The Zombie Zone Act 2 Pt. 02

The sky's light faded with the shifting of colors. Not much was said on the hike to the outpost. They avoided hotspots, such as the highway ramps, supercenters, and college. The last part of the hike included the perimeter of the natural reserve. A few high-frequency motion sensors were camouflaged high up on trees. Each one they passed blinked red. In the dark, these blinks could be seen from miles away.

The outpost was situated in a campground, with an electrified fence surrounding the entire base of operations. Lookout towers were used for vantage points, the campgrounds were used for temporary military tents, refugee barracks, and a vehicle depot. Along the left side of the encampment were central command and officer tents. Beyond that point, aside from more forest, was the road that drove over the Hansel Dam. Therein, acting like a large lake of impurity, was the reservoir where it all started.

The dam provided a chokepoint. If retreat was necessary, or if a threat needed to be lined up, they could use the dam to their advantage. The trees and their canopy gave the company cover from aerial monsters and the larger, less dextrous zombies.

A couple of tents near the only other entrance to the encampment dealt with decontamination. After verifying themselves and being scanned, Damian's squad entered. The gear went through an extensive sanitization process. Meanwhile, clean fatigues were provided after decontamination.

Akira patted his rucksack when he handed it over to one of the hazmat leads, "Hey, Ivankov. Got some contraband I need through."

Ivankov moved the bag from the cleaning station to under a table. He said through the suit, "Twenty percent."

GR...

Akira knew the toll, but smirked, "Buddy, I have it in good faith that this thing is worth it. Let's bump it up to thirty."

Ivankov's eyes, barely seen through the translucent facemask, flashed. He played coy, "What contraband?"

"You're the man!" Akira continued through decontamination.

The men, women, and trans-woman were all separately undressed, washed, scrubbed, and monitored. Damian stared at the pooling water beneath his and the other men's feet. The revelation from Shijia haunted him.

Extinction or evolution?

"Are you going to report to LT before eating?" Peter asked Damian.

"I am."

"Good luck. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry for your loss," Peter imparted.

Damian didn't respond. The sanitation soap was sprayed off like strips of dirt. Afterwards, he showed some humanity, "Thank you."

Each of them received the green light, new clothes, and were allowed into the outpost. Akira snagged the convenient rucksack left near the exit and hoisted it on his back.

Campsite lanterns and military floodlights lit up the area as night took hold. The soldiers either chowed at the mess hall, practiced drills, patrolled, or maintained the camp. Alertness and readiness were paramount, even for those who took some R&R after long shifts or harrowing encounters. Medical staff provided attention to the refugees, but performed checkups on everyone else when time provided. Everything felt compact and close by design.

"I'm starving," Matthew rubbed his stomach while he eyeballed the longest tent in the middle of the campsite.

"When are we headed out again, Captain?" Lily asked. The group fell into formation in front of their leader.

"You'll have forty-eight hours of downtime. I'll brief you on our next step after I speak to the second-lieutenant. Dismissed," Damian saluted them.

They all mimicked and shouted, "Yes, Captain!"

Damian headed towards central command. The rest of the group dispersed. Olivia went to the medical tent, where prayers were allowed to take place every evening and morning. It was her ritual when they lost somebody.

"Wanna join us for dinner, Norse?" Akira asked.

"No, I'm going to bed. Gonna look at my family photos and not take them for granted," Peter declined. The images of the teenagers and Joko were fresh in his mind. He needed to cleanse. Everybody went their own ways.

Damian marched through the campsite on a mission. As he closed in on central command, the refugee quarters were to the right. He decided on a detour. He stopped at the two oversight officers and saluted, "Any update?"

"No, sir. Minors at three, adults at twelve. No new infected," one officer saluted.

Damian examined the civilian area. They were given four-person accommodations, each with their own bed. The children who didn't have any adults were given a relief officer to keep them company and safe. Damian then saw a young man, slumped next to his tent, and staring off into space. Time and inattentiveness put stubble on the man's face after the last two weeks. He absent-mindedly gripped his hand; a tick he'd been doing since they found him.

"How has he been?" Damian nodded to Theodore. The college student ate, showered, and changed clothes, but was despondent through and through.

The officer made a doubtful body gesture and pitied, "No, nothing. You're welcome to try."

Damian accepted the offer and marched towards Theodore. Theo stared forward, unaffected by the commander's presence. The clothes provided to him were off-kiltered in his slump; a winter jacket with a white vest and long black sleeves, as well as black jeans.

"Hey, it's me again, Damian Chaban. I wanted to check in and ask a couple questions," Damian kneeled to get on Theo's level. "What's your full name? Are you from this area?"

No response.

Damian glanced at the other civilians, "See them? Some of them helped us find one another. Without them, those people would be dead or worse. We want to help you."

No response.

Damian stared at him long enough for Joko to come to mind. The commander lowered his head and mentally cursed the situation.

Somebody belched and then erotically moaned. It bothered Damian to no end. He gradually looked over to the thorn in his side.

A woman sat up against the footboard of her bed inside the tent Theo slept in, legs parted and straight out. Handcuffs with a longer chain tied her to the bed, with the slack giving her limited range of the tent. Currently, she lounged with her arms held up by the chain. She wiggled her painted toes at the commander.

