After several hours of driving, Jane brought the ambulance to a sudden halt. "A.D., look! There's something," she said, pointing.
A.D. followed her gaze. Before them lay a large, heavily secured base, bristling with armed forces and high walls – clearly a military installation. But surrounding it was an enormous horde of zombies, a thick, writhing mass of the undead.
"Oh, shit! Now what do we do?" Jane whispered, her bravado faltering.
"Let me think," A.D. murmured, his eyes scanning the perimeter.
"But we have to go," Jane insisted, her stomach rumbling loudly. She hadn't eaten properly in almost a day.
A.D. looked at her, a hint of concern in his eyes. "Are you hungry?"
"So what?" Jane retorted, a touch of irritation in her voice. "A day has passed, and I haven't eaten anything. If we get inside there, we can get some food."
"Okay," A.D. conceded, deep in thought. Then, a spark of an idea. "Be ready," he said.
"Did you find a way?" Jane asked, hope flickering.
A.D. looked back into the ambulance. An oxygen cylinder lay there. He grabbed it. "Hear me clearly," he instructed. "We'll make a blast, and that will give us some time to convince the people inside to take refuge." Jane nodded, her eyes wide.
A.D. swiftly adjusted the oxygen cylinder so it pointed directly in front of the ambulance. He then leaked fuel from the tank, placed a weight on the accelerator, and left the engine running, its loud roar immediately drawing the attention of the surrounding zombies.
Chapter:Inside the Base
Inside the secure base, a security camera operator stiffened, speaking into his comms. "Commander Max, there's something fishy. It looks like someone's trying to enter."
"Are they zombies?" Max's voice came over the comms.
"No!" the guard replied. "It looks like some people."
Gimi, a woman who served as Max's assistant, stepped forward. "Max, we have to save them!"
"No!" Max snapped, grabbing her arm. "We don't know if they're infected or not. Stop! We will save them, okay? I don't want to lose any more of my people."
Chapter : Into the Citadel
The air ripped with a deafening blast as the ambulance ignited. In that chaotic moment, A.D. and Jane bolted, running full-tilt towards the base gate. They slammed against it, shaking the metal furiously, a desperate attempt to draw the attention of the surrounding zombies. The horde, disoriented by the explosion, shifted its focus, now shambling towards them.
Just as the first wave of undead reached the gate, a torrent of fire erupted from the base's defenses, incinerating the zombies closest to them. The gate groaned open, and A.D. and Jane surged through, collapsing it shut behind them.
Inside, Gimi stood at the front of a small squad of soldiers, rifles at the ready. "From a distance, she called out, "First, we check you. Cooperate."
After a swift, tense medical examination, A.D. and Jane were cleared. Gimi led them down a hallway, her gaze assessing. "Who are you, and where did you come from?"
"We came from where you were some time ago," Jane replied, rubbing her stomach. "We saw you at the clinic, followed you, and then..." Her voice trailed off, a growl from her stomach completing the thought.
A.D. saw Jane's discomfort and quickly interjected, "Ma'am, can we get something to eat?"
They had reached the door to Commander Max's office. Max stood there, surveying them. "You're lucky we saved you," he stated, his voice flat.
Gimi turned to a junior soldier. "Go get some food and water." To A.D. and Jane, she added, "First, eat. While you're eating, we'll discuss something."
Chapter Thirty-One: An Unsettling Revelation
They sat at a table, ravenously devouring the food. Once they'd sated their hunger, Gimi began, "Where did you come from? And do you know anything about a cure?"
"We don't know about a cure directly," Jane said, "but there's a lab somewhere, and they're conducting experiments for a cure. We're trying to find it to finish the game."
"Game?" Gimi's eyebrows shot up. "What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing," A.D. interjected smoothly, giving Jane a subtle warning look. "Actually, she's a little... crazy." He turned back to Gimi. "You'll know more about us soon, but can I ask something first?"
"Sure," Gimi replied, her gaze still fixed on Jane for a moment before returning to A.D.
"You gave us food, and I understand why, given the situation," A.D. began. "But you gave us so much water. Why?"
"There's a river behind our base," Gimi explained. "That's why."
"Then why did you build your base away from the river?" A.D. questioned. "It would be even safer."
Gimi hesitated, then replied, "It's because there's a large, giant squid in the river. It can't possible to build the base there."