They stepped inside the evacuation center. The light dropped off imdiately, the interior dim except for thin strips of morning sun cutting through the windows.
Ryan went in first, rifle raised. His boots pressed against the concrete, slow enough to control noise but not slow enough to stall.
"Left."
Ethan broke off, clearing the near side. Cole moved opposite, sweeping along the wall. The rest followed in sequence, spacing tight enough to cover but not bunch.
The main hall opened in front of them.
Folding chairs were scattered across the floor, so still lined in rows, others knocked aside. Blankets, backpacks, plastic containers—left where people had been sitting. A few bottles rolled near the aisle. No signs of struggle. Just abandonnt.
Jake shifted to cover center while Noah angled right, checking between the chairs.
A figure moved.
Slow. Dragging.
Ryan tracked it for a second before firing. One shot. The infected dropped between two rows without sound.
"Front clear."
They kept moving.
Step by step, pushing deeper into the hall. The entrance faded behind them, the light thinning as the shadows between rows grew darker.
Mason stopped near a cluster of bags and crouched briefly, pressing one with his hand.
"Command, are you seeing this?" Ryan asked through the radio.
"Yes I am seeing it," Adrian replied, watching the POVs of the operators. The more he took in the details of the evacuation center, the more grim he was feeling.
"That evacuation center from up here is huge so keep looking, there may be survivors hiding in one of the rooms," Adrian said.
"Copy," Ryan said.
He lifted his hand slightly and pushed forward again.
The team moved.
Sa pace. Sa spacing.
Ryan’s eyes kept moving—chairs, gaps, shadows between rows. Anything that didn’t match the pattern.
The hall stretched longer than it first looked. More rows. More scattered belongings. So areas still looked organized, like people had tried to keep order before everything fell apart.
Jake stepped around a knocked-over chair, checking the space behind it.
"Left side clear."
Noah moved along the right, pausing briefly at a stack of containers.
"Nothing here."
Ryan kept his rifle steady, tracking the far end again.
The stage stayed in view.
Curtains loose. The door behind it is still slightly open.
"Eyes on that back room," Ryan said quietly.
"Already on it," Ethan replied.
Thirty minutes later.
They checked all the rooms inside the evacuation center but so far, they have found no survivors.
"Sir, not a living soul is found in the evacuation center. I’m sorry," Ryan said in an apologetic tone.
"No need to apologize," Adrian said, his voice trembling from the realization that his family was gone.
"If they are not in the evacuation center sir, they could be anywhere, it’s like finding a needle in a haystack. Sir, your orders. Should we continue to search for your parents?"
Adrian thought about the question for a mont. Part of him wanted to continue the search since most of the threats on the island are neutralized, but there are still dangers that could risk the lives of the soldiers he had sent.
Sure, they were summoned individuals, not real people. But to him, they were real people. He had bonded with them and he couldn’t just waste their lives as they could potentially save more.
"Sir, whatever your decision, we will follow it, no questions asked," Ryan said, holding his position near the entrance while his eyes still scanned the periter through the broken doorway.
"Thank you Ryan. What do you think I should do at this point? Do you think they are still alive out there?"
"Can’t tell sir," Ryan replied. "But we can try. I an naturally, when this evacuation center was overrun, people would run from it and seek shelter in nearby buildings. However, the chances of their survival, including the Hunters, I’d say sir it’s low."
Adrian sighed. "My family is important, Ryan. Can you try searching the hotels nearby?"
"Copy, sir. We’ll start with the nearest cluster and work outward."
"Be careful," Adrian said. "Don’t get pulled into a fight you don’t need."
"Understood."
Ryan lowered his hand from the mic and turned slightly toward the team.
"We’re moving out," he said. "Hotels and resorts. Closest first. Sa formation, no noise."
They stepped out of the evacuation center.
Ethan reached the first hotel entrance and tested the door.
Unlocked.
He pushed it open slowly.
The lobby ca into view—front desk, sofas, a few bags left near the wall.
"Clear front."
They moved inside.
Ryan entered second, sweeping his rifle across the room. No movent. No bodies.
Jake moved behind the counter, checking the space underneath.
"Clear."
Noah took the hallway, opening the first door.
Empty.
Second door.
Empty.
Mason checked the staircase.
"Going up."
Ryan nodded.
"Two up. Rest hold ground."
Mason and Jake moved up the stairs, rifles angled forward. The rest held positions below, covering entrances and blind spots.
A few seconds passed.
"Second floor clear."
Ryan looked around the lobby again. "This hotel doesn’t have signs of a survivor staying here, sir."
"Copy," Adrian replied. "Try the different ones."
And with that, Ryan and his team searched different hotels and establishnts near the evacuation center. And all of it, they found no signs of Adrian’s family. It took them about four hours, and in between, they encountered zombies but were taken care of.
Adrian bit his lower lip as he clenched his fist. He couldn’t accept it, the loss of his parents too. But the n on the ground have done their best to locate them and yielded no results.
"Ryan, I think you should pull out from the island now. I accept now the reality of my situation. They are gone..."
"I’m sorry sir," Ryan somberly said.
"Extraction is already twenty minutes out to your position. Go to higher ground," Adrian said.
"Copy," he said. "We’re moving."
He lowered his hand and turned to the team.
"Pulling out," he said. "Nearest elevated structure. Move."
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