Decision

The survivors were a sorry bunch. Two men and five women sat in a dark cramped room, storage of sorts. Steven went to fetch the other lookouts while Adam observed his future team.

They were visibly shaken and tired, with dark circles under their eyes, and stomachs grumbling in hunger. They gathered around Adam, waiting for an explanation, a reassurance that everything will be alright.

Adam waited for Steven to return before he started speaking. The policeman brought with him another man and woman, both armed with fire axes. The number of survivors took him by surprise. Three more than his Bloodsense had detected before. Some of them must have been outside its range.

He looked at each of them and began his speech.

"You all must have many questions. Unfortunately, I don't have all the answers," Adam narrated, putting on a mask of confidence he had worn in court countless times before.

"What I know is that the situation is grim. At least half of us turned into those Tainted, zombie-like creatures that you all have probably seen outside this building. They're vicious predators who hunt people that didn't turn.

As he reached this part he could see frightened glances exchanged between the survivors. He had to quickly instill some hope in them.

"Not all is lost though. Many others survived and are fighting against this new threat. I have journeyed here from Tarnow and seen it myself. There is still hope for all of us." Adam paused for a moment. He had to give them a purpose now, a clear target that they would want to achieve.

"I must say this. No one is going to help you. Not the government, not the Police, and not the army. We have to help ourselves."

"What do you propose? That we go out there and get ourselves killed?" One of the women spoke out with a terrified grimace on her face.

"No, I propose that we get out of here and find food. How long have you been hungry? Two days? Three days?" He saw that he had their attention now. "There's a supermarket not far from here. I've been there. There's more food than you could eat there."

The survivors began squabbling among themselves. They were divided, fear fighting with hunger. Adam had to strike again.

"After we eat, we go to safety. As I said, no one's going to help you here. We have to reach them first. There is a garrison in Cracow. Our army is fighting there. If we get to it, we will be safe," he lied through his teeth.

"I don't expect you to give me an answer right now, but I hope that when I leave this place tomorrow morning, you'll go with me," Adam ended the speech and observed how the people reacted.

Most of the survivors seemed to agree with him. The monsters trapping them inside were gone now, and they wanted to leave, search for their families or find a safer place to stay.

With his initial goal achieved, Adam had to make them follow him now. He couldn't allow everyone to go their separate ways. He had a vague idea of how to achieve this, but it had to wait until they left their haven.

For now, though, he turned to Steven and the young woman he had brought with him. She was tall and attractive with long brown hair tied in a ponytail and dressed in the same kind of uniform that Steven was.

As they approached him, Adam saw the resolve in their eyes.

"I like your idea," Steven began. "I don't have any family here, might as well tag along to a safe place."

"I'm Maya," the woman introduced herself. "I'm coming with you too."

Adam talked with them for a while, adding more details to his story and learning what had happened here.

As he suspected the building was the administrative center of the town. When they learned about the Impact, the petitioners and most of the employees fled the scene.

The rest had stayed to organize a crisis management center. They had coordinated with other municipal services and tried to prepare for the catastrophe as well as they could in the limited time they had had.

Just before the Impact, everyone had gone outside to see it. Adam knew all too well what must have happened next. The survivors hidden in the building were the ones that had managed to flee the massacre.

He also learned more about his future companions. They both worked in the municipal police and were a part of the team tasked with providing security in the town hall.

Steven's parents, his only family, lived in the other part of the country and he didn't consider looking for them for now.

As for Maya, her parents and boyfriend lived in Cracow. She wanted to look for them at first, but after hearing Adam's story, she understood that it was futile.

"They either turned, were killed, or fled the city," she concluded with a sad weary smile on her face. "If they're still alive, we'll find each other eventually. What about you? Do you have anyone"

"I have a wife and a daughter in Cracow," Adam replied carefully. "My father died not so long ago and my mom lives in a retirement home close to the city. When the situation calms down, I'm going to look for them."

He couldn't tell them about his real goal. Not after hearing about Maya's decision. What she said was rational and most likely true. It stung his very soul with the worst kind of pain. The one caused by doubt.

Nevertheless, he couldn't just accept it as she did. He had to believe they were waiting for him at home. He would go mad otherwise.

Adam replaced Steven at his post above the side entrance. He looked into the darkness, his mind in turmoil. Maya's words shook him to the core.

Three days had already passed since the Impact. Carol and Susan probably had already left. They wouldn't be there when he reached home.

He was too far gone though. He had to at least check. Maybe they waited there for him. Maybe Carol left a message for him there, something that would help him find them.

Another survivor finally replaced him after midnight. While walking away, Adam scouted the square with Bloodsense one last time. The horde didn't come back. The few Tainted that didn't leave stood mindlessly in front of the building.

The night was dark, and because of that, he didn't notice that some of them stared at the spot he was hiding in. Their eyes shifted and followed Adam as he walked through the building.

The morning came and with it the time to make a decision. Adam entered the basement armed with a fire ax and flanked by Steven and Maya.

"We are going to leave the building and search for food. We won't be coming back here. Are you going with us?" Adam spoke loudly. "Think carefully. If you go with us, you have a shot at survival. Only death awaits you if you stay here."

More than half of the remaining survivors joined him. The rest looked at the group with reproach. One of them, a young man, approached Adam.

"I would have joined you but I have to take care of my mother," he whispered to him and pointed at the older woman that questioned Adam last night. "She's certain that the government will send help."

"I wish you luck then," Adam replied. "If you change your mind, remember to stay silent at all times. They react to sound."

With this last exchange, the group left the basement. They went to the exit leading to the back alley that ran around the building.

"We run to the supermarket. The way should be safe. Most of the Tainted are gathered down the road on the other side of the square," Adam reminded the plan once again.

Steven unlocked the door with a soft sound. He slowly opened them and looked around. The path seemed clear. The group left the building, the young man from before closing the door behind them.

They delved into the narrow alleys, carefully scouting the way onward. Adam was in the center of the group, concentrating silently on the feedback from the Bloodsense.

Although the others didn't see any Tainted, the situation didn't look good in his eyes. The Tainted were moving. He sensed a few of them following the group through the parallel streets.

Adam didn't know how or why was it happening but it seemed that some of the Tainted learned to sense the survivors. Their journey became much more dangerous.

He silently disposed of their stalkers with Blood Manipulation, leaving only one alive. It was time to test the group's courage and resolve. They reached an intersection, with Maya scouting the way.

She looked around the corner and saw a Tainted coming from the nearby street, its eyes glued in their direction.