For Calista and the others, who had been sleeping rough and eating on the road for days, a hot shower felt like heaven.
When the comforting stream of hot water burst from the showerhead and washed over her sticky skin, Calista let out a satisfied sigh.
She tilted her head back and let the warm water run over her face.
Rock Fortress had generators and an independent water supply, but the current setup was limited. They couldn't indulge in luxuries like daily hot showers the way people did before the apocalypse.
Who knew if Mr. Howard and the others would manage to get hot water running again once they returned?
Calista took a deep breath and brushed her soaked hair back. The hot water left her cheeks flushed with a healthy, relaxed color.
For this moment, there were no enemies to stay alert for.
No crises demanding decisions.
No mysteries about the vaccine buried inside her body.
Not even the burden of leadership.
There was only her—Calista Norton. A seventeen-year-old girl who had, for the moment, set down every weight on her shoulders.
Calista allowed herself to sink into this brief moment of peace.
Only when the water temperature began to fluctuate slightly and cool did it pull her back to reality.
Calista dried herself off, changed into a slightly oversized tracksuit, and walked past the other closed shower stalls.
The sound of splashing water echoed through the room, mixed with occasional relaxed shouting and laughter.
"God! I swear I just washed two pounds of dirt off!"
"Jenson! Make sure you rinse the leaves out of your beard! Don't clog the drain!"
"Mike, all those muscles aren't gonna impress those 'guys' outside!"
"Get lost! Still better than your scrawny chicken body!"
...
Dr. Jenner seemed completely absorbed in organizing data and analyzing blood samples, placing no restrictions on their basic needs.
The cafeteria's automatic meal system was still working.
The long table was filled with steaming, simple dishes.
Synthetic meat patties, mashed peas, mashed potatoes, even freshly baked white bread and small desserts.
It wasn't exactly gourmet food, but it was the closest thing to a real meal they had seen since the apocalypse began.
Before the apocalypse, the mercenaries had eaten plenty of delicious food at Twilight Manor.
But after the world fell apart, the entire estate had deliberately started rationing supplies and simplifying everything.
When Calista entered the dining hall, Leah had already finished her shower and was sitting there.
She was wearing a light-colored tracksuit and picking out food she liked.
"Cali, come here! See what you want to eat!"
They had found Dr. Jenner at the CDC, and he clearly knew a great deal about the Wildfire virus.
Leah finally relaxed completely, showing a rare sense of ease.
The two sisters happily ate quite a few desserts.
As everyone gradually made their way into the dining hall, the atmosphere grew even livelier.
Bossie rummaged through a locked cabinet labeled "Staff Benefits" and pulled out an entire case of Bordeaux red wine.
"Holy shit! This stuff's worth more than gasoline!" Bossie whistled excitedly and pried open a bottle with a knife without hesitation.
The rich aroma of wine quickly filled the dining hall.
No one tried to stop him. Even Bossie, usually the most cautious among them, swallowed unconsciously.
The deep red wine poured into glasses, rippling with an inviting glow under the bright lights.
"To the fact that we're still fucking alive!" Carver was the first to raise his glass and shout.
"To still being alive!"
Everyone answered at once. Glasses clinked together with crisp and dull sounds before they all tipped their heads back and drank deeply.
The sharp warmth of the wine spread quickly from their stomachs, loosening nerves that had been tight for days.
The mood soon turned lively.
Everyone gathered around the long table, devouring the long-awaited hot food.
As the alcohol began to take effect, people started talking more freely.
"Hey, what do you guys think," Turner asked, a little drunk and red-faced, "when all this is over, will the government come back? Will the military clean up those things?"
The table fell quiet.
Only the sounds of chewing and glasses being set down remained.
Calista sighed and swirled the wine in her glass.
"Maybe. But it probably won't happen anytime soon."
The timeline in The Walking Dead stretched over more than a decade.
The government had long since collapsed. Social rules had been shattered and rebuilt. They would have to learn to survive on their own.
"It's not the walkers I'm afraid of," Leah muttered. "It's people like those bastards at the gas station. Humans are scarier than monsters."
The words hung heavily in the air, and no one replied for a moment.
"When we get back to the base," Wells said while dipping bread into the gravy on his plate, his eyes lighting up, "now that we have Dr. Jenner, maybe we can actually figure something out. When that happens, Rock Fortress will be the safest place in this damn world."
"Yeah! Add more layers of barbed wire! Build more watchtowers!" Turner agreed excitedly.
"I'm gonna build a greenhouse and grow tomatoes," Jenson said dreamily. "Damn it, I haven't eaten a fresh tomato in forever."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Calista knew this refuge was only temporary.
Once the CDC's energy ran out, they would have to return to the outside world again.
Calista stood up and wandered out of the dining hall, strolling through the CDC.
Everything here still looked exactly the way it had before the apocalypse.
Just as she finished her last sip of wine, Dr. Jenner found her, holding a report.
"Incredible! Your blood composition really is abnormal! There's a protein marker I've never seen before. Its activity is low, but it matches the theoretical reaction model of the original Wildfire strain!"
He muttered to himself, eyes shining as he looked at Calista.
"But this is only preliminary! The equipment here is limited, and my clearance isn't high enough. Many instruments are locked in higher-security areas, so deeper analysis isn't possible. I need to continue monitoring your blood!"
Calista turned to face him.
"That was only the initial version of the vaccine developed by the French lab. After that, my father never contacted me again. They probably developed an upgraded version."
Dr. Jenner rubbed his temples.
"At the beginning, CDCs around the world were trying to develop a cure. Before we lost communication with the outside world, the French said they were close to success, so…"
"So, Doctor," Calista said, "would you be willing to come with us? My base can provide basic safety and resources. And you could…"
She paused.
"Continue your research. Take my blood samples regularly. And maybe we could even contact Silas Norton and obtain a more advanced version of the vaccine."
Dr. Jenner didn't hesitate at all.
His wife was gone. The world was gone.
The girl standing in front of him—carrying the secret of Wildfire—had become his only reason to keep living.
"Yes!" He took a deep breath and his eyes grew firm. "I'll go with you. You must stay alive."
He hesitated for a moment before speaking again.
"But there's something you should know. Everyone in this world is infected. Even the virus is already inside your body. When people die, they all turn… unless the brain is destroyed."
Calista nodded quietly.
She had known this for a long time, so it didn't affect her much.
Just then, the lights throughout the CDC flickered.
Dr. Jenner's expression changed slightly. He hurried to the main console to check and then gave a helpless, bitter smile.
"The backup generator fuel is being consumed faster than expected. The alarm triggered earlier than planned. We have at most twenty-four hours left."
Calista felt puzzled.
She clearly remembered that Rick and the others should arrive at the CDC in about two days.
So why had the timeline moved forward after she arrived?
Was she somehow using more electricity?
Dr. Jenner scratched his head awkwardly.
"To speed up the analysis of your blood sample, I activated every instrument I had clearance for. Some of those machines consume a huge amount of energy just to start."
I see.
So the energy would run out earlier.
Dr. Jenner seemed worried she didn't understand and added another explanation.
"When the power runs out, it will trigger the full decontamination protocol. The entire CDC will explode."
"I understand."
Calista glanced toward the dining hall, where Leah and the others were still laughing and joking, everyone relaxed.
"We still have enough time," she said calmly.
"Let everyone rest well tonight."