Chapter 14 FROM ASHVALE TO PRISON

Nobody spoke after Victor's announcement

The room felt smaller, few survivors who had managed to smile moments earlier lowered their heads again, the  little hope they had been holding onto vanished. Rachel crossed her arms and walked toward a window.

"You sure?"

Victor nodded.

"I saw armored trucks."

"What if they're preparing to move in?"

"They aren't."

Marcus frowned. "How do you know?"

"Because they're facing inward."

The meaning struck everyone immediately, the soldiers weren't preparing to enter. They were preparing to stop anything from leaving a cold feeling settled over the room. Tyler looked from one face to another; "Why would they do that?"

Nobody answered because deep down they already knew. To the outside world, Ashvale was finished, the city had become a giant quarantine zone anyone still trapped inside was considered infected or soon to be infected.

Ethan looked at the frightened faces around him.

Children, parents and old people, none of them looked like monsters, yet somewhere beyond the city limits, someone had decided they were no longer worth saving, the realization left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Night arrived soon after and the station remained quiet, most people rested while others kept watch. Ethan sat near the entrance cleaning a knife he had found earlier the blade wasn't impressive but it was better than fighting empty-handed. Across the room Sophia checked on the injured survivors, Marcus repaired a damaged rifle, Rachel studied a rough map spread across a table and Victor stood beside her.

Both looked serious after a while Ethan joined them Rachel tapped the map.

"We can't stay here."

Nobody disagreed because the attack earlier had proven that the station was compromised. Sooner or later another horde would find them, Victor pointed toward the western edge of Ashvale.

"There's an old drainage tunnel here."

Rachel looked interested.

"You've been there?"

"Years ago."

"Does it lead outside?"

Victor shrugged.

"Maybe."

That single word carried more value than anything else because maybe right now that was enough. The group spent the next hour preparing.

Food was divided, weapons were checked, water bottles were filled, everything happened quietly, nobody wanted to attract attention.

Just before dawn the group left the station, the streets looked even worse than before. Several buildings had collapsed during the night, burned vehicles blocked entire roads as a smoke drifted through the air, the city felt like a corpse slowly falling apart.

They moved carefully as Victor led the way, Rachel stayed near the front; Marcus guarded the rear. The civilian survivors remained in the middle for several hours they advanced without trouble. Then they reached a market district.

The area looked abandoned as shops stood open. Broken glass covered the sidewalks, food packages lay scattered everywhere. At first Ethan thought the place had already been looted but Then he noticed something strange.

There were no bodies, no blood; the silence felt wrong.

Victor raised a fist and everyone stopped as his eyes narrowed, a second later a loud whistle echoed from above.

Ethan looked up; figures appeared on nearby rooftops.

Armed men, more emerged from side streets. Others stepped from hidden doorways, within seconds the group found themselves surrounded.

Rachel cursed, Marcus lifted his rifle as the strangers aimed weapons at them.

Nobody fired yet as a large man stepped forward. A scar ran across his face, he carried a shotgun over one shoulder unlike the others, he looked calm.

"Morning," he said.

Nobody replied.

His smile widened. "Tough crowd."

Victor stepped forward. "What do you want?"

The man glanced over the group his eyes lingered on the civilians then on the supplies, then on the weapons.

"I want a trade."

Rachel laughed. "With guns pointed at us?"

The man shrugged. "People cooperate better this way."

The atmosphere grew tense; Ethan studied the rooftops there were too many enemies, fighting would be suicide.

The scarred man spread his hands.

"Food." Victor remained expressionless.

"We don't have enough."

"That's unfortunate."the smile disappeared, several bandits adjusted their weapons.

The message was clear; hand over supplies or suffer the consequences.

A child started crying, the sound echoed through the street the scarred man glanced toward the little girl then he sighed, for a moment Ethan expected him to give an order but instead the man shook his head.

"You know what." He turned around.

"Forget it."

Everyone froze, even his own people looked confused the bandit leader started walking away. One of his men hurried after him.

"We're just letting them go?"

The scarred man nodded "They look half-starved already." The younger man looked shocked.

"But..

"They've got children." The conversation ended there. Moments later the armed group disappeared as quickly as they had appeared.

The survivors remained motionless, nobody understood what had happened. Marcus finally lowered his weapon.

"That was strange."

Victor nodded.

"Very."

They continued moving by noon they reached the drainage tunnel the entrance sat beneath a collapsed bridge dark water flowed through the opening the place smelled terrible.

Tyler wrinkled his nose.

"We're going in there?" Marcus patted his shoulder. "Unless you've got a better idea."

The boy immediately fell silent, the group entered the tunnel darkness swallowed them, flashlights illuminated damp walls, water splashed beneath their boots. The deeper they traveled, the colder the air became.

Hours passed and the tunnel seemed endless. People grew tired several civilians struggled to keep pace then a scream shattered the silence. Everyone spun around one of the survivors had vanished.

A woman.

She had been walking near the back, now she was gone, panic spread instantly. Flashlights darted around the darkness.

"Ellen!"

"Ellen!"

No answer came, only the sound of flowing water. Then another scream echoed ahead this one ended abruptly. Victor's face hardened.

"Move."

Nobody needed encouragement the group hurried forward, fear pushed away exhaustion. Something was inside the tunnel with them.

A splash sounded behind them.

Ethan turned his flashlight, his  heart nearly stopped at what he saw in the water; Shapes moved beneath the water.

Many shapes, long bodies’ pale skin, rows of sharp teeth.

One surged upward; a survivor barely avoided its jaws the creature crashed back into the water.

Chaos erupted as people ran, others stumbled. The tunnel filled with terrified screams. The pale creatures attacked from every direction.

One dragged a man into the darkness, another seized a woman by the leg. Marcus rushed forward and smashed its skull with a metal pipe.

Victor fired several shots, Rachel pulled civilians toward higher ground. Ethan grabbed Tyler and pushed him ahead.

The tunnel became a nightmare, water splashed everywhere, flashlights fell. Darkness swallowed sections of the passage as nobody knew how many creatures surrounded them only that there were too many.

Then a faint light appeared ahead an exit. Hope surged through the group they ran harder; the opening grew larger and finally the first survivors burst outside, fresh air struck their faces the others followed quickly.

Ethan emerged moments later behind him Victor and Marcus pushed a heavy metal gate across the tunnel entrance The creatures slammed against the barrier from the other side.

The gate rattled violently, then everything became quiet, heavy breathing filled the air people collapsed onto the ground, several survivors were missing others carried wounds.

Nobody celebrated, not yet because as Ethan lifted his head and looked ahead, he realized something; they had escaped the tunnel but they had not escaped danger.

Hundreds of tents stretched across the open field before them, watchtowers surrounded the area, Armed soldiers patrolled the perimeter.

Spotlights pointed directly toward them.

And every weapon in sight was aimed their way.

Had they just escaped Ashvale only to walk straight into a prison?