The woman exuded a druidic vibe. Her bare feet were darkened on the bottom by the caked-on dirt. Her long skirt and loose jacket were both patchwork with worn stitching. The cropped tank top showed off her midriff, proving that her bellybutton stud matched the studs under her lower lip. Multiple necklaces and wrist ornaments presented her interest in pebbles, mushrooms, beads, and cute knickknacks. Pink was her choice in hair color, though her hairstyle could use a brush or comb. In a haphazardous attempt to organize the wild, she had lackadaisically given herself a sidetail. Her eyes were a brilliant green, but had a natural lull to them, as if she was inebriated. She somehow combined a shit-eating grin with genuine kindness; it could befriend the grumpiest troll.

"Waddup, Cap? We missed ya."

Name: Natalie Rivera

Height: 5'3 Weight: 128lbs Age: 23

Hair: Pink playground

Body: Average on all fronts

"Quiet, I'm not talking to you," Damian averted his eyes.

"I know, but that means you're talking to a wall. A wall who doesn't want any of us around," Natalie stared at the back of Theo's head.

Damian glared at her, but she returned that darned smile. It pissed him off, "I'm taking my leave."

"Hey! How much longer until you take these off?" Natalie rattled her constraints. "As much as I like being babied, they are starting to leave a mark."

"After what you've done, you'll stay in those until this unit moves out," Damian answered.

"C'mon! You can trust me!" Natalie clapped her bare feet together.

"You vandalized one of our tanks."

"You mean vand-made it look hot as fuck-alized."

"You solicited sexual acts with military personnel."

"They never said no."

"You have a very long and arduous road ahead of you if you think it's fine to commit crimes against authorities," Damian stomped away. He was tired of her childishness.

"A hard life's worth living, my man," Natalie called after him. He didn't give her a response, so she gave up. She continued to pat her feet together, indulged in some ADHD distractions, and then landed on Theo again. A curiosity came to mind, "Who's Susan?"

'Miss me?'

A semblance of life focused Theo. He turned his head just enough to stare at Natalie with a hardened expression.

"Oooh, a reaction," Natalie felt that same spark of life. However, she didn't overdo it for his sake, "You talk in your sleep. You've said her name a couple times, so I figured she must be important. Guess I was right."

Theo stared for only a little bit, before returning to his original slump. He receded into his mind, but instead of continuously gripping for Susan's hand, he clenched his fist. The emotions beneath made him tremble.

Natalie leaned her head onto the bed's frame, "Aw, sorry, man. It's going to be okay."

Inside the mess hall, Damian's team found a cleared table in the corner to sit and eat. About forty Guardsmen were enjoying a hearty meal.

"So, Akira, what do you plan to do with that?" Matthew asked with a mouth full of green beans. He nodded at the bag set next to Akira's seat.

"Give me a night to sit on it," Akira didn't have the mental energy.

"Oh, I got something you can sit on," Matthew chuckled. Akira shoved the guy a bit, but the two laughed at their delinquency. Lily shook her head, but then caught something. A small spritz of mist drifted out of Akira's rucksack.

"What the..." Lily narrowed her eyes to hone in and test if she was just seeing things.

GRO...

"You good?" Matthew asked, noticing Lily's stillness. He laid a soft hand on her shoulder.

"I thought I saw..." Lily started to express concern. However, a hand groped her groin. It jolted her, but she froze when she saw that it came from under the table.

It was Pleasure, on all fours, with an expression of drunken lust. She rubbed the slight bulge with a smile. Lily leaned a little to cover up her action. She harshly asked, "Pleasure, what are you doing?"

Matthew couldn't believe it either, and scooted closer with his chair to provide cover.

Pleasure's facial expressions were to die for, "I told you this morning, remember? I want a nice, juicy sausage."

She wasn't even trying to hide it. Some soldiers started to murmur and look over. Lily, thwarted by embarrassment, put a hand on Pleasure's. Her stroking was beginning to feel good. Lily wouldn't be able to hide it. She told her, "We can't do that here. Get up."

Another hand joined the public fondling. It was Matthew this time, who cupped her face and tilted it sideways. It clicked the moment his lips met hers.

She wanted this, too.

Pleasure worked the front of Lily's pants open enough to reach in and pull the nearly erect girlcock out. They paused to examine it. The touch and attention turned Lily on. The clean shaved pubes made it appear even bigger. It gradually grew and pulsed to its full length. When it did, it brushed along Pleasure's upper lip and nose.

Pleasure petted the underside with a wet tongue. It slipped into her mouth and elated her taste buds. She tilted her head and rolled her eyes back like some sort of degenerate. Matthew pursued a sloppy make out, but his hand shifted places. It travelled under Lily's shirt and to her supple breasts. He squeezed and teased.

The enraptured seduction numbed Lily's mind. She opened her eyes to see the rest of the room. They weren't the only ones exploring their bodies. The whole mess hall was engaged with digging into trenches and polishing their rifles.

A select few didn't engage. They vibrated with formed fists and lowered heads. The sex noises made them twitch, or snap their heads to glare. In that split moment, Lily saw kaleidoscope eyes. Akira was one of these few. He didn't care about the threesome happening beside him.

Lily wanted to ask what was happening, but Matthew's tongue was practically in her throat. She had no choice but to deep throat it while Pleasure deep throated her cock.

"Give me your ass," Matthew unplugged Lily's throat. His tongue retracted into his mouth. It wasn't like the pronged tongues of the frog zombies. It was viscous and green, like a vine.

"Mmmkay," Lily fumbled to stand. It caused Pleasure to fall free, but even she was already into the idea of changing it up. All three of them removed their fatigues as fast as possible. Pleasure's supermodel body looked even more plump, like her hips and breasts expanded. Matthew's cock was an impressive twelve incher; something he didn't have before.

Lily kneeled on her chair. She leaned backwards into Matthew. He inserted his enlarged cock into her rear end. It caused her cock to flex and stiffen, and that's when Pleasure struck. She buried the girlcock back into her throat. Now, with every plow from Matthew, it jutted Lily forward and made her facefuck Pleasure.

The mess hall became a military orgy. From months-old privates to years-long veterans, they exercised their desires in a festering den of flesh and bodily fluids.

"This is amazing..." Lily droned. She stared down at Pleasure on all fours. Her jiggly butt and thin waist made an extra sexy heart-shape. The overstimulation in Lily's ass, on her cock, and in her sights drove her crazy. Matthew was mesmerized at her behind. He intentionally went slow to let her squeeze every inch as he moved in and out. Pleasure's lips were airtight, her hands fondled Lily and Matthew's balls with soft rubs, and her pussy dripped all over the floor. Her pupils warbled and shifted. The taste of Lily's precum turned her into an addict. She wanted to choke and die on her amazing cock.

The green sphere inside Akira's rucksack splintered. The fine dust expulsed from the openings filled the mess hall. After it cracked far enough, the sphere shattered into a plume of thick mist. It dispersed throughout and seized the minds of all who were present.

The orgy grew more and more wild. Pleasure's ankles were grabbed by two men and dragged away. They hung her upside down and sandwiched her between them. Other Guardsmen swarmed Lily and splayed her across the table. There were too many juicy men taking advantage of her. She loved the suffocation. Their curled smiles were deranged.

Akira stood up and approached one of the privates from behind. He plunged his dinner fork into their neck. He did it, over and over, with a mad glee. Others were just as violent. In unison, they gaped open their jaws and began feasting on their victims like cannibals.

GROW

The command permeated clearly throughout the corrupted minds of those in the mess hall. Akira, Lily, Matthew, and Pleasure's pupils turned into kaleidoscopic vortexes. They either perpetuated sex and the need to reproduce, or were driven to a maddened state of violence.

Outside, the corruption went unnoticed.

Inside central command, the vital space for quiet talks and strategy saw the creeping end to its use. Bunks were pushed to the side to make room for crates, chairs, a war table, and portable generators, computers, monitors, and lights. It wasn't messy, but it wasn't organized. The speed of which the zombie outbreak took place called for quick, and mostly difficult, decisions.

One of the chairs for the war table flew across the center. It missed Damian, who stood at attention near the front. It crashed against some crates and rattled to rest. The one who threw it pitched against the war table with downtrodden body language. The man wore his combat fatigues fitted to his old, yet firm form. The camo pattern had no fade, his beret rested on the table's corner, and golden shoulder epaulettes displayed his rank; double gold bars.

Grizzled, weathered, and grey; the old man's age was second to the sternness of his frown and eyes. Agony quaked the voice of the veteran, "Goddamn it all. I told you Jo wasn't ready..."

Name: Samuel Chaban

Height: 5'9 Weight: 173lbs Age: 60

Hair: Grey crew cut, with a well groomed beard and moustache

Body: Fit like forty

The grandfather fought the hole in his heart, "You should've never let him join your team. He never passed ROTC, for crying out loud!"

Damian took it on the chin, "We needed more hands, and he..."

"Jo is dead, Damian! The damn boy was too attached to his mother's teet ever since he was born! Some people are not built for this! It isn't cruel to tell them no!" Samuel's wrath came full force.

The tent entrance opened and a tall man ducked in. Square-jawed, combed blonde hair, and beady eyes; the man wore an officers fatigues, but lacked the gold bars. He held a notebook, folders, and two pens to his broad chest. The tension in the command room froze him after coming in. He awkwardly saluted, "Lieutenant Chaban, is this a bad time?"

Samuel glared daggers into his son. His response carried disappointment, "It's fine, Officer Irken. You're late."

"My apologies, sir. Had to hit the latrine," Irken stepped up next to Damian, who silently greeted him with a handshake and nod. Irken set aside the questionable atmosphere and took a seat at the war table. He laid out his items in a line. Damian's judgmental stare made him crack a grin, "Details are important in my line of work."

Damian corrected, "You usually place the pens above your notebook."

Irken gasped at the oversight. He made the correction and sighed, "Geez, if these zombies don't get me, the lack of sleep will."

