Dr. Ethan checked Charlie's blood samples and found no sign of infection. He then informed Charlie about his health status.
"Charlie, i'm surprised you're not infected. If you were, we would have had to put you down, like the others."
Charlie felt a knot form in his stomach at the doctor's words and nervously asked,
"What do you mean, doctor?"
The doctor looked at him, with a serious expression . "We've had to kill many people from Fort City who were injured in the war. Most didn't survive. Those who did… they became infected and turned into zombie like creatures".
After this conversation, the doctor told Charlie to rest and take time for a full recovery. He then left the room, leaving Charlie with his thoughts.
Charlie started to feel sleepy and soon fell asleep. In his dream, he saw his mother working with chemicals in a lab. Suddenly, there was an explosion. The scene changed, and he saw his father, now an infected creature, attacking him. Then, he saw himself turning into one of them.
*Huff-Huff-Huff*
Charlie woke up and gasped for air, sweating heavily. The images from his dream stayed with him, and memories of the past began to return.
Charlie thought to himself, recalling his past."The Fort City was attacked, and we were told to stay indoors and lock the gates. I was far from home coming back from the college, so I took a taxi, but the traffic was so heavy,the car couldn't even move through the roads". Charlie said, thinking deeply.
"Then I saw some people being attacked by the infected and turning into one of them". Panic surged through him as he ran for about five minutes until,he came across a building.
"I tried to enter, but the doors were locked".
Suddenly, he spotted military soldiers marching toward him. Relief flooded his chest, he thought he was safe. But then, they raised their guns, aiming directly at him.
" I'm a civilian! Don't shoot!" He shouted, his voice cracking with fear.
"I was lucky. They didn't fire and allowed me to pass. But as I moved ahead, I glanced behind me and saw the infected charging straight toward us".
…
Back to the present
The nurse came back and opened the door.
"Here's your meal sir and some supplements, make sure to eat after your meal". She dropped the supplies at the table and left the room.
Charlie took a piece of bread from the tray and started eating slowly, with a couple of sips from the glass of milk.As he took another bite, the taste brought back memories of that fateful day.
"They opened fire on everyone, leaving behind the bodies of both infected and innocent civilians. I saw one of the dead civilians rise and start walking. Suddenly, a nearby building exploded, and I was caught in the blast. Rocks fell on me, injuring me. I was bleeding, and my vision was slowly fading. But I saw a strange person pulling me from the rubble, though I couldn't see their face. Now, I'm here in the hospital."
After Charlie finished his meal, he lay back again. Suddenly, the screen popped up once more, displaying a message:
[Memory Intel Completed (2%)].
[Description: Memory Intel is a feature in which the system reveals fragments of past events, helping the user recall their memories.]
"What the hell? This is the second time,this has happened to me. What is this 'Memory Intel Completed'?" Charlie said, his brows furrowing in confusion. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
Charlie noticed something on the screen—a small question mark icon in white, blending into the ceiling wall at the bottom right corner. Curious, he clicked on it, and another screen popped up.
"Do you want to start the tutorial?"
[Yes/No]
Charlie hesitated for a moment, then clicked 'Yes.' The screen flickered for a moment before a loading symbol appeared.
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