Marcus cut the conversation off with a commanding voice.
"We initiate mobilization immediately," he ordered.
The scarlet holoscreen was still pulsing in my field of vision, clinging to the previous reading.
[Human source detected.]
[Vital status: Confirmed.]
[Vector: North.]
[Distance: Indeterminate.]
The signal persisted, weak but absolute.
"We’ll trace a detour toward the northern quadrant," I proposed.
"Advancing into unexplored territory is unacceptable. Our supplies guarantee operational capacity for a maximum of seventy-two hours," Marcus rejected.
I assessed the truck and the team’s condition. His logic was flawless; survival demanded prioritizing logistics over tactical curiosity.
"We’ll secure a resource source first," I said.
"That plan falls within my operational parameters," the mercenary leader conceded.
Evelyn closed the distance, evaluating our reserves.
"Specify our current inventory," she requested.
"Water rationed for forty-eight hours," Marcus replied. "Solid rations for a slightly longer margin."
Nadia checked the compartments of her backpack. She had been silent since the parking garage, her expression unreadable. The absorption of the Core had stabilized her cellular degradation, but something in her eyes had changed. Something colder.
"Medical supplies are reaching critical levels," she reported.
Darius raised his bandaged arm.
"I back that statement with my own physical integrity," he said.
I approached the truck’s trunk.
"Deploy the inventory for a full scan," I requested.
Marcus handed me the main backpack. I dispensed with a manual count; the System interface projected the data in a crimson flash.
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
Hydration: 19 liters
Nutrition: 2.4 days
Fuel: 31% (Limited performance)
Ammunition: Scarce
Medical Supplies: Critical Level
Vehicles: Truck (Operational) | Sedan (Recoverable)
Squad Status: Vulnerable
"We require fuel and medical support urgently," I ruled.
Marcus nodded, deploying his holographic map.
"I locate a service station six kilometers from our position," he said.
The System superimposed its own routes over the civilian map, marking an alternative with a warning halo.
[Secondary route: 7.4 km.]
[Warning: Obstructions detected.]
The main artery presented less mileage, but showed a massive traffic jam of carbonized vehicles.
"We’ll take the secondary road," I indicated.
"Travel time will increase significantly," Marcus warned.
"But we’ll maintain constant mobility," I replied.
After a few seconds of evaluation, he accepted the risk.
"Prepare the gear. We move," he ordered.
Scarlett waited beside the parking garage perimeter, securing the straps of her tactical equipment. I approached her position.
"Our route includes a service station a few kilometers away. Get in the vehicle," I told her.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow, evaluating the offer.
"My level of trust toward your squad is zero," she replied.
"That requirement was never on the table. I offer you strategic transport, nothing more," I clarified.
The frankness seemed to disarm her defensive posture.
"Define your real objective," she said.
"Reach the supplies while keeping our vital signs intact," I replied.
Scarlett let out a dry laugh and sheathed her weapon.
"An acceptable parameter. I’ll operate with you until the station," she conceded.
We took our positions. Scarlett climbed into the back beside Maya, while Evelyn secured the passenger seat next to me. Marcus started the engine, and the mechanical roar broke the sepulchral silence of the metropolis.
The urban landscape projected absolute desolation. Collapsed buildings and fractured asphalt dominated the road. The concrete displayed dark stains and anomalous branches, forcing the System to issue an immediate analysis.
[Altered vegetation.]
[Rupture level: Low.]
[Directive: Lethal consumption.]
"The algorithm just classified the local flora as toxic," I reported.
"That intelligence increases our survival rate," Evelyn replied, keeping her gaze forward. "Your adaptation to the link is improving by the minute."
The truck cleared a crater in the asphalt. Behind us, the recovered sedan slammed violently against the pavement. Darius stuck his torso out the window, raising his voice.
"This heap’s suspension is trying to execute us!" he shouted.
"The engine keeps traction!" Nadia replied from inside.
