[CONTENTID1]Phoenix[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Chapter Twenty-One[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]

A somber silence hung over the group as they left the jeep and quietly closed its doors to avoid drawing attention. They had parked the vehicle behind a few trees not far from the military area and decided to cover the remaining distance on foot. Baekhyun, Sehun, Seri and Chanyeol wore dark clothing and had brought several weapons; not only guns but also clubs, bats, and long knives—whatever would work against zombies.

It was midday and the sun stood high in the sky. The group was careful to stay out of sight, moving from one hiding spot to the next as they advanced. The military base was closed off with chain-wire fencing and accessible through a gate. The guard station next to it was deserted and the entrance wide open. It was an indicator that this base had fallen and was either empty or teeming with undead soldiers…

Seri observed her surroundings as they passed the gate. She had never been in a place like this and was surprised to see that it didn’t look as intimidating as she had imagined. Several barracks had been built around a main building that made up the core of the base and likely contained the weapon supplies. A hanger loomed behind the buildings in the far distance, next to a helicopter landing site. Abandoned vehicles were stranded everywhere, and some of them showed evidence of a fight; bullet holes, broken glass, and suspicious dark stains on the metal.

She was right behind the three soldiers when they entered the main building. The doors were open, so it was easy to gain access, but they were in for a bad surprise. As they stepped into the dirty hallway, a group of zombies awaited them. They still wore their tattered uniforms and helmets, foam gathering at their mouths when they spotted their next meal. Seri counted five zombies and clutched her baseball bat.

“Get ready, we’ll take them on,” Baekhyun hissed, reaching for his riot stick. He chose to preserve the few bullets he had left while Sehun picked a different strategy. The youngest soldier took his gun, aimed at the first zombie, and shot it through the head. Since his weapon was equipped with a silencer, it barely made a sound.

Now the remaining four zombies had reached them. The first one snapped at Baekhyun who evaded the teeth narrowly, kicking the monster in its chest. Then he followed up with a powerful strike to its weak spot. It was enough to take it out. In the meantime, the others fought off the remaining undead. Seri no longer feared their snapping jaws, so she took a risk when she let a creature come close to her. It reached out its claws, trying to grab her neck, but she hit it with her baseball bat. Right in between the eyes. Blood splattered, and it fell. The stench nearly made her gag—she pressed her arm over and took shallow breaths.

“Well, that was quick,” Chanyeol mumbled and inspected his bloody machete. The weapon had served him well so far. He stepped over the fallen zombies and continued following the hallway. Baekhyun’s gaze briefly brushed over the soldiers. He frowned, thinking that their fate was the same as that of his old team. Having to kill other soldiers, even if they were zombies, left a bitter taste in his mouth. His face was stony as they moved on. He didn’t say a word, concentrating on their task and sticking to Seri. There was no way he’d leave her unprotected.

They systematically searched the building for useful items and information, beginning with the rooms on the ground floor where they occasionally encountered zombies. Most of the time, however, they were confronted with the harrowing sight of dead bodies. The base had practically destroyed itself after many soldiers had fallen sick. Too many people had lived in this area; a virus could easily overwhelm it. Witnessing this level of destruction was a sobering experience for Sehun, Chanyeol and Baekhyun. Every time they found another body, they were cruelly reminded that this could have been one of their friends and old team members of EX9. Their fate was unclear, and Baekhyun was losing hope at this point.

When they found a stairway, they chose to go into the basement first. However, they reached a dead-end in front of a barred metal door. Their flashlights illuminated the darkness and allowed them to see what had happened in this corner of the building. Paper signs had been taped to the doors, reading, “Caution – infected soldiers”. From behind the door, the group heard grumbling and groaning.

“Did they try to isolate the infected in the basement?” Sehun mumbled and eyed the chain and the lock sealing the door handles.

“Most likely, but the virus spread anyway,” Chanyeol whispered. He was pale and fidgety, not liking the darkness they were surrounded in.

“We won’t find any ammunition in here. They wouldn’t have locked it in with infected people,” Baekhyun said and turned back to the stairs. They passed the ground floor and moved on to the first story where they didn’t need their flashlights anymore. In order to preserve their batteries, they turned them off.

