[Attention, this is an official announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.]
[To all government services still operational: your presence is required at the CDC facilities to reinforce security and ensure the continuity of our operations. A safe shelter has been established under the supervision of military forces and CDC personnel, who continue working tirelessly to find a cure for the virus.]
[All survivors who hear this message may proceed to the CDC, where they will receive medical assistance, shelter, and protection.]
[Announcement from the S.C.T. Community.]
[In response to the crisis, a community has been formed under the protection of the military and CDC scientists. This community, called S.C.T., is dedicated to preserving life and finding a definitive solution to this pandemic.]
[If you are in danger and near the CDC facilities or officers identified with the S.C.T. emblem, you may request shelter. However, it is essential that all new members strictly follow security protocols to ensure the community's safety.]
[The fight for survival continues. Do not lose hope.]
Amid the walker-infested streets of Atlanta, a group of survivors was hiding inside a small bakery. There were seven of them—three men, two women, and two children. Ever since they had heard the broadcast about a shelter at the CDC facilities in Atlanta, they had been making their way there.
At first, the idea of leaving the city seemed more appealing, but as the messages changed every forty-eight hours, they knew the shelter was still standing and remained secure.
Their situation was dire. Before, they had been trapped inside a shopping mall, and the way they had escaped had been nothing short of praiseworthy. However, now that they were out on the city streets, their progress had slowed significantly.
They had fallen far behind, losing too much time on their way to the CDC shelter.
Everyone believed the shelter was still operational because the broadcasts continued to change. But a week ago, the transmissions suddenly stopped.
On both sides of the street, a massive horde of walkers was heading toward the CDC, where alarms were still blaring. They were all terrified—none of them had ever seen so many walkers gathered in one place.
"That was the last message a week ago. Can we all agree that the shelter was destroyed by those immortal infected? My God, what do we do now?" A teenager with long hair couldn't stop trembling.
"It's impossible that the shelter fell. The broadcasts lasted much longer than any other shelter—something must have happened," said a man named Kenneth, a sergeant in the metropolitan police department, gripping his shotgun tightly as he watched the streets outside.
"You're still dreaming of a perfect outcome for us. It's more than clear to me that we're dead," Michael muttered. He had opposed going deeper into the city, but since the group had voted, he had no other choice.
"You're not listening to me. The alarms are still ringing, and that's what's drawing all the walkers in the city to a single point. I'm sure this was planned," said Kenneth's companion, Jim.
"You still think there's help out there? We need to figure out how to get out of this situation. I always thought that shelter was too good to be true," the teenager, Carlos, added.
"Lower your voice, or the infected outside will hear us, Carlos," a woman named Ana demanded in a hushed but firm tone.
"Well, it would be best if everyone stayed quiet while we figure out how to get out of this situation. We can't stay here for too long—it's not safe," Kenneth decided to keep a calm demeanor as he observed everyone's growing desperation. Spreading more panic would do no good for the group's future.
He looked at the people before him, then at his companion Jim, before lowering his gaze to the radio in his hand, deep in thought.
They had come a long way, but things had become complicated when the distant alarms started blaring nonstop. Kenneth knew that if the CDC was protected by the military, there should be no reason for an alarm that loud to still be sounding.
Moreover, if the shelter had indeed fallen, someone should have at least sent out a warning that the place was no longer safe for Atlanta's survivors.
Kenneth knew he had to come up with an optimal plan. They didn't have the necessary equipment to fight their way out of this place, nor did they have enough ammunition.
Truth be told, Kenneth hated to admit it, but considering what was happening around them, no one would be able to leave this place alive.
"Hey, Jim, help me keep watch outside and assess the situation," Kenneth said, trying to appear composed and in control.
"Got it!" Holding his rifle, Jim approached the entrance of the shop they were hiding in and began surveying their current situation.
"This world has gone to hell. How is it possible that the military was taken down so easily by rotting corpses?" Carlos muttered with a complicated expression.
Kenneth looked at the young man but couldn't give him an answer. He and his squad had been deployed, but those infected were nothing like regular humans. As the messages had stated, the only way to eliminate them was to inflict enough damage to their heads.
The virus was something never seen before. Many on his team even said it wasn't from this planet. To collapse society in such a short time and with no way to contain it—Kenneth believed this was unstoppable.
Ana glanced at Carlos and the two children beside him. Deep down, she still believed there was hope in this dark situation. "There has to be a safe place somewhere in this city. It can't be that everything is lost."
"Oh yeah? Well, I hate to be the one to tell you, but we're screwed. Ha ha ha, there's no way out, and there's no food either," Carlos said with a bitter smile.
"At the very least, if we do things right, we might be able to get out of here alive and find a shelter. Things can't be as bad as they seem," Kenneth said after sighing in exhaustion.
Just as Carlos was about to make another sarcastic remark, Jim approached and said, "There are way fewer infected than there were at night. I think we have a chance to move to a safer location."
But the moment Jim finished speaking, a series of gunshots echoed in the distance. The shots were numerous, indicating that more than two people were firing at the same time.
"Gunfire!" Carlos shouted, but his mouth was immediately covered by Kenneth's large hands.
"What direction, Jim?" Kenneth asked urgently.
"Hmmm… They shouldn't be more than 600 meters from our position. What do we do?" Jim asked, seeking guidance.
"We have to take advantage of this and try to call for help. The walkers will be drawn to the sound of gunfire in a few minutes," Kenneth said, keeping a watchful eye on the street outside.
Meanwhile, without anyone noticing, Carlos picked up Kenneth's radio from the floor and started frantically switching channels.
The two children watched Carlos with conflicted expressions. They knew they couldn't make any noise, so they just observed.
