The historic mill stood out against the gloomy sky, its brick walls sparkling with rain. Mia kept Sam close as Zoe drove the vehicle through the impromptu barricade of cars. Twenty survivors from the library crouched under the mill's loading dock, their faces tormented by emergency lights.
"Live inside the truck," Zoe said, holding her bat. "something's incorrect."
Mia, too, felt a crawling tingling along her backbone. The same sensation that had preceded her image of the library. "The west entrance," she muttered, though she had no idea why. "do not let everybody near it."
Zoe's eyes narrowed. "How do you—"
A scream ripped through the downpour.
The inflamed burst through the west door, tackling a man before everyone could react. Its acts had become more particular concentrated and predatory. Blood sprayed as it tore through his throat.
"Get down!" A loud voice demanded.
A figure emerged from the shadows, rifle raised. Three distinct images revealed the inflammation. The individual moved with navy efficiency, inspecting the sufferer before shaking his head.
"He's long past," the stranger said, rain pouring from his angular functions. "And he will flip shortly. A person wishes to establish a name."
Zoe came forward, ready with her bat. "i will do it."
Mia clutched Sam tightly, protecting his eyes. The crack of the bat echoed as soon as, last and worst.
"My name is Jasper," the guy stated, lowering his firearm. "Former pressure Recon. and you all want to get interior earlier than more come."
The group immediately moved into the mill's core area. Emergency generators buzzed, providing low lighting. The mother of twins hurried to hug her children. The elderly man from the library slumped heavily on a crate, clutching the newspaper with quivering hands.
"The ones that matter," Lisa muttered. "they are no longer just inflamed, are they?"
"No," Jasper explained, securing the entryway. "Contamination is only the first stage. The level is something else. They are converting and evolving. "Becoming smarter."
Sam hadn't spoken anything because of the truck, but his grip on Mia's fingers tightened.
"Did you see everybody else available?" he inquired calmly. "My mom has pink hair. My father wears glasses.
The resulting silence hurt more than any solution should have.
Mia felt her backbone prickle once more. "something's coming."
"What?" Zoe approached, but Jasper had already begun to move.
"Contact!" he exclaimed. "North home windows!"
Glass broke. Dark shapes flowed through. However, Mia moved ahead of them, pushing Sam behind a concrete pillar. Her body seems to understand where danger would strike before it arrived.
Jasper's firearm broke. Zoe's bat discovered the objectives. However, there have been too many.
"The workplace stairs!" Mia shouted, pointing to a metal staircase. "all of us up!"
The survivors ran. An infected leaped at the mother with twins. Zoe's bat was attached to its skull. However, extra assistance is provided.
"go!" Jasper ordered the reload. "i will preserve them—"
"No!" Mia grabbed his arm. "you will die in case you live."
He glanced at her, his notoriety flashing before his eyes. "You resemble her, don't you?" "The lady who warned me that this would happen."
Before Mia could respond, Zoe emerged holding a Molotov cocktail. "much less speaking, greater going for walks!"
The bottle arced across the air, exploding almost all of the infected. Fire spread quickly amid the spilled gasoline Zoe had distributed before. The inflamed yelled, a real sound no human throat should utter.
They retreated upstairs, securing the door with submitting cabinets. They watched the mill floor burn through the windows.
"We need to move," Jasper concluded. "Fire will attract a higher number of them. Plus, whatever is manipulating them."
"Controlling them?" Lisa inquired.
"This is not at random. Something is arranging this." He checked his ammunition. "I've witnessed pattern alterations and coordinated strikes. They may be being directed.
Sam yanked on Mia's sleeve. "i am scared."
"I understand, sweetheart." She knelt near him. "but we are going to—"
The tingle returned, more intense than ever. Images flew through her mind: trucks approaching, men with guns, evil intentions.
"We have some other problems," she explained. "There's an armed organization coming this way. "They are not friendly."
Zoe and Jasper exchanged looks.
"how many?" Jasper requested.
"Three trucks." "There are twelve guys." Even she was taken aback by the confidence in her voice.
"Raiders," Jasper hissed. "They pursue failures and hunt for survival. We'd like to evacuate."
"The roof," Zoe advised. "we are able to pass to the next building."
A baby started sobbing. One of the twins.
"They'll listen to us," Lisa said, concerned.
"Then we cut up," Zoe decided. "Smaller agencies, more difficult to track."
The mother clutched her twins. "Please don't separate us."
Mia noticed the calculating in Zoe's eyes. The weeping infant would jeopardize whatever organization it joined. Her sister's hand clenched around the bat.
"No," Mia replied firmly. "We live collectively."
"Then all of us die," Zoe replied. "occasionally survival means—"
"Making hard picks?" Mia stood. "quality. Here's mine. Sam and I can create a distraction. Even if they are concentrating on us, the rest of you pass the roof.
"It truly is suicide," Jasper argued.
"I feel them approaching. We'll keep ahead of them.
"You are no longer going by yourself," Zoe stated.
"No, she's not." Jasper checked his rifle. "i'm going too."
Headlights swept the structure. Engines rumbled closer.
Zoe looked at her sister for a long time. Then she drew Mia into a strong hug. "when this is over, we're having a long talk about your new abilties."
"If we live to tell the tale."
"we are able to." Zoe pressed something into her hand: a folded piece of paper with a cope. "Meet us right here." I've set up a secure residence just in case.
"You knew?"
"I suspected. "Ever since your desires began." Zoe maintained a gloomy smile. "Now become a hero. However, remember that you cannot save everyone.
Sam grabbed Mia's hand again as they down the rear steps. Jasper led the way, carrying a weapon.
The child's cries faded in the background as the organization approached the roof.
Through the broken windows, Mia heard a sound that chilled her blood: a song. The enraged have been singing, their voices joining in an inconceivable symphony that proclaims old matters waking.
The raiders were approaching.
The inflamed were changing.
And somewhere in the mayhem, a tiny boy's father and mother may still be alive.
Mia held Sam's
hand as they walked into the rain.
Once in a while, the price of compassion became survival itself.
And the night is far from over.