Morning came quietly inside the bunker.
The artificial lights gradually brightened to mimic sunrise, illuminating the corridors and living areas with a soft glow.
Luis had barely slept.
He was already sitting at the dining table in his family's section when Frederick entered the room.
Frederick noticed immediately.
"You look tired."
Luis rubbed his eyes slightly.
"I stayed up late watching the surveillance."
Frederick paused.
"Did something happen?"
Luis nodded.
"After we finished watching the series last night… when everyone went to their rooms, I checked the cameras."
Frederick pulled out a chair and sat down.
"And?"
Luis leaned forward.
"I saw someone outside."
Frederick's expression sharpened.
"Someone?"
Luis nodded.
"At first I wasn't sure if it was a person or infected. It was raining and the night vision camera made everything look strange."
"What did you do?"
"I kept watching."
Luis exhaled slowly.
"I stayed there until dawn."
Frederick raised an eyebrow.
"All night?"
Luis nodded again.
"I wanted to be sure."
"So?"
Luis looked toward the hallway.
"It's infected."
Frederick's jaw tightened slightly.
"Are you certain?"
Luis nodded.
"There's a bite wound on its neck."
Frederick leaned back in his chair, thinking carefully.
"How did it get this far?"
Luis shrugged.
"I don't know."
He paused.
"Maybe it drove here."
Frederick frowned.
"Or it fled from somewhere else."
There were no houses anywhere near their bunker.
No towns.
No roads with regular traffic.
For an infected to wander this far meant something had brought it here.
Frederick stood up.
"We need to inform Mia and her parents."
Luis nodded.
"It's still outside."
Frederick's eyes narrowed.
"Still?"
Luis nodded.
"Hasn't moved far."
Just then Olivia walked into the room holding a tray of food.
She glanced between them.
"What are you two discussing so seriously this early?"
Frederick sighed.
"Luis saw an infected near the bunker."
Olivia froze for a moment.
Then she placed the tray on the table calmly.
"Breakfast first."
Luis blinked.
"Mom—"
Olivia smiled gently.
"We will deal with danger better if we are not hungry."
Frederick chuckled quietly.
"You're not wrong."
Luis sighed but sat down.
Half an hour later, both families gathered in the bunker's monitoring room.
Michael and Helen arrived first.
"What's going on?" Michael asked.
Frederick gestured toward the screen.
"Luis saw something last night."
Luis activated the surveillance feed.
The night vision camera switched to the daytime view.
There it was.
The infected.
It stood several hundred meters away near the edge of the tree line.
Its body swayed slightly as if barely balanced.
Dark stains covered its shirt.
A deep bite mark was visible along the side of its neck.
Helen covered her mouth.
"Oh my God…"
Olivia's face turned pale.
"So that's what they look like…"
For Luis, Michael, Frederick, Olivia, and Helen, this was the first time they had seen an infected up close.
Even through a screen, the sight was disturbing.
Luis crossed his arms.
"It wandered here sometime last night."
Mia studied the monitor carefully.
Her expression remained calm.
"I don't think it knows we're here."
Michael nodded slowly.
"That's good."
Mia looked thoughtful.
"We should kill it."
Everyone looked at her.
"If it stays here too long," she continued, "it might attract others."
Luis shook his head.
"Not yet."
Mia turned toward him.
"Why?"
Luis pointed toward the screen.
"If it stays there, it might actually help us."
Frederick frowned.
"How?"
Luis spoke calmly.
"If anyone passes by the area and sees an infected nearby, they'll avoid coming closer."
Mia considered that.
Luis continued.
"It can act like a warning sign."
"A natural defense."
Michael slowly nodded.
"That makes sense."
Luis added, "If we ever decide to leave the bunker, we can eliminate it then."
Mia watched the infected again.
It moved slowly through the wet grass.
Not aggressive.
Just wandering.
Eventually she nodded.
"Alright."
Luis relaxed slightly.
Helen shivered.
"I hate watching that thing."
Olivia nodded quickly.
"Me too."
Both women turned away from the screen almost immediately.
"I'm going back to the kitchen," Olivia said.
Helen followed her.
"I'll help."
Michael chuckled quietly.
"They've had enough horror for the morning."
Frederick patted Luis on the shoulder.
"Keep monitoring it."
Luis nodded.
"We will."
The two men left the room.
Now only Mia and Luis remained.
Mia stared at the screen.
"I don't like this."
Luis looked at her gently.
"It's just one infected."
"That's how it always starts," Mia said quietly.
Luis placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"We're safe."
Mia wanted to believe him.
But deep down…
She remembered how quickly things could spiral out of control.
----
Across the city, near the headquarters of Alps Builders, a small group of survivors crouched behind an abandoned vehicle.
They stared at the tall building ahead.
One man whispered, "Someone's inside."
Another frowned.
"How do you know?"
"I saw movement in the upper floors last night."
The group exchanged glances.
Buildings like that often had valuable supplies.
Food.
Medicine.
Tools.
Shelter.
One woman spoke quietly.
"If someone already lives there, they won't share."
The first man nodded.
"That's why we take it."
They studied the entrances carefully.
The building looked secure.
But desperate people became bold.
Especially when they were hungry.
"Tonight," the man said.
"We try to get inside."
Inside the building, Kevin stood near a window on the upper floor.
The glass was heavily tinted.
No one outside could see him.
But he could see them.
The small group gathered near the street.
Kevin's eyes narrowed.
"Figures."
Chelsea walked over.
"What?"
Kevin pointed slightly.
"Visitors."
Chelsea squinted.
"People?"
Kevin nodded.
"They think this place is empty."
Chelsea frowned.
"What are we going to do?"
Kevin turned away from the window.
"I'm securing everything."
He headed toward the elevator.
In the basement security room he had already found several useful items.
Two firearms.
A fire axe.
And security batons.
Not ideal weapons.
But better than nothing.
Kevin also began moving food supplies deeper inside the building.
If someone managed to break in…
They wouldn't easily find the pantry.
Chelsea watched nervously as he worked.
Outside, the infected still wandered through the streets.
But now…
Living survivors were becoming just as dangerous.