System Of The Undead

Chapter 234: The Hope That Kills

Dimitris had managed to escape unharmed and had successfully saved Glenn, who had received medical attention for his wounds. It was the only positive outcome amidst the chaos they found themselves in. Their captors had taken responsibility for the injuries they had inflicted, providing them with a momentary respite.

Feeling a sense of urgency, Dimitris was prepared to resume their journey. He believed that Jason had made the right decision. It was crucial for Jason to survive this ordeal; otherwise, the danger they faced would persist.

"Damn... Am I dead?" Glenn asked, still shaken from the previous encounter.

"Death is the last thing you want right now because even if you die, you won’t remain dead," Dimitris pointed out, relieving Glenn to know that he could still feel pain. This meant he was very much alive. However, he had no recollection of how he got here or what was happening.

"We need to escape from this place. Can you walk?" Dimitris inquired, to which Glenn nodded in confirmation. He knew he had no choice but to endure the pain. However, the scent of blood they carried attracted zombies, acting as beacons. They couldn’t afford to take any risks.

"I understand you must be confused, but all you need to know is that we need to return to the community as soon as possible," Dimitris explained.

"What about the medicine we were supposed to retrieve?" Glenn asked, clutching his torso as he managed to stand up.

Glenn comprehended the situation without the need for Dimitris to verbalize it. He didn’t know Carl’s whereabouts, but he was relieved that he had managed to escape. Carl was capable of taking care of himself as long as he didn’t encounter any evolved zombies.

Dimitris was concerned about what he had witnessed. A horde of zombies was dangerous, but a horde consisting of evolved zombies was an even greater threat. They couldn’t afford to be present if that horde became active; it would spell their doom.

"The medicine is the least of our worries. I have no idea where Jason is, but we must assume that anyone who isn’t with us is dead," Dimitris stated.

The same sense of urgency that prompted Jason to abandon them hung in the air. Something larger than all of them was unfolding at this moment.

"You can’t be serious right now," Glenn responded, but he didn’t need a response to understand the gravity of Dimitris’s words.

"Jason will be fine, as will Carl. Mariam will punish us if we don’t return with her son, but have you considered what will happen if we remain out here for too long?" Dimitris asked.

"What the hell happened while I was unconscious?" Glenn couldn’t help but wonder. He had never seen Dimitris so shaken, which only emphasized the urgency of their current situation.

"Alright, what do you have in mind?" Glenn reluctantly conceded.

"The car. It should still be where we left it. We have nothing to lose, but it’s our only way out of here, I’m afraid," Dimitris explained, and Glenn assessed their current condition. They were both unarmed and injured, in the worst possible state.

They were on the move, just as Jason had predicted. That’s why Carl was waiting for them at their designated location. But where was Jason?

-

Jason managed to escape, but he noticed that they were dangerously close to the hospital. Without wasting any time, he headed there, but before doing so, he made a quick stop to retrieve his sword from Carl.

"Cover yourself in their guts. It helps conceal you from them," Jason revealed, though his presentation of this knowledge made it seem like he had just learned about it.

However, he couldn’t keep this information to himself any longer, as it could mean the difference between life and death for everyone.

Jason didn’t want to involve Carl any further, especially with Chronos back online. He realized that the zombies might be aware of the fragment’s existence, but they seemed to struggle with pinpointing its exact location. They merely swarmed around it.

Jason hoped that he could use this as a defensive measure against other zombies. He took the necessary steps to conceal his scent before making his way to the abandoned hospital.

Jason knew that his actions were reckless, but there was no time to be cautious.

He had no idea what was happening or why these parasites were targeting humanity.

However, for now, Chronos seemed to be on his side, or at least a part of it. If Chronos had complete control over other zombies, it was possible that it had orchestrated every event that had transpired—the regular zombies, the hordes, and even the evolved zombies.

It wasn’t a far-fetched idea. Jason understood that things were spiraling out of control, and he could only endure so much.

Consuming more fragments was not in Jason’s best interest, especially now that he understood why ’Chronos’ had given him those additional fragments so easily.

He needed to be cautious and gain a better understanding of Chronos before further empowering it, even if it meant risking his own infection in the process. He had made the decision not to use Nexus due to its side effects.

Taking a deep breath, Jason braved the infested area surrounding the hospital. He was practically walking amidst a mini horde. However, this served as a deterrent for outside threats. Based on what Jason had learned from the parasite, they had the ability to forcefully inject a parasite into a host and gain control over them. If all of this was indeed part of Chronos, did that mean it had control over every evolved being? Jason reached the front of the hospital, surrounded by the stench of death. He knew that one wrong move could cost him his life, but he managed to enter the hospital, leaving the horde behind.

He understood why others had failed to get through. The number of zombies here was too overwhelming to even consider sneaking through. Even the military would struggle. But something caught Jason’s attention on his radar. There was something waiting for him inside. He gulped, realizing that his previous thoughts about the zombies had changed. The term "parasites" indicated that this situation was far from your average apocalypse.

"Fuck, why do I feel so uneasy?" Jason muttered under his breath, but soon enough, the reason behind his unease would be revealed.