Rescue

Adam didn't think of himself as invincible. He was aware of the fact that he needed other people. He managed to survive the journey alone mostly due to the crystal luring and killing all of the Tainted in its vicinity.

Now though, he needed a team. Someone to keep watch at night. To scout the road ahead. Most importantly, someone to have his back in a fight.

As such, there was merit in rescuing the survivors hiding in the town hall.

What he had to come up with was a plan. To rescue the trapped survivors Adam had to somehow pass the Tainted gathered around the building, get inside, and finally lead the survivors away from the danger.

Sneaking through the horde wasn't an option. Although their vision was impaired, there were simply too many Tainted in the area.

Because of that, Adam needed a distraction. He had to lure them away from the building. The Tainted reacted mainly to the sounds so he would have to create a loud noise that would attract them, while not exposing his presence.

Coming up with a way to lure the Tainted away was secondary for now, though. First, he had to scout the building.

It was standing at the side of a small square, three stories high and in the shape of the letter "L". A narrow alley ran around it, separating it from the other buildings.

Adam observed it from a road on the opposite side of the square. The Tainted were gathered around the building, leaving most of it empty.

He preferred to keep the distance though, at least for now. His enhanced senses allowed him to observe the building in detail anyway.

The main entrance was situated in the middle of the longer part of the building and consisted of large and sturdy wooden double doors.

There was also a smaller side entrance in the shorter part of the building. One of the heartbeats Adam felt was coming right from above it. Probably a lookout. Windows on the ground floor were barred with heavy gratings. The place looked like a small fortress.

His Bloodsense didn't extend to the other side of the building and the alley that ran around it. Nevertheless, he didn't have the time to sneak around and check it. It was getting darker with every passing minute and he still needed to create a diversion.

He backed away and began to search for a store.

Adam found what he was looking for not far from the town center. He was standing in front of a supermarket, scouting it with the Bloodsense.

He noticed a few Tainted in it, but they were scattered over the large area. He could finish them one by one if needed.

As such, he confidently entered the store. He had to create a distraction to lure the Tainted away from the building. The only thing that Adam could come up with to achieve this was to create an explosion of sorts, loud enough to attract the monsters.

He looted a few backpacks, matchboxes, and a flashlight, killing the Tainted that lurked nearby, and then went to the construction department, where he loaded the backpacks with bottles of acetone.

As Adam was leaving the store, he suddenly heard a growl coming from his left. He turned abruptly and saw a Tainted standing between the shelves, looking at him hungrily.

The beast charged at Adam, nearly reaching him, only to fall over right before his feet, blood spewing from its mouth. He was getting better at using Blood Manipulation, only needing a single thought to kill a Tainted now.

Nevertheless, Adam was unnerved by the altercation. He checked the place earlier and all the Tainted were in the different parts of the store. The one he had just killed shouldn't have been there.

Unless they were attracted by something, the Tainted didn't wander on their own. What had happened here didn't fit the established pattern.

He checked the store with Bloodsense again and noticed that there were two Tainted left. One of them was at the other side of the store, while the other was moving slowly in his direction. Again, the behavior of the second Tainted didn't fit what he had observed so far.

Adam left the store quickly, trying to figure out what might have lured the creatures to him. He didn't find any answers though and after a while concentrated on the task at hand. He only needed the right place now.

Adam chose one of the bigger streets connected to the town square as a place for the explosion. A few cars were standing in the middle and he approached one of them. He chose an older vehicle with a Tainted trapped inside.

He quickly disposed of the beast and began pouring the acetone inside the car. He threw a few full bottles on the passenger seat and ignited the engine. Lastly, he created a flammable path while backing away from the car.

If his plan worked, the tank and engine should explode and alarm the nearby Tainted. Adam lighted a match and threw it on the ground. He turned and immediately began running in the other direction.

He quickly reached a side alley and entered it, putting a line of buildings between him and the vehicle. The sky over the buildings brightened a little bit. There was no explosion for now though.

Adam ran in the direction of the town square and just as he reached it he finally heard his distraction setting off. A quick series of explosions resounded in the air, loud enough to alarm the creatures.

He observed as the Tainted gathered on the square and around the town hall woke up, most of them immediately turning in the direction of the fire.

The mass of bodies began to move. They walked slowly at first but after a few moments increased their speed. It looked like some kind of a grotesque race, its participants moving erratically and growling, stomping on the ones that lost their balance.

Adam waited for the Tainted to leave before he entered the square. There were some stragglers here and there, but the bulk of the horde was gone.

He repeatedly flashed the light at the window above the side entrance. According to Bloodsense, one of the survivors was there.

His signal wasn't left unanswered for long. Another light flashed in the darkness, this one coming from the building.

Adam observed as the cluster of blood that the survivor was to his senses moved away from the window and to the side entrance below.

He began to run through the square once the survivor stopped next to the door, evading the Tainted remaining there. They noticed Adam immediately but before they took action, he was already at the door.

The side entrance opened just as Adam was about to reach it and slammed shut as soon as he passed it. After entering the building Adam lost his balance and rolled to the ground. He stopped on the wall and groaned in pain.

He had made it. He had entered the building. Now, he had to convince survivors hiding here to leave it with him.

The survivor locked the door behind Adam and blocked it with a heavy bench. He was an overweight middle-aged man, dressed in a municipal police uniform. Adam noticed a baton holstered on his waist and a fire ax resting against the wall.

The man turned to Adam after he was finished with the door.

"You alright? You are lucky that the monsters left right before you showed up." He looked at Adam vigilantly as he spoke.

"I'm fine. It was not luck, my friend. They left the square because I lured them away. I'm Adam by the way," he responded while getting up from the floor.

"Steven." The man approached Adam and shook his hand. "How did you know that I was here?"

"I didn't," Adam lied through his teeth. "I assumed that the Tainted gathered outside because someone was hiding here. Then I saw you in the window for a moment and flashed the light."

He noticed that the man didn't recognize the term he used. He must have been holed up here from the beginning.

"Do you know what is happening outside? Are we at war? Are these people zombies? Is it some kind of a virus?" Steven confirmed Adam's conjecture with a stream of questions about the situation outside.

"I know a little bit," Adam replied. "Are you alone here?" Another lie. It was necessary though. He didn't know this man and more importantly, didn't want to frighten him and make him do something stupid.

"No, I'm just keeping watch here. Some of the others are doing the same at other entrances, while the rest is hiding in the basement." The man started to loosen up. It seemed his thirst for knowledge outweighed the mistrust toward Adam.

"It's better if I share everything when everyone is gathered then. No point in repeating it." Adam thought hard about what he was going to share with them. He had to make them aware of the situation, at least to some extent, but not scare them so much that they would refuse to leave.

Steven gathered the ax and pointed at the corridor. "Come on, man. I'll show you the way."

He switched the flashlight on and led the way through the building. After a few turns and a set of stairs, Adam saw the survivors gathered in the town hall.