504 A Grave Situation, The Impending End of the Ballys Casino Survivors (1/2)

Day 126 - 12:03 PM - Monitoring Division, Great Island Military Base, Atlantic City High School, Great Island, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States of America

”Dad, are you just letting that weird professor go his way like this?”

”Major, I have the same opinion. It was already the fifth time it happened. Not only to you but our other personnel.”

Both Maurice, the Major's son, and Private James, complained to the Major, who already snapped out of the mental suggestion of Professor Alston.

”You two should not mention this anywhere else. I'm angry myself be can't do anything.”

Major McGuire let out a deep breath.

”Remember that our families are still under the government's ”protection.”

Sending soldiers on the battlefield while leaving their families under the so-called protection of the government. It was not a new concept. This, however, was what the US government did to force the soldiers into fighting and surviving.

They had to fulfill their duties as per the government said. It was in exchange for the shelter and protection that their families would directly receive from the government.

The moment they lost their lives, however, that protection would also end.

After their death, the family members they left behind under ”protection” would be sent out to a settlement that had lower security and more prone to the attacks of the infected compared to the ”protected area.”

Thus, the soldiers could only strive to survive while fulfilling their duties to ensure that their families would not have the worst fate after their deaths.

Nevertheless, in this outbreak, not everyone was always lucky to be able to return and reunite with their families.

In the worst case, they would still be able to reunite with their loved ones. In the afterlife, that is.

Almost every soldier here had the same circumstances. Thus, they could only obey someone like Professor Alston that was directly sent by the government and was the one making evaluations on them.

These soldiers were like dogs with leashes that would tighten once their point their fangs to their owners.

Hearing those words, both Maurice and James shut their mouths. The Major was right, and it was the worst thing if what they were saying was heard by Professor Alston.

”Anyway, Maurice.” Major McGuire turned to his son. ”What do you think about that man called Mark?”

As the topic was shifted, Maurice spoke once more. This time, however, his eyes and expression were serene.

”Dad. I'm taking the words I said before the meeting back. That man. Don't try to mess with him.”

Hearing that evaluation, Major McGuire nodded.

”That man sure has an eerie atmosphere around him.”

Those scary words from Maurice made Major McGuire and Private James Andrews freeze in their steps. That was not a good claim at all. It was hard to believe.

However, Major McGuire trusted the words of his son. He might be hard-headed, but he never lied about things like this. It was also the second time he saw his son give out that kind of expression. The first time was at the start of the outbreak. That expression saved their family's lives at that time.

”Then, it is good that he seems to have come here only to gather information.”

Major McGuire said with a bit of relief in his tone.

It was already noon. To ease the three's tension, the three decided to head to the cafeteria to get lunch.

Unfortunately, it seemed that everyone in the monitoring division would eat late.

”Major! Do you copy? Major!”

Major McGuire's communication device sounded.

”I can hear you! Report!”

”Major, a situation is happening in Area 0. NH-002 located the survivors in Bally's Casino.”

Hearing that, Major McGuire and the two young soldiers with him frowned.

The survivors in Atlantic City was not abandoned by the soldiers.

It was the government that abandoned them for the sake of so-called ”study.”

If Major Mcguire was given the call to rescue these people, he would not hesitate to bring them to safety. Unfortunately, they did not and could not.

And because their families were in the government's grasp, these soldiers could not move out and save these survivors on their own.

As they received the notification from the three hurried back to the monitoring room.

It was not good news. Furthermore, NH-002 did not stand for a single infected but a cluster.

NH - 002, Codename: Brainspiders. It was a cluster of infected Pholcidae, commonly known as cellar spiders. These spiders mutated in a way that they would jack into the heads of the normal and mutated human infected and control them. Another bad thing was that compared to infected humans, these fist-sized infected spiders retained most of their predatory instincts. And compared to regular spiders that would cast out their net and wait for prey, the Brainspiders would group on hordes of brain-controlled infected and search for prey.

But the worst case was that... the infected jacked by the Brainspiders would undergo a mutation where their bodies would become stronger, faster, and enable them to climb walls with their bare hands. And if one spotted a prey, all the other members of the horde would be alerted.

The soldiers joked about it, calling the horde as infected spidermen. But in fact, it was one of the most threatening dangers in Atlantic City. Furthermore, unless the Brainspider was killed, it did not matter if the body it was controlling died. It would latch onto another infected and repeat the process.

The only fortunate thing was that the soldiers never observed the spiders being able to multiply. If they were capable of it, the Brainspirders might have overwhelmed the whole Atlantic City long ago.

Still, the numbers of these spiders were not to joke at. Their last count, there were more or less nine-hundred spiders creating a large horde of infected.

***

Day 126 - 12:05 PM - Bally's Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States of America

”Everyone! Hurry! Throw anything heavy that we don't need!”

Everyone in Bally's Casino ran around the rooftop frantically. They carried sofas, cabinets, beds, and even empty propane tanks. They threw these heavy things down the building.

Of course, the survivors were not dumping trash or trying to make a tall tower of debris. These survivors were trying to make the infected climbing the face of the building fall to the ground.