"Let's begin today's overview," Samuel tossed two folders at them, one for each. They opened it up to a five-paper read. The meeting began with the usual review of Hansel, contagion reports, gains and losses, and objectives. In the midst of discussing the movements and activities of Anna Lisa Peck and the Freaks, Damian debriefed his team's mission and what they learned. Shijia and her internal investigation interested the lieutenant, but Damian didn't share the part about her hypotheses or the potential rogue X-Safari members who started all this. It was too soon to rule them in with little to no evidence.

They set this on the back burner to address the final point of the report. Damian asked about the company on the opposite end of the dam, "Any updates from the 121st?"

Irken peered over with a morbid expression. Samuel soured and said, "That's right, you've been in the field for three days. Yesterday morning, the entire north encampment was found destroyed."

"Destroyed?!"

"We're still investigating exactly when and how. It's too soon to tell if it was the Freaks, an outbreak, or foreign agents. All we can say is that it came from the inside. Their outer defenses were practically untouched," Samuel explained.

"A damn tragedy. One after another..." Irken slapped his folder down.

Samuel broke bigger news, "With that said, our Hansel operations are finished. We will be relocated to Washington until further notice."

"So quickly?" Irken paused his pen.

"In the last week, thirty six point four million Americans alone have died. In total, one hundred forty two million and some thousand lives have been ruined by multiple contamination spills. The number of those who changed, rose from the dead, or turned into Freaks is still pending. Our allies are not fairing any better. With the fall of the 121st company, we no longer have a fallback point. This unit is nothing more than a sitting duck."

The staggering number shook Damian and Irken's resolve. Damian knew not to inform his team or any lower-rank soldiers of the news. Yet, after spending a few days in Hansel, things have worsened rather than recovered. Response time and action were crucial in the first few days of a crisis, evidenced by Hansel's atrocious collapse.

Damian brought up Shijia's extinction and evolution hypotheses. With this came the revelation that everybody was infected. The atmosphere thickened and nobody spoke. Damian could see his father and Irken wrestling with it.

"And you didn't bring her in? We could've learned more," Irken sounded upset.

"X-Safari is cooperating with the government to aid the situation. Not to mention, I'd have no grounds to arrest her. Her permissions go even above mine," Damian defended his choice.

"There's obviously something going on and she'd be our best lead! The violence? The rape? I refuse to believe it's just random! It's bullshit, and she knows it! What did we even hire you guys for if not to aid us?!"

"You didn't hire us," Damian grew even more stern.

"Enough!" Samuel barked. "It is what it is. In times like these, the oath we swore is perhaps stretched beyond its establishment. Regardless of the ordeal, we have our orders. We all have our duty to uphold."

Samuel defused Irken, if not to help keep the room's temperature down.

"Was she even trustworthy? Their PR team is more than likely working in overdrive. Did she seem like she was lying?" Irken frantically asked. The powerless nature of the news disarmed his conduct.

"Can't say for certain. Could be red herrings to deter our attention," Damian hoped for the best.

"I don't even believe we're all contaminated. That's ridiculous; even chemical dilutes in enough water," Samuel argued.

"Yet the outbreaks and change are too random and spontaneous for us to ignore her words. Not yet, at least," Damian ushered. He knew if it were true, it'd go against his own personal beliefs. Samuel hated it, but nodded to Irken to make note of it. This gave the captain room to speak his mind, "In that regard, I have a request. My team and I would like to remain in Hansel. A fifth of Hansel's population is unaccounted for. There are positions we haven't scrubbed yet. Surely, there are civilians waiting for us."

"The Freaks and their leader, Haruta, have infested said areas. They've dismantled the police force and prison. Anna Lisa's acquisition of our shipments and downed cargo positions her as public enemy number one. The risk is too great. Even if you found survivors, evacuations have consistently proven impossible. The higher ups want us out; there's no need to send men into a blazing inferno," Samuel expressed tempered regret.

"I think you mean Lord Haruta," Irken sarcastically corrected.

"A pompous title for an egotistical maniac," Samuel sneered. "With or without the chemicals perpetuating such insanity."

Damian didn't give up, "Lieutenant, we were contracted for precision reconnaissance and extraction. I don't want that to be left by the wayside."

"Son, the world has ended," Samuel's tone shifted deeper. "Once this encampment is moved, you will be hundreds of miles from any reinforcement or communications. Any survivors you find will need to be extracted by your own accord. Your request is suicidal, not hopeful."

"I, as well as my team, have taken that into consideration. Yet our mission statement stands and we won't budge from it," Damian stayed his ground.

Samuel returned to the destabilized lieutenant from before, "You'd do it even if I didn't permit it. Fine, have it your way.

I'll be taking my leave to Washington. I expect to see you all there in the near future. You have your orders."

Samuel picked up his beret and stomped past the table. He left the tent, which Damian and Irken followed. Outside, Samuel stepped into a transport vehicle as it started. His transport convoy loaded up.

"Lieutenant Chaban," Irken saluted.

Samuel did the same, and then eyed Damian. The emotional tension irked the lieutenant. Damian's salute seemed shallow to him. He closed the distance to Damian, "I'm saying this as a father, not as a superior officer: do not allow my only son to die."

"Understood," Damian accepted the sign of love. Samuel took it one step further and squeezed his son's shoulder. With no more words, he entered the vehicle again. It crawled out of the encampment and across the dam.

