Hans lay on the bed, his eyes wide open. Despite the coldness of the night, a rising heat of thrill kept him awake.
He couldn’t understand where it came from, and how it came to be. Even the system’s usual calming effects hadn’t taken an effect on him since.
"Something’s not right," he muttered as he stood up from the bed. "Don’t force yourself to sleep. It will come."
He stood behind the window and glanced at the warm moonlight above.
"I should take a walk and clear my mind."
Hans exited his room and welcomed the outside world.
The empty streets echoed in silence. Cars that had piled before were moved elsewhere. Debris that scattered on the walkways were cleaned.
If not for the faint candle lights inside the rooms, one would have mistaken this area as haunted.
Hans noticed a few soldiers walking from the intersection ahead. The flashlights brightly tore through the darkness as they inspected each corner with great caution.
They suddenly stopped, followed by a salute upon encountering Hans.
"Commander!"
"Hmm," Hans nodded. "Continue with your patrols."
The soldiers moved on. Hans watched on their disappearing figures, proud of the progress he had made.
"The army is growing," he shook with a smile on his head. "There’s more to do, but I’ve already taken the first step."
The memories of more than a month ago flashed into his mind.
Room 708. His apartment unit—playing a game with one of his buddies.
I wonder how’s that guy doing now.
Looking at it now, that lose streak wasn’t so bad.
The image accelerated into the apocalypse, filled with death and zombies wandering around. Yet, under all of that dreading environment, the system suddenly rose to assist him on his survival.
He remembered the first time he exited his room. The first time he earned Gold. The first time he recruited his first unit. The first time...
Hans’s thoughts ran rampant, eventually losing sense of his direction and whereabouts. His mind took him into many parts of the urban fringe, gradually realizing the extent of his territory.
The small banks remained, but their value and money losing purpose to the citizens. Aside from the gemstones and gold, it served no purpose other than being a remnant of the old world’s system.
The police station was repurposed, becoming the main base for his troops to gather, rest, or catch up.
Hans passed through the building, wondering if those policemen had died in duty and not in vain.
The hardware store became an inventory space for all the tools for the territory. The broken glasses were no more, and the open gaps covered by thick wooden bars. It was ugly to look at, but it was better than having too many openings.
"Marco should be sound asleep in the back room," Hans chuckled, remembering the utter stubborness of this middle-aged man.
Behind that annoyed face was the relief from all the tedious mathematical problems Marco once handled. Though now, he had to face the problems of inventory—one that didn’t veer too far from his previous path.
Hans turned around, feeling his body lighter than before. The troubled mind had managed to calm itself, slowly steering into the path of sleepiness.
"I’ve almost lost myself," he said, opening up the enlarged map Radar.
The red blimps underground had long been forgotten by him. Regardless of what these sewer monsters did now, Hans didn’t care as long as they didn’t surface.
"I should follow this path." He traced with his finger.
At that moment, a red blimp on the surface appeared.
"Hmm?" Hans stopped, zooming into the location. "Inside the territory? Did the guards miss this?"
He thought it was unbelievable. The urban fringe was large, but it wasn’t large enough that having deployed four squads of soldiers would leave gaps.
What baffled him was how abrupt it popped up in the Radar.
Amidst his confusion, a few more red dots appeared.
Am I dreaming? Hans slapped his face. The pain convinced him he was still in reality.
Then...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots broke the silence of the night, followed by countless cries for help in the direction of the red dots.
Hans’s comms buzzed.
"This is Guardian Actual," a scout called from the radio. "This is an emergency! The territory has been compromised. Zombies has appeared inside! I repeat, zombies has appeared inside! All units—"
Another round of gunfire thundered in the eastern direction.
"That’s where most of the residents are!" Hans stood still, confused. "That scout said appeared, not slipped through, but how could they appear so sudden?"
Was it because someone was infected?
Plausible, but the zombies couldn’t even get too close before they were taken care by his soldiers. If not by scratch, then by what?
Thinking about the question chilled his heart.
