It's already been several days since we've been stuck in Harrisburg, and there isn't a single damn meter here without infected. Worst of all, we started running into spore zones. You don't breathe in places like that without protection.
I'd seen areas like that before where the air felt thick, almost sticky but I barely paid attention. I was in a gas mask all the time anyway.
Those places are literal concentrations of spores. They form where large numbers of infected have died, or where corpses have been completely consumed by the fungus. Over time, they turn into full-blown fungal nests, and from there the growth spreads crawling over walls, asphalt, wreckage claiming everything.
From the moment we entered the outskirts of the city, we had to fight short skirmishes just to carve out a safe route. It took us days just to push closer to the airfield. Getting onto it turned out to be even harder.
The whole perimeter was fortified barbed wire everywhere, fencing, barricades. Slipping through wasn't exactly simple, and the swarm of creatures only made it worse. Without decisive action, there was no way we'd manage.
Still, we found a few possible entry points.
There was a long stretch of fence near the runway where we could cut through the mesh. But that would leave us exposed in open ground crawling with infected.
Another option was the breached gate. Most likely the military blew it themselves. Judging by the sheer number of bodies piled in front of it and the heavy spore concentration, the infected must've climbed over one another to get through. The soldiers, retreating, probably tossed grenades into the choke point. The blast collapsed the gate and finished off what remained of the barrier.
The more time we wasted, the thinner the lieutenant's patience wore. I already knew who'd end up being the distraction. The thought had come to me almost immediately.
On the way into the city, I'd managed to scavenge a couple of boomboxes and some battery-powered speakers. I'd have to get creative. And I'd have to run like hell if I wanted to keep my skin intact.
"According to everything we've gathered, there's still fuel on site. That means we can get the helicopters running and extract the ammunition and supplies. The warehouse based on old intel should be somewhere inside. The main problem is clearing the infected off the airfield long enough for us to get out. I'll handle that with Victor, Eric, and Sergeant Brown. Private Carter will cover the pilots," the lieutenant explained.
"Sir, I'm ready to take that assignment too. You're more important," the private said.
"No. That's an order. No discussion."
He circled a point near the river.
"We'll establish a fortified position at the bridge. The infected won't be able to flank us from behind, and we'll have a clear field of fire in front. Once the helicopters are airborne, they'll rendezvous at the bridge and pick us up. We hold until they arrive. If that becomes impossible, we fall back into the water to the boats."
He marked it as our defensive line, then underlined the largest cluster of infected.
"One problem remains drawing every last one of those bastards out of the city and onto the bridge. That's a job I can only give to you, Victor. You can try to run. This is your last chance to save your own hide. You said you weren't a coward. Let's test that," the lieutenant said.
Son of a bitch. He was calling my bluff.
"If you can't handle it, we'll send your buddy in your place," he added.
My hand slipped lower, my finger tightening on the trigger. Everyone around us tensed. The lieutenant didn't even flinch. He just kept holding my gaze.
"Whose life are you choosing?" he asked.
"You're a real bastard," I muttered, then nodded. "Fine. To hell with it."
"Hard times force you to be hard and cold," he replied.
As much as I hated it, the deal with the colonel had real value. Without him, it would've taken me years to track down any surviving scientists. With him, I'd get that information immediately maybe even access to more than one functioning lab.
********
It took an entire day to fortify the bridge, turning it into something like a corridor of death where it'd be easier to stop the infected. Every round of ammunition we could find was moved there. The supplies and boats below were hidden among the ruins under the bridge.
We weren't exactly swimming in ammo.
Six hundred rounds for the machine gun. Seven magazines for the submachine guns. Four mags for the standard M4A1. Estimated hold time: two, maybe three hours. After that we'd have nothing left.
That meant the creatures had to be drawn deeper into the city first only then could we fall back to the bridge. By rough estimates, we needed at least four hours to load supplies and properly prep the helicopters for takeoff. Cut corners, and we risked breakdowns critical systems failing midair.
First step: inspect the most flight-worthy aircraft. Then try to power them up, run system checks, and only after that begin loading the supplies.
The plan slowly went into motion.
