CHAPTER 15: THE PEOPLE THE DEAD IGNORE
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The silence spread faster than the infection ever did.
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Not because the world had gone quiet.
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But because people had stopped understanding it.
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Three days.
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That was all it took.
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Three days for rumors to become fear.
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Three days for survivors to realize—
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the infected weren't acting normal anymore.
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They wandered less.
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Watched more.
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And sometimes—
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they simply walked away.
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Rain fell over the city.
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Cold.
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Dirty.
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The streets below were flooded with abandoned vehicles and bodies left where they dropped.
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Some human.
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Some not.
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And moving between them—
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the infected.
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Slow.
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Purposeful.
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Not hunting.
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Patrolling.
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Inside a ruined apartment building—
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a group of survivors stayed hidden behind blocked doors and covered windows.
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No one slept.
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No one trusted silence anymore.
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A flashlight flickered across the room.
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Food cans.
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Bloodied bandages.
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Fear.
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"How many are outside now?" a man whispered.
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A woman near the window peeked carefully through the curtain.
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"...Fifteen."
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A pause.
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"No."
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Her face paled slightly.
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"...Sixteen."
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The room went silent.
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A little boy hugged his mother tighter.
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"They'll leave by morning… right?"
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Nobody answered him.
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Because that wasn't true anymore.
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Near the back wall—
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a man cleaned a rifle quietly.
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Late thirties.
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Scar across his jaw.
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Military posture.
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Controlled eyes.
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Marcus.
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Unlike the others—
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he wasn't scared.
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He was thinking.
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"They're waiting."
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The woman looked at him.
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"For what?"
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Marcus slowly loaded another bullet.
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"Us."
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Outside—
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one of the infected stopped moving.
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Its head tilted upward slowly.
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Rain dripped from its ruined face.
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Then—
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it looked directly at the apartment window.
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Not randomly.
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Not blindly.
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Directly.
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Marcus noticed instantly.
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His grip tightened around the rifle.
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"...Get away from the windows."
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Nobody argued.
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They moved back immediately.
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The infected kept staring.
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Still.
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Unmoving.
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Like it was listening to something far away.
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Then suddenly—
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all sixteen infected stepped back.
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At the same time.
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The survivors froze.
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"What the hell…"
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One by one—
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the infected turned away from the building.
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And walked into the street.
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Not wandering.
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Following something.
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Marcus moved toward the window carefully.
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Looked outside.
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And his expression changed instantly.
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"...No way."
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The street wasn't empty anymore.
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Hundreds.
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The infected were gathering from every direction.
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Not attacking.
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Not running.
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Moving together.
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Like they had somewhere to be.
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Like they had been called.
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A distant scream echoed through the rain.
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Then gunshots.
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BANG! BANG! BANG!
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Everyone inside flinched.
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Marcus didn't.
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He kept watching.
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Because the infected outside—
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didn't react to the gunfire.
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Didn't chase the sound.
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Didn't care.
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They kept walking.
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Forward.
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Purposeful.
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The woman stepped beside him slowly.
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"Where are they going…?"
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Marcus stared at the moving crowd.
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A bad feeling settled in his chest.
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"...Not where."
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A pause.
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"Who."
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Elsewhere—
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inside the broken system—
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Arjun suddenly stopped walking.
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The girl behind him noticed immediately.
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"What is it?"
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He didn't answer right away.
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Because now—
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he felt them clearly.
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Not one group.
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Not one street.
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Thousands.
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Moving.
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Together.
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The connection pulsed harder inside his chest.
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Not painful.
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Heavy.
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Like something massive—
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was shifting.
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"They're gathering…"
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His voice came out lower than before.
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The girl frowned.
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"Who?"
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Arjun slowly lifted his head.
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"The infected."
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Far away—
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a military checkpoint burned in the middle of the highway.
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Dead soldiers covered the road.
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Spent bullets.
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Overturned trucks.
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And in the center—
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an infected stood perfectly still.
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Its body no longer twitched.
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Its breathing calm.
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Aware.
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Around it—
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dozens of infected waited silently.
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A surviving soldier crawled backward slowly.
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Terrified.
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"W-what are you…?"
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The infected looked at him.
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Not with hunger.
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Recognition.
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Then—
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it spoke.
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Broken.
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Distorted.
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"...Not... prey..."
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The soldier froze completely.
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Because that thing—
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smiled.
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Back inside the apartment—
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the little boy suddenly spoke.
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Quietly.
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"They're scared of him."
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Everyone looked at the child.
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His eyes remained fixed on the window.
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"They're all listening to someone."
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Marcus slowly turned toward him.
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"Who told you that?"
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The boy swallowed nervously.
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"...I can hear them."
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Silence.
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Cold.
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Heavy.
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Outside—
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the infected suddenly stopped again.
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Every single one.
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The rain continued falling.
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Nobody moved.
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Then—
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all their heads turned.
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Toward the same direction.
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At once.
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Marcus followed their gaze slowly.
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Far down the flooded street—
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a figure stood in the rain.
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Still.
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Watching.
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The infected didn't move toward him.
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Didn't attack.
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They parted around him instead.
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Like they were making way for something important.
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Marcus tightened his grip on the rifle.
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"...Who the hell is that…"
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The figure slowly lifted its head.
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And even from this distance—
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Marcus felt it.
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Something wasn't right.
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Because the infected weren't following that figure.
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They were obeying it.