"Motion doesn’t guarantee our structural safety!" Darius responded.
The friction released some of the accumulated tension, but the calm expired within minutes.
Maya raised her fist from the back.
"Full stop!" she ordered.
Marcus slammed the brakes.
A barricade of crossed vehicles blocked the arterial road. Pickups and a medical transport formed a wall of steel. Behind the barrier, six armed silhouettes took firing positions.
"Prepare for hostile contact," Marcus ordered, turning off the engine.
An individual emerged from cover wielding an assault rifle. His gaunt build and unstable posture betrayed extreme fatigue.
"We’re looking for supplies. Let’s avoid a conflict," the stranger warned, keeping his weapon raised. "Transfer your fuel reserves and you’ll have free passage."
"You open negotiations with a suicidal demand," Darius said sarcastically.
"We demand additional medical supplies," the shooter insisted.
Evelyn sought Marcus’s gaze. I activated my optical sweep. The scarlet interface dissected the enemy group in real time.
THREAT ANALYSIS
Targets: 6 armed civilians.
Status: Critical tension / Elevated adrenaline.
Ammunition: Scarce.
Injuries: 2 partial casualties.
Intention: Extreme survival.
Probability of Crossfire: 43%
They lacked military training; panic was guiding their actions. The scanner focused on the leader, revealing severe muscle rigidity in his left leg. A second target under cover presented active hemorrhaging.
"We will provide basic medical support," I intervened.
Marcus shot me a severe look.
"Justify that concession, Gabriel," he demanded.
"The algorithm confirms a wounded person with moderate blood loss in their ranks," I replied.
The enemy leader aimed directly at me.
"You lack medical credentials to assess my people," he said.
"Tactical observation is enough to identify an arterial hemorrhage," I countered.
Evelyn opened her door, displaying a first-aid kit.
"I have coagulants and compression bandages," she announced.
The leader adjusted his rifle grip, calculating the risk.
"I demand fifty percent of your fuel in exchange," Jonah said.
Marcus intervened, taking control of the negotiation.
"Twenty percent," he offered.
"Thirty," Jonah counteroffered.
"Twenty-five percent and two hydration rations. Final offer," Marcus declared.
The stranger weighed the proposal.
"My name is Jonah. I accept the terms," he said.
Marcus nodded.
"Marcus," he replied.
The de-escalation seemed imminent until one of Jonah’s militiamen closed distance toward Nadia, seeking to intercept the weapon on her belt.
Scarlett reacted with devastating lethality. She intercepted the aggressor’s wrist, applied a brutal twist, and slammed him face-first onto the vehicle’s hood, completely immobilizing him.
"Drop the weapon immediately!" Scarlett bellowed.
The militiaman roared in pain. Jonah’s five remaining men cocked their rifles. Darius drew his weapon instantly.
Marcus raised both hands.
"Cease fire!" he shouted.
The scarlet holoscreen flickered frantically.
[Collective adrenaline: Critical Level.]
[Accidental detonation risk: 98%.]
"Secure your weapons right now!" I ordered with a thunderous voice.
Jonah aimed at my chest.
"Your element initiated the aggression!" he shouted.
"She neutralized an attempted weapons theft," I replied.
Scarlett applied more pressure to the subdued man’s cervical vertebrae.
"One more move and I’ll sever the joint," she warned.
I fixed my gaze on her.
"Scarlett. Release the target," I ordered.
"The risk of recidivism is high," she replied.
"That scenario is ruled out. A single detonation in this perimeter will result in mutual annihilation," I explained.
Jonah assessed our tactical superiority and the coldness of our formation. Finally, he raised his fist toward his men.
"Lower your weapons," he ordered.
Scarlett released the militiaman, who retreated spitting threats.
"This will require future retribution," he muttered.
Scarlett held his gaze with absolute disdain.
"Your future expires if you cross my perimeter again," she replied.
Jonah regained his position.
"Let’s execute the exchange and separate our paths," he proposed.
