PART 1
Sunday, September 12th.
Day 19 of the Apocalypse.
Early in the morning, Ethan set out with a convoy consisting of pickup trucks and two small trucks.
They headed to the hospital and stripped it of everything.
Medicines, hospital equipment, stretchers, and much more.
They even brought back the ambulances; Ethan plans to modify their interiors.
The interiors are very spacious; once the shelves and certain mounts are removed, they become perfect for transporting people—and, of course, resources.
At the same time, the Jackson Town scrapyard—which is connected to a repair shop—was cleared out and secured; it holds a wealth of resources that will be put to use.
Ethan has already made his plan clear: he intends to build a forge and melt down all that metal to craft melee weapons like swords, spears, and axes.
Then there are the vehicles—there are so many of them, and Ethan wants to get a handle on the situation.
Having too many vehicles roaming around is problematic; it burns through fuel too quickly.
Even though they have a large supply and are storing it properly, a significant amount is bound to spoil within two to six months.
Because of this, alcohol production will be essential.
It can be used as fuel; even if it damages the vehicles, there will be no shortage of spare parts.
Ethan also has his eye on the CDC and the fuel reserves that haven’t been used yet.
He vaguely remembers the story kicking off months later, so there might still be a month or two before the CDC explodes—taking with it that gold mine of dead military personnel.
Perhaps that scientist’s wife is still alive; securing two brilliant minds with incredible ideas for the apocalypse would be even better than having Dr.
Gale Macones alone.
…
The infirmary has been properly set up, and Dr.
Gale looks like a new woman since cleaning herself up—not a full bath, but a wipe-down with a wet cloth, a touch of perfume, and a fresh, clean lab coat.
She has begun examining the children; although she is a surgeon, she holds a medical degree and possesses a broad range of medical knowledge.
If you don’t know, there are books stacked up somewhere that might help.
Many of the books from the hospital were brought over, too; if you need more, you can go get them.
Ethan watches how well she’s getting along with everyone—especially Mercy; you’d almost think they’d worked together before, but they hadn’t.
Mercy was a head nurse at an Atlanta hospital, while Dr.
Gale had always been at Harrison Hospital.
“I see you’re happy,” Ethan says to Gale.
Gale is obviously tired; she’s been busy all day—a free doctor, after all; who wouldn’t want a few minutes of her time?
Smiling, she says, “Yes…
it’s great not to see nothing but death.
Thank you…”
Ethan nods and offers her a cigarette, but she declines.
“I don’t smoke.
You should quit, too; if you get cancer…”
Ethan laughs.
“Between cancer and turning into a…
zombie?
I’d take the cancer.
At least it calms the nerves.” He looks at the cigarette.
“Zombie…
like in those old movies?” Gale asks thoughtfully.
“Movies and games—it’s the catch-all term for the undead.
A lot of younger people use it to describe the infected.
Honestly, I think I’ll start using it too,” Ethan says.
“It’s pretty disrespectful,” Gale notes.
“Does it matter?” Ethan scoffs.
“‘Hey, Zombie, do you mind if I call you that instead of demon, hellspawn, undead, rotting corpse, or whatever else?'”
Gale nods.
“Do whatever you want.”
Ethan shrugs.
“If possible, could you teach your trade to as many people as you can?
I want as many qualified people as possible.” He looks her in the eye.
“No problem.
I can’t hand out diplomas, but training Kate and the other nurses to handle wounds and trauma won’t be hard.” – Gale nods, understanding that she is getting on in years—past sixty—and doesn’t know how much time she has left on this earth.
If she can train as many healthcare professionals as possible…
– “But I’ll need every book from the hospital library if I want them to become specialists in different fields.”
Ethan nods.
– “For now, make do with what you have.
When we go back to the hospital, it’ll be to officially convert one of the elementary schools into a dedicated hospital.”
Gale nods; she’s heard the stories.
– “You need a psychologist.”
Ethan raises an eyebrow and laughs.
– “Maybe in the future.
