Chapter 4 Welcome Back!

>> 2 months since the start of the journey - Kiel <<

Alex leaned against the wall of the house and looked around the corner. Since two months later // Kiel: Alex leaned against the wall of the house and looked around the corner. All he saw were deserted streets. The houses were mostly untouched, some showing signs that they had been looted. Now that he was in Kiel, his mind was made up. Either there was still an evaluation zone here and he would make himself the boss or he would grab a boat and disappear. His stomach growled with cramps and he continued on his way. 

He had been scouting the city for a few days after he had been dropped off and had spotted a marauding gang, but also an area without infected people. He wanted to take a look at it now. He hurried along the streets, past the walls and arrived in the zone half an hour later. There was a yawning emptiness here. There were no vehicles and he could make out a fence. He approached it cautiously. 

It was massive and he followed it until he reached a gate, which was locked. Alex was pondering what he should do now when the barrel of a gun suddenly pressed against his cheek. 

"The bandits aren't actually that stupid to come here," a hoarse voice murmured. 

Alex grinned. 

"Well, I'm not a bandit either. I'm here for the evacuation zone."

The owner of the weapon tried to hit him, but he dodged and saw the attacker. It was a hooded soldier in digital BDU who was about 1.76 m tall.

"Here...I...wait," he said and reached into his jacket pocket to pull out the crumpled, faded piece of paper from Bingen. Only the Kiel zone had not yet been crossed out. He held up the piece of paper.

"It says it big on there, Kiel".

The rifle remained pointed at him. 

"The zone was closed a month and a half ago."

"Well, I didn't get the fax then.

Can you still get in?" she growled and tried to hit him again, but Alex dodged.

She growled and tried to punch him again, but Alex dodged again, playing with her. 

"Okay, I got it, I'll go again then." 

Several laser dots appeared on his chest. 

Alex was pushed into the opening gate and ran past soldiers aiming at him.

"Servus," he greeted them and was taken to a marina. Inside, he had to put his rucksack and equipment on a table. 

"Put everything here," the woman said with a growl. 

"Ei jei jei, I'll call you Gitte, fits." No, I once knew someone who said, "She pointed the gun at him." 

He grinned and got rid of his equipment, then sat down on a chair and lit a cigarette.

"So, Gitte," he breathed smoke to the side.

"What now." 

" I said shut up."

"Well, actually, you didn't say anything and it's been so long since I've talked to anyone normally again." Her finger was trembling. 

"Lieutenant Schornshof! If you're going to drag a survivor here, don't shoot him directly!" came the voice of an incoming major, who somehow reminded Alex of Dieter Bohlen. The latter looked at the mountain on the table, then at Alex.

"Who are you? And where are you from?"

"Alexander Kaiser, from Mainz."

"That's a long way off, Emperor," said the Major, taking Alex's wallet to open it. He looked at the contents and stopped at Alex's ID card, which he used with the police. 

"You're a policeman?" he asked.

Alex took a drag on his cigarette.

"Yup, well, when I got to Bingen, there was nothing left." So I went to the next zone." 

A private took the card and inserted it into a card reader on the laptop. It took a moment for something to happen on the laptop.

"It's real, the system says it's in transit," he said. He clicked.

The major looked at him. "Hmm, you can always use policemen on fleet ships, bring him on board," said the major. The private stared at the monitor in horror. 

"I swear, I didn't do anything!" 

A sentence abbreviation flashed on the monitor. "Service reactivation".

The major turned to Alex.

"What's that?" Yes, I used to be federal, but I was transferred to the reserves," he ashed off to his side.

"I mean, that was a few years ago, too, and never heard from the Bund again, apart from soliciting donations." 

The major glanced at the monitor as his satellite phone beeped at his hip, and he looked at it in surprise. He pressed the answer button.

"Major Schmidt?!" 

"General Deuchbach!" he answered briefly, but was cut off immediately. 

"Tell me it's not a hoax I'm seeing here."

"Well General, he had the wallet with him."

"I'd like to see a photo."

The major sighed, looked at the corporal. 

"Take a photo of him and send it over the network." 

Alex looked at him. "Photo?"

Schornshof struck at him, he dodged her blow.

There was silence.

"It really is him...give him to me." 

The major held out the phone, Alex looked at him questioningly. 

"He wants to talk to you."

"Uh-huh..." He sidestepped Schornshof once more, patted her hooded forehead. "I'll play with you again in a minute."

"AH!" She cried out and attacked once more. Alex grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up. She swatted at him and wrapped her legs around his arm. 

"Gitte gitte gitte," he slapped her butt with his other hand.

"It's only been 2 months since the breakdown and I've been able to stock up on vitamins, even sleep in on the last stretch here in the comfy SUV back seat etc. I've had enough exercise and sport, the only bad thing is that I've gotten fitter again because of something like this," she growled.

Alex laughed and looked at the Major.

"She really reminds me of someone from before. She used to growl when she was angry, too." He picked up the phone

and just said, "Kaiser.

Shit, it's really you." 

"Yeah, I was supposed to drop off on a small island, but a feral cat brought me in."

"It's actually not that far from where you were to here that it takes two months."

Alex looked to Schornshof, whose grip was slackening. He set her down on the chair and felt her pulse.

"I took my time and had some bad luck. General."

"According to the system, you're reactivated."

Alex took another drag on the cigarette and then stubbed it out on the floor.

"After you called so quickly, I have a feeling you never let me out of your sight." 

A laugh sounded on the other side.

"Well, I had to make sure you didn't do anything wrong."

"I had wondered why I hadn't gotten higher."

"Alex, we're screwed."

"Well, not quite."

"Ha, good joke. We've only got a few soldiers left, and the supplies are only just enough." 

The people I have are enough to do resupply missions. Apart from the bandits, everything can be changed, it's only two months.

Resources are still there."

Silence on the other side. 

"Say you can secure the area, what about the damn stinkers? We load loads of bullets into them and more keep coming."

"One load in the heart or head is enough."

" ..." came from Deuchbach

"Even decapitation is enough, even electrocution; they're just sick people. Alex went to the table with his hiking backpack and rummaged through it, pulling out several vitamin pills, which he swallowed and washed down with water. 

I have video footage and reports from zones etc. It's not impossible.

"Hhmm... Why do I get the feeling you made a plan?"

"You can put it this way, but I can also stay out of it. I'll get a boat and set off somewhere." 

Alex looked at the Major, took out the map and held it out to him. 

"It's one of ours..."

"Found it in a wolf a month and a half ago, I put some of my stuff on it."

Schmidt took the card and looked at it. 

"I see, that's why the reconnaissance teams disappeared."

On the phone, Deuchbach spoke up again.

"I've been thinking about how safe your plan is." 

"Ninety percent it will work."

A sigh.

"Good, first get rid of the bandits in the area. Then I can send in supply helicopters."

" Understood."

" Good, I've updated the system. Welcome back. Give me Schmidt."