Episode 9: The Birth of the Stranger Association
The wind howled through the ruined city as Surya stood atop a tall building, his masked face staring down at the carnage below. Bodies lay scattered across the streets, some still twitching, others grotesquely feasting on human flesh. The virus had turned the city into a nightmare, and the world Surya once knew was gone.
Aditya landed beside him, blood dripping from his knuckles. "We barely managed to survive that," he muttered. "And they'll keep coming. We need more people. We can't do this alone."
Surya remained silent for a moment before speaking. "We will gather the strong and the weak alike. We will become their shield."
Aditya raised an eyebrow. "You mean... a group? Like an army?"
Surya nodded, his long black hair swaying in the cold night air. "Not an army. A brotherhood. A force that fights not for glory, but to survive. We will be the shadows that stand against the infected. We will be the Strangers."
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Recruitment Begins
The next day, the two of them scouted the city, searching for survivors who could be useful. They knew they couldn't trust just anyone—desperation turned people into monsters even before the virus did. But in the ruins, they found their first potential recruit: Sai.
A skinny boy with sharp eyes and an unshakable grin, Sai had been surviving alone, using wit and agility to evade both the infected and the roaming gangs of lawless humans. He had no brute strength, but his adaptability made him valuable.
"So, you're saying I get to be part of some secret group of badass masked guys fighting monsters?" Sai smirked. "Sign me up."
Aditya scoffed. "You talk too much. Can you even fight?"
Sai twirled a small blade between his fingers. "I'm alive, aren't I?"
Surya handed him a black mask. "Then you're Stranger Y now. Prove you're worth it."
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The Meaning of the Mask
By the end of the week, they had recruited a few more. Some were strong, others were smart. All had survived hell and lived to tell the tale.
Stranger A was a former soldier, disciplined and ruthless. Stranger K was an engineer, skilled in crafting weapons. Stranger E had medical knowledge, vital for their survival. Slowly, the Strangers took shape.
Surya gathered them in an abandoned warehouse, standing before them with his mask on. "This mask is not just a disguise. It is a promise. A promise that we will not be broken. That we will not be erased. We are the Strangers to this dying world, but we will be its last hope."
The group stood in silence, absorbing his words. Then, one by one, they donned their masks.
Aditya placed a hand on Surya's shoulder. "This is just the beginning. The real war starts now."
Surya clenched his fist. "Let them come. We will be ready."
And with that, the Stranger Association was born.