"The bridges leading to the other cities have already been torn down, you say? In that case, we don't have an evacuation route when the situation gets out of control!?"
"The government abandoned survivors who might be trying to save themselves?"
"Not like that, stupid. If the bridges are torn down, the refugees from this city will have to take a detour."
"Damn, we're only two cities away from New York, and now it's a detour? That could cover four to five cities!"
Comments of annoyance were expressed by inmates who were furious after hearing news from James, the chief warden.
"Why are you so sure of that, Sir James? We haven't seen the real situation yet. Phone lines are down, the internet is out, and the power is out." Zayn felt a little off.
The question made the other inmates feel surprised and somewhat suspicious as well.
"Well, that's a careful Zayn. We're lucky enough to have our private generator here. So, the electricity supply is safe as long as we have fuel. However, is it true that the internet and telephone lines are completely cut off here? We have an emergency telephone with a direct signal to the satellite. My friend in the government provides quite a bit of insider information, and that's why my group was reluctant to take refuge in the military. Do you know why?" James pointed at the light in the ceiling.
Almost everyone around the discussion table looked at the lights. Their attention was drawn, but not Zayn. He was still staring at James' expression.
"The zombies have arrived in New York and its surrounding cities. It's spreading and out of control. I told you. It was only a matter of time, but they wouldn't listen." James spread his arms and shrugged his shoulders.
"What?" Zayn and everyone else gaped in surprise. "In that case, what about the survivors at the military base? It would be difficult to travel in large numbers, let alone they have to take a detour."
"Who knows? I'm not a God. It's just about how people survive. However, it will be the same when they arrive in New York. There is no place to escape." James emphasized the end of his sentence with a low voice. However, that whisper seemed to ring in everyone's mind.
The inmates and some of the wardens immediately became panicked and agitated. Still, James quickly continued before the situation escalated any further.
"Yeah, and that's why we must avoid the military and those self-conceited soldiers! If you take cover there, you will be forced to fight for those useless, weakling people. You will die as nobody for no one to remember.
Lab X is rumored to be a place where superpower experiments are held. The zombies are the product of superhuman failures and mutated into the undead. It holds the greatest secret, and we must find it immediately." James stood up and spread his arms like he was campaigning for a noble cause.
He then revealed some information about his group's plan and government propaganda. He had made the troublemakers disappear, and now was the time for him to form his own group.
The inmates and wardens gradually looked at James like a saviour. If they find Lab X, they could find a formula or serum to become superhumans. They would be the superheroes who would save the world. That was what they started to believe.
Apart from failed products, there must be a finished product. A fatal mistake happened, and the zombie outbreak occurred, but that didn't mean that place was a failure.
Zayn and his close friends couldn't say much other than asking James a few questions since they had so little information. James talked to convince everyone, but Zayn took it with a grain of salt. The discussion was over with that.
The moon looked bright in the starry night sky. The beautiful sky was in contrast to the dark and gloomy land.
*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*
Zayn trains his body strength at the training center inside the prison. The previous situation where that black zombie could overpower and throw him easily made him feel like he needed to get stronger to save anyone. He also needed more power to achieve his goal because those zombies were extraordinarily strong.
"Zayn, my friend. Are you going with James' plan? Honestly, that sounds stupid, and I'm sure he has more hidden intentions than he says." Alex leaned against the wall, watching Zayn punch the punching bag.
"It's more like all of you will make the efforts, and I shall reap the gains. Lab X is a source of disaster. Yet, James said that. Maybe, there really are some super serums? Hey, America has super soldiers too, right? Maybe, what he said is true." Frankie felt a little confident.
"They want to find Lab X to become superheroes, but I want to go there to find the cure. Goals look similar but are vastly different. We're not the same." Zayn paused and answered.
"Yeah, you're right. What if the serum in question turns someone into a super zombie instead? Hey, the zombies already have physical strength beyond human capabilities. They've been super undead from the start." Alex slapped his forehead. He forgot about it.
"Hmm, if everyone becomes superheroes, then there are no superheroes. I also wouldn't want to be injected with something dangerous like that. I don't want to become a zombie and destroy the world, haha." Frankie laughed dryly.
"Whatever it is, I will look for Lab X because I feel God will guide me to it. That's why I decided to stay in this city longer. I will try and fight as hard as I can to achieve what my heart desires, even if I die and achieve nothing in the process." Zayn looked at his hands, then clenched his fists.
"You'll either die as a hero or live long enough as a villain. Please be careful with the path you will take. Even so, count me in." Alex raised his hand.
"If the government has collapsed, and the military has fallen apart... then it's only about how individuals and groups can survive through the zombie apocalypse. We know nothing, and guessing will get us nowhere. However, all the secrets lie within Lab X. We'll know something when we get there." Frankie shrugged.
"You have a strong will. May God give us a place in heaven when we die." Zayn opened his palm and prayed for a moment.
"Amen." Alex and Frankie respond in unison.
The night then turned to morning. Everyone was getting ready to clean up the surrounding zombies while trying to find Lab X.
None of Zayn's followers desired to go to the military base because last night's discussion was already known to everyone in prison.
Therefore, their survival journey began from the same with different intentions but a similar goal, namely Lab X.
One week has passed since the quest for Lab X. Two weeks since the zombie virus spread.
Unfortunately, the place was still not found because no one knew the exact location. They haven't even found the sealed site where the reported explosion was.
"Yo, Zayn, you want to go to the usual medical center?" Alex asked when they had just left the prison.
"Yeah, that's the only way I can do some zombie research. We can't wait until we find Lab X, can we?" Zayn nodded and stared at the dead city from the car window.
Zombies were still numerous and roamed in various places even though the cleaning was done every day by the inmates and wardens.
"Those zombies seem to be getting more troublesome as time passes, or is it just me? It's like they're getting stronger." Frankie sighed.
"They're mutating again? Ugh, in that case, the humans will be extinct if we don't find any solution to save our situation." Someone in the back seat muttered in a calm tone.
"We'll find a solution someday. God is always with us, Arnold." Another person in the back seat muttered with great confidence.
"Yeah, God will protect us, Sam, Arnold. Hopefully, everything we do is blessed by the Almighty." Zayn looked back. His current team only consisted of five people in total.
Initially, nineteen God believers followed Zayn's teachings. Yet, four people died during the Lab X search mission a few days ago in separate teams. Their bodies couldn't be found anywhere either.
Besides Alex and Frankie, only two still possessed the strong determination to follow Zayn. At the same time, the other thirteen decided to stay in prison and followed James' teams on a safer mission.
In the past week, all teams managed to save more than two hundred survivors, and they were taking refuge in a fortress-like prison.
"Hey, I heard those people will have a great time when we leave as vanguards in the front row. It's just my hunch, but it looks like they're no longer God believers." Sam suddenly voiced his guess.
"They said they wanted to keep an eye on James, the wardens, and the survivors. Someone needs to look after our back and guard the place for us in that prison, right? That's probably just a rumor." Alex didn't really believe it.
"Then let's try to return earlier than our usual flight time." Sam suggested an idea.
"We don't have many plans today because the northern flyover is down, and there are a lot of zombies there. Prejudice isn't good, but we can come back early." Zayn didn't feel suspicious of the other God believers, but Sam's proposal needed to be considered.
With that said, their car continued to drive towards a medical center in the city center. The zombies that blocked the road were just hit by the fierce military vehicle.