"Hey Marcus we just got a call on the walkie we gotta go now!" A soldier of significant rank said to Marcus as he entered the room of that seemed to be a military.
" What... Why we just got back." Marcus asked, the confusion visible on his face as he rose from the top of his bunk bed.
"I don't know but the called for a full evac on the facility all but for the lab and sciences department."
" What that's crazy do they know what they're doing." Marcus replied still confused but was now doning his uniform.
"Look I don't know what the hell is going on but I think is an attack,maybe a biological weapon or something but I know that if we don't get out of here soon. We are going to die." He answered as calmly as head for he was visibly sweating buckets and was trembling–which was odd for a soldier.
' I can't just leave I have to know what's going on '
"You go ahead I'll be right behind you."
"Alright but be quick... I'm terrified man." The fear plain in his voice.
"I will."
As soon as he left Marcus went towards the lab and sciences sector. He was too concerned at was going on to leave, his patriotism was too strong.
****
The lab and sciences sector was still as calm as it always was it was just devoid of people, which was odd as there was always people going about with their experiments in such.
---
The heavy steel doors slid open, and Marcus hesitated before stepping inside. The science department stretched before him, its hallways dimly lit by flickering fluorescent lights. He swept his gaze across the walls, everything seems ok but something still felt off as it was too quiet .
The air was thick, a mix of antiseptic and something metallic. His pulse quickened. This part of the facility had always felt isolated, but now it felt abandoned, as if something vital had been drained away.
He pushed open a door marked Lab C, the hinges groaning in protest. The room beyond was vast, cluttered with half-finished experiments and smashed glass. In the far corner, twenty figures stood silently, their backs turned to him. They were crowded around a machine that emitted a faint, irregular beeping.
Adam frowned. Knowing something was terribly wrong. He took a cautious steps forward and inched closer until he was at the very back of one of the figures , the figure as if sensing his presence turned it's head slowly to face Marcus and open it's mouth.
' Is he trying to say something, I can't hear it.'
Marcus leaned in to hear. It got closer.
"You idiot!" A voice barked from behind him, and before Adam could turn, someone placed his hand between Marcus and the zombie and pushed Marcus's head away and pulled him back into the hallway.
"What—who—?" Adam stammered as the stranger, gripping a pistol, shoved him forward.
"Questions later," they snapped. "Just keep moving!"
The yelling caught the attention of the rest and they gave chase.
They sprinted through the maze of hallways, the sound of shuffling feet and guttural noises growing louder behind them. At last, the stranger yanked open a supply closet door and shoved Adam inside. They slammed it shut, jamming the lock.
For a moment, silence returned, broken only by their labored breathing.
"What were you thinking?" the stranger demanded, leaning against the wall and catching their breath.
Adam's eyes were wide, his heart pounding. "I didn't know— I thought they were just—"
"Well, now you know," the stranger interrupted. His voice was sharp but unsteady.
"What are they?"
"Zombies."
"Zombies? Aren't they just science fiction"
"Well it's reality now isn't it... Ah shit."
"What happened?"
"This happened," the stranger showed him his hand which had a bite mark on it.
"What does that mean?".
The stranger sighed, sliding down to sit on the floor. "It means I'm dead ."
Adam stared at the door, the barricade barely holding back the unknown outside, and then back at the stranger. The walls felt as though they were closing in, the weight of the situation pressing on him.
"How can you die from a bite, though everything thats happened now is really weird and scary this seems a lot more---"
"Unreal?" The stranger cut in. " You see this?". He said bringing out an ID card.
"You're a Biologist."
"Yeah, those people you saw are infected."
"Infected with what exactly."
" A virus. It was discovered when a glacier melted among some other things."
Seeing that Marcus was still confused he explained further.
"During the testing of the virus it was discovered that it had special traits."
"Traits like what?"
"When injected into lab rats it changed their DNA and they were stronger more faster."
"So you guys tried it on humans."
'Damn don't you guys watch movies that's apocalypse type shit '
"Yes we did on 5 test subjects for each facility. One in each continent in hopes of creating the next generation of humans. But unfortunately it didn't go quite as we expected the virus didn't go where we wanted."
" Where'd it go."
"The brain."
'Of course dummy '
The stranger brought out his pistol. And gestured for Marcus to take it.
"Take it. In a few minutes I'll be dead so you need to kill me by shooting me in the head." The stranger said unbelievably calm for someone who would soon die. " I know you'll do it cos you are a soldier. Please just grant me this request."
"Okay." Marcus said understanding the situation.
Bang
A gunshot rang out signaling the end of it.
*****
"Oi, Marcus, you havin' a bit of a daydream or what? C'mon, mate, show us 'round this place!"
"Yeah I'm coming you damn Aussie." Marcus said snapping out of his flashback and went to join Lachlan and Adam.
*****
The room was dimly lit, its peeling wallpaper clinging desperately to the cracked walls. Dust floated lazily through the stale air, illuminated by the faint light of a single desk lamp. The smell of mildew was thick, mingling with the sharp tang of cigar smoke. A man sat on the edge of a battered, moth-eaten armchair, his silhouette outlined against the flickering shadows. His features were sharp, distinctly Italian—prominent cheekbones, a strong jawline, and a nose that looked like it had been broken more than once. A deep scar ran diagonally across his left eye, rendering it a pale, milky white, a testament to battles long past.
He took a long drag from his cigar, the glowing ember casting a faint, hellish red across his rugged face. The room was silent except for the faint hiss of the cigar and the occasional creak of the old motel settling into itself.
The door creaked open without a knock, revealing a wiry man in a tattered leather jacket, his face pale and slick with sweat. He stepped in cautiously, his eyes darting to the man with the cigar.
"Sir," the wiry man said, his voice trembling slightly. "We've located them."
The scarred man exhaled a cloud of smoke, the plume drifting upward like a ghostly wisp. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as a slow, predatory grin spread across his face. His good eye gleamed with a mixture of malice and satisfaction.
"Now that I've seen where you roost," he said, his voice low and gravelly, every word laced with venom, "it's time for me to begin the harvest."
He crushed the cigar into a nearby ashtray, the ember extinguishing with a faint hiss. Rising to his feet, he loomed over the other man, his presence almost suffocating. The room seemed to grow colder as he reached for the revolver on the table, spinning the cylinder with practiced ease.