Vrooom!
The engines roared.
"How's the situation?"
Livia asked anxiously.
She stood before the entrance of the military base.
The soldiers brought the injured companions.
"Lady Livia,"
A soldier walked to her, grief-stricken. Dejected.
Livia's expression darkened.
Heaviness sank into her chest.
"Report immediately!"
She ordered sternly, fearing the worst.
"Lady, more than 180 people died."
Livia's heart shook.
As if someone had cut her legs, she stumbled backwards, barely keeping her balance.
She stared blankly, coping.
"T-The commander..."
She didn't dare utter those words.
"The commander is alright,"
The soldier assured her.
Secretly, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Her heart calmed down.
She knew there would be casualties, just not this much.
But as long as the commander was alive, she could bear it.
"The commander and Lucian continued the mission,"
The soldier reported.
Livia nodded.
"Come inside. Tell me everything that happened."
The soldier followed her into the dome-shaped building.
The other soldiers brought the injured companions inside and through the elevator to the base.
Livia and the soldier remained in the dome.
He filled her in on the events.
As she listened, her expression darkened.
"A new demon?"
She clenched his fists.
"You can go."
She waved her palm.
The soldier nodded and went down into the base, leaving Livia alone.
A tear drop rolled down her face.
'He almost died,'
She removed her glasses.
Grattidyde filled her heart.
Gratitude for the mysterious old man.
'If not for that man, the commander would have died.'
Livia burst into silent tears.
Just the thought of the commander dying filled her with terror.
She trembled.
'The outside world is getting more dangerous,'
She rejoiced that the commander lived, but an even more intense fear shrouded her heart.
The danger was not over.
He was still outside.
'New demons are emerging,'
Her heart beat rapidly in concern.
The demons' strength was increasing.
And the military's strength to keep up was decreasing.
'Can we keep up?'
.
.
.
The rain slowly ceased.
Military vehicles drove through the streets.
The soldiers had stopped at the abandoned vehicles, and each took one.
Seventeen soldiers. Seventeen vehicles. Each drove one.
The engines roared as the vehicles jumped on the bumpy road.
They rapidly approached the city's depth.
In a few hours, they passed the outskirts.
The terrain worsened.
Small hills of rubble blocked the path.
They even had to get out and remove some obstacles.
Zombies walked behind, but unable to catch up.
They didn't stop moving.
.
.
.
And as dawn approached, they stopped moving.
A mountain of rubble blocked the way.
And they couldn't take a detour.
The vehicles couldn't pass.
Lucian got out of the vehicle.
The others got out as well.
"Sir, what do we do?"
A soldier asked.
Exhaustion painted on their faces.
They hadn't had a proper rest since they started this mission.
And now pulled an all-nighter.
"We are not too far from the estination,"
Lucian said.
"A few kilometers,"
The soldiers nodded.
"I'll go alone."
He said.
"You stay here and protect yourself from the zombies."
"Alone?"
"We can accompany you!"
"Sir, it's too dangerous!"
The soldiers exclaimed.
But Lucian shook his head.
"There is no time to waste. I will go alone."
He didn't waste time and turned.
"Follow the command."
He ran forward.
The soldiers remained in place. Unmoving.
They obeyed.
The dreadful tower observed them.
A heaviness clung to their heart.
But they stayed, prepared to defend the vehicles.
.
.
.
The day brightened.
The rainy clouds dissipated.
Lucian walked persistently.
'Almost there...'
His vision blurred.
Lips had cracked.
But the destination was within sight.
A small pile of rubble among mountains of debris.
Fortunately, his father shared the information. Or he wouldn't have found it.
Thud!
He collapsed.
"Sir Lucian!"
A voice rang from the distance.
Two soldiers rushed from behind the small pile.
They had been observing him.
But now finally recognized him.
They helped him get up.
"Sir, are you alright?"
"L-Let's go,"
Lucian muttered.
He didn't care for his thirst.
But wanted this mission to end as soon as possible.
He wanted to return to the safety of the base.
"Take him inside,"
The other soldier urged.
They carried him inside the laboratory.
The soldiers inside rejoiced.
With Lucian here, it meant one thing.
The end of their journey was near.
"Give him water,"
The commander ordered.
The soldiers brought and gave Lucian water.
"Commander, let's go."
Lucian urged.
"The vehicles are a few kilometers from here. The more we wait, the danger increases for the soldiers outside."
The commander didn't refute.
He nodded.
The soldiers around agreed.
Throughout the night, they had gathered the equipment they could carry.
From small instruments to the containers containing the organs.
As for the other big containers in the room, they couldn't carry them.
"Alright,"
Determination flashed in the commander's eyes.
"Let's depart,"
The soldiers nodded.
They grabbed the items.
Each took items with precision.
The commander had precisely organized them before.
Individuals filled bags with small instruments and carried them, while two soldiers carried the larger items.
"Lucian,"
The commander patted his shoulder.
"Please bear with us,"
He had just arrived but had to depart again.
But Lucian didn't complain.
This was for the better.
The soldiers departed with Lucian. Over sixty soldiers.
But the commander remained in the laboratory with ten soldiers.
They glanced back at the secret door.
It was wide open.
The wall broken.
They walked into the room with subject Alpha.
Alpha stared at them.
"Brothers, let's go."
The commander ordered.
Five soldiers grabbed the container.
They lifted it.
Alpha moved inside.
Crashing against the walls.
The soldiers turned the tube horizontally.
And paid him no mind.
The tube was heavy, but not so much that they couldn't carry it.
After all, they were all awakened.
After awakening, their strength had increased.
They carried the tube.
It fit through the broken door, and the five soldiers carried the subject into the outside world.
The commander remained with five soldiers inside.
They walked into the room with Subject Beta, the child.
They picked up the tube and carried it out of the room, towards the outside world.
'It would've been easier if we could free them,'
The thought crossed the commander's mind.
But he quickly rejected it.
Not to mention the danger.
Maybe there was a special way of freeing them, and directly breaking the tube would cause harm.
Or maybe kill them.
After all, they had been in those tubes for a long time.
Thud, he no longer thought of it and focused on getting back safely.
Unaware of the dangers brewing outside.