A guard approached them quietly a man whose entire body was covered from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, protected by armor made of wood and leather.
He leaned toward them and whispered calmly, "What brings outsiders like you to our village at this late hour?"
Marcus replied coldly, "We need your medical expertise. More specifically, we need help with a strange virus that has been spreading among the people in our village."
The guard remained silent for a moment before gesturing for them to follow. "Then come with me."
They began dragging their wagons inside.
The guard instructed them to leave the wagons in a designated area, then led them into one of the tents.
Inside, candlelight illuminated the space with a faint glow.
A simple wooden desk stood in the middle of the tent. Behind it sat a man with sharp, weary features. His dull eyes were sunken beneath dark lines of exhaustion, and a light, unkempt beard covered his face.
Thick, long black hair framed his features, reaching down to his shoulders. His calm expression suggested extreme fatigue.
Dozens of neatly arranged papers covered the entire surface of the desk.
Despite his exhaustion, his eyes remained fixed on the documents before him with unsettling concentration. He did not even notice Marcus and the others entering.
The guard cleared his throat quietly, but loudly enough to draw the man's attention.
The man raised his gaze toward them and said in a friendly tone, "I see some new faces this late at night. So… what brings you here?"
Marcus stepped forward, speaking with calm composure. "A virus has spread through our village. We've managed to contain it for the time being, but we need your medical assistance to find a cure."
The man returned his attention to the papers. "Did you bring a sample of the virus?"
Marcus replied, "The fresh corpse of one of the infected."
"Good. The medical team will take the body, along with the usual payment. For now, you may go to the guest tent or do whatever you wish."
The guard then began directing them toward their lodging for the night.
Before they could leave, however, the man called out to Marcus.
"Hey, Marcus. Come here."
Marcus approached him with his usual cold expression. "Alfred Teal. What do you want?"
The man answered in a friendly tone, "What's that supposed to mean? We haven't seen each other in a while, man. At least let us have a proper conversation."
Marcus replied firmly, "It's obvious that you need a favor from me, so get to the point."
A tired smile spread across Alfred's face. "Sharp-eyed as ever. That's exactly why I need your help with something."
Marcus said, "Let's make one thing clear from the start: whatever you want, it won't come for free."
Alfred patted the chair beside him. "Yes, yes. No need to mention the obvious."
Marcus sat down, his eyes drifting across the papers scattered over the desk.
Alfred continued, his expression growing serious. "Something strange has been happening in Sections Three recently. People from different regions have been disappearing without a trace. The disappearances began two months ago. Every so often, another person vanishes under mysterious circumstances. In total, nine people have gone missing over the past sixty days."
Marcus interrupted coldly, "Then there's a killer nearby."
Alfred raised an eyebrow. "I haven't even reached that part yet. How did you know?"
Marcus replied, "The limited number of disappearances each day points to a human limitation. If it were a Varigan regardless of its type its productivity would be far higher. And if it were a zombie, there would at least be bloodstains or some remains left behind. Besides, it would have been caught by now, given their aggression."
Alfred stared at him, astonishment spreading across his face. "Impressive. Your analytical skills are still as sharp as ever. In any case, there's no need to jump to conclusions. As I said, we suspect there's a killer among us. The guards haven't found a single creature capable of reaching this far throughout the entire month, which most likely means the culprit is someone who lives here. The fact that they can move freely between the three sections only supports that theory."
He exhaled heavily. "Damn, there are too many details. You'll find everything you need in those documents."
Marcus glanced at the papers. "So this mess is—"
"The reports and visual records provided by the residents," Alfred interrupted. "Everything you might need to solve this, if you're capable of doing so."
Alfred rose from his chair and continued, "But you've only just arrived, so you can start tomorrow if you wish. For now, get some rest."
The two men left the tent and began walking through the settlement.
Despite the darkness of the night, many men had gathered in groups, each passing the time in his own way.
Some told stories.
Others played cards.
Some simply did whatever activity happened to cross their minds.
Yet one pattern remained consistent in everything they did:
Silence.
With few exceptions, they all spoke in whispers, doing everything they could to keep the noise to a minimum.
After walking for a few minutes, the two men stopped in front of a relatively large tent.
Inside, dozens of wooden beds had been arranged in cramped rows, one in front of another.
Each bed held a straw pillow covered with a piece of rough cloth. The space between them was barely wide enough for a single person to pass through.
The tent was filled with the heavy breathing of sleeping men. Despite the number of bodies lying within it, absolute silence ruled the place. Even the snoring was subdued, as though everyone had trained themselves to suppress their breathing—even in sleep.
Ethan and Nicholas were asleep in a corner of the tent.
Ethan hugged his pillow, one leg dangling off the side of his bed.
Nicholas was completely covered by his blanket, drool slowly seeping onto his pillow.
The man whispered to Marcus as he squeezed between the beds, struggling to reach his own.
"Sleep well. Tomorrow will be a difficult day."
He pulled the blanket over himself and settled down to sleep.
Marcus sat on the edge of the hard wooden bed, which gave a faint creak that nearly froze the blood of some of the sleepers nearby. One of them shifted anxiously before sinking back into unconsciousness.
The tent's fabric swayed in the wind outside, mimicking the sound of whispering voices.
Marcus slowly closed his eyes, finally relieved of the exhaustion that had weighed on him throughout the day.
To be continued…