Finn's grin widened as he spoke, "Buckle up," stepping on the accelerator with determination, his gaze fixed on the approaching zombies as if they were prey he had to hunt down.
Finn pressed harder on the accelerator, causing the Falcon to speed up as it headed toward the zombie horde.
"Finn.. Finn.. FINN.. What are you doing?" Rose's voice trembled with shock and fear as she grabbed onto the seatbelt, her knuckles turning white. "Wait, wait! Finn, we can't go that way!"
As the SUV drew closer to the mass of undead, Rose's fear intensified, her eyes tightly shut as she muttered, "Shit... Shit..."
The SUV plowed into the zombie horde with tremendous force, Some of the undead were sent flying through the air like rag dolls, while others were crushed and ground under the wheels of the mighty Falcon.
Falcon was covered with blood and Finn continued his way to the safe house without showing any remorse in his face.
Rose looked at him and asked "What was that?"
"What?" Finn's response was short.
"That... Killing without any remorse at all," Rose's tone was laced with concern.
"They're zombies, Rose. It's kill or be killed," Finn's reply was firm.
"They were humans once," Rose's voice was barely a whisper.
"Were," Finn's response was grim.
After a prolonged silence, Rose finally spoke up, her voice hesitant, "Where are we going?"
"To Wihan," Finn's replied.
"To the Marxis faction safe house," Finn continued, his gaze fixed ahead.
Finn and Rose made their way through the ruins of Zian and entered Wihan.
Four zombies, still alive but with their limbs severed, were hung from the city sign. The sight made Rose's spine shiver and she was terrified.
"Welcome to Wihan," Finn greeted.
"I thought Marxists were supposed to be socialists," Rose Said.
"We're not Marxists; we're Marxis. Our leader's last name is Marxi," Finn clarified.
Soon they reached the Paradise colony, The main base of Marxis.
*Paradise Colony*
A large wall of electric mesh surrounds the entire colony, divided into four regions. At its center stands a tall tower with 14 floors.
Gates are installed in each region:
- The M Gate serves as the main entrance to the colony.
- The G Gate provides access to the nearby ocean.
- The C Gate connects the colony to another highway leading to Sector 201, home to the White Revolutionists faction.
- The A Gate leads to the other end of Ryian.
Each region serves a specific purpose:
- The Armory, where large trucks store guns and ammunition, is located near the M Gate, making it the largest region.
- The Market, near the G Gate, is where food grains and fish are sold.
- The Entertainment District, near the C Gate, houses pubs and brothels.
- The Housing Society, near the A Gate, is where some residents live.
The Tower serves as the central hub, housing over 80% of the colony's population. It features amenities such as a gym, hospital, and training room. The 13th floor serves as the headquarters of the Marxis faction.
Iris, the security head of the M-Gate, stood nearly 5 feet tall, but her attitude measured closer to 6 feet, stopped them.
"Where the hell have you been, Finn?" Iris's voice was sharp, her gaze piercing.
"The usual, Recruiting.., killing zombies and having fun..," Finn's response was casual.
"And who is she?" Iris's blue-eyed gaze shifted to Rose.
"She's Rose," Finn introduced, before swiftly moving past Iris towards his destination.
Finn and Rose, accompanied by Iris, make their way through the Armory region towards the Tower. Rose is awestruck by the organized civilization they're witnessing. "How was such a planned civilization achieved?" Rose inquires.
"John Marxi,Our leader is the mastermind behind it all," Finn explains. As they approach the Tower, a gunshot rings out from inside.
A man was standing on the top of the tower and hung a poster from the top of the tower.
"For Lila"
Iris used binoculars to identify the man and said "He is holding a detonator"
The man pressed the detonator and
Boom....
A huge blast occurred on the 13th floor of the tower at the headquarters of Marxis. The explosion shattered the glass windows of the floor and its surroundings. Finn threw himself around Rose to protect her. Debris from the tower fell onto nearby buildings. Fires spread to the lower floors, trapping many people in fear. Nearly five floors collapsed, resulting in over 100 casualties, with more than 50 people still trapped in the burning lower floors.
Rose woke up amidst the shattered debris and began searching for Finn, who had shielded her. "Finn! Finn! FINN!" she shouted amidst the chaos, her voice filled with concern. Suddenly, a hand rested on her shoulder. She turned to see Iris, covered in blood.
As some cement blocks shifted, Iris swiftly aimed her gun at them. Rose and Iris stared at the rocks, and then a hand emerged from the rubble. Finn rose from the debris, his hands and face covered in blood and numerous cuts. He walked over to Rose.
"Ca... Ca..." he attempted to speak, but collapsed into Rose's arms.
Finn's mind flashed with fragments of memories he never wanted to relive. Distorted voices echoed in his head. "Finn... Why have you killed her?" the Major asked. He looked at his hand and found a gun, beside which lay Carla. Carla's mother cried over her body, asking in a broken voice, "Why? Why?.. WHY have you killed her?"
"Finn... Finn... Finn..." Rose was trying to woke him.
Finn woke with a heavy breath and gazed into Rose's eyes.
"Come on, move! Stop the fire and rescue them!" Iris's voice pierced through the chaos as she urged the Marxis faction members to save those trapped in the blaze.
"Wake up, idiot," Iris nudged Finn, her tone urgent.
Then, Iris's radio buzzed.
"What is it, Mike?" Iris responded, her voice tinged with concern.
"Damn it, the mesh is down, Iris," Mike's panicked voice crackled through the radio.