This floor had fallen victim to the same chaos as the others. It stank terribly and the air was stale. Dust particles danced through the sunrays falling through the windows. At first, the group was surrounded in silence, but it wasn’t long before quiet snarling and strange breathing sounds alerted them to someone’s presence. They approached a dented metal door that was cracked open—it seemed to lead to an important administrative office since it was accessible with a security code.

Baekhyun raised his hand and the group stopped, letting him pass. He peered through the crack of the door and determined that they couldn’t ignore this office—it was stacked with shelves, computers, and radio equipment; the latter might be useful to them. Maybe it would allow them to contact other military bases or soldiers that were still alive and looking for help.

Thus, Baekhyun decided it was necessary to take down the lone zombie lurking in the office. He motioned for his friends to wait outside and soundlessly opened the door, slipping inside. The creature caught movement from the corner of its reddish eyes, its head snapping in Baekhyun’s direction. Immediately, it let out a loud wail—Baekhyun growled a curse. He needed to shut the damn thing up before it lured all zombies to this office. The soldier acted quickly and kicked the advancing zombie through the room, its body taking down a chair and a table. The zombie landed roughly on the ground and skidded into a shelf. Baekhyun followed and finished it off with a well-aimed kick. The resulting noise echoed through the hallway.

Outside, Sehun and Chanyeol were alarmed by more snarling and gurgling from other areas nearby. Chanyeol grabbed Seri’s wrist, pulling her into the office.

“They’re coming. Use the tables as a barrier. We will fight them head-on,” Baekhyun shouted. They were trapped in this room, there was no exit except for the door since the windows were too high up to jump. Therefore they had no choice but to confront the zombies. Putting hurdles in the zombies’ way would buy them time.

Chanyeol, Sehun, and Seri scrambled to follow Baekhyun’s instruction and haphazardly shoved furniture in front of the doorway. The snarling grew louder, and sooner than expected, the first zombie burst into the room, colliding with a shelf and a table.

“Stay behind me!” Baekhyun hissed and reached for Seri’s arm to push her back. His other hand reached for his gun—he would use the small number of bullets he had left. Sehun and Chanyeol had the same thought and aimed at the zombies that poured in, clamoring for their prey. It was a bizarre sight. The first ones were shot immediately, and the ones following them simply trampled over them, attempting to climb over the tables and shelves that stood in their way.

The soldiers took out one undead after the other. Ultimately, the barrier of furniture didn’t hold up anymore and they broke through. At the same time, the bullets ran out—now everything depended on their endurance and sheer luck. Seri refused to hide behind her fiancé and stood next to him, ignoring his displeased scowl. She was ready to use her own body as a shield if necessary since she at least couldn’t be infected. Baekhyun had an inkling about her intentions, however, there was no time for discussions.

The next wave of zombies was already upon them, and they had their hands full. Baekhyun’s riot stick cracked a zombie’s head open, and the undead that took its place was swiftly defeated by Seri. The couple found a good balance between defending and attacking in synch and effectively kept their opponents in check. Chanyeol and Sehun used a similar strategy, and the more time passed, the fewer zombies they had to face.

But then Sehun screamed—Seri’s blood froze in her veins. Baekhyun killed the next zombie because she was too perplexed to act and stared at Sehun in horror. He staggered back and clutched his upper arm. Chanyeol jumped in front of him and saved him from a deadly zombie attack. He shoved his machete right into the monster’s snapping mouth and killed it. Then he kicked it out of the way, taking down more zombies behind it. They struggled to get up.

Baekhyun was at Chanyeol’s side, determined to shield Sehun. He blocked out his fear for Sehun’s life—he couldn’t afford to get distracted. “Seri, take care of him!” Baekhyun ordered and threw her a glance before he confronted the next zombie. “Chanyeol and I will cover you.”

“Understood,” she answered and did as she was told. She guided Sehun as far away from the fight as possible and they ducked behind a desk. He sat on his knees, gritting his teeth as his hand clutched the injury.

“Did you get bitten?” she asked softly, her heart pounding with mad fear until the soldier shook his head.

“No, the claws got me.”

She breathed out, relief chasing the fear away. This was good, it meant he likely wasn’t infected. Seri put down her backpack and retrieved her first aid kit. Then she cut the sleeve of his shirt, peeling the wet fabric off of his injury. The slashes he has sustained were deep.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter