What happened last summer?
That year, there was a major accident in the East Block. A zombie managed to infiltrate the fortress but was not detected by the Security Bureau. Unbeknownst to anyone, the zombie managed to infiltrate District 4 on the west side of the block, and the zombie was able to bite several people. Cruelly devouring some of those who were not strong enough to withstand the Dawn virus, while those whose bodies could accept the virus immediately turned into zombies.
District 4 immediately fell into chaos. The Security Bureau immediately took action by declaring the district red status and blocking it as well. The survivors were evacuated to other safe districts, while the zombies were hunted down by trained soldiers. Within two hours, more than fifty people were infected by the virus, and they became zombies roaming around the district. The soldiers had to shoot them dead, and it took a day to regain the green status in the district.
The aftermath was also not easy to deal with because the residents of District 4 were traumatized after the accident. Some children saw how their fellow humans were eaten by zombies, and they couldn't stop crying and screaming, and that fear might haunt them forever.
Luca lived in District 1, quite far from District 4, as it was on the east side of the block. There were only four districts in the East Block, namely District 1 in the east, District 2 in the north, District 3 in the south, and also District 4 in the west. The survivors in District 4 were temporarily evacuated to District 2 and District 3 when the incident occurred. Those people were sent back to District 4 three days after the accident, but the fear remained there for a long time.
After the accident, the block leader immediately instructed the Security Bureau to enhance the security in the fortress. More surveillance cameras were installed in the fortress area, more personnel were assigned to guard the fortress, and they were armed with more sophisticated weapons. That was an effort to prevent zombies from entering the block during the summer.
"My parents were also killed during the summer," Luca finally responded, looking away from the older man sitting next to him. His back was leaning against the sofa behind him. Although there was a sofa in the living room, they chose to sit on the carpet, facing the food and drinks on the coffee table. From the side, Jamie stared at the young man gloomily.
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect your parents eight years ago," an apology escaped the older man's lips.
"You don't have to apologize to me, Uncle," Luca replied, turning to the older man. "You weren't the one who killed my parents back then, so you don't have to feel guilty. Besides, you've done so much for me since my parents died, so you really don't owe anything to me."
"I know," Jamie replied. "But I still believe that I should have stopped your parents from leaving that night. For some reason, they acted strangely as if they knew that night would be their last. They called me, asking me to watch over you while they were gone. I can't help but think that your parents could feel their death approaching that night."
Luca was silent, but he slowly averted his gaze from the older man. People said that the eyes were like the transparent glass of the heart, and one would be able to see into the heart through their gaze. That was why he tried to hide his feelings by looking away.
A heavy sigh broke the uncomfortable silence in the room, and Luca's hand reached out toward the bucket of fried chicken on the table. He took the chicken leg before looking at the older man again. "Let's finish our chicken, Uncle. You should be home soon, right? Your wife and daughter will definitely worry about you if you come home too late," he said.
That was Luca's way of signaling that he didn't want to continue talking about his parents, and Jamie could probably see it. However, instead of taking the fried chicken like the young man, he chose to continue drinking his beer. "You should finish everything in that bucket, Luc. You've been getting thinner, and that's because you often skip meals, right?" He asked after finishing a can of beer.
The answer was obvious, and Luca chose not to say anything. He simply smiled at the older man before starting to use his teeth to bite into the chicken leg. Living in hard times like these made it impossible to be picky about food. Only simple food was sold by the few shops on the block, and fried chicken was one of those simple foods even though it was clearly unhealthy.
Luca had never liked fried chicken before his parents died. His mother had always cooked healthy food for him, but then everything changed after he no longer had anyone to cook for him.
The chicken leg had been finished off by the younger man, and Jamie stared at the man intently before saying, "Don't forget to be careful during the summer, okay? This building is the closest to the fortress area compared to the other buildings in District 1, so it'll be dangerous for you if the zombies manage to infiltrate the fortress, like what happened last year. You better not go anywhere during the summer, alright?"
Jamie was like a father worried about his son, and the son smiled at him reassuringly before saying, "You don't have to worry about that. You said that this building is the closest to the fortress in this district, but it's actually thirty miles away. The zombies will probably be shot dead by the soldiers before they can reach this place. Besides, you should know that I never leave this building except when I have to take out the trash, right, Uncle? If I stay inside this building, I won't run into any zombies, right?"