Is this the reason why I couldn’t sleep? Did the system warn me in advance?
"Hans!" An angelic voice pulled him back. "There you are! Thank goodness you are safe."
"Kimmy," Hans frowned. "What do you mean I am safe?"
"You weren’t in your room so she panicked," Yunera sneaked behind Kimmy, flashing a knowing grin. "I could feel her heart breaking into countless—"
"Alright," Hans cut Yunera’s chatter. "Just tell me what you meant by that."
"Yunera is right," Kimmy nodded. "A low growl woke me from my sleep. When I used my ability, I realized it was actually a zombie! Yunera was there in time and helped me.
We searched for you after, but we encountered more zombies on the way. I thought they had you because I couldn’t sense your presence inside your room. But now..."
"I see," Hans chuckled. "You don’t have to worry about me. You should have helped the others instead."
He shot a glare into Yunera before she could act.
"How many did you kill on the way?"
The two suddenly fell silent. Hans’s heart turned cold.
"Why are you not responding?"
Kimmy clenched her fists. Yunera’s brows furrowed deeper. After a moment of silence, Kimmy spoke.
"Hans, the zombies," a tear fell from her face. "They’re not from the outside. They’re... they’re the residents!"
"What?!"
"I know it sounds ridiculous, unbelievable, impossible to you, or me, or Yunera," Kimmy continued. "But it’s real. Hans, it’s real! They’re turning into zombies while we speak."
"Rargh!"
A zombie staggered into their vision. Its weary, rotting eyes looked up to the three people ahead. The muscles and face twitched, then he charged straight into his own death.
"Commander!"
A small team of soldiers approached from behind.
The scout raised his gun and shot its head.
Bang!
The zombie’s body thudded into the ground.
"No..." Hans slowly approached but was stopped by his soldiers and Yunera.
"Commander, let us check the situation first," the scout urged. "You two, turn it over."
Hans, however, didn’t hear the scout’s words. Instead, he focused on the tattered formal clothes that that zombie wore.
"Marco..."
He muttered, lost on his own thoughts.
"Its the inventory keeper," one of the soldiers sighed. "We’ve lost him, squad leader."
"Secure the fortress area," the scout ordered. "Make sure all of the residents are checked, if there are still left!"
"Hellpppp!!!"
A childish voice interrupted their discussion. The soldiers quickly moved into formation and faced the onslaught coming from the fortress.
"Careful on the aim," the scout said with gritted his teeth. "Don’t let these zombies catch that kid and her mother!"
Though he said that, they were on the line of fire. The soldiers held their fingers from the trigger guard, not wanting to risk the chance.
At that moment, Yunera’s figure vanished, then slowly reappeared behind the mother and child. She brandished her blade and took a deep breath.
"I’m sorry," the air turned cold and so was her eyes. "Uncle Arthur, you didn’t deserve this."
Strength gathered to her legs, bolting straight into the small horde. The blade swooshed, flashing with lights as calm as the moon above.
When the slaughter was over, she stood over the corpses of the people she once knew, she once talked, she once accompanied.
Arthur’s head turned into her.
Their eyes locked.
That look, as if he had begged for peace and finally achieved it. And it was Yunera who granted him that.
"Stand over there!"
The scout once again shouted, aiming his gun at the mother and child. Sweat rolled down her red-purplish skin.
"I—"
"Move, and we’ll shoot!" The soldiers warned.
The child, despite the horrific transformation of her mother, clung to her tightly.
"Please don’t hurt my mother!"
Yunera wanted to dash over, yet she halted in front of a crossroad.
Help the soldiers, and win Hans trust?
Or protect the two civilians, and be grounded by bullets to death?
"All of you, stand down!" Hans interjected. Behind him, six medical personnel appeared. From their sanitary gloves, light-greenish scrubs, and a large case no smaller than that of the Engineer, he immediately knew who they were.
Medics!
"Commander, everyone," the leading medic interjected. "Please be at ease. We’ll take it from here."