"We're all afflicted, huh?" Irken stared at Samuel's leave. "Wait until the old lady hears about this."

Confusion dented Damian's stern countenance, "Isn't she deceased?"

Irken snapped his eyes to Damian, and then down to his wedding band. He cracked a nervous smile, "Yeah, well... will you believe that, with everything happening lately, I 'talk' to her. Brings me comfort. I can still hear her voice..."

Damian didn't judge, but couldn't relate. He stared at the officer as he fiddled with the ring and became visibly emotional. He excused himself, "I'm going to the latrine. I need to process all this."

Damian didn't speak. Processing was important; Damian needed to inform his group of the developments. He turned to the officer tents to stop by his bunk. He passed by a few others before reaching it.

'Details are important in my line of work.'

Doubt froze Damian. The world slightly rotated against his stilled mind. A horrifying, creeping feeling crawled up his arms and reached his neck.

'You usually place the pens above your notebook.'

Terror wrapped its icy fingers around his throat. He glanced at Irken's tent. The front flap was slightly ajar.

'Wait until the old lady hears about this.'

Each move felt like a denial of reality. He didn't want to believe it; but his whole body refused to ignore it. He stormed into Irken's tent. Lying on the ground, face purple and neck snapped, was Intelligence Officer Irken.

A cold chill ran up Damian's spine. He drew his handgun and dashed out of the tent. The dash carried him across the campground. Squads of Guardsmen jogged through the section of the camp. Some played cards, others chatted, but all were oblivious. The imposter was nowhere in sight; Irken's doppelganger already changed shape.

Damian racked his brain for anyway to tell it apart. An idea came to mind. He shouted with a commanding boom, "Front leaning rest position! Move!"

The soldiers essentially dropped what they were doing and went to the ground. They were all prepped for push ups. All but one; a baffled private who glared towards Damian. He grinned sinisterly and coupled it with a raspy voice, "Oooh, good job."

Damian raised the 9mm and fired at the chameleon. It bolted through one of the tents to move out of sight. The gunfire made the soldiers duck and cover, while patrolmen charged over.

"Stop him!" Damian shouted mid-run.

He and the armed soldiers were about to enter the tent, when an unclipped grenade tumbled out. Instinct kicked in and one of the patrolmen jumped forward, "Grenade!"

The soldier landed on the grenade while the rest dove away. Though muffled, the loud pop of the explosive and the shockwave of dirt and blood went everywhere. Damian shot up as fast as he could. Other soldiers yelled out for medics and the honorable man's name. Damian, however, searched. Out the back of the tent, an unidentified female soldier darted away.

"You son of a bitch..." Damian chased. He aimed his gun up, but she ran towards the mess hall. Too many individuals were. l between him and her. Any miss could claim another's life. Damian focused on his sprint.

The woman rushed in through the entrance flaps. Some rough noises came from within. When Damian approached, another person came out in a hurry. Their warped eyes, black and red hair, and monstrous snarl caught him by surprise. Akira lunged onto Damian.

Both men fell to the ground. Akira held a steak knife towards Damian. He tried to overpower and stab his skull. While they struggled, those inside ripped and tore the mess hall tent down. Like a hornet nest, zombies burst out at high, agitated speeds. Soldiers unprepared for the onslaught were immediately tackled to the ground, regardless of the shots fired into the hoard.

"Akira! Snap out of it!" Damian pushed up on the man. Along with the attempted stabs, Akira bit at Damian's arms and hands.

Bedlam strangled the outpost. The motion sensors outside the campsite were beeping and flashing. Biters swarmed the ground troops. Humpers continued the orgy in the half destroyed mess hall, though some lingered out to seek new mates. The hoard was met by patrolmen on the towers and perimeter. Their aggression drew the masses to them, and unless they had higher ground, they didn't stand a chance.

The civilian quarters were no better. The few who already went through the nightmare tried to find better places to hide.

"Uh oh, time to leave," Natalie peered across the campsite at all the carnage. She stood up and began twisting the cuffs. Theo stared ahead, unmoving and uncaring.

The zombies arrived in the area. Two wobbled in and immediately saw Theo and Natalie.

Natalie tried to snap the chain against the bedpost; no luck. She then warned Theo, "Hey, man. Now's a good reason to act. Take all that bottled up emotion and let 'em have it."

He didn't move. Natalie tried to break free again; failed. Both zombies were a few yards away. She stationed herself against the bed, arched her back, and stuck her booty out towards them. She sang, "Oooh, boys. I've got what you want right here."

Even with a titillating wag, the zombies zeroed in on Theo. She couldn't save him. He needed to move, "Damn, they're not the fun ones. Hey! What would Susan want you to do?"

'Now's not the time for hangups,' Susan made clear.

The zombies made it to Theo. He locked in on them and moved to his feet. He kicked with as much force as possible to knock the first into the second. They crumbled to the ground.

"Oh, snap," Natalie gawked.

'They really depend on you...' Hanover smiled.

Theo piled onto the zombies. He railed his fist over and over into the top one's face. The second grabbed for Theo. However, Natalie saw the arms get caught by something. As though an unseen agent held its arms at bay.

