The sounds were deafening.
Screams and chants echoed down the frozen streets of the city, a horde of denizens marching down the street as the same message broadcasted on loop over the intercom:
Any inflicted by the Burst should proceed to the nearest Directorate Camp immediately. Those not experiencing any symptoms must quarantine and isolate until further notice.
They all dawned thick, mechanical masks with vials of air welded and secured just off to the side, blocking out the horrid smell of burnt flesh and the smoke emitted by their crimson torches. Vapor from the underlying heating tunnels spewed up from the conduits and pipelines, settling below the crowds marching feet as they let out their cries and uproars.
Hastily moving down the same street was a young boy—his overwhelming panic completely concealed by his hood and the same thick mask dawned by everyone else.
Any... -by the Burst should... -the nearest... -Camp immediately. Those... -any symptoms must quarantine and isolate until... -notice-
The boy looked up—past the towering buildings of concrete, slowly freezing over the higher and higher they got—and straight at the distant sky. His hand slightly reached out, only for the harrowing sound of a gunshot to ring out in the distance.
He drew his attention back forward, stepping over the trash which littered the streets as his steps lingered on the snow covered ground.
'Don't stand out,' the boy murmured to himself, weaving through the thick mob, tracing the edge of the crowd as he moved forward, 'Keep moving forward.'
The chants grew louder; "Kill the inflicted! -Stop letting them through the gate!"
The boy gripped his bag as he let out a subtle cough.
* * *
His foot tapped against the marble flooring—increasingly growing more intense as he jittered. His eyes frantically glared at the clock as time ticked by. There were others in the room with him—From just a few passing glances, he could tell they were terrified. All of them had a look of death lingering in their eyes.
"Eve..?" A stern voice called out from the service desk.
Instantly did the boy stand and shuffle his way to the counter. During the walk, he could slightly feel his heart drop as he looked at the bald man; A mask covering his lower face as his eyes seemingly reeked with a slight glint of hatred.
"Yes," Eve murmured out, "that's me-"
"Age and Imprint ID," The guy cut him off.
"16 and... uh..." Abruptly did Eve show the guard the right of his neck, revealing a small set of stamped numbers which the man promptly wrote down; 301-26A.
"You're from the Administrative District?" The man asked with a small hint of suspicion lingering in his voice.
It took a moment for Eve to respond—the only thing breaking the silence being the endlessly spewing radiator just above the service desk. "Yes."
"You seem quite... unbothered by the whole situation. You're not concerned?"
Eve pondered for a minute, then briskly shook his head. He noticed as his own portrait appeared on the monitor besides the man—noting the outdated picture.
Nearly everything was similar, from his white hair swept to the side and his rather elegant appearing green eyes. The only thing out of place was the sense of innocence emanating off of him.
Eve had long since grown cold.
After a few more hastily jotted notes, the man simply pointed to a side door leading through the checkpoint.
"Follow the yellow lines," He murmured, "Don't go past them. Listen to the guards. You will be shot on sight if you fail to comply. Do this, and you'll reach the gate."
All Eve did was let out a slight gulp as he nodded.
The cold immediately sent a chill down his spine as he peered out from the building. He could see the Yellow line twist and curve between two chain-link fences which boxed him in, as if he were a caged beast. His eyes hyper fixated on his every move, being sure to be as safe as possible with every step.
That was until blood splashed from under his feet.
'Blood?' He thought, 'Why is there blood..?'
His nose filled with the scent of iron as he continued moving forward. The further he went, the more a deep sense of fear began to fill his mind.
His heart finally dropped when he reached the first corpse. Its body was seemingly half-mutated into a fleshly, stony amalgamation as veins and spikes protruded from their flesh—head completely blown apart as the blood and guts spewed out across the concrete floor.
For a brief moment, he had lost his footing from horror. The yellow line he was so careful to watch being completely gone from his vision, now covered by an unimaginable amount of blood.
The further he walked, the more corpses there seemed to be. The more he walked, the more the sickly sweet scent of iron began to fill his nose.
The bodies of the corrupted.
By the time he reached the end, he practically wanted to faint. The only thing that made him snap back to reality was the forceful push of a guard with a rope in his hands.
Before he could even react, Eve's hands were immediately tied as he was pushed forward.
Even though he wanted to protest, all he could do was submit. He peered towards the ground and his now blood-stained shoes in disgust. It was only when a bright green grow grabbed his attention.
His eyes slowly peered upwards as it began to get closer and closer in view; The hypnotic swirls enticing him as he felt a deep warmth begin to grow from within. He had reached the gate.