chapter 24

Chapter 24: Blood on the Loading Dock

​The heavy flatbed delivery trucks were idling in the loading bay of Factory No. 1, their diesel engines rumbling against the cold concrete walls. Workers frantically unloaded the final crates of non-perishable MREs, barrels of machine oil, and industrial arc-welders that my gold had bought.

​I stood near the main loading dock, my shotgun slung over my shoulder and the master control tablet hooked to my tactical vest.

​"That's the last of the diesel drums, ma'am!" the supply driver shouted over the noise, wiping cold sweat from his forehead. "Where do you want the second welder?"

​"Move it straight to the north gate console," I instructed, keeping my voice steady. "We're sealing the outer perimeter in twenty minutes."

​The driver took a shaky step off his flatbed, then suddenly froze. His shoulders hitched violently. A wet, unnatural gargle erupted from his throat, and he collapsed onto the concrete, his body convulsing in wild, unnatural spasms.

​"Hey! You alright?" one of his crew members yelled, jogging over to him. "Get him some water!"

​"Stay back!" I shouted, unholstering my sidearm. "Don't touch him!"

​It was too late. The driver’s eyes rolled back, milky and bloodshot, and he snapped his head around with terrifying speed. With a guttural screech, he lunged forward, sinking his teeth straight into the crew member's neck.

​Blood sprayed across the clean concrete.

​The loading dock exploded into instant panic. Workers dropped crates, screaming and scrambling for the exits. The infected driver scrambled up onto all fours like a frantic predator, his jaw covered in crimson, his eyes locked straight onto me.

​He lunged.

​I stepped back, raised my pistol, and fired two precise shots straight into his chest. He barely flinched, his unnatural momentum carrying him forward. I adjusted my aim and pulled the trigger a third time—right between his eyes.

​His body slammed onto the loading bay floor, motionless.

​Breathing heavily, I looked at the bitten crew member squirming on the ground, his veins already turning a sickly dark purple.

​"Get out!" I barked at the remaining delivery workers who were frozen in horror. "Get in your trucks and get out of the city now!"

​They didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled into their cabs, tires screeching as they roared out of the yard.

​I grabbed an arc-welder, dragged the heavy cable to the main loading bay doors, and slammed the heavy iron shutter shut. CLANG. I engaged the automated security locks from my tablet, sealing the loading dock completely.

​The outbreak wasn't just on news broadcasts anymore. It was here.

​BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

​A high-pitched proximity alert chimed from the master security console near the front gates. I wiped the blood from my cheek, grabbed my shotgun, and jogged up to the elevated watchtower overlooking 4th Avenue.

​Two black, armored SUVs were parked directly outside the heavy chain-link gate of Factory No. 1.

​Julian Sterling stepped out of the lead vehicle, looking impeccably dressed despite the chaos creeping through the city. He walked around to the passenger side, opened the door, and helped my mother and father step out onto the pavement.

​My stomach churned into a tight knot. He had brought them here as human shields.

​Julian picked up a bullhorn from the hood of his SUV and raised it to his lips, his voice carrying clearly through the crisp night air.

​"Evelyn!" Julian called out, his tone dripping with smooth, practiced authority. "Your mother and father are out here with me! We know you're inside, and we know you have the master drives!"

​My mother stepped toward the gate, clutching her coat, her face pale and flushed with anger as she looked up toward the watchtower.

​"Evelyn Vance!" my mother's shrill voice echoed through the bullhorn speaker. "Stop this foolishness right now! Open these gates! Julian brought his security team to protect this factory, and you are locking your own family out in the cold!"

​I walked to the watchtower railing and leaned over, my hand gripped tight around the cold steel frame of my shotgun.

​"Go home, Mom!" I shouted back, my voice cutting through the quiet street. "Julian is using you! The outbreak is spreading through the city right now—I just had to put down an infected on the loading dock! Get inside a secure house!"

​Julian took the bullhorn back, stepping right beside my mother and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

​"That's exactly why we need to unify our position, Evelyn," Julian said, his eyes locking onto mine with cold, calculating ambition. "Your father signed the factory management transfer twenty minutes ago. As far as the law is concerned, this property belongs to my security firm now. Hand over the master encryption keys, or my men will cut through these gates."

​My father stood behind them, looking utterly broken and terrified, too intimidated by Julian's armed mercenaries to speak up.

​I looked down at Julian, then at my mother, whose stubborn, blind trust in him was going to cost them everything.

​"You don't own a damn thing here, Julian," I said coldly into the watchtower intercom. "And if your men touch those gates, the automated high-voltage defense grid will turn them to ash."

​I slammed my thumb down on the control tablet, activating the factory’s perimeter defense system. High-voltage coils along the fence hummed to life with a fierce, crackling blue current.

​Julian’s smile finally vanished, replaced by a dark, deadly glare. The war for the factory had officially begun.