"Hey… Victor… Victor, you okay?" A familiar voice began pulling me back to consciousness.
When my vision finally focused through the heavy haze of exhaustion, I saw Eric. I couldn't help but feel relief.
"Alive… alive. You scared the hell out of me. When they brought your body in, you didn't even have a pulse. I thought you were dead. And then, a few hours later, you started moving. What did they do to you?"
"Fucking Simons," I muttered. Feeling nothing on my face, I instinctively jerked my hands.
"Here. This is what you're looking for," Eric said, helping me put the mask back on.
"Thanks, Eric. How did you end up here?" I asked.
"They caught me. I'm sorry, Victor… It's probably because of me they traced you. Everything went like usual I was crossing the wall, had an arrangement with one of the soldiers. I was supposed to trade him cigarettes. But they set up a sweep. They grabbed him and me along with him. After that, they started working through all of us, step by step. Eventually, they reached Sarah. She gave everything up to save me… hell. I don't blame her, but it was a stupid move. Foolish to think they'd let us go," Eric said.
"Why… why do they want me so badly?" I asked.
"I don't know. But after they started asking about you, Sarah suggested luring you in to get me out," Eric replied.
"That bitch… everything hurts," I said, leaning my back against the wall.We were in some kind of holding cell with a dark metal grate.
"Did they beat you?" Eric asked.
"No. You've probably already figured out what's wrong with me," I said.
"Well… I had a suspicion. That you were sick. And since you were so obsessed with creating a vaccine, I figured you were infected. But I thought it was madness," Eric said.
"It's true. No point hiding it anymore. They know," I replied.
"But how… does that mean any of us could stop the transformation?" Eric asked, hope creeping into his voice.
"No. It was a coincidence. I don't know exactly what happened. The fungus didn't take control right away it acted later. I took the drug and somehow managed to make a filter that poisons it. The system weakens both of us, keeping me alive," I said.
"So that's how it is," Eric said quietly, confused.
We spent our time in the cell barely talking. I told him about my path, about how I eventually managed to get hold of weapons. Eric kept blaming himself, saying he'd ruined everything for us. That's how my fight ended inside a FEDRA cage. Maybe they'll execute us as an example, like the others.
They fed us once a day, bringing sparse rations. Then Colonel Simons appeared again.
The strangest thing was that he ordered all the soldiers to leave.
"You're alive, despite taking a lethal dose of the compound twice. What I have for you isn't an order or a threat. It's a request. No one but me knows your secret. You can rest easy on that."
"You've probably heard of the Jackals. According to my intel, those bastards are planning a raid. They intend to breach a passage for the infected, then direct them straight into the quarantine zone. Those deranged idiots actually believe things will get better after that. They won't. Once that happens, the infected will spread across the entire state."
"We need a decisive strike. Total elimination, all at once. But for that, I need ammunition, armored vehicles, and heavy weapons. The problem is, I can't risk sending my people in directly. A small unit would be useless they wouldn't reach the destination. A large one would draw the Jackals' attention immediately, and they'd strike at us," the colonel said, lowering his head wearily.
After his speech, I stayed silent, turning it over in my mind.What kind of nonsense is this? Why would anyone even want to unleash the infected? Only a complete idiot would do that.
"I see you understand just how brainless these Jackals are. You can expect anything from them. Remember the Helix laboratory and compound V? Using it as a base, I managed to develop a chemical agent capable of burning that thing out completely. I had enough chemicals for six missiles. It's not enough to wipe them all out at once, but it's a last-resort weapon."
"I sent requests to what remains of FEDRA to the Boston and Seattle quarantine zones. Asked for reinforcements and support. They don't want to waste their resources. They only offered help in exchange for the formula and I'll be damned if I ever get anything out of them," the colonel said, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white.
"Why me?" I asked.
"It's simple. You, your smuggler friend, and my people will go to the military airfield. You'll take one combat helicopter and one cargo bird. Load them with weapons, supplies and most importantly, fuel. I'll fill the tanks, then wipe those creatures off the map. After that, I'll deal with the infected," Colonel Simons said.
"Not afraid I'll run?" I asked.
"No. You'll come back. In return, I'll give you everything we have on cordyceps. Anything. I have databases not just from my own lab, but from almost every facility in the country," Simons replied.
"Even if that's true, and it is valuable, the data is useless to me," I said.As bitter as it sounded, I simply didn't have the mind to apply that knowledge.
"Correct. You're not a scientist. But I can help you find people who are people who can extract the maximum from that data," Simons said.
For the first time during the entire conversation, I lifted my head and looked him straight in the eyes. And that that was the most convincing part. Knowledge. And people. That could actually save me.
"I can consider that. But getting those helicopters won't be easy," I said.
"Yes. Not easy. I'd say nearly impossible. By my estimates, there are over eighty thousand infected in that area," the colonel said.
The room darkened before my eyes.Had I heard that right?
"You've survived among those things just like that undereducated smuggler of yours. You'll guide my men to the airbase. Under their cover, you'll load the equipment and fly out," Simons continued.
"One mistake and we won't make it out of there," I said.
"You can think it over. I'll give you the night. If you agree tomorrow, you'll receive equipment and men. If you refuse, you and him will be hanged in the square. You as a deserter. He as a smuggler," Simons said, turning on his heel.
He left. Almost immediately after, the guards entered.
I picked up the uniform jacket they had returned to me and stared at the bite scars.
Time that was what was costing me the most.
Even if I somehow managed to break free, kill his men, find that knowledge, and then find the right people it would be almost impossible.
Yes, I could build a base. Gather a small group.But that would only bring me one step closer to my goal and then, a dead end.
And that's only if I was lucky enough to stay alive.