Some time after the events, the camp members decided to conduct a thorough cleanup, largely due to the scattered pieces of rotten flesh and the corpses lying at the entrance that could attract Biters to their location.
The corpses were piled into two SUVs to be incinerated farther away for health reasons. It seemed tedious, especially with the smell that could sting the nostrils. There were nearly a hundred bodies to burn; it would take hours, but it was necessary.
Inside the camp grounds, it was just as complicated. They not only had to collect the pieces scattered by Kodji's explosion but also clean the most significant blood stains. However, they couldn't afford to waste water, so it was better to let the blood dry naturally and just focus on gathering the flesh fragments.
The day was coming to an end as the cleanup work was finishing, yet a tense atmosphere had hung in the air throughout the day. Carin was returning from the warehouse storeroom with a few people to deposit the weapons when Kodji also went there to talk with the quartermaster.
The storeroom was the most important thing in the camp. Not only were weapons stored there, but also tools useful for explorations—provisions, first aid, melee weapons, etc.
It was located in a large hall that served as an armory when the military base was still operational. However, today it didn't just contain weapons or ammunition, but also useful items like batteries, electric torches, chargers, metal parts—in short, it was a real junk room. You could find anything there, and for good reason.
It had been established that every exploration outside should return with useful objects, regardless of their nature, as long as they were good materials. That's why Kodji had come back with a bunch of things in his bag at the beginning. It wasn't really an obligation but a request, as they needed to gather as many usable items as possible.
And this entire system was managed by a single person.
"Hey Gerry!! Did you get my bag!"
"Kodji! What a nice surprise. Did you come to take something today?"
"Can't I just come to say hello?"
"Spare me your nonsense."
Gerry was a middle-aged man who owned a hardware store before everything happened, so he knew how to manage objects perfectly. Despite his robust, muscular, and imposing build, his long and slightly graying beard, he was nonetheless very kind and endearing. Moreover, he was Marie's father. Even though, given his advanced age, baldness hadn't caught him yet, he was always working; it was an obsession at this point.
"You're tiresome, kid! Go play somewhere else. There are still corpses to burn if you want to pass the time."
"Yeah, well, you can guess I'm not here for nothing."
"Unfortunately!... What do you want?"
"Could you give me a knife, a well-sharpened one? I'll need it."
"I have something better for you if you want."
"Oh yeah! Show me."
Gerry got up and rummaged at the back of his junk room to pull something out.
"Here! Look at this."
It was a blade as long as an arm and sharp. The blade was curved with simple patterns on its back.
"What am I supposed to do with a machette?! Haha!"
"Don't make fun of it; it's very sharp. Besides, what did you want instead?"
"I don't know, a katana or something like that."
"The question is, do you know how to use a katana??"
He gave him a mocking look, as if to tell him to know his limits.
"Be content with this. Besides, it's very good."
"Alright, keep it for me. I'll come get it later."
Kodji felt humiliated internally and decided not to prolong the discussion.
"Oh, by the way, Kodji! Thanks for the bottle of whiskey."
"You didn't drink it! Gerry!"
"Well, what did you think? What else do we do with alcohol?"
"You drunkard! I wanted to make a Molotov cocktail with it; it's very useful. I'm going to tell Marie!"
"Ah, you're exaggerating; it was a small bottle. If you want bottles of alcohol, there are plenty in the city. I think there's a shop."
"You should have gone there!"
"I have too much work."
"But you have time to drink."
He sighed in despair and walked away, scratching his head. Gerry continued with his tasks.
Once in the courtyard, a large number of people had gathered in the middle, all facing Carin. Naturally, he moved closer to find out what was happening. Indeed, the camp members had gathered to demand explanations about what had happened last night. The situation was predictable. Who wouldn't have questions after experiencing yesterday's events?
"What did you discuss?!"
"Are we in danger?!"
"Who was that guy?!"
"Are we even still safe?!"
The situation was quickly becoming uncontrollable, but Carin managed to reassure them as best he could.
"The situation is complicated; I know that, but we've already found a solution. Everything will be fine."
"And how do you know?! I say we can't trust that guy."
While Carin was trying to calm everyone down, a loud explosion sound was heard in the distance from the forest, and a cloud of black smoke appeared in the blue sky.
Given the enormous number of corpses, it was certain that transporting them to the incineration zone would take more than a day, and today they were still at it.
Yet the sound of the explosion came precisely from the incineration zone.
The noise made everyone jump in fright and terror. On top of that, continuous gunfire rang out from the same direction. Something terrible was undoubtedly happening.