"What the hell? How did that happen?" Iris's brows furrowed in frustration.
"I don't know, and one more thing, Iris. Communication is down too, except for the satellite. Every radio is dead," Mike's voice conveyed urgency.
"Shit, we need to act fast," Iris began, but her words were cut short by Mike's interruption.
"Shit... Shit... Fuck... Iris... The zombies are marching down in huge numbers in all three directions," Mike's frantic tone conveyed the severity of the situation.
Iris, Finn, and Rose were stunned into silence.
"We need to restore power to the mesh immediately," Finn declared, rising from the ground with Rose's assistance.
"They must have tripped the power," Finn added, scanning the surroundings.
"Oh, Fuck. Then we have to make our way to the power plant. It's infested with them," Iris grimaced at the harsh reality.
Finn looked toward the tower, and the pile of debris from the collapsed structure began to move. People who had been killed in the blast rose from the rubble
Finn raised his gun, and without a moment's hesitation, he shot one of the zombies, shocking Iris, Rose, and the other members.
"Kill every zombie. Don't show any remorse. They WERE our brothers and sisters, but not now," Finn said in a strong tone to the others. Iris nodded her head in agreement.
"We have a lot on our plate. We can't sit on this. I'm going to the plant, and Iris, send Mike and his men to the communication tower," Finn ordered them.
"Rose and Iris, clear the tower and help the wounded," Finn said as he opened the map to locate the plant.
"It's not far but dangerous. It's swarming with infected, and to reach it, you need to cross the incoming zombie horde at Gate A," Iris expressed her concern.
"I'm taking The Kong out for a ride," Finn said with a grin.
The power plant is a few miles away from Gate A towards Ryian. The communication tower is in the Market Near Gate-G.
Mike and his men (the Communication Recovery Team)
Radio crackles. "What is it, Iris?" Mike answered.
"Finn asked you and your men to go and restart the communication," Iris replied.
"On it. But who is going to be at the gate?" Mike asked.
"Idiot! You don't need all of your men to turn on the radio tower, do you?" Iris said. "Just take a few and leave the rest there to guard and monitor the oncoming horde," Iris continued and went off.
Mike gathered his men and asked two of them to accompany him to the radio tower and put the remaining to lookout at the tower and zombie horde.
Mike, Jason, and Max went to the radio tower through the market, which was in chaos because of the blast. Some buildings in the market took major damage as the debris from the tower fell and destroyed many food grains and storage buildings in the market. They reached the radio tower, which is on the building near the ocean.
They quickly entered the building, but suddenly someone opened fire on them, forcing them to take cover. Mike signaled Jason and Max to shoot in the direction of the mysterious man, allowing Mike to go around the entrance and into the shooter's room, but he didn't find anyone.
A loud cry of pain came from the entrance. Mike went to find Max lying dead near the wall where he took cover. He looked around to find Jason but couldn't locate him. Mike examined Max's wound, which was fired from the side, where Jason took cover.
"Fuck!" Mike shouted. "Jason, you fucking traitor!" Mike shouted and moved up to the building top.
On the building top near the radio tower, Mike was confronted by Jason and Harold, the person who ambushed them earlier.
Mike threw his gun aside and picked up a pipe. "You are going to pay for this betrayal, Jason," Mike warned Jason and rushed towards him.
Mike swung the metal pipe at Jason, but Jason dodged it and retaliated with a kick to the gut. Mike blocked the kick just as Harold delivered a punch to Mike's face. With Jason grabbed Mike from behind, Harold continued his assault, striking Mike's midsection repeatedly. In a swift counterattack, Mike drove his knee into Harold's gut, momentarily creating an opening. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mike threw Jason into the wall and tackled Harold to the ground
Mike glanced towards the radio tower and started climbing it. Harold and Jason followed him to the top. Mike kicked Harold, and Harold took the support of the railing of the tower to regain his balance. Jason was about to punch Mike in the face, but Mike avoided it, grabbed his face, and slammed it into the railing of the tower, temporarily knocking him out. Harold rushed at Mike and clutched him around the neck, trying to throw him from the top of the tower, but Mike kicked him in the nuts. Harold loosened his grip around Mike's neck, and Mike grabbed Harold's neck and threw him from the top of the tower.
Thud.... Harold's body hit the ground.
Jason regained consciousness and looked up towards Mike, who was holding a gun to Jason's head.
"I need a trial at the all-faction meeting," Jason told Mike with a little grin.
"A trial is when two factions are involved. You killed your own crew, and as a team leader, it's up to me whether to let you live or die. And I don't want a fucking traitor," Mike replied.
"Huh, traitor," Jason chuckled. "You think I'm in your faction? No. I'm with the Whites," Jason replied, showing his tattoo.
"Now, will you give me a trial?" Jason said in a prideful tone.
Mike grinned and said, "Now it's war, and in war, we don't have any trials."
As Mike loaded his gun, Jason said with a grin, "You can't stop what's coming, Mike. You're fighting a losing battle."
Bang! Mike shot Jason in the face.
Mike turned on the radio tower, trying to contact Iris.
Radio static... noise...
"Iris... Iris..." Mike tried to contact Iris.
Gunfire sounds on the radio...
"Fuck! They're rising! They're..." Iris's voice on the radio cut off in the middle.
"Iris, Iris... Fuck..." Mike said in panic mode.
"This is shit. The tower has fallen. Zombies are at the center of the colony. Thousands of zombies are surrounding the colony," Mike thought as he looked in the direction of the power plant, wanting Finn to turn on the mesh's power