The road returned to silence after the fight.
The bodies of the infected lay scattered across the cracked asphalt behind them, unmoving once more. Dust slowly settled over the area as the wind carried the faint smell of decay through the empty roadside buildings.
Luis parked the armored SUV slightly farther from the gas station this time, positioning it where they could clearly see the road in both directions. He left the engine off to conserve fuel. Inside the vehicle, the quiet felt heavy.
Both of them were still catching their breath from the encounter.
Mia leaned back in the passenger seat, her crossbow resting beside her, while Luis kept his eyes on the surrounding area through the windshield. Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Finally, Luis reached into the center compartment and pulled out the satellite phone his father had insisted they bring. "I should call the bunker," he said.
Mia nodded. "They'll want to know we made it here."
Luis turned the device on and waited for the signal indicator to stabilize before dialing the number Federico had programmed into the phone earlier. The line connected after a few seconds. A familiar voice answered immediately.
"Luis?"
It was his father. Luis relaxed slightly when he heard Federick's calm voice. "Dad. It's me."
"How are you two?" Federick asked quickly.
"We're fine," Luis replied. "We arrived at the location Pablo told us about."
"Is he there?"
Luis glanced out the window again toward the empty road.
"Not yet. We're still waiting. We're inside the vehicle just watching the area."
On the other end of the line, Federick was silent for a moment.
Then he spoke carefully.
"Both of you stay alert. Don't let your guard down."
"We won't," Luis said.
Federico continued in a firm tone.
"Be careful out there. If anything feels wrong, leave immediately and come back to the bunker."
Luis nodded even though his father couldn't see him.
"Yes, Dad."
He hesitated briefly. For a moment he considered mentioning the infected they had encountered earlier. The sudden attack, the runner, the chaos but he decided against it.
If his parents heard about that, they would only worry more and they had already survived it.
"There's no sign of Pablo yet," Luis added calmly. "But we'll wait a little longer."
"Alright," Federick said. "Just stay safe."
Luis ended the call and placed the satellite phone back into the compartment.
Mia glanced at him.
"They're worried?"
Luis smiled faintly.
"When are parents not worried?"
Mia chuckled softly at that.
After a moment, she leaned forward and pressed the power button on the car's radio system. Static filled the speakers. She slowly adjusted the tuning dial, scanning different frequencies while they waited. Most channels produced nothing but empty static.
Dead air. Occasionally there were faint bursts of distorted signals, but nothing clear. Luis continued watching the road while Mia kept adjusting the dial patiently.
Then suddenly..
A voice broke through the static.
"…repeat… emergency broadcast… possible origin of the infection…"
Mia froze.
Luis immediately turned the volume up.
The signal was weak, but the voice was understandable.
"…research indicates the outbreak may be connected to a pharmaceutical drug currently under investigation…"
Mia felt her chest tighten slightly. She had heard something like this before, long ago. In the future..
The radio continued.
"The drug, developed by a private pharmaceutical corporation, was originally intended to treat neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease. According to leaked research data, the medication used a compound derived from animal neural tissue to stimulate damaged human brain cells."
Luis frowned.
"Animal neural tissue?"
Mia listened closely.
The announcer continued speaking carefully, as if reading from a prepared report.
"The compound was designed to slow the progression of memory loss by promoting regeneration of neural pathways. Early laboratory results were promising, and limited human testing began under controlled conditions."
The signal crackled slightly before stabilizing again.
"However, something went wrong during the testing phase. Reports suggest that one of the human volunteers, a researcher stationed in Africa, began showing severe neurological symptoms several days after receiving the drug."
Luis's eyes narrowed.
"And that's how it started?"
The radio voice continued.
"Witnesses described violent behavior and extreme aggression from the infected individual. Several people were attacked and bitten before the situation could be contained."
Mia stared quietly at the dashboard.
The story matched what she remembered.
"Those bitten later developed similar symptoms. Unfortunately, the early cases were not recognized as contagious immediately. Several individuals who had been scratched or bitten traveled internationally before quarantine measures were implemented."
Luis exhaled slowly.
"So it spread everywhere."
The radio crackled again.
"Within weeks, cases appeared across multiple countries. Governments initially treated the outbreak as a rare neurological infection. However, it soon became clear that the disease was spreading rapidly through physical contact."
The announcer's voice lowered slightly.
"Many survivors now refer to the infected as 'zombies.'"
Luis gave a quiet, uneasy laugh.
"Well… they're not wrong."
But the broadcast continued with a darker tone.
"Currently there is no known cure. Research facilities attempting to analyze the infection have either lost contact or ceased operation entirely."
The signal weakened slightly again.
"And the pharmaceutical company responsible for developing the drug has disappeared from public view. Reports suggest the executives and primary researchers may have gone into hiding."
Static swallowed the signal again.
Then silence.
Mia slowly turned the volume down.
Inside the SUV, neither of them spoke for a while.
Luis was the first to break the silence.
"So… this whole apocalypse started because of a drug?"
Mia nodded slowly.
"It was supposed to help people."
Luis leaned back in his seat.
"A cure for Alzheimer's."
"Yeah."
Mia's eyes remained distant as memories surfaced.
"In the future… people talked about this too. They said the drug was meant to repair brain damage."
Luis looked at her.
"But instead it destroyed the brain."
Mia nodded.
"The infected lose their humanity. Their minds are gone."
Luis shook his head slightly.
"Humanity tried to cure one disease… and created something worse."
Mia didn't answer.
Instead she reached behind her seat and grabbed two bottles of water from the supply bag they had packed earlier. She handed one to Luis.
"You should drink."
Luis took it gratefully.
"Thanks."
They both opened their bottles and drank deeply. After the fight earlier, the cool water felt refreshing. Mia wiped her mouth and leaned back again. The tension from earlier had faded slightly, replaced by a calm but uneasy waiting. Luis continued watching the road carefully. "So now we know how this started," he said.
Mia nodded.
"But that doesn't mean it's over."
Luis glanced at the sky through the windshield.
The sun was still fairly high.
"It's still early."
Mia followed his gaze.
"Yeah."
She tightened her grip on the crossbow resting beside her.
"I just hope Pablo shows up before dark."
Luis nodded slowly.
"Me too."
Because once night came…
The world outside would become even more dangerous.