Protocol Z

Kia tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening as the sight of Jinxi's destruction came into full view. The quiet city they had pinned their hopes on was now a battlefield, engulfed in flames and chaos. He could feel the tension in the truck rising as the others absorbed the grim reality that their last sanctuary had been reduced to ashes.

Lucy peered out the window, her face pale in the dim light. "This can't be happening," she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. Sarah, huddled beside her, clutched Lucy's arm tightly, her wide eyes reflecting the flickering flames. The teenager's silence spoke volumes—she had no words left for the horror that had become their new normal.

Mr. Bridgewood shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his once unshakable composure now replaced with visible fear. The businessman, who had previously seemed so calm and detached, now appeared on the verge of breaking. "We need to turn around," he suggested, his voice shaky. "There's nothing for us here. We should find somewhere else, somewhere—"

"Where, Mr. Bridgewood?" Kai cut him off, his tone sharper than intended. "There's nowhere else to go. Every city is either burning or about to be. Jinxi was our last shot at finding help. If we leave now, we're just running blind."

"Then what do we do?" Lucy asked, her voice trembling. "We can't just drive into that... mess. We'll get ourselves killed."

Kai didn't have an answer. He knew they couldn't go back; there was nothing left for them in Agante, and the highway they had just traveled was a deathtrap. But heading into Jinxi seemed like suicide. His mind raced through the options, but every scenario led to the same bleak conclusion.

"Maybe..." Kai began, but his voice trailed off as his thoughts turned darker. "Maybe we can use the truck to get as close as possible to the city center, then go on foot. There might still be parts of the emergency center intact. Maybe we'll find survivors, or at least some supplies."

"Or maybe we'll just find more bodies," Mr. Bridgewood muttered under his breath, though he didn't push the issue further.

Kai glanced back at Lucy and Sarah. He saw the fear in their eyes but also the flicker of determination—especially in Lucy's. She wasn't ready to give up, and that gave him a sliver of hope. "It's risky," Kai admitted. "But staying out here with no resources is just as dangerous. At least in the city, we might find something useful. And if there are other survivors, we're stronger together."

Lucy nodded slowly. "If we can find anyone who knows what's really going on, it's worth the risk."

Sarah, still clutching Lucy's arm, looked up at Kai. "Do you think we'll find them?" she asked quietly, her voice almost childlike in its innocence.

Kai forced a small, reassuring smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I don't know, Sarah. But we have to try."

With the decision made, Kai turned the truck toward the burning city. The road leading into Jinxi was littered with debris—burned-out vehicles, shattered glass, and the remains of hastily constructed barricades that had been overwhelmed by the sheer force of the attacks. They navigated slowly, the truck's tires crunching over the wreckage.

As they approached the city limits, the air grew thick with smoke, making it hard to breathe. Kai's eyes watered, and he could see Lucy and Mr. Bridgewood covering their mouths and noses with whatever cloth they could find. Sarah pulled the collar of her shirt over her face, trying to filter out the worst of the fumes.

The first signs of life—or what remained of it—came in the form of distant shouts and sporadic gunfire. The sounds of conflict echoed off the crumbling buildings, growing louder as they pressed on. Kai slowed the truck, not wanting to draw too much attention. The last thing they needed was to get caught in the crossfire of whatever battle was still raging within the city.

As they reached the outskirts of the city center, Kai pulled the truck to a stop in the shadow of a partially collapsed building. "This is as far as we go on wheels," he said, turning off the engine. The sudden silence was deafening, broken only by the crackle of nearby flames and the distant sounds of combat.

"We'll move on foot from here," Kai continued, his voice firm. "Stick together, stay low, and be ready to move quickly. We don't know who—or what—we're going to run into."

They disembarked from the truck, each of them grabbing whatever supplies they could carry. Kai made sure to take a map from the dashboard, one of the few useful items left in the vehicle. Lucy shouldered a small backpack filled with water and first aid supplies, while Mr. Bridgewood reluctantly left his briefcase behind, opting instead to carry a ration pack and one of the medical kits.

Sarah, though still visibly scared, insisted on carrying a small bag of food. "I want to help," she said, her voice trembling but resolute. Lucy gave her a reassuring nod, and the group set off, leaving the truck hidden as best they could.

The streets of Jinxi were like a scene from a nightmare. The fire had spread rapidly, consuming entire blocks in its wake. The air was filled with the acrid smell of burning wood, metal, and something far worse—something that made their stomachs turn. Every so often, they would come across the remains of those who hadn't made it out in time, their bodies twisted in unnatural positions, burned beyond recognition. Lucy tried to shield Sarah's eyes, but it was impossible to hide the full extent of the devastation.

Kai led them through the ruins, taking backstreets and alleyways to avoid the worst of the chaos. His military training served him well here; he was able to keep them out of sight of the few groups of armed men they spotted patrolling the streets. Whether these men were soldiers, rebels, or something else entirely, Kai couldn't tell. But he knew that in a place like this, it was better to assume they were hostile.

After what felt like hours of creeping through the labyrinth of destruction, they finally reached the emergency response center—or what was left of it. The building, once a beacon of safety and organization, had been reduced to a smoldering shell. The front entrance was a pile of rubble, the glass doors shattered and the lobby beyond gutted by fire.

But there was still a chance that something inside had survived.

"We need to find a way in," Kai said, his voice barely above a whisper. He led them around the side of the building, where they found a small service entrance that had been blown open. The door hung off its hinges, creaking in the wind.

They entered cautiously, stepping over the debris that littered the floor. The interior was dark and filled with smoke, but the structure was still standing, for the most part. Kai could see that the fire hadn't completely consumed this part of the building, giving them a sliver of hope that there might be something salvageable inside.

They moved through the halls, searching for any signs of life—or useful supplies. The center had clearly been in use when the attack started; the walls were lined with abandoned medical equipment, and the floors were scattered with papers, as if people had left in a hurry.

As they ventured deeper into the building, they found a room that had somehow survived the worst of the destruction. The door was ajar, and when Kai pushed it open, they found themselves in what appeared to be a makeshift command center. The walls were lined with monitors, most of them cracked or dark, but a few still flickered with static.

In the center of the room was a table, on which lay several maps and documents. There were also a few radios, one of which was still operational, emitting a faint, crackling signal.

Kai approached the table, scanning the maps for anything useful. "These are all old," he muttered, his frustration growing. "But there might be something we can use."

Mr. Bridgewood joined him, sifting through the papers with trembling hands. "These... these look like evacuation routes," he said, pulling out a map that was marked with several lines and arrows.

"Evacuation routes?" Lucy echoed, moving closer. "For where?"

Kai studied the map closely. "It looks like they were trying to get people out of the city and into the surrounding countryside. There are several safe zones marked here, but I don't know if they're still active."

"We have to try," Mr. Bridgewood said, his voice more certain now that they had a potential plan. "If there's any chance that these safe zones are still operational, we need to get there."

Kai nodded. "Agreed. But we need to be careful. There's no guarantee these places haven't been compromised."

As they prepared to leave, Lucy noticed a small folder on the edge of the table. It was labeled with a word that sent a chill down her spine: "Protocol Z."

"What's this?" she asked, picking up the folder.

Kai frowned as he took it from her and opened it. Inside were documents detailing a last-resort protocol, meant to be enacted in the event of a total breakdown of order. The contents were grim—descriptions of containment zones, emergency quarantines, and the use of lethal force to maintain control. It was a plan for a world gone mad, where survival outweighed humanity.

"This... this was their plan if everything fell apart," Kai said, his voice low. "They were ready to do whatever it took to stop the spread