Chapter 26: Shipping Out
IAN
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The truck rumbled steadily beneath us as we pulled away from the shelter. The familiar walls slowly disappeared behind a curtain of towering pines, leaving nothing but the endless road stretching ahead. I leaned back against my seat, adjusting the rifle resting across my lap. Then... I caught a scent . I frowned. It was faint. Almost impossible to notice beneath the smell of diesel fuel, canvas, metal, and worn equipment. But it was there. A familiar scent. It reminded me... Of Elena. My eyes instinctively swept across the truck. No.
I shook the thought away. Don't be ridiculous. There was no possible way she was here. Before climbing into the truck, I'd unconsciously searched the courtyard for her. I wasn't even sure why. She wasn't supposed to be there. She wasn't allowed on this mission. Yet... Some irrational part of me had still expected to catch a glimpse of her standing somewhere nearby. I hadn't. Thomas, sitting opposite me, glanced through the narrow window at the darkening sky. "Damn," he muttered. "The weather really has it out for us every time we head out on a mission." He let out a quiet sigh. "The clouds are heavy. Last time it rained too." The truck fell unusually quiet.
Across from me, Dameon's expression darkened almost instantly. Rhys. We were all thinking about him. I refused to let the silence swallow us. "Well," I said, forcing a lighter tone, "hopefully it won't rain today."
I glanced toward the window. "Besides... you can never really expect anything from the weather." Thomas chuckled softly. "Fair enough." The tension eased, if only slightly.
My attention shifted to James. He sat gripping his bow a little tighter than necessary. His first mission. His shoulders looked relaxed... But his fingers betrayed him. I nudged his elbow with mine. "So," I said with a grin, " you nervous?" James smiled sheepishly. "A little." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I can overcome it."
I nodded approvingly. "Brave mindset." "I like it." He's going to be alright. James hadn't been training with us for very long, but his skill with a bow was almost unbelievable. Watching him shoot was like watching instinct itself. Natural. Effortless.
"Ian," James asked after a moment, "do you know where we're heading?" I nodded.
"Leila gave Hog two locations." "The coastal area..." "And the Marie Supermarket." James frowned thoughtfully.
"The coastal area and Marie Supermarket are almost forty five kilometers apart."
He looked toward the front of the truck.
"Travel alone will take about an hour."
His eyes widened slightly. "This mission's going to take more than one day." I smiled.
"Exactly." "That's the irony of these missions." "You never know what's waiting for you." I gestured toward the cargo section. "That's why Katherine packed enough supplies." "If we need more than one day..." "We'll have what we need."
James slowly nodded, absorbing every word. Then BANG! The entire truck lurched violently. Every one of us was thrown from our seats. Weapons clattered against the metal floor. Someone cursed.
I slammed my shoulder into the wall before catching myself. From the driver's seat, Hog shouted, "Is everyone alright?" "Yes!"
The reply echoed almost perfectly in unison. The truck screeched to a halt. Without another word, Hog and I climbed outside. Cold air struck my face immediately. I scanned the road. The trees.
The ditch beside us. Nothing. Hog circled the truck once before stopping beside me.
"Maybe a wild animal," he said quietly. "Nothing else could've disappeared that fast." I looked around one final time. No blood. No tracks. No infected. Nothing.
I nodded. "Probably." Even so...Something about it didn't sit right with me. Still, there was nothing else to investigate. We climbed back inside. The truck continued forward.
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A while later... The massive silhouette of Marie Supermarket emerged through the trees. Three stories tall. Dark. Its once-glass entrance was cracked and stained with years of neglect. Empty shopping carts lay scattered across the parking lot like forgotten skeletons. The truck rolled into an abandoned parking area hidden behind the supermarket before finally stopping. One by one, the soldiers climbed out. Leila remained inside the vehicle. Her role was different. The truck stayed concealed behind the building, giving her enough cover while still allowing a clear escape route if necessary.
If anything happened... She could reach us within seconds. She sat before a rugged tablet connected to Thomas's tracking system, monitoring our movements in real time. That technological advantage alone made this mission safer than most. Hog gathered everyone together. "Four teams."
His voice was calm and commanding. "Six people per team." He glanced toward the truck. "Leila stays connected with everyone through the radio." He pointed toward the supermarket. "Search for everything." "Refugees." "Clues." "Anything useful." "If anyone encounters danger..."
His eyes swept across the group. "Inform every team immediately." "Roger that."
The response came together. Within moments, the teams separated.
Team One consisted ,
Thomas.
Dameon.
James.
Nikolai.
Yuro.
And me.
We began with the ground floor while the remaining teams searched the upper levels. The supermarket felt... Dead.
Rows of empty shelves stretched endlessly beneath flickering emergency lights that had long since stopped working. Dust coated everything. Broken glass crunched beneath our boots. Abandoned baskets.
Torn packaging. Rotting advertisements still hung from cracked ceilings. Years ago...
Families had shopped here. Children had begged for candy. Parents had argued over groceries. Now... Nothing remained except silence. We searched every aisle. Every storage room. Every checkout counter. Nothing. Not a single sign that anyone had been here recently. Eventually, We moved upstairs, The second floor looked no different. Dust. Decay. Silence.
I slowly swept my flashlight across another abandoned aisle. Then... Something caught the beam. A faint glimmer. Half-hidden behind a shelf. I stepped closer. A necklace. No... A locket. It hung from the edge of the shelving unit as though someone had snagged it while running. Carefully, I picked it up. The metal felt cold against my fingers. I clicked it open. Using my flashlight, I illuminated the tiny photograph inside. Two girls smiled back at me. One was bald. The other...
My breathing caught. Elena. I knew that face instantly. My heart tightened. This belonged to her. Or... No. More likely... Her sister. Nowella. My grip tightened around the tiny locket. They were here. The children had been here. I carefully slipped the necklace into my pocket. No matter what happened... I was bringing this back to Elena. The radio crackled. Hog's voice broke the silence. "Everyone meet at the parking lot." "Copy." Within minutes, every team regrouped behind the supermarket.
I noticed Leila's face Nervousness flashed across her face. The reports came one after another. "Nothing." "No survivors." "No movement." "No clues." Frustration spread across every face. Then my turn came. "I found something." Every eye shifted toward me. I pulled the locket from my pocket and held it up. "I found this upstairs." Leila's expression changed instantly. She stared at the necklace. Then at me. "They moved." Her voice came quickly now. "They've already shifted."
She looked directly at Hog. "We need to get to the coastal area." Thomas frowned.
"It's almost sunset." He gestured toward the horizon where the sky had begun turning orange. "We're not going to find anyone in the dark." "And even if we search..." He shook his head. "The coastal region isn't exactly small." Silence settled.
Everyone looked toward Leila. She hesitated before speaking again. "We need to go to the Marie Central Building." Dameon's head snapped toward her. "What?" His voice rose immediately.
"That's practically beside the Reestablishment." He stared at her in disbelief. "It's almost thirty kilometers away from the coastal region." "I know," Leila answered without hesitation. "But we have to go." "If they aren't here..." She swallowed. "...then they're definitely at the Marie Central Building." Hog studied her carefully. "Are you sure?" Leila met his gaze without wavering. Then she nodded. "Yes."
No one argued again. The decision had been made. Within minutes, everyone climbed back into the truck. The engine roared to life once more. As we pulled away from the abandoned supermarket, I rested a hand over the locket inside my pocket.
We're getting closer. I can feel it.20Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlCQ4m7p0Um
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