19:00 PM
It was already night. They were driving through a forest that seemed to grow darker and deeper with each passing kilometer. How safe was it to continue traveling at night through such a place? Not at all. But they had no other choice. In fact, they didn't even have much time. Owen was driving through the woods with great effort. He followed the path and coordinates that Danny read and showed him on the map they had planned together.
In the "vehicle," the atmosphere was tense but quiet. Alex lay resting on Vanessa, trembling non-stop for hours. Was it due to his wounds and internal bleeding that they still hadn't managed to stop? Or was he beginning to lose the battle? One thing was certain: he was in bad condition. Vanessa gently stroked his hair, steadying him at every turn to keep him from moving.
Each of them had the same thoughts crossing their minds: everything they'd been through and why they were doing this. But their reasons differed.
Alex, a born leader with a motherly care for everyone, did this to protect his friends and change the bad end of this adventure. Danny, on the other hand, fought for the truth that had been hidden for years. Vanessa, delicate as a white flower, was too fragile for this catastrophe. Every night, she dreamed of simpler times—sharing coffee and laughter with Alex on the balcony, joking about things they should have long outgrown. Owen fought for what he had lost: friendship. He wanted to end this apocalypse, to have everyone together again, giving his life a purpose.
They were all still trapped in June 2024, longing to return to the past and stop that fateful month's events from ever beginning.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the outside. It was followed by the screeching of tires and a sudden stop. Owen's abrupt behavior startled everyone.
"Are you crazy? I nearly—" Vanessa couldn't finish her sentence, her voice tinged with panic. Then she glanced forward and realized why he had stopped.
"No, don't even think about it," Danny whispered.
Ahead of them was a tree, snapped in half. On closer inspection, it became clear the tree had just fallen.
Owen grabbed the shotgun, leaned on the door, and started to step out. But Danny grabbed his arm. Owen glanced back at him, seeing Danny's dark, serious eyes that were both fearful and determined.
"I'm just going to take a look," Owen said, pulling his arm free. Just as he turned his head, chaos erupted.
In just three seconds, it happened. The sound of breaking glass pierced the night. That sound was etched into Danny's memory—it reminded him of the first time he was attacked and barely escaped. And the trauma that also hold same sound, as he was looking at Alex death move. This time, it was a grim reminder that no good could come of this.
The shattered window was caused by a zombie lunging at them. The moment Owen freed himself from Danny's grip, a fungal-infected zombie grabbed his left arm through the driver's side window, shattering it completely with his head. The zombie's grip was strong, pulling Owen with relentless force.
Before the creature could get him, a bullet pierced through its fungal growth, inches from Owen's head. Danny was the shooter, his precision saving Owen's life. Yet, that single shot was both a blessing and a curse—it killed one but summoned others.
"Owen! Hey, Owen, pull yourself together!" Danny yelled, shaking his friend, trying to snap him out of shock. Realizing they had bigger problems, he dragged Owen back toward Vanessa.
"Vanessa, hold him!" Danny shouted. Vanessa quickly grabbed Owen's arm, pulling him toward the back.
"What are you trying to—" she was stopped as Owen collapsed onto her. The van went backward, headlights on as Danny reversed down a different path in the same direction.
"Harding?!" Vanessa exclaimed, confused by Danny's frantic driving. Alex touched her shoulder, signaling her to be quiet. He understood what was happening, even if she didn't.
21:03 PM
Because of the noise from the gunshot, they had to move. Danny had turned on the headlights to see ahead, scaring off any creatures in their path. Owen slowly came back to his senses, though he remained confused. The events following the gunshot had been erased from his memory—likely an adrenaline blackout.
Danny drove several kilometers, struggling with his injured shoulder. Eventually, he stopped in a field at the edge of the forest. It was the boundary between two woods. One kind stays on one side and other on other side. So they would stay equal and none of it could be kore superior. Only if thw virus worked like that, thw world could've been better place.
Exhausted, terrified, and at their limit, they sat in the van. Time dragged on, minutes and hours blurring together. They began losing hope—not just in their plan but in survival itself. Yet surrendering wasn't an option.
Alex, their mischievous leader, always thought about every possible "what if" scenario. As the night went by, he had another idea. He moved toward Danny, who sat between the front seats like a barricade.
"What now, shrimp?" Danny asked, recognizing Alex's scheming expression.
Alex reached behind Danny, trying to grab something. But Danny stopped him.
"Alex. Tell me what you're planning. You know I won't let you do it otherwise," Danny said firmly.
Vanessa chimed in from the side. "I didn't come this far to watch your bromance drama," she said with a disgusted look.
Then Owen, who had been lying down until now, sat up. "What did I miss?" he asked, trying to catch up with the situation.
Realizing Danny wouldn't let him easily, Alex relaxed his arm and leaned back on the bag. He let out a deep sigh before speaking.
"We haven't checked if there's any possibility of communicating with F3," Alex said.
"You mean, like, a radio station?" Danny asked while glancing at the dashboard. In front of it, there was an old radio station with a phone attached.
Danny moved to the seat, carefully removed the radio, and placed it in front of Alex. It was an old model, quite heavy and seemingly complicated to use. Then he looked at the control panel.
"Do you have any idea how to use this thing?" Danny asked as Alex examined the radio from all sides. But then Owen leaned forward and pulled the radio toward himself.
"You're going to break something!" Vanessa shouted. But Owen didn't pay attention. Instead, he fiddled with the controls until a static sound could be heard. He twisted the dial from left to right, producing louder and softer frequencies.
"My grandpa had one just like this. He always adjusted it to the exact angle needed to communicate with his friend down south," Owen explained, surprising everyone with his knowledge. They watched as he worked for several minutes.
Finally, a key moment occurred. Danny reached into the bag, pulling out a pencil sharpened with a knife and a piece of paper. He calculated the distance from their current location to F3 and the exact frequency they would need to tune in.
Danny wasn't nicknamed a genius without reason. He could solve even the most complex formulas at any hour of the night if you woke him up. Brilliant at math, but terrible at communication—he could never balance the two. After a few minutes of writing and scratching on the paper, he calculated the possible angle.
"33 degrees to the right. Try to be precise," Danny instructed, and Owen followed his guidance, slowly adjusting the dial. Station after station, static filled the air until, after about fifteen tries, the sound became clear, and the light on the radio turned on.
They were ready to establish a connection.
Danny picked up the receiver. "Hello, F3, F3, do we have a signal? Over?" He repeated the call several times while the others leaned closer, waiting for a response. He thought they might have made a mistake until, at the last moment, they heard a voice.
"F3, we hear you. Confirm your unit. Over," came the reply from the receiver.
Danny handed the receiver to Alex, uncertain of what to say or do next but knowing Alex would know what to do.
"F3, we're in the forest, heading toward Mosin. Tomorrow is the last chance—" Alex began, but the signal started to fade.
"Owen?!" Alex turned toward him, but Owen wasn't doing anything. Then the line came back.
"Listen, the government is selling the country. Tomorrow is the last chance to stop further spread. Tomorrow, reinforcements are needed as quickly as possible. We are—" The leader spoke until it was interrupted by louder static. "PABLO! PABLO!" Alex pulled the receiver away from his ear as the noise became unbearable. Then it stopped completely, and the light on the radio turned off.
"They didn't hear us," Vanessa said with despair.
"There's still hope. Maybe they did," Owen added.
"Whether they heard us or not, it's up to us to finish this tomorrow. Alone, if we must," Alex declared. He knew better than to place too much hope in others, but that didn't mean he would give up on their plan. It was all they had left.