LOGINBy morning, the station was busy.Survivors moved through the halls carrying tools, boxes, and pieces of equipment. Some repaired damaged doors and windows while others sorted food, water, medicine, and weapons into separate storage areas.After everything they had learned about the infected, Clara had insisted that they organize the supplies properly. If Stage Two had appeared this early, they couldn't afford to waste anything.Clara carried another box into the storage room and carefully lowered it to the floor before straightening and rubbing her aching shoulder. Several boxes were still waiting to be moved.She looked at them with a tired sigh.“Why did I agree to do this myself?”She bent down and grabbed the next box, but it barely moved. She tightened her grip and tried again, managing to lift it a few inches before it slipped from her hands.“Need help?”Clara turned toward the doorway and found Derek standing there.“I've got it,” she replied.Derek glanced at the box and th
Elena picked up one of her notes and flipped through the pages, her expression becoming more serious.“I've been testing different theories, but I still haven't confirmed a specific weakness.”Clara stared at her, disbelief and frustration rising in her chest.“You're telling me you don't know how to kill them?” she asked. “We don't have the luxury of experimenting on something that can tear a person apart.”“I know,” Elena said quietly.“Then find another way.”Elena held Clara's gaze for a long moment before finally giving a slow nod.“I will.”Clara nodded, but the fear tightening in her chest refused to ease.The infected were evolving, and they were doing it faster than Elena had expected and faster than Clara remembered from her previous life.If Stage Two had already appeared, Clara couldn't stop herself from wondering what would come next.Marcus noticed the change in her expression and stepped closer, lowering his voice.“Clara, breathe.”She looked at him. “I am breathing.”
The fire station came into view just before sunset. Clara watched it through the windshield as they drove along the familiar streets. After everything they had seen at the communications center, the sight of the station brought a brief sense of relief.They had made it back.But the feeling didn't last long.Her mind kept returning to everything they had discovered, the military transmissions, the BioGen facility, Genesis, and the infected they had fought inside the communications center.Stage Two.Clara tightened her grip on the steering wheel.She had spent most of her previous life believing she understood how the outbreak would unfold. She knew when things would become worse, when the infected would begin changing, and which threats would eventually appear.But this time, everything was happening differently.She didn't know how far ahead of her the new timeline had already moved, and that uncertainty frightened her more than she wanted to admit.The vehicle stopped inside the c
Clara leaned closer to the screen, barely blinking as the recording struggled to play. The sound came in broken pieces, buried beneath interference and bursts of distortion that made it difficult to understand what was being said.Derek adjusted one of the cables connected to the console.“Give it a second,” he said.The static suddenly cleared, and a man's voice came through the speakers.“...This is an emergency military transmission. Multiple containment zones have been breached.”Clara's eyes narrowed.Day three.She moved closer to the console, her attention fixed on the screen as the transmission continued.“Units are reporting unusual changes in infected behavior. Several infected have demonstrated increased speed and aggression. Some have also shown improved response to sound.”Clara's fingers slowly tightened around the edge of the desk.Improved response to sound.Her mind immediately returned to the infected they had just fought.She remembered the way one of them had sto
Clara kicked the door open.The first infected lunged through the doorway with enough force to shake the metal frame.Clara stepped aside as one of the survivors raised his weapon and fired. The bullet struck the infected in the chest, but instead of collapsing, it slammed into the wall, staggered for barely a second, then pushed itself upright.Clara's eyes widened.A shot to the body should have put it down.Before she could react, another infected rushed out of the room.Derek fired twice.The bullets struck its chest, forcing it backward, but it recovered almost immediately and charged again.“Back up!” Clara shouted.She swung her metal rod at its face. The blow knocked its head sideways, but the infected recovered far faster than she expected. It twisted toward her and swiped at her face.Clara raised her weapon just in time.The claws struck the metal with a sharp clang, the force driving her several steps backward.Her grip tightened as she realized how much force the creature
The large building stood behind a damaged security fence, its glass entrance partially shattered. Several emergency vehicles had been abandoned outside, their doors hanging open as if their occupants had left in a hurry.Clara's chest tightened.They had finally reached their destination.“Stop here,” she said.The driver brought the vehicle to a halt.Clara stared at the building for several seconds before turning toward the others.“Stay together,” she instructed. “We don't know what's inside.”Derek grabbed his weapon and stepped out of the vehicle.“I'll check the equipment room first,” he said.Clara nodded. “Stay close.”They approached the building carefully, their weapons ready.The main entrance had been damaged, but there were no bodies outside and no obvious signs of infected.Somehow, that made Clara even more nervous. She pushed the broken glass aside and stepped inside.The building was dark and silent.Rows of desks filled the main emergency station, many of them cover







