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🕑 Added 2025-05-15 08:49:42 +0000 UTCStay Alive
Chapter 21 - Authority
When the first ray of sunlight shone through the window of the room they were in, Alan opened his eyes and quickly saw that, as far as possible, everything seemed to be fine. All night long, he had been thinking about what he would do to take control of the front lines against the fungus.
The actions FEDRA was taking across the country were anything but optimal. How had they come to the decision of killing their own people?
Alan had to stop that in Texas, then establish truly sustainable bases and, from there, advance toward a point where they could support other cities.
Looking at Claire, who was sleeping on cardboard, Alan frowned. Now that he had checked everything, he thought it was time to bring a bit of order outside.
Regardless of what happened, at least they had shown they weren't infected and weren't a danger. So if someone tried to cause trouble, they could simply act as they saw fit.
“When do you think would be a good time to move?” Claire asked as soon as she opened her eyes.
“We shouldn’t move easily, mainly because the door to this small building connects directly to the street. The infected have direct access to us, so that makes it a big problem,” Alan pointed out as he considered their options.
Claire looked at the food they had and said, “Let’s eat something first. It’d be better to think about our chances once we’re full.”
After Alan looked at the food, he grabbed some crackers and ate them slowly. He wasn’t very hungry, but he needed to eat, as he hadn’t had anything since the day before. It was better to eat now while there was still time.
“We can’t allow ourselves to get injured by the infected under any circumstances. We also shouldn’t have too much direct contact, since our clothes can easily get contaminated,” Alan said, thinking about the ideal way to teach these people how to deal with the infected.
Claire grew a bit serious and said, “We don’t know if they’re just sick, so maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to defend ourselves aggressively.”
“I get that. But do you think this is the time to consider such things when our lives are in danger?” Alan asked bluntly. One is supposed to defend themselves when their life is at stake—and that’s exactly the case now.
Alan walked toward the window and said, “We’re in this together, Claire. I want you to understand that the infected are no longer human. If we let them attack us, we’ll die just like everyone else out there.”
“I understand… I’m just confused.” Claire shook her head and sighed, overwhelmed just by thinking about what was happening and the magnitude of it all.
“We won’t put ourselves in danger. If we can avoid them, better. But sooner or later, we’ll have to defend ourselves with everything we’ve got, regardless of who’s around. Selfishness tends to arise in situations like this—it’s the same with the people outside. So we don’t have another choice.” Alan had learned something from his father: to be brutal and eliminate the enemy before they became a lethal threat.
Claire felt that Alan was more than mentally prepared to act in this new world, but she didn’t want to leave anyone behind—even those who had acted wrongly.
Alan wasn’t a saint. He himself would have acted cautiously if two strangers had entered the building, unsure if they would turn into one of the infected ravaging the world.
“It’s time we went out. It seems everything is okay with the others, so there shouldn’t be any issues. But just in case, let’s not split up—and under no circumstances should you trust the others. They’ll only try to use you for their own benefit.” Alan looked at Claire sternly so she would grasp the meaning behind his words. All he could do was help shape her character to be strong.
“I understand…” Claire wanted to find her brother. No one in that group was above her priority, especially now that they had shown their selfishness. She followed Alan out of the bathroom.
Alan stepped out of the bathroom and looked at everyone who had been alarmed by his sudden appearance. Seeing that they were okay, they all sighed in relief. Naturally, there were still some who weren’t convinced—as if somehow their fear was Alan’s fault.
“What?” Alan looked at a man about his height and asked, “Is there a problem you’d like to tell me about?”
Claire had studied human behavior and knew that Alan now wanted to earn his place through intimidation—something completely normal when dealing with fearful people.
The man, named Carlos, looked at Alan and frowned. He remembered seeing him with a weapon, so he didn’t want to be disrespectful and said, “It was a misunderstanding. We were all scared yesterday, so we acted as a group. What problem would I have now that everything’s fine?”
Claire tried to diffuse Alan’s intention: “We’ll get out of here eventually. We shouldn’t waste our energy fighting among ourselves.”
The rest of the people didn’t dare speak. They all looked at each other, unsure of what to do, firmly believing Alan was infected. Psychologically speaking, they had instinctively developed a sense of leadership toward the old man who managed this place and had helped when Alan was in danger.
But Alan still felt Carlos’ bothersome gaze, so he walked toward the manager and said kindly, “I must thank you for your help yesterday. If you’ve got a plan to get out of here, I’ll give you a hand. But I’m afraid I still need to calm down a dog that won’t stop staring at me with a look I can’t stand.”
As soon as Alan finished speaking, he turned toward Carlos, grabbed a hammer from a wooden table, and struck the man’s shoulder.
In this situation, it was obvious Carlos wouldn’t go down without a fight. He immediately reached out to stop the blow with brute force. But Alan precisely blocked his advance using his feet, lowered the hammer, and struck Carlos’ knee—just as Carlos was trying to grab his arm.
After the initial hit, which wasn’t too strong but rough enough to make Carlos buckle and fall to his knees, Alan delivered a real blow to Carlos’ shoulder almost immediately afterward.
Crack!
Alan didn’t want to kill him, nor did he use the sharp end of the hammer. He struck with the flat side, making the blow forceful but non-lethal. Carlos suffered a dislocated shoulder, some bruises, and possibly contusions—but nothing fatal.
“Ahhh… He’s trying to kill me!” Carlos screamed as he collapsed to the floor. He looked up, panicked, and shouted, “Is anyone going to stop him?!”
Of course, these cowards wouldn’t do anything. They saw Alan holding the pistol and preferred to stay out of it.
Alan, meanwhile, stepped forward, grabbed Carlos by the neck with his left hand, and pointed the gun at his head. He looked at him coldly and asked, “You going to keep looking at me with those trash-filled eyes? I could’ve sworn you were ready to eat me alive. You better give me a good answer, or I won’t mind killing you right now.”
The manager also raised his voice, trying to calm things down: “Sir, you must understand that we were all acting out of fear. We’re just trying not to become one of those things outside this building. Also, you must be aware that if you fire now, it’ll draw the attention of many infected.”
With Alan’s threatening stance and Carlos’ beating, the people around fell silent. They weren’t stupid enough to go against a man with a gun who clearly wasn’t normal after staying calm in such a situation.
“At least you’re smart. We’re not going to risk ourselves just to kill this idiot. But I want you to understand that I’ll kill you—even if it means drawing infected—I don’t care.” Alan had full control of the conversation, and lying wasn’t difficult.
Claire stayed silent. She looked around and held an iron rod, ready to fight back in case anyone dared to gang up on Alan. Even if it was a crazy possibility, anything was possible nowadays.
Carlos, beaten and terrified for his safety, cried out, “Man, I was totally wrong. I’d never dare look at you like that again. Please… forgive me just this once!”
Alan pointed the gun at him and said, “Just remember that I let you live today. If you ever think of stabbing me in the back, remember these words and make your choice.”
“I will! I’ll absolutely remember your words!”
Thud!
At the same time, a loud thump was heard coming from the door. The man on watch said, “The infected are all over this place. Must be because you made noise—they’re trying to get in now.”
Alan immediately shifted his attention. “There are more important things right now. Can anyone here fix his shoulder?”
“I will!” Before Claire could step in, an elderly woman offered to reset Carlos’ shoulder.
By then, Alan had reached the door and peeked through the holes. On the other side, at least fifty infected crowded the street. Those closest were clawing at the door, as if certain someone was behind it.
Alan muttered to himself, “They need to know this… if they want to come out with us.”