Natalie yanked with her entire bodyweight. Thanks to the angle, the handcuffs broke.

'You gotta survive!' Hank called.

Theo let out all the pent up frustration. His failures fueled the strikes. The first zombie stopped moving. Theo's knuckles were coated in red and bruised from the punches.

"Hey!" Natalie chirped.

Theo snapped his head around. She held a bat, taken from a storage locker inside their tent. The bat itself was entirely red and made of fiberglass. She tossed it to him. He caught it, waited for the right moment, and then caved the bottom zombie's head in.

"Friggin' good job, man," Natalie leisurely stepped up next to him. She pulled out all her belongings from the locker; a vape, cellphone, neon roller skates, and aviator glasses with iridescent lenses. She slid the aviators on and smirked at the deadbeats.

Theo handed the bat back, "Thanks. The name's Theodore. You can call me Theo."

Natalie propped the bat on her shoulder, next to the roller skates that dangled by their shoelaces around her neck, "Natalie; you can call me whatever."

Across the camp, Damian continued to wrestle Akira. A couple of elbow strikes stunned the corrupted medic. The knife came inches from stabbing Damian in the head. Damian leaned aside and let the tool scrape the ground. He leveraged his legs, as well as an arm next to Akira's side, and cranked sideways. It bucked him and gave room for Damian to aim his pistol. Akira let out another snarl to bite the hand, but Damian pulled the trigger and ended the struggle.

"Captain!" Peter yelled. Him and Olivia, along with a handful of soldiers, stuck close together and made their way over. They gathered gear to equip themselves better for the situation. Their precise shots with their M4s helped keep the hoard at bay.

Damian stammered to his feet. Peter handed him an assault rifle, mortified by Akira's death. Olivia saw the humpers in the mess tent and became stricken by horror.

Matthew and Lily treated Pleasure like a spitroast. The crazed, warped expressions of the team made them oblivious to the chaos. Pleasure wiggled her behind on Matthew's cock. He hovered his hands to the side, as to frame her ass. Meanwhile, she continued her devouring of Lily's dick. Lily already came and plastered her teammate's face with cum. Now, Lily just stared at Pleasure's jugs as they swayed back and forth from wiggling her butt.

"This can't be happening," Olivia's heart ached.

"It is," Damian steeled his heart. Without hesitation, he took command, "Norse, Poprocks, grab a vehicle. We need to evacuate immediately. This location is compromised and a Freak is roaming about."

"A Freak?" Peter's eyes bounced around the campsite.

"Go! Now!" Damian demanded. They took the small squad of soldiers with them.

Damian evaluated the situation. 5.56 rounds were plentiful, so the standard M4s would do. Other options were limited by what they could scavenge. Damian went to work collecting magazines, grenades, and anything lightweight. He killed any zombie who came in range, or assisted soldiers who struggled. However, it quickly became clear there was no counter. The soldiers killed by the zombies started to rise. More zombies poured in through decontamination; only a few dozen were caught on the electric fence. The watch towers were overtaken by the hoard. They climbed the stairs and supports like a swarm of ants. The Guardsmen at the top were quickly knocked from their thirty foot perch.

Damian remorsefully gave up on any and all who were surrounded by zombies. He approached the destroyed mess hall. He did what he needed to do and marched over to the rampant threesome.

Pleasure had crawled onto Lily to ride her raw. Matthew struck a squat behind her and plowed balls deep. She stayed as still as possible, her eyes wide with satisfaction. She was the one to see their commander. A dumb smile and laugh preceded, "Hey, Captain... good to see you, honey. How about you slip on in? I want your cum inside me. I need to grow."

Damian tensed up, but without a word, he delivered to them three quick shots. Their limp bodies, and all the years of memories, dropped before him.

"You deserved better..." Damian said through gritted teeth. He couldn't wake up from the uncomfortable, dark reality.

Two humpers lunged at Damian from under some of the fallen tent. He fired into them, but the bullets didn't stop them from knocking him over. They licked the rifle and clawed at his fatigues.

Before Damian even had time to retaliate, somebody did it for him. Theo yanked one away and tossed it at Natalie. She swung full force with her bat and domed the monster. When the bat connected, she timed an emphatic, "Boink!"

Theo then caught the second humper by its hair. He held it up and away from Damian. The commander popped it in the head with his 9mm.

Theo discarded the zombie, and then offered Damian a hand, "Come on."

Damian took the hand and was brought to his feet again. He was a bit taken aback by his saviors. He nodded to Theo, "Glad to see you're okay."

"D'aw, thanks, cap'n," Natalie tilted her head.

"I wasn't talking to you," Damian snipped. She raised her eyebrows and shrunk her lips. He then addressed Theo directly, "Thanks for the help. Captain Damian Chaban."

Damian offered a hand to shake. Theo took it, "Thanks for taking care of me. Theodore Black."

Large explosions erupted from the other side of the camp. The vehicle depot went up in flames and smoke. Tents were set ablaze and became a forest of fire. Shouts could be heard from the still living fighting the burst of zombies.

The series of events all stemmed from the imposter. Damian glanced around; dead soldiers, fried zombies on the electric fence, and wrecked, bloodstained tents. The encampment across the dam wasn't an option. His world was falling apart.

