Chapter 2: The Survivor
Emma's scream tore through the morning air. She is a former female in the camp training to be a soldier and she helps with refugees too . So her screaming is not a good sign. My eyes snapped open instantly. For a split second, I was disoriented, staring straight at the wooden welcome gate of my shelter. Then the panic hit me. A scream. Screams were never good news. Not anymore. My heart immediately began racing as I pushed myself up and rushed outside towards the shelter welcome gate . It took me a solid minute to get here as I was around the mountain side it's beside the children's training area the open place allows them to play too . People were already gathering. Fear spread through the camp faster than fire ever could. I shoved my way through the crowd, trying to see what everyone was staring at. Then I saw him. Hog. The giant 6'6ft old man and one of the squad members was carrying someone over his shoulder. A girl. She looked unconscious. Her clothes were torn and stained with dirt. Cuts and bruises covered her exposed skin. For a moment, the entire crowd went silent. Nobody needed to ask the same question running through all our minds. Was she infected? The answer would decide whether she lived or died. That was the cruelest part of this world. Sometimes people survived the infected only to become one of them later. And when that happened... There was nothing we could do. I clenched my jaw. I hated that. I hated watching people suffer while being powerless to help them. Hog carefully lowered the girl onto a stretcher as Doctor Briar hurried forward. The former doctor who is Also one of the committee members among the squad to open this shelter. He immediately began examining her wounds. I watched him work. Doctor Briar had once worked in one of the largest public hospitals in the region. Then the outbreak happened. The infected flooded the building. His coworkers. His friends. His patients. Most never escaped. Somehow, he did. Now he spent every waking hour helping keep this shelter alive. Alongside Hog, he had helped establish this refuge in the Meilz Hills years ago. And because of them, people like me were still breathing.
Hog crossed his arms while Briar inspected the girl. Despite the tension, I couldn't help but glance at the man. Hog was turning thirty this month. Old by my standards. At least that's what everyone joked about. The man was built like a tank. Muscular. Reliable.nAlways smiling. Always helping.
Whether it was building shelters, gathering supplies, or rescuing survivors, Hog was usually the first volunteer. If something needed doing, Hog was already halfway through doing it he was an orphan I cannot even imagine what he had to go through his whole life. Finally, Doctor Briar stepped back. The entire crowd seemed to hold its breath. "It's normal injuries," he announced.
Relief immediately washed across dozens of faces. "No signs of infection. She'll need medicine, rest, and time to recover." Conversations erupted around us. I found myself staring at the unconscious girl.
Where did she come from? What happened to her? She looked around my age. Maybe a little younger. A year at most.
I was turning nineteen tomorrow. The thought felt strange. Birthdays barely meant anything anymore. Mrs. Mary stepped forward and carefully helped move the girl onto a transport cot. The entire camp seemed to relax whenever Mary was around. Maybe because she reminded us of what life used to be.
She had been a nurse before the outbreak.
Her husband hadn't survived. Hog had found her during one of his rescue missions and brought her here. Since then, she'd practically become everyone's mother. Mine included. It's sad that her grandchild little Sarah is missing we all heard so many things about her . Sarah's parent's died too . I hope she is alive soon enough we will find her . We all love Mary most of all we all trusted her. As she wheeled the unconscious girl toward the resting room, I watched silently. Questions filled my head. None of them had answers.
Yet. A hand suddenly landed on my shoulder. I turned. Thomas. Of course.
The man stood beside me with his usual serious expression. At twenty-five years old, he was one of the shelter's strongest soldiers. Years ago, the infected had taken his wife. Ever since then, he'd thrown himself into training and protecting others.
Sometimes I wondered if fighting was the only thing keeping him together. "The messages from Reestablishment Radio are our only guide, man," Thomas said. "Who knows where she came from. Who she's with." I frowned. "What do you mean, who is she with?" Thomas looked at me like I'd missed something obvious. "Kid." I already knew I wasn't going to like this conversation. "The world was an evil place before the outbreak. It's still an evil place now." His expression darkened. "Just because zombies are roaming around doesn't mean everyone suddenly joined the same team." I stayed quiet. "There are groups out there killing people," he continued. "Taking weapons. Supplies. Accessories. Sometimes even clothes."
My eyes widened slightly. People really did that? Even now? Even after everything humanity had lost? The infected were already trying to kill us. The weather was trying to kill us. Starvation was trying to kill us. And somehow people still found time to kill each other. I couldn't understand it. How selfish could someone be? Shouldn't we be helping each other? Standing together? Instead, some people were willing to tear each other apart for scraps.