For now, I need my scrambled brains to keep moving forward.”
…
The rest of the nineteenth day of the apocalypse was uneventful; they continued their work, settling people in and clearing out zombies.
PART 2
Monday, September 13th.
Day 20 of the Apocalypse.
Ethan checks the Territory’s status; the number of people under his influence—those loyal to or willing to accept his leadership—has reached 208, unlocking an additional Ally Slot.
The number of combatants has risen from 41 to 68; Ethan aims to reach 100 by September 15th.
The total number of survivors linked to his community stands at 343.
Interestingly, new upgrades have appeared—not due to the level-up itself, but because he now has a doctor.
[Healing Touch (I)]: With a doctor present, medical care is assured, and nurse efficiency increases by 10%.
Survivors within the territory recover base health 3% faster.
(1 Point)
He purchased this upgrade; it boosts nurse efficiency—likely including their learning rate—and provides a 3% increase in the rate of health recovery.
In other words, they will recover from wounds and fatigue 3% faster.
Is it a small amount?
Yes, but we are talking about over 300 people.
Even if it were only 1%, Ethan would still buy it.
He plans to expand further and further in the future; soon there will be 1,000 people, then 10,000, and the numbers will keep growing.
…
Ethan has strategically deployed new forward outposts across the city, effectively allowing him to track the locations of all remaining zombies, hidden survivors, and surviving animals.
The combination of these upgrades and his [Map] becoming “smarter” has more than quintupled the efficiency of clearing out the city.
“We’re almost done clearing the town; all that’s left is raiding houses for supplies and rescuing anyone still alive…” Clark trails off, wary of the implications of that last part.
“I know.” Ethan nods.
He is currently meeting with Elijah, Jerome, Kenny, Clark, Bianca, Gale, and a few other key figures in the community.
Lee Everett is there as well.
“I’m heading out soon.
We need more people—specifically, soldiers and leaders,” Ethan says.
“What do you mean?” Elijah raises an eyebrow.
“Are you planning to recruit more deserters?”
“No.
I wouldn’t even know where to start.” Ethan shakes his head.
“During the chaos on the road, I remember seeing Shane—he’s a deputy sheriff from the neighboring county.
I recall him being strong, a good shot, and decisive.
I have a rough idea of where he might have gone during the escape, and knowing him, he’s likely leading at least a dozen people—maybe more.
And if I’m right, he might be with Rick’s family.”
“Rick?
The cop who was in a coma?” Bianca asks; Clark, standing beside her, nods.
“If Shane got lucky, he’s gathered some good fighters.
We aren’t short on those, but the more the better—plus, he’s reliable.
I can go get him and be back in a day or two,” Ethan notes.
“And another solo mission, too.” Bianca rolls her eyes.
“Does he do this a lot?” Gale asks; until yesterday, he had thought Ethan was just a soldier or a general, not the leader of hundreds of people.
“Yes!” almost everyone says without hesitation.
“Do you realize that, technically, you’re the heart of this community?
If you die, you’ll create a massive power vacuum, and—as you never tire of saying—the current world brings out the worst in people,” Gale points out, his gaze steady.
Ethan is taken aback by the sudden reprimand.
“And I thought Bianca was the only one with the guts for this.” He chuckles softly.
“Well, I get it, but that’s exactly why I like doing these solo missions.
I don’t want to be the center of it all; I’m helping rebuild a city, and I’m leaving decent, trustworthy people in charge.” As he says this, he glances at Clark and Jerome, then at Elijah and Kenny.
“I don’t want to be the heart of the operation—even if I am an important, irreplaceable cog in this machine.
I want to share tasks and authority as much as possible; I don’t want to be a dictator or a king.”
His words leave everyone taken aback.
“That said, since it’s a sure thing that I’m going to look for Shane and whoever makes up his group tomorrow, I want to talk about the next plan,” Ethan says seriously.
“Transporting the shipping containers and then using the metal panels for the walls once they’re dismantled?” Lee asks.
