In a dimly lit church, the soft glow of dawn filtered through the tall stained-glass windows, casting hues of color on the dark mahogany coffin. A white woman, draped in a black veil, knelt down, her cold hands clutching her mouth as she barely stifled her sobs. She held a little boy close by her side.
"Mommy?"
"Yes?"
"Does God love everyone?"
"God..." The woman took a trembling breath, her hoarse voice faltered, "God loves all sentient beings. Thus, He gave His only Son, so that all who believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life..."
"Then why are we deprived of freedom, subjected to plunder and imprisonment?"
"..."
Behind the woman, the doors of the church were smashed open with a thunderous crash. In the blinding light of the chaos, countless figures stormed in, shouts and screams filling the air. The woman barely had time to snatch a pendant from around her neck and stuff it into the boy's hands before she was grabbed by several fully armed soldiers and forcibly dragged backwards.
"Run, run fast!" she shouted amidst the chaos, her pleads piercing through the turmoil, "Run! Leave here!"
"Don't look back, don't give up!"
"I love you, my son!..."
The church crumbled in a deafening roar as flames licked the blackened sky, rising into the gloomy heavens. Cries of despair and wails of agony turned to nothingness, as the wind scattered ashes over the vast and desolate land.
The little boy stood on the open field, running as if his life depended on it, with soldiers and hunting dogs in hot pursuit behind him. Ahead, the lights of a massive metropolis emerged at the edge of a cliff. Against the angry shouts of his pursuers, the boy leaped forward!
The howling wind whistled past his ears, lifting the pendant on his chest. As he plummeted through the air, his eyes remained closed. The last thing he saw, reflected in his black pupils, was the desolate and endless night.
"In the resurrection, the dead shall rise, and all shall have eternal life—"
In his heart, he whispered,
"Amén."
·
2019, City T
"...Ah...!"
The young man sat up abruptly in the darkness, immediately followed by a sharp pain coursing through his nerves like an electric current, the pain-induced dizziness making him retch.
However, his stomach, starved for the day, could not eject anything but the constriction of his internal organs. After a long struggle, he finally managed to catch his breath and calm down, his blurry vision focusing on a cramped, dark cell. Through the dim light outside the iron bars, he could slightly see two soldiers entering the cell. Their imposing figures loomed over him, and although he couldn't fully take in details, he could make out that one of the soldiers wore a half-finger glove and reached towards him with a seemingly lifeless body lying on the bed, motionless, with not even a flutter of the chest.
"Isn't he dead yet?"
A finger wearing a half-finger glove reached towards his nose, and then, with practiced ease, felt for his pulse on the neck.
"Unconscious." The soldier said, "Found him like this. Surprisingly, he's quite good-looking."
His companion laughed," Come on, with a face this dirty, how could you tell?"
"Even with eighteen layers of dirt, it would still be evident."
"You're so desperate!"
"If you're desperate, it's no use, we won't benefit from it either..."
The young man's eyes remained tightly shut, as if he were a lifeless corpse, feeling himself being hoisted up by the soldiers and carried out of the cell.
During the bumpy journey, he peeked through his narrowed eyes, catching a glimpse of the soldiers' Kevlar protective gear and their firm, muscular arms. Behind them, his companion was similarly dressed, tall and sturdy. At his thigh, a black holster jutted out.
Two Alphas.
Shadows from the corridors cast darkness over the young man's eyes, and he silently shut them again. Moments later, the two soldiers entered the elevator. As it ascended, it paused, leading them into a world of light and chaos.
Amidst the bustling sounds, someone shouted, "Organize the supplies! Get ready to evacuate! The base helicopter is waiting on the rooftop!"
"The city has fallen, we don't have time!"
"Hurry!"
As the soldiers followed these urgent orders, the young man's ears twitched at the sound of hurried footsteps. He observed a companion who had stayed behind with his hands empty and knew this was his moment.
"Bring the Omega on board the helicopter and don't let them escape. Return them to base..."
Just as the soldier was about to respond, the unconscious Omega in his arms subtly shifted, leaning towards the ground from his embrace—
His instinct was to reach down to catch him, but in that instant, the seemingly lifeless Omega reached for the holster at his rear, drew a gun in one swift motion, and dropped to one knee!
The soldier's outcry was stopped short as, in the blink of an eye, the Omega kicked him off balance!
Bang!
"What's going on?"
"Stop!"
Shouts erupted, only to be met with silence, as the Omega, still gripping the soldier's hair, slammed his head against the ground, and then, bloodied but resolute, lifted him up and pointed the gun at his temple. His voice, hoarse from prolonged unconsciousness, thundered, "Get back! Drop your weapons!"
