[A/N: Hello everyone.
Another chapter, although this one is more informative and contextual.
After this one, there are some perspectives from other characters.
Comment or donate Power Stones.]
.
----
.
A few hours earlier, in the city center.
Gerry and Alex watched Nick drive off with the group they had rescued from the barbershop. They walked around, checking their surroundings and looking for a car to take them to Alex's safe house in the northeast part of the city. However, a sudden transmission from the military changed their plans.
They were about to head north after listening to the military's communications about the perimeter closure of the city center, when a phone rang inside the car they had found.
"Who is it?", Gerry asked, answering the incoming call.
"Gerry, it's me. How are you? How's Karin and the girls?", the man asked worriedly.
"They're fine, Thierry", Gerry replied gratefully. "What's going on, Thierry? Do you know anything?", Gerry asked worriedly, glancing at Alex.
"Are your surroundings safe?", Thierry asked.
"Yes, you can speak freely", Gerry replied, signaling to Alex to silence him.
"Well… A virus has broken out, and I can't give you details about it, but I can tell you that we're working on finding a cure right now", Thierry commented, while a large number of voices on similar calls could be heard in the background.
"How bad are things?", Gerry asked, getting straight to the point.
"Pretty bad… We've lost control of the major cities, and although it's not yet the worst-case scenario, the situation has become uncontrollable. If several days go by like this, many people may die", Thierry explained, sounding concerned.
"Why are infected people acting erratically?", Gerry asked.
"We don't know yet, but we do know that it's highly contagious… Have you been bitten, Gerry?", Thierry asked, frightened.
"No, I haven't been bitten, nor have Karin and the girls", Gerry replied, grateful for Thierry's constant concern.
"That's good to hear", Thierry commented with an almost imperceptible sigh. "Don't let them bite you for any reason… Bites are how the virus spreads", he added in a concerned tone.
"Thierry are those things dead?", Gerry asked, worried.
"Our researchers informed us that infected people die after a yet unconfirmed period, and then return to life with reduced abilities… However, those people are no longer human. Gerry, if anyone tries to attack your family, don't hesitate to defend yourself", Thierry explained.
"Thank you very much for the information, Thierry", Gerry thanked him after hearing everything.
"Gerry, I can send a helicopter to get you… For old times' sake", Thierry offered in a concerned tone.
"Thank you very much for the offer, but I can't get back to you yet. I must discuss this with Karin first", Gerry replied, looking at Alex, who looked at him in surprise. "Also, I found a shelter on the outskirts of the city that will do for now", he explained to Thierry.
"I see… Stay away from the big cities. We don't know when things will return to normal. In fact, I don't know if we'll ever make it", Thierry said pessimistically.
"Don't worry, I'll call you if I need help", Gerry said gratefully to Thierry.
"Okay, take care of yourself and the girls", Thierry said goodbye.
After the call ended, Gerry started the car and began driving very carefully; he didn't want to have another accident that same day.
Alex and Gerry didn't talk about anything for the first few minutes; both were deeply analyzing the information Thierry had just given them.
Gerry understood that it was very likely that only a few small towns with a military presence, or some of the military camps, would be able to survive the first few days. Furthermore, it was very likely that major cities would be completely lost, and their recovery would take months, only if a cure was found.
Alex, on the other hand, realized that Thierry wasn't sharing all the information with Gerry, or perhaps they hadn't yet figured out how the virus really worked. If it was the first option, it's very likely they wouldn't warn the population and would leave them to their fate. And if it's the second option, it means the virus would continue to spread, even endangering the safe zones controlled by the military.
Back to the present.
"Alex, what should we do now?", Alicia asked with a worried tone, gaining everyone's attention.
"To be honest... When I received the information about two weeks ago, I thought it was all the invention of a crazy person", Alex began. "However, I believed him and decided to prepare accordingly… Then, thanks to information from an important person, we discovered that military forces in several countries around the world were strangely mobilizing", he added in a serious tone.
"With that information, I knew this was happening everywhere", Alex said with a worried tone, while some in the room showed fearful expressions. "A few hours ago, Gerry and I heard a transmission from the military at the stadium post saying they would close off access to the city center", Alex added, looking at Gerry for confirmation.
"It's just like Alex says. We heard the transmission and were even near the entrances leading north, which the military was beginning to guard", Gerry confirmed, looking at Joel and Tommy.
"It's true… When Alex and Gerry helped us, we ran into a soldier who had orders to guard the area surrounding the access to the north exit", Tommy also confirmed.
"Also, a friend of mine who works at the UN called me earlier saying that, like this one, many of the larger cities have fallen into chaos, and they don't know when they'll be able to restore order to these cities", Gerry commented, while everyone looked at them worriedly.
"My friend also told me that infected people are already dead, just like Alex said… UN researchers reviewed the data on infected patients and observed how they died and then came back to life, but clearly with signs of not being people but the living dead", Gerry added, surprising everyone, including Alex.
.
----
[A/N: I wanted to explain a little more about this, but the novel itself will show the details of the zombies later.]
----
.
"I didn't think he'd say that", Alex thought, remembering that call in the car.
"What should we do then?", Chris asked, frightened, as Elizabeth hugged him.
