Gunfire still echoed through the hallways as Task Force Oga, under Brix's lead, continued to clear the area of tro Doctors Hospital. The mission was clear, eliminate all MB Infectees and rescue any uninfected survivors.
Soldiers moved swiftly, efficiently clearing the ground floor through the sixth. But then, an urgent order ca through from Field Marshal Roxas, halting them in their tracks.
"Eliminate all teor Survivors."
Brix's blood ran cold as the command crackled through his earpiece. All the teor Survivors they had rescued were unhard and uninfected. The initial instruction was only to separate the teor Survivors from other uninfected survivors upon rescue.
He hesitated before responding, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sir, are you certain about this? They are not infected," he reconfird. There were even children among those teor Survivors.
"The order is clear, Field Commander," Roxas reiterated, his tone unwavering. "Eliminate all potential threats, including the teor Survivors. Once they die, they turn into monsters. Ensure a fatal shot to the brain... no exceptions."
"But..." He exhaled shakily, struggling to form words.
"Is there a problem, Field Commander?" Roxas asked, his voice edged with suspicion.
"Sir, we need further details on why we need to eliminate them," he demanded.
"We sent the video copy. Watch it, and you'll understand how dangerous they could be," the Field Marshal said. Right then, his man showed him the video clip.
Brix swallowed hard. He also had a confidential and direct order from the president earlier to rescue her daughter, who was also among the teor Survivors inside this hospital. This new order complicated everything.
Brix clenched his jaw while watching the video. He took a deep breath and then said, "Sir, we'll proceed as instructed."
"Good," Roxas' voice crackled through the radio. "Keep us updated on the situation."
Brix tightened his grip on his rifle. "Understood, Sir!"
Switching channels on his radio, he addressed his n. "Escort all uninfected survivors outside the barricade to the paradics. Keep the teor Survivors underground contained."
"Roger, Commander!" His unit responded in unison from different floors.
His radio buzzed with sudden updates.
"Sixth floor, east wing - clear."
"North wing - clear."
"West and south wings - clear."
Brix took a deep breath, pushing aside his unease. "Move out. We're heading to the seventh floor."
"Commander," his lieutenant, Leo, called from behind. "Why are we hesitating on the teor Survivors? The order was clear, shouldn't we eliminate them first?"
The Field Marshal had said they would only turn once they died. Right now, all the teor Survivors they had rescued were alive and unhard, aning they weren't an imdiate threat.
"They're not the priority right now, Leo," the captain replied, his tone firm. "Ti is running out. We need to focus on rescuing more survivors instead of executing people who aren't even infected. Every second we waste here, more lives are at risk because of the Infectees."
Without waiting for a response, Brix led his team toward the fire exit and up the stairs.
The mont they stepped onto the seventh floor, they froze. Their jaws clenched at the sight before them, bodies of MB Infectees littered the hallways, their heads smashed open, blood pooling around them.
"What the hell...?" Brix muttered, gripping his rifle tighter.
At the end of the corridor, a man stood with his back to them, gripping a bloodied axe.
The stranger shifted slightly, and Brix snapped into action. "Don't move! Hands up, now!" he barked, raising his weapon.
*****
Theo's breath ca in ragged gasps as he faced the soldiers blocking the hallway, their rifles aid squarely at him.
"Aren't you here to help survivors?" he called out, his voice hoarse. "Then why are you pointing your guns at one?"
"Identify yourself. Na," a soldier demanded.
"Theodore Luther," he answered, keeping his stance firm.
One of the soldiers checked a tablet handed to him, scanning the information before turning to another. "Private Claire, give him a gray tag."
A female soldier with a dical box stepped forward. "Are you wounded?"
"No," Theo replied, watching as she secured a gray tag around his wrist.
His frown deepened. Ergency triage didn't use gray tags, at least, not in any system he knew of. "What's this for?"
"Standard triage procedure," she answered curtly.
Theo's suspicion grew. "Pretty sure non-urgent cases are marked white, not gray."
The soldier who had first spoken stepped closer, his gaze flicking to the bloodied axe in Theo's grip. Theo glanced at the na tag on his uniform, Field Commander Brix Miller.
"Did you kill them all?" Brix asked.
Theo exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. My sister's on this floor. I wasn't about to let those things spread the infection and put us both at risk."
Brix didn't respond imdiately. Instead, he signaled his n to secure the premises and begin escorting survivors from the upper floors to the ground level.
Theo watched quietly, his eyes narrowing as he noticed sothing unsettling, those with gray tags were being separated from the rest of the survivors.
Then-
"Theo!"
Aries' voice rang out as she rushed toward him, throwing her arms around him in a trembling embrace.
"Theo, I finally got through to Mom's hospital. She... she was hit by the teorites." Her voice wavered. "The hospital said they couldn't reach last night, so they contacted Dad. But Theo... Mom isn't there anymore."
Theo's chest tightened. "What? Where is she?"
Aries swallowed hard, her grip tightening. "They said Dad signed so papers, and she was transferred to another facility for monitoring. But they wouldn't tell where. I tried calling Dad, but his phone is off."
Theo clenched his jaw. 'What the hell was going on?'
Brix, who had been observing them, suddenly barked orders. "Get the uninjured survivors downstairs now."
A soldier approached Aries. "Miss, you need to co with us." Theo gently pushed her toward them. "Go with them, Aries."
Aries grabbed his arm. "Let's go together."
The Lieutenant shook his head. "He can't. Gray tags stay behind. Only uninfected survivors without direct contact with the teorites are being evacuated first."
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