Thomas waved a hand in front of my face. "Hey! Earth to Ian." I blinked. "What are you thinking about?" I laughed awkwardly.
"It's nothing." It definitely wasn't nothing.
But I wasn't about to explain my entire moral crisis to Thomas. He snorted.
"Anyway, we've got work." That got my attention. "We need to head to the coastal region. More rescue operations." Immediately, concern settled in my stomach. The coast. That area was bad.
Really bad. Reports kept mentioning increasing infected activity. But despite the worry, I already knew my answer. This was what I'd trained for. What I'd spent years preparing for. My thoughts drifted backward. I was only fifteen when the outbreak began. Fifteen. Still a kid.
I remembered hiding. Running. Starving.
Watching people die. Watching my parents die. The memory still burned. The screams.
The horde. The helplessness. I couldn't save them. I couldn't save anyone. Not then. Not until Hog and Thomas found me.
Not until they brought me here. Ever since that day, I'd worked harder than anyone.
Training. Learning. Helping. Especially the children. Because nobody should have to experience what I did. A familiar anger stirred inside my chest. The same anger that always surfaced whenever I thought about the past. I blinked and returned to the present. Thomas was waiting. I nodded. "I'm ready to go." He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" "Give me a notice. I'll meet you guys at the gate." A grin appeared on his face. "Good." Then he turned and headed toward the soldier quarters. I watched him leave. And then I felt someone step beside me. I already knew who it was. Emma. I turned toward her. Emma was one of the busiest people in the shelter. Helping with construction. Managing supplies. Assisting refugees.
Training to become a soldier. Sometimes I honestly wondered if she ever slept.
"Hey," she said. "Can I ask you for a favor?"
She looked almost nervous. "I know you're probably busy and everything, but everyone else seems occupied right now."
I shrugged. "Yeah, sure. I think I'm free for a few moments before I head to the coast."
Her entire face brightened. "Oh, thank goodness." She let out a relieved breath.
"You genuinely just took a huge thing off my shoulders." I smiled. "Happy to help."
She folded her arms. "Coastal mission, huh?" I nodded. "Sounds rough." Emma immediately leaned forward. "They say the infected there are way more vicious."
I already knew where this was going.
"And apparently..." She lowered her voice dramatically. "They can swim." I stared at her. She stared back. Then she threw both hands into the air . "SWIM!" Several nearby people looked over. Emma ignored them completely. "Can you imagine that? Swimming zombies!" I couldn't decide whether I was amused or terrified. Honestly, maybe both. "Yeah," I admitted. "That's definitely intimidating." She nodded aggressively. "Exactly!" I laughed. Then I remembered something. "Anyway." I pointed toward her. "What was the favor?"
Emma immediately looked embarrassed. "Oh. Right." She rubbed the back of her neck. "The girl." My expression became serious. "What about her?" "Doctor Briar wants someone to introduce her to the shelter once she wakes up." I already had a feeling where this was heading. "And?" Emma pointed directly at me. "And that someone is you." I sighed. Of course.
She continued before I could protest.
"We need information." I frowned and asked , "Information?" She replied explaining "How she ended up here. Where she came from. What happened to her."
Emma paused. "She's carrying a gun."
That immediately caught my attention.
A gun wasn't something you stumbled across these days. If she had one, she probably wasn't helpless. "Doctor Briar thinks she'll put her guard up around him."
"Fair." I say . She says with a slight smile
"And everyone says you're good with people." I raised an eyebrow. "They do?"
She replies "They do." I wasn't entirely convinced. But Emma certainly seemed convinced enough for both of us. I let out a long breath. This was a lot to deal with before a rescue mission. Still... Someone had to do it. "Alright." Her face lit up instantly. "I'll look into it." She looks happy "Really?" She says . "Really." I answer . I shook my head. "She's in the resting room, right?" Emma nodded . "Then I'll go talk to her." She almost jumps and says "Thank you!" Before I could respond, she was already jogging back toward the women's training area. Typical Emma. I chuckled and started walking. The shelter was busy as always. People waved. Some greeted me by name. Others simply nodded. I returned every greeting. After all, this place had become my home. I'd practically grown up here. Every face felt familiar. Every voice felt comforting. For the first time in years, I belonged somewhere. Eventually, I reached the resting quarters. The section reserved primarily for injured women and children.
The door stood quietly before me. I took a breath. Then knocked. Three quick taps.
Silence. For a second, nothing happened.
Then.. THUD! . Something slammed violently against the other side of the door. Every muscle in my body froze. My hand instinctively moved toward the knife at my waist. And suddenly... I wasn't sure this conversation was going to be as simple as Emma thought. 6Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPKgd1SePp1
and then Add to home screen.