"What do we do?" Natalie asked, aware of the dire situation.

"If it's not one thing, it's another. We survive," Theo found a dead soldier with a holstered handgun. He took, checked, and readied it.

Those words sparked something inside Damian. When Theo nodded to him, the commander readied his own weapon. They started to fire at every undead nearby. Only shots that were clean to the head claimed hope. The gunshots attracted more zombies. A few soon turned into a dozen.

"Captain!"

More weapons took out a chunk of the zombies closest to the trio. Damian looked towards Olivia, who sat in the seat of an approaching all-terrain four wheeler. Peter took the passenger seat, and another Guardsman sat in the back. They were all covered in blood and dirt, but no burns. Peter and the Guardsman provided cover fire. Survivors from the civilian camp tailed after the vehicle; the six of them were too much for the vehicle to carry.

"What happened?" Damian asked without showing relief.

"IED on two of the LMTVs," Peter answered when Olivia drove up next to them. Damian peered in and saw a foot long bent piece of truck shrapnel in Peter's leg. A tourniquet prevented him from bleeding out. He looked pained, but not removing it was the right call, "Somebody fucking sabotaged the vehicles. This is the last one."

The doppelganger came to mind. If not him, then a greater extent of the enemy worked their way into the compound. Paranoia made Damian slowly step back away from the civilians. Theo and Natalie were accounted for -- the doppelganger would have let him die.

Damian raised his rifle and scared the civilians with the pointed weapon. Peter and Olivia were equally dumbfounded.

"First signal," Damian demanded. Unclear why, Peter and Olivia put up the sign language hand gesture for A.

"Captain, what the hell is going on?" Peter asked.

"The Freak who infiltrated the camp is a doppelganger. It can change itself to look like other people; that's how I found Officer Irken dead in his tent," Damian explained. His rifle now lingered on the civilians.

"Please, don't do this! We're not part of the Freaks! See?" a middle-aged woman held her eyelids open to show their pupils. The others followed suit. Granted, Damian already knew that the doppelganger's eyes changed with its form.

"Freaks?" Theo raised an eyebrow.

"A funbag of fellas who have taken over the county prison. Lots of them can blend in like a chameleon," Natalie gave him the short rundown. Theo held a suspicion that her word wasn't the most accurate description.

The cacophonous noise of undead became far more evident in the suspenseful moment. Out of the nearly one hundred fifty individuals in the camp, the only ones certainly alive were the eight of them at the vehicle.

"What's the call, Captain?" Olivia became antsy the more time the undead closed in on them.

"Can we even escape?" Theo worried for the vehicle's durability. It would have to run over a swath of undead to make it in the clear.

Damian held his glare on the civilians. Who was innocent? Who wanted them dead? It took but a few moments for the entire campsite to fall. Bringing the doppelganger would spell their doom. Peter read his commander, "You can't seriously be considering leaving them behind."

The idea was reasonable and sound. They didn't have room in the vehicle, and Damian couldn't afford blind trust.

Before Damian could respond, the guttural roar of a horn bellowed out of the forest, beyond the camp's fence. Everyone turned in time to see a heavily armored school bus plow through the electric fence. Sparks flew, metal bent, and zombies were mulched beneath the bus's heft. The modified grill helped batter things away or under it. Metal weave covered the windows, defensive plating protected the chassis, and a small compartment up top allowed a rifleman to fire shots along the way. The person couldn't be seen, but the barrel stuck out like a sore thumb.

"What the hell is that?!" Peter spoke for everyone.

Shots were taken through the gaps in the windows. The school bus became a playground for metal and destruction.

"Yeehaw!" Natalie whipped out her best southern accent.

The bus mowed down the zombies next to the group. It sliced a turn and brought the bus doors to the group. They opened and the first person with an AR-15 rifle stepped out.

She was taller than most. She wore high-fashion pants, a sleeveless blouse, and a see-through mesh top. They matched, both black with white bramble-like streaks. Over top the outfit was a soft green, lightweight body vest, typically seen worn by Hansel police. Her short blonde hair, septum ring, and elf ears made her stand out even more. Theo's heart skipped a beat.

"Jenah?" Theo tempered his walk. It's like the familiar face disarmed his hardened exterior.

"Black?!" Jenah's sharp eyes softened. The two moved in and, a bit to one another's surprise, embraced in a hug. Jenah said with exasperation, "I can't believe it. We looked all over for you. We hoped you and Susan escaped."

A pang of pain hit Theo and he pulled away. His expression and body language stunned her. She noticed Susan wasn't present.

"Susan... didn't make it," Theo choked on his words.

Jenah clutched her heart, and then hugged Theo again. He hated her seeing him like this. It wasn't going to help, but he involuntarily needed it. Theo finally broke down and wept. He buried his face in her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry..." Jenah, though not one for such moments, knew what she meant to him.

"Hey, I hate to break up the reunion, but..." Olivia butted in from their vehicle. "Who are you guys?"

