Morning never truly came to Virex City just that the darkness felt less heavy. Gray lights filtered through the broken skyline illuminating the hollow remains of buildings that once's house millions of people. The streets were quiet but it's was no peace.
High above the street, on the floor of an abandoned office tower Kael lay motionless. His body once battered and torn open now whole. His chest rose and fell slowly yet steadily. His hair once black as midnight now as white as snow.
Footsteps echoed faintly from below, measured and careful. Five figured moved through the building, weapons raised and eyes alert for any kind of danger whether zombies or other humans.
The first was a tall man in his early thirties with a thick beard and tired eyes. His name was Rowan, he moved and walked like someone who had survived for fr longer than he should have.
Behind him was a woman with dark skin and tightly braided hair, her rifle held firmly in her hands. Her name was Amara, her expression was sharp and observant as if nothing could escape her eyes.
A younger man followed, thin and nervous clutching a metal crowbar, Eli. His eyes darted constantly afraid of shadows that moved on their own.
Behind him walked in another woman, shorter with a scar across her cheek and a pistol in her hand, Lena. She moved with quiet confidence.
The last was the oldest of them, Marcus, his graying hair tied back, a machete resting against his shoulder.
They had cleared three floors already and nothing, no food, no water, just dust and bones.
"Last floor.", Rowan whispered as they moved up the final staircase.
The door creaked open and sunlight spilled faintly into the room and they saw him. Kael lay near the centre of the floor, surrounded by dry blood yet with no visible wound at all and Eli froze.
"Oh hell…..", he muttered under his breath as he stumbled backwards almost bumping into Lena.
Amara raised her rifled slightly, "Is he infected?"
"No.", Marcus said quietly as they slowly approached.
Rowan crouched beside him and Kael's chest was rose and fell with each breath he took yet showed no signs of being awake.
"That's not possible.", Lena said, "No one surges losing so much blood."
Then Eli noticed his vii Ohhh Cela trembling, "His hair….."
Then they all looked up each with a different expression on their face. Kael's hair was pure white, not with age judging by how young he looked. Amara narrowed her eyes.
"That's new….."
Rowan reached out and pressed two fingers against Kael's neck and there was a pulse, a strong one actually.
"He's alive.", Rowan said.
Eli stepped back nervously. "That's wrong, we should just leave him here."
Lena frowned, "Leave him?! He's human, Eli."
"We don't know that," Eli said. "Look at him! His hair is weird!"
Amara remained silent as he studied Kael carefully. She couldn't pinpoint where but something about the boy felt off.
Marcus spoke calmly. "If he was infected he would've turned already and his skin is not grey like a zombies."
Eli quickly shook his head. "Or he's becoming something else? Maybe a zombie having an evolution?"
Rowan stood up, "We're not leaving him here."
Eli's eyes widened in shock, looking horrified. "Rowan….."
"We don't leave survivors.", Rowan said firmly as he coldly looked at Eli. That was the rule and the only thing that separated them from animals.
Amara exhaled slowly knowing Rowan was right, sometimes she just couldn't slice Eli could be cowardly like that.
"We need to move fast,", Amara said slowly. "The others are waiting for us."
In the street outside their vehicle was waiting for them and with it the rest of their group. Rowan carefully lifted Kael and carried him over his shoulder and unexpectedly, Kael felt much lighter as if his body was empty.
Rowan carried him down the stairs, the others following behind him, every step echoed too loudly on the empty building.
For some odd reason the streets remained empty with not a single zombie in sight. Their vehicle was where they left it, a reinforced transport truck, it's windows plated.
Two figures stood guard beside it, Daniel, tall and muscular holding a short gun. And Sara, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, scanning the rooftops with her sharp, experienced eyes; Daniel spotted them first.
"You found something?"
Rowan stepped forward. "A survivor.", he said.
"Alive?", Sara asked with a frown after all it was rare to find alive and unharmed survivors.
"Yes.", replied Rowan as Amara opened the back of the truck.
Roseanne gently laid Kael inside, Sara climbed in after him, examining him closely. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at Kael's hair.
"His hair…."
"No idea.", Rowan said with a sigh.
Sara placed her hand near his face yet he didn't raact but she could feel his warmth which mean he wasn't a zombie in disguise or whatever.
"That's very strange.", she murmured.
And then, Kael's fingers twitched and everyone froze for a while before reaching out for their weapons.
Kael's chest began rising sharply and his breathing changed, it became faster and his eyelids began twitching and trembling slowly.
And for the first time after his accident he woke up, he gasped as air filled his lungs violently as his body jerked foward maiming him sit up.
His blue eyes stared at them for a while as he didn't know where he was and how he got there. He stopped paying attention to them as he checked his whole body and was surprised that he wasn't injured.
Kael then looked up at them one by one as if trying to remember if he knew them it not.
"Where…..", he swallowed painfully. "Where am I?"
No one answered immediately as if waiting for him to turn into a zombie or attack them but he didn't and only looked even more confused.
He then reached out for his chest as he remembered that he was in pain, a lot of pain before he passed out but he couldn't remember a single thing that happens after.
He looked at them searching for their faces as he remembered Mira, Daren and Joss, he demented their betrayal, he remembered fighting and then nothing. Darkness.
"What happened to me?", he asked as he looked at them confused. Silence lingered for another moment longer.
Then Rowan lowered his weapon, the others hesitated. Amara was next then Marcus, Lena exhaled quietly then lowered her pistol, Daniel lowered his short gun last as they all realised the same thing. The white haired boy wasn't turning into a zombie.
Rowan steppe foward slightly, keeping his movements slow and untreatening.
"You're safe.", Rowan said, his voice was steady and calm.
"You were unconscious," Sara said gently from beside him. "We found you in one of the buildings, the office tower.
Kael frowned trying to understand how he got into the building. "I don't remember that…"
"That's not surprising," Marcus said. "Head trauma. Shock. Blood loss. It happens."
Kael looked at him, "How long was I out?"
"We don't know." Rowan admitted.
Kael looked at his hands confused then looks up at them.
"Why were you pointing your weapons at me?" He asked quietly.
Eli answered before anyone could answer. "Because nobody survives what you just survived."
Amara shot him a look but she didn't disagree.
Kael's chest tightened at Eli's words. "I don't understand.", he said.
Rowan spoke carefully. "You were alone. Covered in blood. Barely alive." He hesitated. "Your hair wasn't normal either."
Kael blinked confused. "My hair?" He reached up slowly and his fingers touched it, it was soft and smooth. He pulled a strand down and he saw white. His breathing became ragged as he quickly let go.
"That's….." Impossible, that's what he wanted to say. His hair was black. Midnight black and not white. Nothing made sense at all, his body was miraculously healed and his hair now white. What next? Having tentacles?!
Rowan watched him closely as he noticed his reaction. "What's your name?"
"…. Kael." He hesitated. "Kael Verne."
Rowan nodded his head. "I'm Rowan. That's Amara, Marcus, Lena, Eli, Daniel and Sara is the one next to you." Rowan introduced them as he pointed to each person.
Kael looked at each of them. Strangers. But not enemies, well not yet. He wasn't sure what to believe now.
Sara offered a small reassuring smile. "You're lucky we found you."
Kael wasn't sure if he believed that because deep down he knew that he should've died with how injured he was.