On a civilian-free street, several armed soldiers stood in front of a wall that had been stained with blood and had a message written on it.
"The Red God is approaching. You will die and return to the cursed void, sinners."
Sam Valdez looked at these messages and the corpses of people who had been infected by the walker that emerged in the secure base. Looking at this walker, he noticed certain scars on its face, and after understanding the pattern, he took the sick radio: "Attention, this is Commander Sam Valdez. I want you to take special care of people with scars on their faces or those who exhibit abnormal behavior."
There was no doubt they were being attacked from within, and the worst part was that there was no pattern to identify them. Looking at the other soldiers, Sam ordered, "Inform all civilians. Each of them must carry a knife for personal self-defense in case there are no soldiers nearby."
"Are we being attacked by a cult?" Asked one of the captains who approached Sam. His gaze scanned the red skull drawn in blood.
"It's hard to say, but the attacks are all the same. They first target an isolated location, they infect themselves with the walker virus, and then, after turning into walkers, they attack the civilians."
As Sam said this, he felt deep concern about not having control. Truth be told, since the beginning of the end of the world, they had done whatever they wanted without any problems, but now everything seemed to be changing.
"I want the guards to maintain Alert Level 2. Security must be strict, and inform the civilians about this situation as soon as possible."
Sam wanted to maintain strict surveillance without exerting too much force, as it would greatly worry the people. Throughout this time, although it was uncommon, outbreaks of infected individuals could be seen within the base. Therefore, wanting to maintain control of this situation, he did not want to lose control.
Just as he was about to return for an emergency meeting, someone on the radio contacted Sam directly: "Zz... Sir, someone surrendered, claiming to know about the attacks."
"Zz... I'm on my way."
Sam's tone was cold, as if he had already thought about what he would do once he reached the person who surrendered.
...
"Hello, I know about the attacks that have claimed countless lives."
One of the soldiers, covered from head to toe in gear, while observing this individual who had surrendered, looked at his companion unsure of what to do. "With this one, two have voluntarily surrendered. Their behavior seems quite unusual. Let's stay on high alert."
One of the soldiers in a high position held his sniper rifle, analyzing the movements of that individual for weapons or any abnormalities. "Zz..."
"Zz... Yes, there's definitely something strange about his behavior. He seems to be talking to himself and making erratic gestures. We'll have to thoroughly interrogate him to gather information."
The two soldiers on guard approached the individual and escorted him to a makeshift interrogation room. The individual continued murmuring quietly, paying no attention to his surroundings.
One of the soldiers, experienced in interrogations, asked him initially as they entered the room, "Can you hear me? We know you have surrendered, and we are here to get answers. We need to know who you are and what brings you here."
The individual seemed to ignore the soldier and continued murmuring quietly, speaking about the arrival of a God and the imminent purification of the world.
In the company of another soldier, one whispered, "He seems completely disconnected from reality. Let's proceed with the interrogation and see if we can gather anything useful from him."
"Listen, we are here to help you, but we need you to tell us who you are and what led you to surrender. What is it that you keep repeating about God?"
The individual suddenly lifted his gaze, with glassy eyes and a disturbing smile on his face.
The individual, gripping his head, screamed in a deranged manner, "The Red God has arrived! The purification is near! We will all be saved... or condemned! Can't you feel it in the air? The end is approaching, and only the chosen ones will survive."
"He seems completely unhinged. I'm not sure if we'll be able to get anything useful from him." One of the soldiers was unconvinced.
At that moment, the commander of Atlanta had entered the interrogation room.
Sam, observing the individual seriously, asked, "What do we have here? Another disturbed individual who believes himself to be a divine prophet, am I right?"
Someone immediately responded, "That seems to be the case, commander. We haven't obtained any concrete information from him. He seems completely absorbed in his delusions."
Sam calmly addressed the figure, saying, "Listen, friend, I understand that you may be going through a difficult situation, but we need concrete answers. Who are the chosen ones? What purification are you referring to? Do you know anything about the attacks?"
The individual stares at Sam, as if seeing something beyond him.
"The chosen ones... Those who follow the voice of the Red God. Only they will be saved. The purification... Will eliminate the impure. I cannot... I cannot say more."
The commander sighs and addresses the soldiers, "It seems we've reached a dead end with this individual. We will continue investigating and assessing his mental state. For now, let's secure him and keep him under surveillance."
The soldiers nod and proceed to escort the individual to a secure cell, where he will be observed and analyzed for any useful information he may provide. However, in one last moment, the individual let out a fierce cry, "They have Pandora's box, everyone will die sooner or later, and it's just a matter of time!"
Sam turned his head and stopped the soldiers, staring at the man at the door and asked, "What is Pandora's box?"