Thanks to my hearing, tracking the infected was almost effortless. I could maneuver around them, anticipate their movements, predict how they'd react. It gave me stealth and an edge in mobility most people didn't have.
We gathered one last time. Chances were, not all of us would see each other again.
Did I believe I'd survive?
Strangely enough, yes.
How many times had I thought it was over? And yet I was still breathing even with a parasite in my skull. So I'd push my luck again. Though luck had little to do with it. Skills, training, decisions that's what keeps you alive. Same as any other survivor out here.
We warmed what little food we had left over road flares and heated plates remnants of a world that was already fading. Maybe a couple more years. Five, at best. Maybe less. The last comforts of civilization would vanish completely. Resources would run dry. And where society once smoldered, there'd be nothing left but ash.
I wondered what happened to Druzhok.
Did Joel and Tommy leave him behind? He'd been with them. If they didn't wait for me, they might've decided to move on find a car on their own. Or maybe they went on foot.
I wasn't worried about them.
But the dog… yeah.
I hadn't expected things to turn out like this. Where was he now? What had happened to him? I hoped that once he realized I wasn't coming back, he'd return to base and wait there. That he'd remember where his food stash was and manage to get to it.
He's a smart dog.
He'll manage.
"Victor, can I ask you something?" Bella said, shifting closer.
"No."
The answer came out sharp. Then I caught Eric's look and exhaled.
Being a lone wolf all the time isn't the best strategy. You've got to let people in at least a little.
"…Go ahead."
"Why didn't you go with us to the quarantine zone back then? You were in bad shape. They had good doctors there. They could've examined you. I was afraid you were going to die from something," Bella said.
"It doesn't matter. No one could've helped me. Not then. Not now."
"Is that why you always wear the mask now?" she asked, one eyebrow slightly raised.
"Yes."
I touched the filter unconsciously.
Time was becoming a problem. I needed new filters. These were still holding for now but they were working worse by the day. Soon the protection would be close to zero.
Breathing was already getting harder.
"Honestly… I'm scared. Just like I was back then. How do you deal with all of this?" she asked quietly.
"I thought you were brave. Then and now."
"It just looks that way. I'm terrified. Of everything. Sometimes I just want to go back somewhere safe. Behind walls," Bella said.
"That's normal. Nobody wants to die. You just hold on to something. Family. Faith. A mission. Anything."
"And what do you hold on to?" she asked.
"I…"
I didn't have an answer.
What was I holding on to? What was I fighting so hard for?
In my old life, I'd always wanted to get away from everything. From the noise. From people. From the endless stress. A small house somewhere quiet. Clean air. A decent pension. Living slow. No rush. Victor had wanted honor. Duty. To protect his country. And when the apocalypse came? He only wanted one thing to protect his home.
Maybe I still had hope of living the way I once wanted. Despite everything, I still had that little cabin in the mountains.
The only problem was, the air I breathed wasn't clean it was slowly poisoning me.
Until recently, I'd spent my days walking, taking my time, drifting with the current. Sure, I had a goal. But it felt almost unreachable.
What kept me going was the possibility of getting rid of this parasite and with it, the chance to actually live whatever time I had left. If you're given a second chance, who ever said it was supposed to be easy?
"A cure for this parasite," I said at last. "I believe it's possible."
"You think we could cure everyone?" Bella asked.
"No. But maybe we could save the uninfected. Or those it hasn't completely taken over yet."
Truth was, I didn't really care about the rest.
"Even that would be something," Bella murmured.
"The time for grieving is long past. We have to believe in something better," Eric said.
He still didn't understand.
It was only going to get worse.
I exhaled. A cloud of warm vapor spilled from my mask, condensation dripping down and falling onto the concrete. The faint splash snapped me back to focus.
The weather had turned cold. Unnaturally cold.
It felt like five below today. We weren't dressed for it we hadn't expected the temperature to drop like this. But the weather hadn't been stable lately. Not with everything changing globally.
"Got any ideas?" Harper asked.
"If we could find something light and fast to drive, we could herd the hordes around the city as long as we wanted," I said.
"If something like that even exists, getting to it won't be easy," Harper replied.
