Chapter 2

As Fred and Stone's helicopter hovered over the scene, Fred used his telescope to scan for any signs of a crash within or around the Zone. However, there was no trace of wreckage. Jane, still standing on the van, felt as if the world was slowly slipping away before her eyes. Her burning lungs and pounding heart threatened to consume her, and an overwhelming void seemed to engulf her soul.

In that harrowing moment, the sound of a helicopter reached Jane's ears. Summoning her strength, she tore her parachute and began waving it frantically while shouting. The approaching zombies sensed her presence and rushed toward the van, unable to climb it. Fred, using his telescope, saw the waving figure and informed Stone.

"Hey Stone, someone is down there," Stone, cautious, questioned whether it could be one of the monsters.

Fred rechecked through his telescope and assured Stone, "No, it's not a monster." Stone slowed down the helicopter, and Fred descended the ladder. As Jane climbed aboard, Fred, overjoyed, exclaimed, "It's Jane!"

Once safely inside the helicopter, Fred inquired, "What happened? Where is Luis and Gomez?" Jane, visibly exhausted yet furious, recounted the terrifying events. Upon their arrival at the DC, Jane explained what happened, and everyone was surprised. Fred decided to conduct a blood test on Jane to determine if she had been infected.

While Jane's blood was being tested, she discreetly stashed the syringe in her lab coat pocket into her handbag on the desk. She then used the facility's shower. Casandra suggested disposing of Jane's clothes. The test results, after five anxious minutes, read "Negative."

The following day, Jane, accompanied by two officers, visited Luis's house. Anabel answered the door, and Jane wasted no time in questioning her about Luis's whereabouts. "Where is Luis?"

Anabel, genuinely concerned, explained that Luis hadn't returned since the previous day. Then Jane accused Luis of trying to get her killed, "Your fucking husband, was trying to get me killed yesterday!"

Anabel defended her husband. "How dare you come to my house and insult my husband!" Anabel rebuked, her temper flaring.

Jane, seething with anger, raised her hand to slap Anabel, but one of the officers intervened, preventing the assault.

"Tell him, I will get him!" Jane left abruptly, ignoring the attempts of the officers to stop her. Her eyes were now narrow, rigid, cold, and hard.

Back at the DC, Jane immediately took charge and ordered the staffs to prepare for a return to the town. With determination in her eyes, Jane, Stone, Fred, Casandra, and Margret piled into the DC van and headed back to Tacoma.

Upon their arrival, Casandra was visibly shaken, feeling the weight of the situation in her empty, burning lungs and the pounding of her heart against her chest. As they surveyed the Zone, Jane spotted Gomez in the distance. Her breath caught when she realized he had turned into a zombie. They were all sad, as burning determination flickered in Jane's eyes, fueled by anger and the need to confront Luis.

Fred, unable to bear the distressing scene, urged everyone to return to DC. However, Jane, consumed by her desire to find Luis, insisted that they go ahead without her. Despite Fred's insistence, Jane ordered them to leave, promising to catch up later.

Alone in Tacoma, Jane noticed Leo's car parked near the Zone entrance, the key conveniently left in the ignition. Following the trail of a moving car, she discovered a house surrounded by bushes and parked outside. Armed with her gun, Jane cautiously entered the house to find Luis sitting on the floor, eating and crying.

Jane, taking control, pointed her gun at Luis from behind and used its edge to knock him out. After tying him to a chair, she slapped him repeatedly, demanding an explanation for his actions.

"Why did you do that?" Jane interrogated, frustration evident in her voice.

Luis, in tears, begged for forgiveness, revealing that his family was in the Zone. He explained the Prime Minister's order to burn down the community and his desperate attempt to protect his loved ones. Overwhelmed by emotion, Jane uttered a simple apology, "I'm sorry," then she knocked Luis off with the gun, before injecting him with the zombie blood she withdrew that day.

As she injected him, Jane heard growling outside. Peering through the window, she saw five zombies and realized they were drawn by the sound. Panicking, she punched Luis's cheek to wake him up.

He woke up confused and in pain, Jane asked him, why are the zombies out? Luis explained that Gomez was to be blame for the zombie release. As Luis's body began to change, he struggled with intense pain, uncontrollable shaking, and chattering teeth. His admission about Gomez's actions left Jane horrified.

Luis saw a syringe on the floor stained with blood. He becomes furious, then pop out laughter by saying, "All the zombies will eat everyone because Gomez, made a way for them already!"

With the realization that Luis's transformation was inevitable, Jane urged him to explain what had happened so she could block the pathways. She reminded him of his wife and daughter still being out there."Think about your wife and daughter!"

But Luis, overwhelmed by pain, gave up on explaining, and after two minutes, he succumbed to the transformation. Jane, terrified, used a fork to stab him in the chest but did not die, until she used the fork in the head to end his suffering. Filled with fear, she fled in her car, leaving the haunting scene behind.

*EARLIER*

Luis and Gomez embarked on a perilous journey toward the heart of the zombie-infested Zone. As they arrived, Luis pointed to his parents' locked house, hopeful that they might still be safe inside.

"That house is still locked. They might be inside, saved. Let's find a way to get them out," Luis suggested optimistically.

"Those monsters will eat us alive if we go in there," Gomez cautioned. Ignoring the warning, Gomez got out of the car and approached the fence, engaging in conversation with Luis. Unbeknownst to him, a zombie lurked nearby, closing in on his exposed hand.

Luis, alarmed, shouted, "Remove your hand! He's going to bite you!" But it was too late. The zombie bit Gomez's finger, and he screamed in pain, quickly retracting his hand. Luis rushed to his side, expressing concern.

"How are you feeling?" Luis inquired.

"I'm fine, but it's painful," Gomez responded. Luis retrieved a first aid box from the car and tended to Gomez's wound.

Suggesting a risky plan, Gomez proposed cutting the fence wire at the back so he could sneak in and rescue Luis's family. The duo returned to the car and drove to the rear of the fence, where the zombie presence was minimal.

Using a pair of pliers, Luis cut the fence wire, allowing Gomez to slip inside and hide behind a cage near one of the houses. As two zombies passed by without noticing him, Gomez made a dash for Luis's parents' house. However, a zombie attacked him, biting his shoulder. Gomez fought back, pushing the zombie away and seeking refuge inside the cage once again.

Panicked, Gomez informed Luis that everyone in the house had turned, and the zombies started pouring out from the breached fence. Luis hurriedly got into his car and sped away, tears streaming down his face. The weight of the tragedy overwhelmed him, and he wept loudly, his sobs tearing through the eerie silence.

While driving, Luis spotted a nearby house and decided to stop. He entered and discovered a woman and her daughter preparing for their meals. Luis, with a heavy heart, had to make a gruesome decision with anger. He ended their lives, placed their corpses in a room, and locked it. Hunger gnawed at him, and he took their meager food, sitting on the floor to eat in the midst of the desolation.