The Horrific Scene
Sarah buried her head in Brian's shoulder, unable to bear the sight any longer. The scene was too gruesome. Brian, on the other hand, was deeply shocked as he replayed the moment in his mind. He had seen the bullet strike the infected's head, but the bizarre fungal growth had deflected it. Although the fungus was eventually destroyed, its bulletproof nature was deeply unsettling.
Currently, the fungus only covers half the head, but what if it could eventually cover the entire head or even the whole body? And what if it developed other eerie abilities?
The thought was terrifying. Brian realized they couldn't stay here any longer. Although the city wouldn't be much better, it was still preferable to facing these monsters.
"Let's go. We need to find a car and get out of here," Brian said, patting Sarah's shoulder and taking her hand. They quickly headed toward the northern part of the town.
On the Highway
Hundreds of kilometers away from the town, on the highway, dozens of military trucks were speeding along. A sign at the front of the convoy read, "325 kilometers to Austin." Each truck was filled with fully armed soldiers, who were resting with their eyes closed, conserving their energy for the upcoming mission.
In one of the middle trucks, a soldier in the passenger seat looked out the window at the passing sign and opened a small iron window leading to the back compartment. Inside, several soldiers were gathered around a map, discussing their plan of action. The soldier addressed a middle-aged man in a specialized combat uniform: "Sir, we're halfway to our destination. If we keep this pace, we'll reach the nearest town by 7 a.m."
"Understood," the middle-aged man replied without looking up from the map, nodding slightly to acknowledge the information. The soldier closed the window and returned to his seat, continuing to monitor the road.
Inside the back compartment, the middle-aged man looked at the soldiers around him and said, "We're approaching our destination. You should all be clear on the plan, but let me emphasize one crucial point: the success of this mission is vital to the survival of our nation. We must succeed."
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers replied in unison, their expressions solemn. They understood the gravity of the situation.
The middle-aged man continued, "We'll arrive at the town outside Austin at 7 a.m. We'll set up camp for the night and, first thing tomorrow, you'll lead your squads to clear the streets one by one. We'll establish defensive positions and gradually expand outward..."
He paused, and after a moment of silence, he issued a startling order: "We will indiscriminately eliminate all survivors and infected."
The captains were taken aback, and the compartment fell into a stunned silence.
"I know what you're thinking," the middle-aged man sighed, patting one of the captains on the shoulder. "No one wants to do this, but we're facing an unprecedented crisis. To resolve it, we must quickly neutralize the infected. We can't afford to consider the people inside..."
After a while, the convoy slowed to a halt for a break. The captains exited the trucks and returned to their respective squads to brief them on the mission. Once the compartment was empty, the middle-aged man leaned back, exhausted, as the shocking secrets he had been told before departure echoed in his mind.
"Your mission in Austin is to completely eradicate everyone in the city. However, you must deliberately let some survivors escape to the quarantine camps. I'll arrange for journalists to expose this... I know you're questioning me, but let me be honest. The epidemic has been raging for nearly half a month, and we still have no progress on the vaccine. Do you have any idea how many people have been infected so far?"
"We can't keep waiting blindly for the vaccine. We've proposed building large quarantine zones in every city to protect our citizens, but those damn bureaucrats are still arguing over votes and elections. So, we have to take matters into our own hands. The military high command and I have reached an agreement. Once the indiscriminate clearance plan is exposed, the Federal Disaster Relief Agency and the military will step in, overthrow the entire bureaucratic system, and enforce effective measures. Only then can we save our nation. Do you understand?"
Recalling every word, the middle-aged man felt overwhelmed by fatigue. These secrets weighed heavily on him, but he couldn't speak of them. He knew he was being monitored, so he had to keep these thoughts to himself, constantly reminding himself that this was the right thing to do...
Afternoon
Northern Outskirts of the Town
Brian stood on top of the guard booth, peering through the iron fence into the complex. He kept stretching his neck until it ached, then pulled back to rest. Rubbing his sore neck, he complained, "Seriously, why are there so many warehouses here, and none of them have signs? How are we supposed to know where anything is?"
Although he complained, Brian knew there was no steel factory here. This area was a hideout or trading spot for criminals. The so-called steel factory was probably just a name.
"What do we do now? Check every warehouse?" Sarah, standing below, was also frustrated. She looked around at the nearby warehouses, trying to find some clue to identify the one they were looking for. After searching for a while with no luck, she was about to give up when her eyes caught sight of a pile of junked cars. She froze, then rubbed her eyes in disbelief before excitedly pointing and saying, "Look over there, it says 'Fair'!"
Brian, still on top of the booth, quickly looked over but couldn't see the word "Fair" anywhere. He asked, puzzled, "Where? I don't see it."
"It's on that sign, the two small black words under the car disposal yard," Sarah explained.
Brian looked again and finally spotted the inconspicuous words. He was impressed and said, "Wow, you have good eyes. How did you spot that?"
"Of course, you know who you're talking to!" Sarah smiled proudly at Brian's compliment.
They headed toward the car disposal yard. The gate was unlocked, and they easily pushed it open and entered. However, they didn't find the locked car mentioned in the note outside. They exchanged glances and walked toward the closed factory door.
As they approached, red letters on the door caught their attention. Sarah read them slowly: "There are monsters inside. Do not open the door!"
Seeing the warning, Brian's spirits sank. He couldn't help but grumble, "Come on, seriously? Is this some kind of joke? Are we in a video game or something?"
Sarah rolled her eyes and nudged him with her elbow, saying, "Stop complaining and let's figure something out."
Brian looked around and thought for a moment, then said to Sarah, "We definitely can't open the door. We have no idea how many are infected inside. If we open it, who knows how many could come pouring out?"
He pointed to the left and right and continued, "Let's circle the warehouse and see if there's another way in. Keep an eye out for any other infected nearby."
"Okay," Sarah nodded, picked up a metal pipe nearby, and followed Brian as he headed to the right. The path was overgrown with weeds and dense shrubs, making it potentially dangerous if infected individuals were hiding there.
In contrast, the path to the left looked much wider and more open, with tire tracks in the dirt, indicating regular vehicle traffic. Sarah knew Brian was trying to protect her by choosing the safer route. She didn't say anything but silently appreciated his thoughtfulness and headed to the left.
As soon as both of them disappeared around the corners to the left and right, a low, hissing growl suddenly came from inside the previously quiet warehouse.