Next to the massive heap of garbage, piled high with household waste and construction debris, two law enforcement officers were casually fanning the air in disgust.

  “Why is the captain so worked up about this?” one of them asked, flicking his wrist dismissively.

  “You don’t get it,” the other replied with a smirk. “That’s just Skye for you. Always wants to be in the thick of things. You know, a true criminal investigator.”

  Their voices were light, almost playful—clearly, they had a comfortable rapport with Skye, or they wouldn’t dare speak so freely about their boss.

  Nearby, four bodies lay scattered at the foot of the garbage mountain. In a small, inconspicuous pit, a fragile, tiny figure lay motionless, almost hidden among the debris.

  It was Annabelle. Her eyes followed the two law enforcement officers warily, guilt gnawing at her. If I’d moved faster... she thought. She had only just untied the ropes and sacks around the bodies when she heard voices in the distance. She had to hide, quickly.

  But now, she heard their conversation—Skye was coming, and soon. She knew that if he arrived, she wouldn’t be able to stay hidden for long. Skye was an awakened. He’d be able to sense her, no problem.

  Annabelle stiffened, suddenly hearing the softest sound from a few dozen meters away. She peeked over the edge of the pit, her heart nearly stopping when she saw it.

  A creature—no, a thing—crawled on all fours like a lizard. It was more than two meters long, its head grotesquely enlarged, mouth split wide across its face, yellow eyes gleaming in the dark. It was creeping toward the two law enforcers, who still hadn’t noticed.

  Annabelle’s chest tightened with panic. Should I warn them? She hesitated. If she shouted a warning, her presence would be exposed. But if she stayed silent, these two men would die without even knowing what hit them.

  The creature—no longer a human in any sense—slithered closer, its body blending with the trash, almost invisible against the backdrop of garbage. It was only 20 meters away now.

  Then, an old radio tumbled down the garbage heap with a loud clatter. The two officers looked up, distracted. In a blur, the creature lunged forward with inhuman speed, its limbs propelling it like a missile.

  “Captain! No. 2’s here! Coordinates—garbage mountain!” one officer shouted into his radio, but before he could finish, the infected’s barbed, elongated arm slammed into the intercom.

  Thud!

  The officers didn’t even get a chance to react before the infected struck again. One blow, and the two officers were down, bleeding heavily, their bodies already limp.

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  Annabelle watched in horror, her breath quickening as her heart hammered in her chest. She had hoped that, by warning them, she could’ve saved their lives, but the infected’s strength was far beyond what she’d expected.

  I’ve got to get out of here, she thought, panic rising in her chest. Her position had just been compromised. She needed to move, fast.

  Like a small, nimble cat, Annabelle carefully began climbing down the garbage heap, keeping her movements as quiet as possible. The sound of the struggle below faded as she moved further away.

  The battle was already over. The two law enforcement officers had barely managed to fire a shot before they were left behind, bloodied.

  ....

  Meanwhile, Skye was on his way, his mood growing darker the closer he got to the garbage mountain.

  Damn it. He cursed under his breath, running faster. He’d been hoping for an easy night, because the first-level infected usually just run away when facing them. But now, there was a new threat in Area C—a more dangerous infected, one that had taken the initiative.

  Within minutes, Skye and Freya arrived at the garbage mountain, their footsteps loud against the eerie quiet of the night. The ground was stained with fresh blood, evidence of the struggle that had just occurred.

  The infected had taken both officers.

  “Captain!” Several of his team members appeared from all directions, their faces grim. They had been quick, but it hadn’t been enough.

  “Check everywhere,” Skye ordered, his voice sharp. “Move fast, or they’ll be gone by the time we get there. But don’t spread out too far. Take all the guns.”

  Skye wasn’t the friendly, easygoing “uncle” anymore. His face was dark, tense, and marked with a cold fury that made the air around him feel heavier.

  His team moved swiftly, their guns drawn, advancing carefully toward the garbage mountain. The law enforcement team, though stronger than regular police, wasn’t full of awakened individuals.

  Aside from Skye, the captain, and Freya, the deputy captain, the rest of the team had force values around 150. They were stronger than average humans but far from the kind of raw power that awakened individuals like Skye and Freya possessed. For them, guns were still their best weapon—and capable of dealing with lower-level infected.

  “Huh?”

  Axel, hidden on the roof of a nearby civilian building, lay still as a shadow, barely noticeable in the night. He had heard the scream moments ago, and when Skye and his team sped off, Axel couldn’t keep up. It took him a while to catch up.

  “The speed of awakened ones is something else,” Axel muttered to himself, watching as Skye and his team moved with precision. But then a creeping feeling settled in. Could No. 2 be… Annabelle? His heart skipped. This was his worst fear.

  Annabelle and Axel had often scavenged the garbage mountain together. It wasn’t just slum dwellers who tossed their junk here. Sometimes the city’s sanitation crew would leave piles of garbage here to avoid the long trip to the proper disposal site. That’s why Axel and Annabelle sometimes came here, hoping to find useful items—like the old TV they still used.

  As Axel scanned the garbage mountain’s nooks and crannies, a small head suddenly popped out of one of the pits.

  A breath of relief escaped him. It wasn’t Annabelle who had been found. But the danger was still real. Skye and his team would be here soon, and Annabelle’s position would be discovered sooner or later.

  “Captain, we found them!”

  A shout broke the stillness, and both Axel and Annabelle turned to look at the source of the voice.

  Skye’s team had found two of their own, lying in the trash. Blood soaked their uniforms, and their arms were pierced with barbed wounds. It was a miracle their chests rose and fell in shallow breaths.

  The rest of the team rushed to their side, checking the injured. Axel’s gaze narrowed as he observed from his perch on the rooftop.

  He had been taught that infected people only had one instinct: to kill and consume. But these two officers... Why hadn’t the infected eaten them?