Before Marcus could agree, a blinding scarlet pulse flooded my vision.
[Massive movement detected.]
[Magnitude: 17 units.]
[Distance: 1.8 km.]
[Vector: High-speed approach.]
[Note: The 17 units match the estimated count of white-eyed Awakened moving toward Grayrock. They are not scavengers. They are not creatures. They are something else.]
I stood petrified. Marcus read the alarm in my features.
"Report," he demanded.
"Imminent incursion. Seventeen targets approaching our position," I reported.
Jonah lost all color from his face.
"The swarm has reached us," he said.
"Define the attackers," Evelyn requested.
Jonah looked terrified toward the asphalt road.
"A hostile faction that dominates this sector. They’re looking to seize our logistics," he replied.
Marcus made a decision in fractions of a second.
"Everyone to the vehicles. Immediate evacuation," he ordered.
Jonah stepped into his path.
"We require joint extraction. If you abandon us, the enemy convoy will hunt you next for our vehicles," he warned.
Marcus measured him coldly.
"Provide a viable escape route," he demanded.
"There’s an abandoned forest road to the west," Jonah said.
"Do you confirm the perimeter is clear?" Marcus asked.
"It maintained operability on our last incursion," Jonah replied.
Marcus pointed at the vehicles.
"Get in. Let me be clear: this is a tactical survival alliance, not a pact of trust," he said.
The forest road demanded extreme driving. Fallen trees and mud pits threatened to trap the tires. The sedan scraped its undercarriage repeatedly, but we managed to evade the initial pursuit.
I kept my gaze fixed on the dark tree line, feeling the constant vibration of the Resonance attribute. The reading pointed firmly north, until the scarlet panel underwent a violent alteration.
[Synchronized human source.]
[Recalculating vector: North-Northwest.]
I frowned. The original objective maintained continuous movement. Tracking a mobile signal in this environment complicated the strategy, but the System produced an even greater complication.
[NEW HUMAN SOURCE DETECTED.]
[Vital status: Confirmed.]
[Synchronization: None.]
[Distance: 2.7 km.]
I raised my gaze.
"Marcus, maximum alert. I detect presences in our immediate radius," I said.
Jonah tensed his shoulders.
"Biological threat or Rupture?" he asked.
"Humans," I replied.
The scarlet screen divided the reading into two divergent traces that suddenly began altering their course.
[Source A (Synchronized): In motion.]
[Source B (Non-synchronized): In motion.]
I analyzed the tactical scheme urgently. The two signals were adjusting their trajectories into an imminent collision.
"Report the situation," Evelyn demanded.
"The two signals are converging. Their approach vectors end exactly on our current stretch of road," I said.
Scarlett leaned forward from the back seat, gripping her knife.
"Both signatures are converging on us?" she asked.
"Affirmative. They’re heading toward a frontal meeting point," I confirmed.
The System updated the data with a lethal flash.
[Source A: 4.1 km.]
[Source B: 2.5 km.]
[ESTIMATED INTERCEPTION TIME: Critical.]
I tightened my grip on the steel bar. Two signals. One synchronized. One not. Both heading toward us. And behind us, the 17 units of white-eyes, still moving.
"We’re surrounded," I murmured.
Evelyn looked at me, her expression grave.
"Then we choose the lesser threat," she said.
"The lesser threat is the one we can see," I replied. "And right now, that’s the two signals ahead."
Marcus pressed the accelerator. The truck roared.
"Then let’s go meet them," he said.
Jonah, who had been listening in silence, spoke from the back.
"If those are the white-eyes, you’re driving straight into a massacre," he said.
"We’re not driving into anything," I replied. "We’re driving between them."
"Between them?" Jonah repeated.
"The 17 units are behind us. The two signals are ahead. We thread the needle."
Scarlett let out a dry laugh.
"That’s either the bravest thing I’ve heard all day, or the stupidest," she said.
"Probably both," Evelyn murmured.
I didn’t argue.