The sun rose.
The new day arrived.
But it didn't represent hope. It didn't represent a new beginning.
In this rotting world, the rising of the sun meant one more day.
One more day of struggle. One more day of suffering.
"It's finally over,"
The commander stepped back.
His body swayed.
Sweat drenched his clothes.
Eyes weighed.
Exhaustion evident on him.
"Has god abandoned us?"
His body trembled.
Eyes welled with tears.
Buzz! Buzz!
The corridor light flickered.
Corpses covered the floor. Blood flowed.
Piles of corpses.
Rivers of blood.
Rivers of red blood mixed with green.
Splattered brain matter. Open intestines. Chunks of human flesh.
A gruesome scene.
The commander stood amid corpses.
Blood dripped from his axe.
Smoke rose from the handgun in the other hand.
His clothes reeked of blood.
Splattered brain matter stuck to them.
Thud!
He leaned on the blood-splashed wall.
"Are you alright?"
Vivian approached from behind.
Unrecognizable.
Covered in blood from head to toe.
She held two handguns, one in each hand.
The commander glanced back.
Further back, Marcus leaned on a wall, resting.
And even further, Lucian and his father, the governor.
"Aghhhhhh!"
A wail tore the hallway.
The governor's cry.
"ELARAAAAA!"
He collapsed on his knees, hugging a corpse.
It had no apparent injuries. A perfectly preserved corpse. Yet she was dead.
"WHYYYYY! GODD!!!!!! WHY!!!! DO YOU EXIST!!"
His body trembled.
Tears streamed down his face.
Lucian quietly observed him.
His expression cold. But hot tears rolled down.
"Vivian, arrange a proper memorial for the Lady."
The commander ordered.
Thud!
He dropped the axe.
His palm trembled.
Blood dripped.
The axe handle had thorn his skin.
"This will convince them of the severity of the situation. We can't protect them. They'll need to contribute if they want to survive."
"Yes, sir,"
Vivian obeyed.
"What are our losses?"
He asked.
"The ammunition?"
"We can't calculate the ammunition loss yet."
She pushed her glasses back.
"Commander, I miscalculated. I underestimated the virus."
Her expression darkened.
The commander's brows furrowed.
"What do you mean?"
"I previously calculated that 46% of the infected awaken."
She shook her head.
"It's way off."
The commander's heart tightened.
"Of the 10.000 inhabitants of our military, roughly 1000 survived and awakened."
The commander's eyes widened.
"Only about 10% awaken,"
She added.
"I see..."
He nodded helplessly.
His heart bled.
But he had no choice but to accept.
He personally cut many of them.
"Let's go,"
He stepped forward.
"We have a lot of work,"
Worry replaced Vivian's expression.
"Commander, please rest."
She urged, her voice pleading.
"You fought through the whole night. At this rate..."
"Vivian, "
He interrupted her.
"We have no time,"
He leaned on the wall.
His legs barely moved.
The corpse-covered floor didn't help.
"We must document the abilities of each awakened. Sort them into categories. Only then can we make the best use of them."
He paused, glancing around.
"Those corpses can't wait. We must get rid of them."
Vivian lowered her head.
She suppressed her emotions.
She hated when he was this stubborn. But didn't go against his wishes.
"There is..."
Swoosh!
The world turned upside down.
Thud!
The commander collapsed.
"COMMANDER!"
Vivian shouted, panicked.
'Aghh...'
The commander's vision blurred.
'Will I die?'
His body refused to move.
Vivian's shouts grew distant.
'So much more to do...'
His eyes closed.
Everything went black.
"EVERYONE! COME HERE!"
Vivian roared.
Marcus rushed to them.
"What happened?"
His heart raced, fearing the worst - fearing that the commander got infected.
Even though no awakened has gotten infected until now, he can't be sure.
"I have no idea. He suddenly collapsed."
Vivian panicked.
Her eyes teared.
"It might be from exhaustion. But we can't take risks."
She stood up.
"Take him to his room to rest. I'll see if I can find a doctor among the survivors."
Marcus nodded.
He immediately obeyed.
He lifted the commaner in his arms and rushed to the room.
...
Quickly, Marcus arrived.
He laid the commander on the bed.
'An admirable man,'
Respect filled his heart.
'In this chaotic world, he wants to save everyone. He still cares. Even if it costs his health, he won't stop to rest.'
Marcus bowed.
"Commander. I'll follow you. I know you won't leave any of us behind!"
...