"Come on, work!" Carlos muttered as he switched channels, waiting a few seconds before moving to the next one.
In his mind, Carlos believed that if the people shooting were soldiers, they definitely had radios, and their signal should be strong enough to hear what they were saying—and hopefully, ask for help.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" Ana asked, frustrated. Carlos had done nothing but complain this whole time, and now he seemed to have gone crazy with the radio.
However, just as she was about to snatch the radio from Carlos's hands, a voice suddenly came through the speaker.
"Zz... Start moving now along the planned route. We will deviate if we encounter walkers along the way."
"Understood, Captain! We are beginning to move slowly in the designated direction!"
That sudden voice made everyone's heart pound like a drum. Ana froze suddenly, forgetting what she was about to do, staring at the radio in shock.
"Hello... Is anyone there? Help..." Carlos began speaking passionately, tears streaming down his face.
Just when they thought they wouldn't get a response, the same voice answered: "Zz... This is Captain Jason of the army. What is your current situation? Over."
"They're from the army!"
Everyone rushed to where Carlos was. Kenneth was about to take the radio when Carlos spoke again.
"We need help... Please!"
"Are you an idiot? Why are you asking for help again if they already responded?" Ana said incredulously.
Kenneth then snatched the radio from Carlos and waited for the other party to respond before attempting to speak.
"Zz... I understand that you're scared, but the situation on my end is very serious. Speak clearly if you want to be rescued."
Kenneth, holding the radio in his hand, heard gunfire coming from the intercom and wasted no time responding: "I'm Kenneth. We are a group of seven people, including myself. We are on the main avenue leading to downtown Atlanta. Over."
"Zz... Understood, Kenneth. If you can move two blocks to the right, toward the gunfire, we can take you with us. You must be quick and should start moving now."
"Understood! We are moving now, sir!"
After hearing the outgoing transmission, Kenneth looked at everyone and then at Jim before nodding.
Everyone understood the general situation. If they moved quickly and took advantage of the timing, they could be saved by those passing nearby.
"Alright, Jim and I will clear the way while you run with the children. Don't look back—just keep running in the right direction," Kenneth said as he stood next to Jim, gripping his weapon tightly.
"How many bullets do you have left, Kenneth?" Jim asked.
"One magazine..."
"Then I'll handle it. Lead the way." Without waiting for a response, Jim stepped forward and started taking down the walkers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Everyone, follow me! Move quickly!" Kenneth wasted no time, turning right. Raising his weapon, he continuously fired at the walkers ahead.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
As Kenneth pressed forward, the two women with the children ran in the middle of the group, while Carlos and Jim covered the rear.
"Watch out! To your side!" Seeing a group of infected emerging from a corner, Carlos rushed forward and crashed into the walkers.
Fortunately, Kenneth reacted quickly and fired. The walkers Carlos was holding were taken down one by one.
At that moment, a piercing scream echoed beside them. A girl in the group, standing next to Ana, had been bitten by a walker. Seeing this, Kenneth and Jim swiftly eliminated the infected around them.
Ana held the child in her arms and handed them over to Carlos while taking the child from the bitten girl.
"Oh my God!" Carlos looked at the bitten woman and kept running, carrying the child in his arms.
Just then, Jim, who had disappeared, suddenly came running from nowhere, anxiously shouting to the three people on the side of the street: "Damn it! The infected are here—we have to run!"
Kenneth looked at the girl, pulled out a grenade he had with him, and handed it to her. "You know what's going to happen in a few hours. With this, you can go without feeling anything. The choice is yours."
Without waiting any longer, the group kept running. Knowing how critical the situation was, Jim handed Kenneth a pistol strapped to his waist and then continued running. "Kenneth, cover me."
"I got it!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Halfway through the second block, the sound of gunfire had attracted a large number of walkers. In no time, they were completely surrounded.
"Kenneth, there's no way out!"
Kenneth, out of ammo, raised his weapon and began pushing back the walkers closest to the group.
"Stay together."
Boom!
At that moment, an explosion echoed not far from their position—it must have been the bitten girl from earlier.
Just when they were in serious trouble, the roar of an engine sounded in the distance, followed by a series of gunshots.
The precise shots cleared all the walkers blocking their path. Jason, wearing a mask, started shooting. The machine gun in his hands was eerily accurate, eliminating dozens of walkers within seconds.
Emilio and Elías jumped out of the trucks and advanced to assist the escaping group. "Stop! Stay still! Hands up!"
Even though they knew the highway was guarded by the military, they were still quite far from the agreed-upon location, and encountering soldiers here was completely unexpected.
Kenneth and Jim, still holding their weapons, immediately dropped them and raised their hands high, fearing the soldiers might open fire.
Fortunately, when the soldier saw the armed men disarmed and the others carrying children, he relaxed and asked, "Was anyone bitten?"
"No, sir. We are all fine," Kenneth replied nervously. The other side was being extremely cautious, and it was clear they didn't mind taking their time to verify.
Watching the soldiers standing on the slope with assault rifles in hand, Carlos subtly moved to the right, half of his body hidden behind Jim. He thought to himself that this kind of scene was straight out of an apocalypse.
However, those thoughts vanished when the soldiers decided to take them in.
"Everyone, get on the bus! Don't waste time," Elías ordered with an authoritative look.
"Yes!"
Six out of the seven people were able to be rescued. Before boarding, Kenneth glanced at Jason, who hadn't stopped firing for even a second. He was impressed by his precision.
Once everyone was inside, Jason stepped down from the truck and naturally got on the bus as well.
Carlos, hugging himself with relief, smiled. The sound of gunfire was now the sound of happiness ringing in his ears.