Sasha was at her home while watching from her television. She was watching her favorite program when a sudden news flash interrupted. The scene of the city of Maria Acuzena on the mainland of Cornalian island widened her eyes, surprised at what was going on.
Pillars of smoke rose to the air and the scene of the undead rampaging in the streets. Sasha was worried about Andre, who was in the city at the moment. The news agencies and authorities deployed news helicopters and drones to cover the situation in the city.
"This morning, authorities announced a green alert for the city of Maria Acuzena. No one had claimed responsibility for the attacks as of the moment. At the north of the city…"
Without any second thoughts, Sasha grabbed her phone and dialed Andre's number. No one answered her call, and she repeated for ten attempts. She stopped after the tenth call and messaged him:
"To: Andre
Hey bud, where are you? I saw the news of the attack in the city. Don't you dare pull pranks at me? Answer your damn phone!"
Going to the city was out of the question. She was on her day off and she could not just march into the city just to save Andre. She could only hope for the best as she watch the situation unfold in the city.
Out of Conflict Zone, Hollander Mall,
Maria Acuzena City, Mainland Cornalian
09/21/2095 C.T.
1200 Hours
Since being stationed on the rooftop, Marrick hasn't heard from Andre. He wondered where and what happened to his friend. Not a call from him or text notified what he was up to.
He was looking at the northeast of the city, the residential part. It was several kilometers away from their location. Deliberately displacing civilians, smoke and fire could be seen. It was an attempt by the attacks to cause chaos and damage as possible.
"Damned terrorists!" Marrick cursed, navigating his scope around the area.
Drones suddenly hovered in the residential area. Despite their size, Marrick's scope could see them because of the light flashing from them. They were carrying a device of some sort whose purpose was unknown at the moment.
Marrick suddenly became shocked. He saw a group of people fleeing from the residential area. Maximizing the zoom of his scope, he saw them running away from something. Seeing the drones chasing them, he realized what was going on.
The drones were carrying controllers. The group of people, numbering at almost fifty, were running from the horde of undead, which suddenly sprang from the burnt houses.
Marrick called the attention of his commanding officer and said, "Sir, we got a situation!…"
Before Marrick could finish, his commanding officer replied, "We can't do anything about them, son… Focus in defending the perimeter!"
Marrick knew that he could not do anything. His conscience, however, cannot just leave him be. He tried to do his best not to be affected.
Marrick could only watch as the mindless horde of the undead tore apart the people who were fleeing. He closed his eyes, feeling useless about the situation. "There's nothing we could do… for them… eh?" He thought.
The commanding officer on the rooftop anticipated the attack from the Northeastern side of the city. He radioed through his superiors about what was going on.
Meanwhile, inside the mall, Dorothy and the other officials of the Zanderthine corporation were laying their plans. Dorothy Dawn was not just a mere representative of the company. She wields power within and has a reputation as the second most influential and powerful woman.
Dressed in her black coat with white blouse underneath and a pencil skirt matched with black high-heeled shoes. She maintains a professional look. Her red hair made her noticeable among her peers.
The disorganized makeshift command center was a former food court in the mall. The mercenaries evacuated everyone to the third floor, resulting in no civilians being present. Laptops and several devices were used to monitor the progress of the attacks in the city."What is the situation?" Dorothy asked one of the mission planners in their makeshift command center on the fourth floor in the mall.
"Not good! Our drones and eyes on the rooftop showed movements in the northeast." A Major replied to her.
"We only have a hundred of men in the mall, which included the new recruits. We are lucky to have thirty indispensable men added to our ranks. The problem is we have fifty useless ones, lacking experience on the battlefield!" A Captain added.
"What are your thoughts, Major?" Dorothy asked.
"We could make use of the fifty useless ones and get out of here! The rest of the 'worthy' ones have to fight their way out." The Major replied.
"Any news about the exfil?"
"ETA in one hour and twenty-five minutes, ma'am!" The Captain said.
"Good!" Dorothy remarked and continued, "Make sure of our safety. We could not lose our lives just for a handful of unworthy men."