The small shuttle landed at the edge of a city reduced to rubble. Only a few feet away, there was a tunnel entrance that was hidden behind a large oleander bush; since no gardeners tended the vegetation, nature was reclaiming itself. Its white blooms blanketed the area with a soft perfume.

The sun beat down as the wind blew through the rubble, creating a whistling sound through the large rocks and the remains of buildings destroyed in the invasion. Heat rose as the rubble baked in the afternoon sun.

The wide door of the shuttle opened, and the long ramp lowered to the ground. The search team walked down the ramp, stopping at the bottom to scan the debris for danger or life. There was no movement. No life to be seen.

Their team was tasked with finding zombies and bringing them back to the dome to clean their blood of toxins. The secondary goal was to test the tranquilizer Medic Kaul was attempting to develop. Its purpose was to bring the zombies into the dome safely, preventing anyone from getting infected by the toxins.

A gust of wind blew suddenly, bringing the smell of toxins with it. It came from near the oleander bush, mixing with its fragrant blossoms. One of the men in the team pulled out a tranquilizer gun, ready to shoot the first zombie that would show itself. The Walker sisters, Merrick, and Rask's mates had ensured one was provided; the darts were filled with a strong tranquilizer so the search team could bind the zombies they encountered safely. They wanted the medic to attempt to remove the toxins from the zombies' bloodstream, making them ordinary humans again.

Seeran, in charge of the search, advanced towards the thick oleander bush armed with a blaster and a machete, as advised by Merrick.

One of his men pulled the thick branches of the bush back to one side, revealing the hidden tunnel entrance. The stench of the toxins seeped out of the partially opened door of the tunnel system. It had been left open by merely a few centimeters. It was just enough space for the stench of toxins to escape its confines.

"Be on guard," Seeran ordered his men. "That toxic odor you're smelling is zombies." He had seen how dangerous zombies were. Unfortunately, those in his search team had no experience dealing with them. If they had been experienced, they would have brought more than blasters.

Each of Seeran's men took out their blasters, ready to shoot, while Seeran kicked the tunnel door open, causing it to slam loudly onto the cement wall of the tunnel; it echoed deep inside the tunnel system.

With Seeran in the lead, they stepped inside, then slowly followed the long corridor of the tunnel. They slowly walked, watching for signs of danger as they followed the toxic odor through all the twists and turns of the tunnel system. They didn't see anything. With each door they found, they opened it. There were several doors along the tunnel. Each one had to be kicked open to peer inside. They were all empty. They only had a few more to go. There had to be zombies somewhere inside; the stench was strong, and the deeper they entered the tunnel system, the stronger it became.

Turning on the last curve of the tunnel, there were three zombies huddled around a door. They were hunched over, staring at the closed door, waiting in silence as if they were waiting for the door to open for them. One of Seeran's men took out the tranquilizer gun, aiming it carefully. It was already loaded. He pointed it at the first zombie and shot. The tranquilizer dart shot through the air, slamming into one of the waiting zombies. A soft thud sounded as it hit solid flesh.

To their astonishment, it had the opposite effect. Instead of knocking the zombie out, it made it more aggressive.

With the zombie's eyes dilated due to the tranquilizer from the dart, he turned and headed for Seeran and his team. Its wide eyes were focused on the group of fresh meat. The other two followed behind him. There was nothing he and his team could do but shoot their blaster, trying to prevent them from getting too close. It was heading their way, and it was dangerously aggressive. Far more aggressive than usual. He needed to tell Kaul the terrifying result; If he survived, of course.

Seeran was the only one with a machete. As his men shot at the zombies with their blasters, Seeran hacked them as best as he could in close quarters with his machete. The narrow tunnel made it difficult to maneuver as they fought. He was having difficulty getting into the right position to slice at the neck.

"Aim for the throat," Seeran breathed as he hacked through the neck of his second zombie. "And try not to get their blood on you or get bitten!" He knew those in his team didn't know enough about the zombies. He had to advise during the battle so they wouldn't get infected by the toxins. They were all shooting at the last zombie, with little to no result.

The sound of blaster fire echoed through the tunnel as Seeran's men shot their blasters, trying to neutralize the zombie they were shooting at. The grunts and groans came from Seeran as he used as much force as possible to decapitate the zombie trio. He was now heading to the last one to help his team.

Once the last one had fallen, the team looked at the door where the three zombies had been huddled. It was the only one left in the tunnel system that they still needed to check.

Seeran went to the door, attempting to twist the handle; it was locked.

Seeran looked at his team. "Be ready. I don't know what's on the other side of that door."

The team nodded, then Seeran used his blaster to blast through the lock. The door flew open, hanging limply.

Carefully walking inside, he peered around the room. His team followed behind. The only thing in the room was a small cot with a pitifully emaciated figure lying on the bed. It was a young girl in her late teens or early twenties. Because of her sickly appearance, he couldn't tell.

"They must have been waiting for the girl to exit," observed one of his men.

Seeran agreed inwardly as he gazed at the young girl. She was thin and frail, resembling a skeleton, with skin stretched tightly around her tiny frame.

"This is the last room, sir. What do we do now?" one of his men asked.

Seeran checked on the girl for signs of life. Finding her breathing weak, her pulse faint, he carefully picked her up. It shocked him when he discovered she was so light he could barely feel her weight. "She must have been trapped in here, unable to leave for supplies with zombies outside her door," he stated. "It's the only explanation."

His team nodded in agreement as they walked back out of the tunnel system and toward their shuttle. When Seeran entered the shuttle, the girl in his arms moaned in pain. He looked down at her, worried for her safety. Her eyes opened slowly. When he gazed at her, her brown eyes widened before closing slowly; she was unable to keep them open. She didn't have enough strength. Seeran realized he had found his mate, and she desperately needed a medic. He wasn't sure how much longer she would last without one.

Seeran swallowed hard, a lump of grief forming in his throat. He had found his mate, and she was dying. He called up to the pilot. There was a tinge of panic in his tone. "She needs a medic. Go back to the dome. Have your co-pilot call for Medic Kaul. He's the only one I trust with her." He stated.

The co-pilot looked at Seeran with a question in his eyes as the pilot flew the shuttle toward the dome. "Is she your mate?" He asked. "You seem to be protective of the girl."

Seeran looked at the co-pilot and then at the pilot before scanning the rest of his men. "She is my mate. I didn't know until I looked into her eyes; when I did, I knew immediately. I can tell that she felt it, too. I saw her realize it. It was in her eyes when she looked at me."

The pilot nodded, then turned to the shuttle's control panel, accelerating the shuttle to arrive quickly. It took only moments for it to fly through the air and head back toward the dome city. They had to wait for the dome to open before they could enter, causing Seeran to tense, worry in his gaze as he looked down at his fragile mate.

In Seeran's arms, the girl stirred. He could tell that she was weak and in pain. He hoped he found her in time, because of her fragile condition, he was afraid she could die at any moment.

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