로그인The man stood beyond the outer warning markers with both hands raised.
He wore a dusty jacket, dark trousers, and a backpack that looked nearly empty. His vehicle was an old pickup truck with a cracked windshield and mud covering its tires. There was no visible passenger. That didn’t mean he was alone.
“Stay behind the inner fence,” Liana instructed the guards. “Keep your weapons ready, but don’t fire unless he threatens
The secondary radio remained silent for the rest of the day.Liana did not attempt another transmission. The channel used for the supply drop was now considered compromised. Any further contact would require a new frequency, a new verification method, and a clearer assessment of risk.That evening, she called a closed meeting with Adrian, Clara, Samuel, and Victor.The map of the southern routes lay open on the table. The drop point was marked in red. The orchard road and the secondary gate were marked in blue.“Elena and Thomas confirmed the package was received,” Liana began. “Sophia and our mother were present. No other members of their group approached the exchange. However, a third vehicle appeared shortly afterward. Same type we saw near Riverside.”Victor tapped the map. “If they knew the drop location, someone passed the information. Either Roland sold it, or someone inside Sophia’s group is feeding details outward.”“Both are possible,” Adrian said. “We can’t prove which one
The delivery team left at first light.Liana stood on the watchtower with Adrian and Samuel, watching the modified utility vehicle disappear down the southern road. Two trusted residents, Elena and Marcus’s former acquaintance Thomas, had been assigned to the task. Neither had close ties to the observation patients, and both understood the rules: no conversation beyond the exchange, no revealing coordinates, and immediate withdrawal if anything felt wrong.Clara had prepared the package herself. Three days of shelf-stable food, basic antibiotics, sterile dressings, disinfectant, and two bottles of electrolyte solution. Nothing that would significantly reduce the settlement’s reserves. Nothing that could be traced back to their medical stores.“They should reach the drop point by mid-morning,” Samuel said. “Abandoned rest stop, eight kilometers south. Clear sightlines in three directions.”Liana nodded. “Keep the secondary radio open the entire tim
“How did you get this frequency?”Liana’s question hung in the air. For several seconds, only static answered. Adrian stood beside her, silent but alert. Samuel had already begun tracing the signal strength on the secondary receiver.Then Sophia’s voice returned, quieter than before.“I… I got it from someone in our group. He said it was a private channel used by a few settlements.”“Who?”“A man named Roland. He traded information with our leader.”Liana’s grip tightened on the radio. Roland again. The same man who had sold her a photograph and claimed to know about Meridian’s interest in Sophia’s group.“Where are you right now?” Liana asked.“We’re near the old provincial hospital. We’ve been moving south for the past two weeks. Supplies are low. Some of our people are sick.”“How many of you?”“Seventeen. Including me and… Mom.”Liana closed her eyes for a brief moment. Their
For several seconds, Liana didn’t move.The radio sat in her hand, its speaker producing nothing but faint static. Someone knew what had happened to her family after she left the evacuation center. That alone wasn’t surprising. Thousands of people had passed through the evacuation center. Information traveled quickly between survivors. But Roland had deliberately mentioned her family. He wanted her attention. And he had succeeded.“Don’t respond yet,” Adrian said.Liana looked at him. “He’s trying to provoke me.”“Exactly. If he knows something useful, he’ll tell us eventually. But if he’s simply trying to manipulate you, we shouldn’t give him what he wants.”Liana placed the radio on the table. “Samuel, keep the frequency open. Don’t reveal our location or anything about our residents.&rdqu
“Peter?”Liana repeated the name, making sure she had heard Samuel correctly.“Yes. He’s near the southern perimeter. Victor spotted him on the camera.”“What is he doing?”“Standing beside the old maintenance shed. He’s holding something.”Liana grabbed her jacket. “Don’t approach him yet. Keep the cameras on him. I’ll be there shortly.”Adrian was already standing. “I’ll come with you.”They hurried outside. The settlement was unusually quiet. Most residents were inside their assigned buildings, unaware that something was happening near the southern fence.When Liana reached the security room, Victor was staring at the monitor. “There,” he said.The screen showed Peter standing besid
The next morning, Liana was already awake when Adrian entered the kitchen.She had barely slept. Rachel’s final radio message kept replaying in her mind: two men, a transport vehicle, a brother who refused to leave, and a medical group that had promised to respect consent.“You’re going?” Adrian asked.Liana nodded, placing a map on the table. “Riverside is less than an hour away if the road is clear. I want to speak with Rachel and her brother before making assumptions.”“I’ll go with you.”“Samuel should stay here. We don’t know if anyone has been watching our settlement.”Adrian studied the map. “I’ll drive. You can contact Clara on the radio if we find something urgent.”Liana agreed. Before leaving, she visited the storage room. She checked her