Vivian arrived at a military storage room.
A pile of corpses blocked the entrance—a pile of burned corpses.
Two young men guarded the entrance.
Blood covered their clothes.
Their breathing heavy.
The smell of burned flesh lingered in the air.
"Jim, Jin,"
Vivian called.
They looked identical, with a few red fibers emerging from the root of their hair. Twins.
"Vice-Commander!" They saluted.
Vivian shook her head.
"Please stop calling me that. I'm just a secretary to the commander."
"Lady Vivian, you do just as much work as the commander." One said.
Vivian nodded.
"Thank you, Jim."
"What brings you here?" Jin asked.
Vivian's expression turned serious.
"The commander collapsed,"
The eyes of the two widened for a moment.
Their brows furrowed.
They became dead serious.
"Is he alright?"
Vivian nodded.
"I assume he's just exhausted. But just in case, I came to see if there is a doctor here."
The twins nodded.
They led her inside.
The storage was ample.
It would take several minutes to walk from one side to the other.
Yet, despite the size, it was packed.
Not with supplies but with people.
The air was heavy.
Silent crying filled the air.
Many lost their loved ones.
And no one remained immune to the fear.
They were shattered.
The people near the entrance noticed Vivian.
"Everyone!"
She shouted, taking their attention.
"Listen for a moment."
The soldiers immediately walked to the front.
They stood in position, their backs straight. They showed respect.
Many survivors stood up.
But many remained sitting - disrespect.
An elderly man sat on the ground.
A dozen younger men surrounded him.
The others stood in the front, listening to Vivian.
But they remained at the back.
"It seems we have some rebels here."
Vivian pushed her glasses back.
She didn't let it slide.
A cold light flashed in her sharp eyes.
Anger burned deep within her.
The elderly man smirked arrogantly.
"You seem to be misunderstanding something."
She spoke, directing her gaze to the back.
The people made way.
Her eyes met with the elderly man.
"The Lady of the city is dead. We can't protect everyone, "
Vivian continued.
"If you assume we have an obligation to protect you, you're sadly mistaken. The commander is kind-hearted. It's the only reason we protect you."
"But from now on, if you intend to stay here, you'll have to contribute. You can't leech off our resources."
The elderly man's expression turned dark.
"Young people these days are truly disrespectful. As the military, you have to protect the civilians. Don't think we don't know that. You can't scare us with heavy words."
"That's right!"
"We are not easy to bully!"
The spirited young men sitting around him roared in support.
Malice flashed within Vivian's eyes.
The vein on her forehead bulged.
"If not for leeches like you, the commander wouldn't have collapsed from exhaustion."
She muttered.
"The commander collapsed from exhaustion!"
She revealed.
Their eyes widened.
Hearts skipped a beat.
Worry revealed on their faces.
Everyone reacted except the elderly man—he didn't care.
"I see,"
Vivian pushed back her glass.
The final drop.
The drop that overflowed the glass.
Her eyes darkened.
"Too sad - his collapse is your doom."
BANG!
A gunshot tore the air.
A red dot appeared on the elderly man's forehead.
Thud!
He collapsed backward.
Blood spurted.
The room went silent.
Terror painted on the faces of the survivors.
Their eyes trembled in fear, fixed on Vivian.
She held a gun, smoke rising from it.
No one dared to speak.
"The commander spoiled you,"
Murderous intent flashed in her eyes.
"But I'm not the commander."
She glanced around the room.
"We must protect you? Who decided that? The collapsed government? Who can order us? The governor? He doesn't hold absolute authority anymore."
Each word tore the silence, engraving fear.
"If you intend to be with us, contribute. And if you intend to cause trouble, you'll end up like him."
She looked at the now-dead man.
"I have no time for rebels,"
The people lowered their heads.
The gravity of the situation finally reached them.
The initial heavy atmosphere turned heavier.
With the military refusing to protect them, the last thread of safety broke.
But no one dared complain.
They could only swallow their complaints and tremble in fear.
"Good,"
Vivian nodded.
She put them in their place.
Something she had long wanted to do.
She showed them who has the absolute authority.
"Now, I need your help."
She jumped to business.
"The commander collapsed. Who among you is a doctor?"
Silence fell.
The seconds passed.
Vivian started losing hope.
But to her luck, two hands rose in the air. Trembling, unsure.
"Step up,"
Two doctors stepped up.
Vivan appointed Jim and Jin to document the survivors and their abilities.
She left the room, leading the two doctors to the commander.