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The rain didn't stop.
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It grew heavier.
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Cold water poured through broken rooftops and flooded the streets below.
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But the infected—
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didn't react to it.
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They kept standing there.
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Still.
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Watching the figure in the distance.
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Marcus narrowed his eyes.
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Something about the man—
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felt wrong.
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Not dangerous in the normal way.
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Worse.
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Controlled.
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Like the chaos around him—
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belonged to him.
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The woman beside Marcus whispered—
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"Is he alive…?"
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Nobody answered.
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Because none of them knew anymore what "alive" even meant.
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Far below—
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the figure moved.
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One slow step forward.
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The infected instantly shifted aside.
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Creating a path.
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Perfectly.
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Like they had practiced it.
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Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
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"...No."
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A pause.
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"This isn't possible."
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But it was happening.
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Right in front of him.
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The figure stopped in the middle of the flooded street.
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Then slowly—
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lifted his head toward the apartment building.
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Marcus froze.
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Even from that distance—
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he could feel it.
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That gaze.
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Focused.
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Aware.
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Not human.
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The little boy stepped closer to the window.
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Before anyone could stop him.
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"...He's looking for someone."
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Marcus immediately pulled him back.
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"Stay away from the window."
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But the boy kept staring outside.
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Terrified.
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"...They all hear him."
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Silence filled the room.
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Nobody wanted to ask what that meant.
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Because deep down—
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they already understood.
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The infected outside weren't wandering anymore.
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They were connected.
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And someone—
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was guiding them.
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Elsewhere—
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inside the shifting structure—
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Arjun stopped again.
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The connection inside him pulsed violently.
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Not pain.
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Recognition.
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Fragments flashed through his mind.
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Rain.
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Flooded streets.
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Dozens of infected standing still.
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And a figure—
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walking among them.
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Arjun's breathing slowed.
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"...Someone else."
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The girl behind him frowned.
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"What do you mean?"
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He looked up slowly.
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"There's another signal."
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The structure reacted instantly.
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The walls pulsed harder.
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Almost nervous.
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"...Unauthorized synchronization detected."
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The system voice echoed sharply.
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Arjun's eyes narrowed.
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"You're scared."
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Silence.
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Then—
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"...Interference threatens balance."
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Arjun smirked faintly.
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"You lost balance a long time ago."
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The air tightened again.
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Not attacking.
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Warning.
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But Arjun ignored it.
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Because now—
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he could feel that connection growing stronger.
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Someone out there—
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was changing too.
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Back in the city—
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the figure in the rain finally moved again.
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Slowly.
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Toward the apartment building.
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The infected followed behind him.
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Not like a horde.
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Like soldiers.
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Organized.
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Silent.
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Marcus backed away from the window immediately.
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"Everyone up."
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Fear spread across the room instantly.
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"What's happening?"
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"They're coming here."
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The mother grabbed her child tightly.
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"We have to leave—"
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"No."
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Marcus interrupted coldly.
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"If we move now, we're dead."
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A loud metallic sound echoed outside.
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CLANG.
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One of the infected had reached the entrance downstairs.
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Then another.
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Then more.
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But they didn't rush inside.
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Didn't claw at the walls.
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Didn't scream.
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They waited.
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Marcus loaded his rifle slowly.
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"...Why are they waiting…"
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No one answered.
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Then—
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footsteps.
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Not dozens.
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One.
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Slow.
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Steady.
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Coming up the stairs.
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The entire room froze.
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Step.
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Step.
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Step.
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No growling.
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No dragging limbs.
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Just calm movement.
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The little boy started shaking.
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"...It's him."
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Marcus raised the rifle toward the door.
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Sweat rolled down his forehead.
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The footsteps stopped.
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Right outside.
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Silence.
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Then—
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a voice.
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Low.
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Distorted slightly.
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But clear enough.
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"...Open."
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Everyone in the room went pale.
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Marcus tightened his finger on the trigger.
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Because that thing—
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spoke.
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The voice came again.
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"...Not here to kill."
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A pause.
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"...Looking."
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Marcus swallowed slowly.
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"For what?"
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Silence.
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Then—
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the answer.
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"...The changed one."
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Far away—
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inside the structure—
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Arjun suddenly froze.
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The pulse inside him exploded outward.
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CRACK.
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The space around him distorted violently.
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The girl stumbled backward.
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"Arjun?!"
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But he wasn't listening.
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Because now—
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he heard it too.
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That voice.
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Not physically.
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Connected.
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Searching.
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For him.
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The system reacted instantly.
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"...Contact established."
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"...New evolved host detected."
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Arjun's eyes sharpened immediately.
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"Host…?"
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Silence.
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Then—
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"...Evolution is spreading."
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The words hit hard.
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Not random mutation.
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Not isolated change.
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Something bigger was happening.
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Something that wasn't stopping with him.
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Back inside the apartment—
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Marcus stared at the closed door.
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His rifle still aimed forward.
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The voice outside remained calm.
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Patient.
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"...He will come."
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The little boy suddenly whispered—
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"...It can hear him too."
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Marcus felt cold crawl down his spine.
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Because outside—
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every infected in the street had stopped moving again.
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Perfect stillness.
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Waiting.
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Listening.
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And somewhere far away—
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something answered them back.
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To be continued…
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The infected have started communicating.
And now—
something else has begun evolving with them.
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Because what comes next isn't infection anymore…
It's a network. 😈🔥