LOGIN“Your brother was bitten.”
Liana’s mother’s words continued echoing in her mind long after the radio went silent.Marcus. The same brother who had taken her food in her previous life. The same man who had watched her struggle and still demanded more. The same person who had called her selfish when she refused to give him money. Now he had been bitten.She lowered the radio. Adrian studied her expression. “Are you going to look for them?”“No.” Her answer ca“No…”The word escaped Liana’s lips before she could stop it.On the security monitor, a zombie stumbled toward their northern fence. Its clothes were torn, its face was covered in blood, and its movements were no different from those of the other infected. But she recognized that jacket. She had bought it for her father on his birthday in her previous life. She remembered him wearing it to family gatherings. She remembered him complaining that the sleeves were too long. She remembered laughing when Marcus told him he looked like an old-fashioned businessman.Now that same jacket hung loosely on a body that no longer seemed human.[Possible Identity Match: Richard Hart.] [Confidence: 96%.]Her hands began to tremble. Adrian stepped beside her. “Liana?”She couldn’t answer. He looked at the monitor and immediately understood. “Are you certain?”She shook her head, even though the system had already given her its answer. “I don’t know.”The lie sounded weak even to her own ears. Adria
“Marcus is standing outside the gate?”Liana repeated Samuel’s words, hoping she had misunderstood.“Yes,” he answered through the radio. “He’s alone. His clothes are covered in blood, and his left arm is bandaged.”She gripped the receiver. “Has he shown any signs of infection?”“Not that I’ve seen. He’s sweating heavily, but he can still speak normally.”Adrian increased the vehicle’s speed. “We need to get back immediately.”Liana nodded, her mind racing. Marcus had been bitten. Her father had told her he was transforming. Yet somehow, her brother had escaped the roadside building and traveled all the way to their settlement.How? Had the infection progressed more slowly than expected? Or had he received treatment? She didn’t know. But she wasn’t going to let her uncertainty endanger everyone inside her home.“Samuel, keep the gate closed. Don’t let him touch anyone. Have Clara prepare the scanner.”“Understood.”She ended the transmission. Adrian glanced at her. “If he’s infected,
“Are you sure about this?”Adrian stood beside the utility vehicle, checking the ammunition and emergency supplies. Liana tightened the straps on her backpack. “No. But we can’t make a decision without knowing what’s happening.”Samuel approached them with a map. “The evacuation center is about twelve kilometers away. The main road is dangerous, but there’s a smaller route through the agricultural district.”“How many zombies have been spotted there?”“Unknown. The last report mentioned several groups near the highway.”Liana frowned. They were heading into an unfamiliar situation with limited information. That was exactly how people died during the apocalypse. “Then we don’t use the main road,” she decided. “We’ll take the agricultural route. If it becomes unsafe, we turn back.”Adrian nodded. “And our objective?”“Assess the evacuation center, deliver what we can, and help anyone we can safely extract. We’re not staying to fight a hundred zombies.”He gave her an approving look. “Go
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard her father’s voice through the radio. He keeps calling your name. Marcus had turned into a zombie. Her father and mother were somewhere near the southern highway, surrounded by infected people. And she had no idea whether they were alive.At six in the morning, she finally left her room. Adrian was already in the kitchen, studying a map spread across the table. “You’re awake early,” he said.“I couldn’t sleep.”He pushed a cup of warm water toward her. “We received another transmission at dawn.”Liana immediately sat down. “From my father?”“No. It was an emergency broadcast from a nearby evacuation center.”Her shoulders slumped. “What did they say?”“Several roads are blocked. The authorities are asking survivors to avoid the southern highway. They’re setting up temporary checkpoints near the main town.”She looked at the map. The old roadside building where her family had taken shelter was marked near a junction. If they had escaped, they m
“Your brother was bitten.”Liana’s mother’s words continued echoing in her mind long after the radio went silent.Marcus. The same brother who had taken her food in her previous life. The same man who had watched her struggle and still demanded more. The same person who had called her selfish when she refused to give him money. Now he had been bitten.She lowered the radio. Adrian studied her expression. “Are you going to look for them?”“No.” Her answer came quickly, but her fingers remained wrapped around the radio.He didn’t question her. Instead, he asked, “Do you think your mother was telling the truth?”“I don’t know.” That was the problem. Her family had lied to her before. They had hidden things, manipulated her, and used her sympathy whenever they needed something. But a zombie bite was different. If Marcus was infected, he could become dangerous to anyone near him. Including her parents.Liana looked toward the
The infected boy kept throwing himself against the isolation barrier. Every impact made the metal frame shake.His father sat outside the quarantine room, his hands trembling. “Please,” he whispered. “That’s my son.”Liana stood beside Clara, watching the medical scanner. The boy’s temperature had climbed beyond forty degrees. His breathing was irregular, and dark veins were spreading across his neck.Clara adjusted the scanner. “I’ve never seen an infection progress this quickly.”“Can you tell whether it’s contagious?”“Not with certainty. But we have to assume it is.”Liana nodded. “Then nobody enters that room without protective equipment.”Adrian secured the outer door while Victor brought additional metal panels from the storage shed. Samuel cleared the surrounding area. Everyone followed instructions without arguing. That was good. Panic could kill them faster than the zombies.Suddenly, the boy slammed his head against the barrier.BANG!His father jumped to his feet. “Daniel!