“That’s the crucial part, but we still need to clear the roads to the port where the containers are stored.
We’ll likely have to get past hundreds of zombies along the way.
But that’s not all—we should be starting this in about ten days, and I’m talking about weapons, military vehicles, and potentially tons of supplies and fuel.” Ethan speaks calmly, and everyone watches him with curiosity.
Ethan displays a map of the region and slowly points to a spot.
“This is where the CDC headquarters in Atlanta is located—just a few hours’ drive away.
I plan to launch a major expedition there.
We’ll take as many vehicles and as much personnel as we can without compromising the community’s safety.”
“It’s probably crawling with military,” Elijah says.
“I know because I was there; a massive military camp had been set up on-site.”
“True, but it was likely evacuated or overrun by the dead.
They abandoned Atlanta, so I doubt they’re still guarding the CDC.
Besides, that place is a fortress—bulletproof glass, walls anywhere from half a meter to a meter thick.
It’s impossible for zombies to break in,” Ethan says calmly.
Elijah scratches his chin.
“Yeah, you’ve got a point.
Even if we only scavenge what’s left behind, there should still be plenty of military-grade weaponry.
And if the vehicles aren’t damaged, we’ll have some serious hardware on our hands.”
“Today is September 13th—exactly twenty days since the apocalypse began.
I want to launch this operation around day twenty-four or twenty-five, before the CDC blows up,” Ethan says.
“Blows up?
What?!” Clark shouts in confusion, and the others stare at him; even Elijah looks puzzled.
“We’re talking about one of the CDC’s primary facilities—a place where they research and even create all kinds of viruses and diseases.
Inside, there are things far worse than the zombie virus that’s tormenting us and destroyed our world.
Anything that gets out of there could easily wipe out the human race several times over.”
“And you want to take our people there?” Kenny stares at him.
“Obviously,” Ethan smiles.
“The place is a cutting-edge laboratory; they’re surely researching a cure—that’s what they do.
They create biological weapons with the aim of developing cures and neutralizers, so that if terrorists ever used them, they’d have the means to prevent the worst-case scenario.”
“So it’ll be safe—I’m certain of that.
But the lack of electricity means they’re running on industrial generators, which burn through a lot of gasoline.
In other words, the place is rigged to blow once it’s no longer sustainable.”
“But it’s a bunker; it must have emergency supplies capable of feeding fifty people for years.
Not to mention properly stored fuel drums—that would be perfect for us.
And there are scientists there; if we can get them on our side, we’ll have some of the 21st century’s greatest minds helping us—producing better fuel for our vehicles.
What we have now will only last a few months; even if we ration it, that doesn’t change the fact that fuel degrades over time.”
Many nod, grasping the logic.
“We have everything to gain, and if my predictions are right, they should have months’ worth of fuel.
If we can negotiate with the people inside and recruit them to our community—since we’re rebuilding civilization here and will need them—we’ll gain access to supplies that could sustain us for months, even if the number of survivors under our care doubles.”
“And then there’s the weaponry and ammunition they’ve almost certainly got stockpiled in the bunker’s armories.
That’ll be enough for us to raid the city silos, or the facilities of mega-corporations and large farms.
If the military was smart—and they certainly were—they would have set up checkpoints and refugee centers wherever there’s food.” — Ethan points out, and Elijah nods.
“I know a unit was sent to secure Holland, but that’s all I know.” – Elijah says.
“It’s enough.
If we’re lucky, we might find hundreds of survivors and decent soldiers still guarding the place.
Worst-case scenario: hundreds of zombies plus military gear—but after a few days of clearing them out, we’ll have access to thousands of tons of grain.
That’s more than enough to get us through this winter, and enough to last until the end of next year while we rebuild and restructure our farms.”
Everyone nods; Ethan speaks with a natural ease and certainty that are contagious.
No one wants to interrupt him; it’s as if he were a prophet—everyone understands and accepts what he says as absolute truth.
Ethan smiles and nods.
“Well, we still have to finish clearing the town and checking the houses.