In the end, I was the one going in as live bait.
But the lieutenant came with me.
Maybe he still thought I'd try to run. Or maybe he just wanted to make sure the plan didn't fall apart.
"It might seem like downtown's the most dangerous part," I said quietly, scanning the streets. "But it's not. From what I can tell, there are fewer infected here than anywhere else. Most of them are clustered along the outskirts woods, residential blocks. The buildings are dense here. We can move across rooftops if we need to. And the streets are wide."
"You sure about that? Not many infected?" Harper asked.
"I'm sure."
He studied me for a moment.
"I'll take your word for it. You're not the type to gamble with your own life for nothing."
We moved methodically clearing infected where we had to, setting up sound traps along the way.
Of course, nothing ever goes smoothly.
A Stalker, nearly invisible in the shadows, blended perfectly with the ruins. It lunged at Harper when he'd drifted too far from me. I hadn't heard it in time.
I reacted on instinct.
I fired.
The shot dropped it before its teeth could clamp down on Harper's arm.
"Shit… thanks," he muttered, getting back to his feet.
*khhhh*
Time started slipping through our fingers at exactly the wrong moment. We were in a bad position few escape routes left, and the ones we had wouldn't be passable without a fight.
"Don't hesitate, move," I said. The pounding footsteps and snarls of the infected were closing in on us.
A risky plan formed in my head. We needed to get out fast, not push deeper into the objective. At the first door in the corridor, I pulled the pin on a flashbang and threw it down the hall.
"Here," I said, pulling Harper with me.
"We're trapped in here," the lieutenant said.
Yes, we were in a closed room with no doors or windows, but there was still a chance to get out. Rapid footsteps sounded beyond the door; the infected, focused on the brief noise and light, were moving toward the end of the corridor.
Waiting for the moment when their numbers thinned out, I suddenly opened the door. I immediately ran into a Runner, a sharp left hook driving my fist into its face. Opening fire, we pushed forward. My hearing didn't fail me the path really was clear, though not for long. A tail formed behind us.
We burst out of the building into the street, barely avoiding being surrounded on all sides by infected. Fighting toward our retreat route, we were moving along the very edge.
"We need to distract them! When do the traps activate?" Harper shouted.
Glancing quickly at my watch while firing, I figured the traps would start in five minutes. We had to buy time while pulling back.
"Throw smoke, break line of sight!" I shouted.
It barely worked on Clickers they could still hear us perfectly. If they could hear us, the rest of the infected would know our approximate position too. A small advantage, but a necessary one.
Tossing the smoke canisters aside, we began falling back into a house. According to recon, there was a way onto the roof from there.
We managed to break inside the building, but it wasn't calm there either. Several Stalkers sprang out as if from the walls themselves; we had to fight them off almost at point-blank range. Soon the smoke outside began to dissipate. Almost at the same time, the traps activated, disrupting the infected's senses and causing them to lose track of us.
Finally, climbing onto the roof, we began withdrawing from the city.
"Let's check the area. Have the infected left the airport district?" the lieutenant said.
Agreeing, we paused. I scanned around, making sure we wouldn't be caught off guard. The infected started moving in groups toward one sound source, and when it went silent, they shifted to another. Those who had been pursuing us seemed to have completely lost the trail.
"Not great. Still a lot of infected. They've probably breached inside. We need to pull the bastards closer to the bridge," the lieutenant said.
"We should fall back now, while the traps are still running," I said.
"Move."
After an entire hour, we finally managed to get out of the town. The traps howled for another thirty minutes, and when they finally fell silent, we had to act. Otherwise the infected would start wandering the area and sooner or later run into the squad at the helicopters.
"This is absolute madness," I muttered, breaking stride but still walking straight toward the infected without hiding.
*image*
The infected turned toward me as if confused, as though they didn't understand who or what I was. The strangest part was that for a while they truly paid me no attention. They moved past me, twitched, listened to other sounds.
Then one of the Clickers that had come too close suddenly shrieked. Its cry split the air, and the other infected immediately responded.
"Well, the one who runs fast doesn't get his ass kicked," I muttered, and then I sprinted at full speed.