The bus driver leaned forward in his seat. He wore a simple sky blue collar shirt tucked into oil-stained cargo pants. An old baseball cap fit perfectly over his bald head. Like Theo, he had a rough shadow of a beard in good need of a razor. He removed his half-worked cigar and spoke with a hearty Scottish accent, "We're from the Summit Emergency Shelter. Hou aboot we hop ye on here an ride back tae the shelter? We can talk on the way. This isna place for hopes an tears."

Name: Sebastian Croft

Height: 5'11 Weight: 247lbs Age: 42

Hair: Bald, slight, black stubble and bushy eyebrows

Body: Rotund fellow

Damian suddenly felt his hands tied. He needed to let the bus know, "There is a Freak amongst us. A chameleon who can take different forms."

"Nae bother, lad. Let them come aboard. Better in our company where we can keep an e'e on them than roamin' free in the wild," Sebastian took a hit of his cigar.

Damian and his team respected the compromise, even if it was risky. Damian nodded to the survivors and stepped aside. They hurried in, while he helped Olivia carefully transport Peter onto the vehicle. Peter nodded to Sebastian, "Thank you."

Once they were on, somebody stepped out to approach Theo and Jenah. It was Tony.

He was disheveled compared to the last time they met two weeks ago. He wore a dark cotton button up and comfortable jeans. A machete dangled in a holster at his hip. Seeing him outside his security uniform struck Theo as strange. Tony was a normal civilian, too. However, instead of his issued handgun, the officer sported a gauged shotgun.

"I don't believe it. Am I happy to see you," Tony cracked a smile and shook Theo's hand.

"Odd to say that when we barely know each other. But yeah, same," Theo couldn't be rude in the moment. Seeing the people he met on the day of the outbreak made him have a surge of emotions. He needed to know, "Is Hank okay? Did you find Autumn?"

"Sort of, but we have a lot to talk about. In far better places than this," Tony acknowledged the encroaching threats.

"Whit aboot her?" Sebastian pointed behind everyone to Natalie. She posed with a tilted head, puckered lips, and peace signs thrown up. The fires in the camp reflected off her shades.

"She stays," Damian decided, standing next to Sebastian.

"No," Theo glared up at the commander. "She's coming with us."

"Excuse me?" Damian glared back. "She is more trouble than she is worth. She'll endanger us."

"I don't care. You don't get to decide who lives and who dies. She's coming along whether you like it or not," Theo declared. The center of Damian's forehead twitched. He wanted to smack the asshole -- especially after how long they cared for him. He turned his glare on Natalie, who didn't show any signs of being bothered. To her, if she was left behind, she was left behind.

Damian chose to be diplomatic. He backed up and allowed Natalie to enter.

"Shweet," Natalie clapped and followed Theo and his group on board. When Theo passed Damian, they exchanged intensity. Theo and his group went all the way to the back of the bus.

Damian glanced one more time at the campsite. One hundred more undead were added to the world in less than an hour. The final bastion for the military in Hansel had fallen with only eleven survivors. Evolution wasn't on his mind as the bus closed.

Inside, the bus was like any other kind of school bus, but with a few modifications. An installed ladder at the back led to the sniper roost. A young man descended without the sniper. Slender, young, and courteous to the new faces. He wore torn jeans, a rastafarian-style undershirt, and a lightweight peach jacket. He called up to Sebastian, "Did you see that, paw? My aim is getting better."

"Aye, laddie, I did!" Sebastian and his pride spoke louder than the bus's engine.

"You said you were from the Summit Shelter? How many others are there?" Peter asked in the seat behind the driver.

Sebastian used the dirt road to head back towards Hansel, "The news telt us tae bide a wee hidden, an whit better place nor a shelter. Tae wait for some saviors. Things gied complicated fast, though, didna it? We hae near a hunder fowk frae aw ower."

"Summit's close to the middle and high school. In the middle of the suburbia," Damian recalled the maps.

"Ay, sir. Efter the evacuation prompt cam oot on Outbreak Day, fowk wrocht thair wae ower. Grantit, mony mair failed tae make it, as we aw ken. Shame, pure shame," Sebastian flipped his energy.

Damian spoke to his remaining team, "I know things are bleak. There will be time to grieve and say goodbye. However, our mission still stands. Until our last breath, or until the apocalypse comes to a close. Are you still with me?"

Peter nodded, "Yes, Captain. Even if it's with only one good leg."

Olivia rubbed Peter's shoulder, "We'll get you patched up, Norse. Yes, Captain, I'm ready to do my part."

"Good, I'm glad to have you," Damian took a seat and finally relaxed. It was a long road ahead with no clear end. He closed his eyes and rested.

In the back of the bus, Theo and Natalie sat across from Jenah and Tony. From their clothes, police gear, and firepower, Theo could tell they've come far.

Jenah denoted the constant staring from Natalie. She suspected the ears, but glared, "Can I help you?"

"I hope you don't mind me being rude the entire ride," Natalie smiled.

"Why?"

"Because I just can't take my eyes off you," Natalie completed her flirt. Jenah, blustered, looked to Theo for an explanation. He shrugged, since he didn't actually know Natalie.

Tony wondered, "Sebastian said we have about an hour before we get to the shelter. A lot's happened."

Theo leaned forward, "Tell me everything. Don't sugarcoat it."