I’ll join in for a few more hours, but then I’m going to sleep—I’m starting to get tired—and I’ll head out early tomorrow morning to look for Shane.”
PART 3
Ethan ends another day exhausted, his hands stained with the blood of the living.
He spent the last few hours looting houses; thanks to his automatic, infinite-capacity keyring, he possesses a vast array of keys and can unlock multiple homes without difficulty.
He skips the ones where the owners are still inside—whether alive or dead.
Instead, Ethan enters through windows or upper-story access points, subdues anyone isolated within, provides food and water to those in need, and alerts his team.
Vehicles arrive, accompanied by a nurse to assess the situation, give the green light, and transport the people to safety.
As night falls, Ethan gazes out at the sepulchral darkness.
Even moonlight is useless.
He has adapted and can see quite well in the dark, but ordinary people—those who aren’t aberrations like him—would be utterly lost.
But Ethan has [Radar Sense], so eyesight hardly matters.
And it is at night that evil tends to rear its head.
Ethan visited locations marked by blue dots, finding the kind of scum he wants to purge—and purging them he did.
The death toll surpassed 330 by the end of the day.
He gained another level and wasted three stat points; no “10” appeared in the draw.
“At least my inventory capacity increased,” he thinks, smiling.
He can now store over 5.6 tons in his inventory.
He can easily store vehicles, enough supplies to last him years, a mobile arsenal, and much more.
“Imagine having this in a world without an apocalypse…
I could become a transporter of sorts.
If I were a criminal, I’d haul weapons and drugs, making millions in no time.” He chuckles bitterly; the possibilities are endless.
His gaze falls upon the mission: Eradicate the Plague.
It is clear he needs to kill a million zombies.
But what kind of reward requires such a massive death toll?
Ethan gives it some serious thought and reaches a logical conclusion: It’s a game.
It’s clear that this is some sort of game for the cosmic entities that sent him to this lost world.
They must be getting a kick out of his psychological suffering and his ongoing successes.
“Go ahead and entertain yourselves, you sons of bitches.
I swear, if I ever get the chance, I’ll put a bullet in every one of your heads.”
(Author: You hear that, readers?
He wants to kill you.)
…
Back home, Ethan tosses aside his sweat- and blood-soaked clothes, catching a brief glimpse of himself in the mirror.
“Holy shit, I look damn hot.”
“I never get tired of looking at this body,” Bianca says, smiling provocatively as she moves closer.
“I admit, it’s hard to look away.” Ethan laughs; perhaps a narcissism Trait will awaken in the near future.
“Good thing this body is mine alone to savor.” Bianca tugs at his pants and rises onto her tiptoes to kiss him.
Their tongues intertwine, and Ethan’s hands grab her firm, perky backside, slipping past the fabric to make direct contact, revealing her soft, pale glutes.
The kiss grows more intense and audible, punctuated by soft gasps for air.
Ethan’s belt comes undone, revealing a striking bulge.
Bianca’s breasts stand firm and perky.
Ethan grabs her, kissing her chest as he lifts her up and carries her to the bedroom.
Their naked bodies collide; moans echo through the room, and the bed shakes violently, practically waving a white flag in surrender.
Soon, it is Bianca who is surrendering, her eyes rolling back in pure ecstasy as Ethan ravages and dominates her like no man ever has before.
Bianca realizes that with every session, Ethan becomes more dangerous; he is learning her weak spots and using them against her.
But he soon stops thinking, for he faints from sheer ecstasy.
<><><><><><><><><><>
Silence finally settles over the room as the sweat dries and Bianca sleeps soundly, exhausted by the Deputy Sheriff’s relentless vigor.
Ethan rises silently, walks to the window, and watches the first gray rays of dawn on Day 21 begin to cut through the mist over Jackson Town.
He puts on his clean tactical uniform, adjusts the metal badge on his chest, and walks to the black pickup truck parked in his garage.
The engine roars in the morning silence.
<><><><><><><><><><>
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