Birds scattered into the sky above Bion City as winds tore through the leaves of the trees at the other side of the bridge like sea waves.

Branches curled, pouring out squirrels of different sizes that dashed into other holes at the stalks of other trees.

Leaves fell with the rhythm of the wind and crashed to the ground like snow, paving the way for the women moving slowly through the woods.

The ground shook as two children stopped a few meters away from their mothers and turned.

"Mom, a car is coming," the boy with a scar on his chin said, pointing toward the direction of the road ahead.

When the ladies turned to the direction the boy pointed to, another two children broke free from their parents' grip and stopped in the middle of the road, waving.

As the headlight of the vehicle fell on the two girls standing at the center of the road, a beeping sound echoed.

One girl dashed out from the road, while the other, with light brown hair, stood there, neglecting the warning car horn sound.

Immediately, as the car closed in on the girl, the ladies standing closer to the trees at the side of the road covered the children's eyes and turned them, letting their backs face the girl.

A chill ran down their spines when they heard a tyre rumbling sound echo, followed by a heavy wind that moved across their faces, raising the strands of hair flowing over their faces.

One by one, they cracked their eyes open, and when they saw no gap between the girl and the headlight of the car, one short lady with huge watery eyes loosened her grip on a five-year-old boy and shot forward.

When she reached the girl's side, she grabbed her to her chest and moved her from the front of the car, then joined those already standing there in shock.

"WTF!" a loud voice erupted from the car as the door at the driver's side opened. From within the car, a brown-haired lady appeared, dressed in a long doctor's cloak.

"What was that?" she said as she walked slowly toward the hood of the car. She bent down, peeked her head under, and checked whether she'd rolled over something.

But as she tilted her head and saw a few children and ladies standing by the roadside, almost as if wanting to merge themselves with the trees, her eyes opened wide.

"I'm so sorry," the brown-haired lady said, moved hastily toward those at the side, and then bowed to them sincerely.

"Did I hit any of you?" she asked in a down-tone voice that echoed like a snowflake in the air.

There, a seven-year-old girl hiding behind one of the ladies moved out, her face filled with shock.

The brown-haired lady's face tensed as the girl neared her. "I'm sorry, did you get hurt?"

She placed her palms on the girl's scattered hair, brushed the girl's face for any sign of a wound, then her entire body.

And when she saw blood on the back of the girl's palm, the brown-haired lady rushed into her sleek black car and pulled out a first aid box.

She walked back to the ladies and the children, cleaned all the blood spots from both the kids and the ladies, then cleaned her palms as well.

"Where are you from, or going that you were all drenched with traces of blood?" the brown-haired lady asked, her voice softening into a calm tone.

"We… we are citizens of Bion City," the short lady with watery eyes moved forward, "…but the city is now home for dead humans."

"I see," the brown-haired lady said, her face tensing as she nodded twice.

"Sorry, my name is Lena," she added. "I'm a doctor from the central city of Westeros. It's good I met you guys. I was called two days ago to come to the city as mentioned, but got lost on my way."

The brown-haired lady sighed, then brushed her palms across her face.

"So, as you've abandoned your city, where are you going then?" she tilted a confused gaze at all the ladies' faces.

"We, we are just moving on to the nearby city," the short lady came in, stopping Lena's gaze.

"If you want, I can call the office to let them come and transport you to the central city," Lena murmured, her tensed face vanishing as her words ended.

At that instant, all the ladies and the kids bowed to Lena, worshiping her.

"Thank you… thank you very much… we will be grateful if you call them to come for us."

All twenty ladies whispered the same statement over and over again, while the kids tightened their grips on the backs of the ladies as the branches of the trees in the far distance behind them moved sideways.

…

Meanwhile, inside the moving stream under the bridge at the front of Bion City's wall, separated parts—hands, legs, noses, fingers, and torn skin—moved, floating at the surface.

At a far distance from the wall, seven meters away from the small waterfall, a young guy paddled his arms hastily as he tried to pull himself away from the five zombified humans chasing him in the water.

A scream tore out from the stream, making birds burst from the branches of the trees at the side of the stream.

At the front and inside the walls of the city, a few zombified humans walked, slowly dragging themselves from the ground and entering open doors and windows.

Glass-shattering sounds echoed a few minutes after some of the zombified humans walked out of the opened doors of the green building, sickening green liquid dripping from their fractured mouths.

Their jagged teeth glittered as the moon's rays fell on their wretched faces.

Beside the trash bins at the side of the alley leading to the barracks, torn newspapers floated as a soft wind shoved them up.

From the road trodden into the city through the wall, car engine sounds echoed, followed by roars as a sleek black car shoved its way through the zombified humans.

The car dodged, rolled over, and crunched several zombies but never stopped moving.

And when it turned and moved past the trash bins at the side of the green building, torn newspapers and discarded rubbers shot right up, spiraling like wheels.

When the car neared the walls of the barracks, where countless zombified humans were shoveling their way through the broken gate on the wall, it spiraled, letting its back slam and kick the zombified humans a few meters away.

Inside the sleek car, Lena smiled as she changed the gear and made the car move using its back. Her smile turned to dissatisfaction when green ichor kept splashing on the body of the car.

But as she moved in and saw the monument at the front of the abandoned dormitory, she closed her eyes and tightened her grip on the steering wheel as her face saddened.

At that moment, smoke filled the air like fog as the car stopped moving, yet the tyres kept rolling like a speeding turbine.

"Gray," she said, her voice echoing like a breeze. But as she cracked her eyes open, two drops of tears snaked down her cheeks to her chin.

"I'm sorry for going for too long," she added, stepped on the accelerator, and moved at godspeed, turning and turning until she reached another raised wall in the remote part of the barracks.

"They've really improvised," she smiled, exhaled, then pressed the horn button on the front side of the dashboard.

…

Inside the walls at the remote side of the barracks, Mike, Nich, and a few soldiers holding sword-like weapons marched at the front side of the gate, ready to slam down any unlawful visitor.

At the top of the wall, two broad-shouldered guys stood, peeking their heads over and scanning the side of the car, the back, and the road leading to the main building of the barracks.

"Open the door, it's not the military people!" both guys screamed, one after another, signaling the red-haired lady sitting by the remote controller of the door.

Mechanical chain-moving sounds echoed as the door moved upward, letting the silver reflection of the hood of the car on the other side of the wall reflect on their faces.

Immediately the door reached the top and stopped moving. Mike raised his right arm, signaling the driver in the car to stop moving, then moved forward.

Cracking sounds echoed around Mike as he, Nich, and two other soldiers neared the car.

As they stopped by the side of the car, their hearts hitched as the windows rolled down slowly.

Immediately, they saw only one person, a lone lady driving the sleek car. All four of them sighed heavily, letting their breaths turn into snow-like symbols on the top and sides of the car.

After giving the inner space of the car a thorough scan, Mike placed his right arm on the open window and stared at the lady sitting in the driver's seat with a death stare.

"Who are you, and what do you seek here?" Mike asked, his voice echoing in a loud and clear tone that resounded back to his ears.

"New rules. Sorry, I'm Lena. A doctor from the central city of Westeros," Lena responded, cooperating in a soft tone.

"What is your mission here?" Mike added, stiffening his gaze.

Seeing the guy's expression and hearing his voice, Lena smiled, then shook her head.

"I was called by your lab technician, Julie," Lena's voice came in crystal clear.

Mike's stare intensified, but as he was about to add another set of questions, footsteps echoed from the side of the open gate.

"Let her in!"

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