason they apparently didn't even know.

  For someone as selfish as him, it was hard to grasp. He couldn't help but insist.

  "And even so... you risk yourselves for her?"

  Leah nodded without hesitation.

  "Yes. She is a good person. We need her. We don't want her... we need her," she had said.

  "Wow. Wow... must be nice," James said with a tone of bitterness, "to inspire that kind of loyalty."

  "Do you think you couldn't?"

  He had taken a few steps forward. He wasn't much different from the boy who had spent most of his life locked in a dark room, refusing to interact with the world.

  Of course I don't believe it. That's why I said it, he thought.

  James nodded, feeling as if he were shrinking just by admitting it. His path remained solitary and selfish.

  "I am not a good person. I am barely a person."

  "What does that mean?" demanded Leah. She sounded almost alarmed.