Theo tightened his grip on his axe, thinking another wave was coming, but instead, shadows erged from hiding. Survivors.
A woman stood with a dirt-covered child clinging to her leg. An older man limped nearby, one hand braced on a broken broom handle. Two teenagers stood close behind, gripping makeshift weapons, tal rods and a kitchen knife wrapped in cloth. Their eyes were wary, faces hollow with exhaustion, but there was a flicker of relief as they looked at Theo.
Theo exhaled slowly, wiping sweat from his brow. "You’re safe," he said softly. "For now."
The child peeked at him before hiding behind the woman’s skirt again. The old man gave Theo a slow, shaky nod of gratitude.
"Listen carefully. Head straight down the road until you reach the west checkpoint. There’s a small patrol gate there, not the main entrance."
He pointed in the direction they ca from.
"You’ll see a yellow triangle painted on a tal panel near the wall. That’s the service hatch, look for it. Wait nearby."
The woman nodded quickly, clutching her child. The older man gave a silent thumbs-up, and the group began moving in the direction Theo pointed.
Then, without wasting ti, Theo activated his comms. "Brix, I’ve got survivors heading to the auxiliary gate at the west checkpoint, an older man, a woman with a child, and two teens. They’re on the move now."
***
Outside the barrier, Commander Brix gave a rare, wide smile as he started barking orders. "Call the AMSO dical team. Tell them we have survivors coming out!"
One of his soldiers hesitated. "But sir... won’t there be a problem? Won’t they question how the survivors got out without AMSO clearance?"
Brix didn’t flinch. "They ca from the periter. Routine patrol found them during a sweep. That’s the report."
"But-"
"Discretion clause," Brix cut in firmly. "We’re authorized to act in ergencies. If anyone asks, we followed protocol. Our job is to stop the infected from spreading, not to let bureaucracy slow down rescue."
The soldier straightened. "Yes, sir."
The AMSO dical team soon arrived at the periter and began triaging the survivors. After confirming they weren’t infected, the team coordinated with a hospital ambulance to transport them safely.
Curious, Aries stepped outside to check on the commotion. That’s when a familiar voice called out.
"Aries?"
She turned, and her eyes widened. "Beatrice?!" she gasped.
Without hesitation, the two won ran into each other’s arms, hugging tightly.
Beatrice had always been like an older sister to Aries. Their families were close, and Beatrice’s mother had worked as their family cook for years. Aries also knew one more thing, Beatrice had been Theo’s first love since they were kids.
"I’m so glad you’re okay!" Beatrice said, gripping her hands. "Is Theo with you? I’ve been so worried. When I found out Rey and his gang filed that case, I begged my parents to help him. But then... your apartnt was suddenly empty. We didn’t hear anything from you or your family. I thought sothing happened."
Aries gave her a reassuring smile. "Oh, Theo’s fine. He’s actually-"
A loud, deliberate cough ca from behind them.
Commander Brix.
Aries froze and quickly pressed her lips shut, realizing she’d almost said too much.
"So... where is Theo?" Beatrice asked, a small frown forming on her face.
"Oh, he’s at ho right now," Aries replied quickly. "We moved here to the province recently. It’s kind of a long story." She forced a smile, then shifted the conversation. "What about you? Why are you here?"
That’s when Aries noticed the uniform Beatrice was wearing the AMSO research team badge was clearly visible on her chest.
"Oh! I’m part of the AMSO research team now," Beatrice said proudly. "I ca to this zone to help with interviews and collect samples. I was nearby when the dical team received word about the survivors, so I tagged along. I wanted to see if I could be of any help... and to check on the survivors, of course."
Then she asked, "Why are you here?"
Aries turned to see Commander Brix, his brows slightly raised. Then she let out a nervous chuckle. "Oh, I’m here with a friend." She quickly gestured toward Calix, who was walking toward them.
"This is Calix," she said, introducing them. "He’s a friend of Commander Brix."
Then she added quickly, "He heard there might be survivors here, and since so of his friends were reported missing, we thought we’d check it out. He’s a police officer too, so we figured maybe he could help... if needed. I’m a nurse too, rember?"
The lie slipped out faster than she’d intended, and Aries swallowed hard, hoping Beatrice didn’t catch the hesitation. Theo was still inside the Red Zone and if anyone found out, both he and Commander Brix could be in serious trouble.
"Let’s catch up later. I need to check on the survivors first," Beatrice said with a kind smile.
Aries nodded, staying close behind. She trailed quietly as Beatrice approached the triage area and began interviewing the rescued group. Aries kept her distance, pretending to check her tablet, but her ears were tuned to every word.
"How did you manage to reach the exit?" an AMSO mber asked the older man.
"There was a man," the man answered hoarsely. "We didn’t expect anyone, but he just appeared and... took down all the monsters we were hiding from. Cleared the path and told us to head straight to the exit."
"A man?" Beatrice repeated, curiosity creeping into her voice.
Aries tensed, then quickly stepped in. "Ah, there must’ve been a teor Survivor who got trapped inside when the zone went into lockdown," she said smoothly. "After all, not all AMS signed up yet for AMSO."
Beatrice glanced at her, thoughtful but not suspicious. Others nearby nodded.
"That’s a relief," one AMSO responder murmured. "If soone’s already inside helping, maybe there’s still hope to rescue more survivors, especially since AMSO hasn’t deployed a sweep team here yet."
Aries exhaled silently, relief washing over her. She hoped they wouldn’t ask anything more because the man they were talking about was Theo. And he wasn’t supposed to be there.
Suddenly, Theo’s voice ca through on Commander Brix’s radio.
Brix’s expression shifted, and he imdiately stepped aside to take the call. Aries quickly followed, sensing it was sothing urgent.
Before they got far, a soldier ran up to them, out of breath.
"Sir! More survivors are heading toward the auxiliary gate at the west checkpoint!"
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