"Ahhh!"
The sudden silence inside the apartment building was shattered by a deafening BOOM , followed immediately by screams of terror.
Those walking at the front of the group turned their heads in alarm upon hearing the piercing cries from behind.
"What the hell?!" Brian's eyes widened as he stared at the scene behind him, his mouth hanging open in shock.
The entire section of the corridor behind them had collapsed, sending up a thick cloud of dust. Everyone who had been at the very end of the line had vanished into the abyss — only a few survivors remained on this side, sitting stunned and staring at the gaping pit with horror.
Without hesitation, Brian turned around and cautiously moved toward the edge of the collapse, stretching his neck to look down.
What met his eyes was horrifying: a man impaled through the abdomen by a steel beam protruding from the broken wall. Blood poured from the wound as he screamed in agony, writhing uselessly against the metal rod. Each movement only caused him more pain and made his body sink further onto the spike.
There were two or three others in similar conditions nearby, though slightly better off — they had only been pierced through limbs.
Others were crushed under rubble, struck by sharp edges, or unconscious from head injuries. The variety of injuries was endless, each more gruesome than the last.
Looking at the pit and the people crying out in pain below, Brian showed no emotion. Instead, he frowned slightly — the noise they were making was far too loud.
Suddenly, something caught his eye from the corner of his vision. His pupils constricted sharply, and he stumbled back several steps, quickly covering his mouth and nose.
"What happened?!"
At that moment, Tracy arrived with over a dozen soldiers from the front of the group. Seeing the situation, she immediately ordered:
"Get down there and rescue them!"
Brian, still holding his breath, shouted urgently:
"Don't go down!"
"Who said that?!"
The soldiers paused mid-step, turning toward the voice. Seeing it was just a boy of twelve or thirteen, one of the soldiers snapped:
"Who do you think you are? Get out of the way, kid!"
"Wait!"
Before the soldier could finish, Tracy recognized Brian and raised a hand to stop him. She quickly stepped forward and asked:
"Why not?"
Though she didn't understand why Brian was here or why he would prevent them from rescuing others, she knew he wouldn't say such a thing without reason.
The dozen soldiers behind her exchanged confused glances, surprised that their leader was taking orders from a child.
Pointing downward, Brian spoke urgently:
"There are fungal masses formed from infected corpses down there!"
He gestured toward a dark red mass clinging tightly to the wall in the pit.
Back in Austin, he had seen something like this before — a basement filled with yellow-green air. At the time, he hadn't known why, but now he understood. Those red fungal masses grew from the bodies of dead infected, feeding on the remains. The yellow-green gas surrounding them was spores released by the fungus. Anyone who inhaled those spores would become infected with the cordyceps virus.
Hearing this, both the soldiers and the other survivors looked down. Sure enough, they spotted the coagulated red fungal mass in the corner of the pit.
Everyone's faces paled instantly. They instinctively covered their mouths and noses and took several steps back, unwilling to get any closer.
"Please! Save me!"
"Help us—!"
"We're not infected! Don't abandon us!"
Inside the pit, several lucky survivors who hadn't been injured stood on the rubble. At first, seeing the soldiers preparing to descend, they had looked hopeful.
But when they heard the boy mention the fungal infection, panic and fear filled their eyes. As they saw the rescuers slowly retreating, they scrambled to the edge of the pit, begging desperately for help.
"Captain... please save me!"
At that moment, the young soldier dropped to his knees, looking pleadingly at Tracy. He didn't want to die. He was so young. He didn't want to die like this!
Tracy stood frozen in place, gazing at the suffering faces below and the desperate eyes of the soldier. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides, and she slowly closed her eyes, unable to hide the pain on her face.
But she couldn't risk more lives trying to save these people. Steeling herself, she turned sharply and said in a cold, clear voice:
"We leave. Now."
Brian watched Tracy issue the order, his lips parting slightly in protest. In his opinion, she was being overly sentimental. After all, they still had a long way to go. This pit wasn't too deep — with some effort, those below might find a way to climb out. By abandoning them now, there was no telling what extreme actions they might take once they recovered.
For people already exposed to cordyceps infection — and potentially carriers of the disease — if it had been up to Brian, the best course of action would have been to quietly eliminate them all with silenced rifles.
Thinking this, Brian suddenly shivered, shocked by his own thoughts. It was then that he realized how much he had already adapted to this world… and how cold-blooded he had become.
Upon hearing Tracy's command, both soldiers and civilians let out sighs of relief. They had truly feared she would give in and send them down — which could have led to unimaginable consequences.
Without delay, everyone turned and left, keeping their hands firmly over their mouths and noses. None wanted to stay even a second longer.
"You bastards will get what's coming to you!"
"You won't escape your fate!"
Seeing the people above abandon them, the expressions of the survivors in the pit changed instantly. Their sorrowful pleas turned into hatred and fury. They glared at the retreating figures, cursing endlessly.
"If you won't let me live... then I'll make sure none of you survive either!"
At that moment, the same young soldier who had begged for help suddenly rose to his feet. With a furious cry, he raised his rifle and opened fire on the retreating crowd.
Da-da-da—!
A hail of bullets rained down on the group just meters away. A survivor at the very back of the line was struck in the back of the head — he didn't even have time to scream before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
"Oh god! Dammit!"
The crowd erupted into panic as they turned and saw the fallen body. Screaming, they scrambled forward in a chaotic rush.
Brian, also near the rear, barely avoided the gunfire. Reacting quickly, he dropped to the ground. Looking up at the bullet holes above him, a cold gleam flickered in his eyes — something inside him seemed to break along with that shot.
"Hurry! Get up — we have to move!" Before he could process it fully, Tracy pulled him up and dragged him forward.
"Ahh!"
Inside the pit, due to the angle and the growing distance, the soldier could no longer hit anyone. Enraged, he slammed his rifle against the ground, letting out a frustrated roar.
He began planning his escape route. Trained as a soldier, he was physically superior to the civilians. He could definitely climb out.
But just then, he noticed someone nearby — a fat man with a full beard, pinned under debris and calling for help.
As soon as he saw him, the soldier's eyes locked onto the man. He remembered clearly — it was this man who had blocked the path earlier, slamming his fist into the ground and causing the collapse.
Hatred burned in his eyes. Slowly, he drew his knife and started walking toward the fat man.
The other survivors noticed the soldier's movement and followed his gaze. Seeing the bearded man, they too remembered the cause of their fall. Eyes bloodshot with rage, they grabbed whatever weapons they could find and advanced together.
"W-what are you doing?!"
Still dazed from unconsciousness, the fat man struggled weakly under the rubble, calling out for help — until he saw everyone approaching him. Fear flooded his eyes as he stuttered:
"W-why are you all coming this way?! L-let me go!"
No one answered. Without a word, they raised their weapons and lunged at him.
Moments later, the pit echoed with the fat man's agonizing screams — a sound filled with terror and despair so intense that every listener felt a chill run down their spine.