"First, you should try to contact their family or friends to ask about their situation and warn them to stay home and not go out for any reason", Alex commented firmly. "Also, you could try to explain to them that infected people can no longer return to their old ways and that their weak point is their head", Alex added somewhat distrustfully.
Alex knew that the main problem in these cases was convincing people and getting them to make the difficult decisions that needed to be made. Denial was often the easiest way for people to escape reality, and in these terrifyingly difficult-to-accept cases, denial was the only way out for most people.
The problem comes when reality hits them in the face in the cruelest way possible. When they see the entire fictional world, they had created in their minds crumbling before their eyes, despair is all they have left.
In their minds, the people desperately screaming in the streets for help don't exist, and their suffering is one they'll never feel. The danger of constantly knocking on their door is a simple debt collector they can evade.
"I'll call some friends", Alicia said, realizing that this afternoon filled with adrenaline and fear had made her lose her mind.
Everyone immediately became active, each wanting to contact those close to them, ask about their situations, and hopefully warn them about the dangers.
Alex also grabbed his cell phone and noticed he had a few missed calls and messages from various numbers, but he called his parents first. Unfortunately, they didn't answer right away, so he left a message telling them he was fine and to listen to Bryan.
After leaving the message for his parents, he began scrolling through his missed calls. There were a couple of calls from unknown numbers, but what disconcerted him most was the number of calls from Ron and David.
Scared, he decided to dial David's number first.
"Finally... I've been calling a lot", David said as soon as he accepted the call. "How are you?", he asked in a concerned tone.
"I'm fine", Alex replied guiltily. "I'm sorry I didn't call. It's been a very hectic afternoon", Alex said, trying to justify himself, but he knew he'd lost his mind like many others due to the complexity of the situation.
"I understand", David said in a calmer tone.
"Why did you call me so many times?", Alex asked, trying to escape the awkward moment.
"That's right!", David exclaimed, remembering something important. "Ron called me because you weren't answering… It's about Emily. She's trapped at her school surrounded by infected people", David explained urgently.
"What?!", Alex exclaimed, surprised and worried. "Are you talking about Ron's daughter?", Alex asked for confirmation.
"Yes… According to Ron, he doesn't know much about her current condition… Well, you should talk to him", David explained.
"I'm getting a call from Ron now… I'll talk to you later", Alex told David.
"Okay… Just take care of yourself, and call me when you can", David said goodbye as Alex accepted Ron's call.
"Ron, what happened to Emily?", Alex asked, worried.
"You're finally answering… Alex", Ron replied in a hurried tone. "I need your help", he said desperately.
"Calm down, Ron. First, tell me about Emily's condition and the address of her school", Alex told Ron, trying to calm him down.
"Fuuu… It's okay", Ron replied, sounding a little calmer.
"Emily, that stubborn girl, asked me to go to an event at her school, and I couldn't refuse. To protect her, I sent two of my boys, but everything went to hell pretty quickly", he began, sounding guilty. "I shouldn't have let her go!", Ron cried desperately.
"Calm down, Ron… Do you know anything about her? Have you been able to contact her?", Alex asked, trying to gather more information.
"Sniff… I couldn't contact her", Ron replied between sobs. "But one of my men spoke to me a few hours ago. They were still at school and couldn't get out… I think he'd been bitten… He spoke to me, assuring me that Emily was fine, and asked me to look after his son… Then… Then I heard him loading his gun…" Ron recounted through tears, sounding heartbroken.
"I'm so sorry you lost a friend… But I think Emily's alive", Alex commented, trying to give Ron some hope.
"Sniff… I think so too… That's why I need your help, Alex", Ron said pleadingly.
"Do you need me to rescue her?", Alex asked.
"Yes", he replied, sounding embarrassed. "I tried to go find her, but to get to the city center, I must go through the stadium controlled by the military in the southwest area. I tried taking alternate routes before, but the military won't allow entry… I even tried bribing them, but nothing worked", Ron explained, worried.
"I see… I'll do it, Ron. Leave it to me", Alex replied confidently.
"Thank you very much, Alex", Ron said, his voice moving.
Then Ron gave him the school address along with some details about the school's layout, even telling him approximately where the event was being held within the school grounds. All this information would give Alex an important advantage in finding Emily and getting her out of the school safely.
After finishing the call, Alex headed to his bedroom with the supplies. He took out one of the backpacks he'd packed with supplies and David, adding a few more knives, ammo, and an extra pistol.
Then he went to the kitchen and took out a couple of bottles of water, some extra chocolate bars, and energy bars. Everyone noticed Alex's movements and looked at him with concern, but he seemed so serious that no one wanted to ask anything.
"Are you leaving, Alex?", Travis asked tactlessly.
"Yes, a friend asked me to save his daughter... I must leave now; any minute of delay is one in which she could lose her life", Alex said in a serious tone.
"I'll go with you", Gerry offered kindly.
"No need", Alex said, standing in the doorway of the house. "This is a rescue I have to do on my own", he added as he stepped out and closed the door.
.
----
.
[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Thanks everyone for reading.
I hope you enjoyed it.
I didn't want to leave Gerry's backstory undeveloped. This won't be Thierry's last call.
Read my other novel called Vinland Kingdom: Race Against Time.
You can find it on my profile.]