The soldiers, taken aback by the sudden turn of events, halted, creating a tense standoff.
"Sergeant, we have an emergency situation—"
Tang Hao hung up the phone and looked up, "What is it?"
"One of the Omega's resisted," the adjutant pointed to the commotion at the far end of the hall, his face a mixture of anger and shock, "They've taken one of our own hostage and are trying to escape!"
The young man's gasping breaths mingled with the soldier's trembling respirations, the soldier's fear evident as he glared into the Omega's piercing eyes, stammering, "Let... Let go of me. You can't get away..."
The young man's eyes remained fixed on him, and then he opened them again, barking, "Who are you?"
Tang Hao's adjusted voice did not convey urgency, "Our mission is to search for and protect Omega as valuable assets until we can safely transport you to a secure base. You won't be in any danger..."
But there is no safe zone, a voice whispered in his consciousness.
Not just this city, but the entire country, and perhaps the world.
The young man was momentarily stunned by the grim realization.
"You'll let the hostage Omega go as if nothing happened. If my soldiers have been inappropriate with you, I can personally apologize..."
"No, no." Tang Hao's words were interrupted by the Omega, who was backed against the wall, gasping and shaking his head, "Let me go—I must... right now..."
Tang Hao was about to speak when suddenly, there was a change in the expression of the soldiers in the hall. Without time to react, the young man felt a force at his ankle, toppling him head over heels—
"Damn it!"
Tang Hao, almost concussed, was about to curse, but he couldn't hide his confusion or the blush rising to his cheeks at the sight of the blood oozing from the Omega's hand, which had grabbed his arm.
In this moment, Tang Hao could understand that this Omega was not ordinary.
Even with the dust, his sharp features were visible: deep-set eyes, straight nose, with very well-defined arches from his jawline to his neck. His appearance was not soft and gentle like other Omegas. His strong jawline and sharp cheekbones gave him a fierce and handsome look.
The information-rich blood splattered on Tang Hao's fatigue jacket, stimulating his Alpha senses sharply.
"The apocalypse will turn Omega into a living hell, and if you leave now, those who remain alive outdoors are scarier than zombies. Especially you..."
"Take him away! Evacuate immediately!" it was as if to cover his instinctive reaction, Tang Hao hurriedly stood up and walked towards the window.
However, he seemed to realize what was happening. Looking up, he saw his soldiers looking at him with incomprehension.
Without hesitation, the young man sprang into motion—Tang Hao could barely follow his quick movements. In an instant, he rushed towards the first zombie and then passed the second one, kicking it away with a powerful leg sweep.
Whoosh!
His movements were so swift among the swarming zombies that Tang Hao found it hard to keep up.
Tang Hao knew what was going on, looking at the soldier's expression next to him.
The young man finally woke up from his daze, and moved faster. His figure flashed, almost impossible to catch, as if he was the sharp edge of a bowstring drawn to its limit. His flowing black hair whipped back in the wind.
Thump!
Tang Hao's eardrums reverberated, even though the young Omega had fallen from such a height.
The young Omega turned, rolled in a tactical manner, stood up on one knee, and aimed his gun.
Could this man really be so formidable? Tang Hao had doubts in his eyes, and immediately wondered if they should pursue.
With a wave of Tang Hao's hand, they stopped. However, at this moment, looking down, he saw a dozen zombies in the parking lot turning around, laying down the flesh they held, and staggering towards the young Omega.
The young man was taken aback by the sudden turn, but just at that moment, one of Tang Hao's bullets flew past, taking down one of the zombies. With a thud, the zombie fell to the ground, and the dried purple blood flowed towards the sewer entrance, accumulating due to days of blockage.
But the other living dead were indifferent and approached in large numbers.
"If they bite you, you'll get infected!" Tang Hao shouted from upstairs, "Aim for the head!"
Before Tang Hao could finish, he saw the young Omega leap into action. It was unclear how he kicked, but he seemed to whisk past the second zombie, leaving a blur. Before the zombie could respond, he was already leaping high into the air.
The young Omega stepped on the shoulder of the third zombie — a convict who had escaped during the zombie outbreak, with half of his face torn away — before swiftly firing shots, causing the heads of the zombies ahead to explode.
However, more living dead crowded forward, and Tang Hao, from the third-floor window, could clearly see even the zombies wandering in the street joining the pursuit!
The young Omega didn't expect this, and momentarily paused in the face of the approaching living dead. At the same time, Tang Hao grabbed a gun from a soldier and fired without hesitation, shooting the zombie closest to the young Omega in the forehead.
Bang!
As Tang Hao predicted, the young Omega did not hesitate or show fear. He darted forward in a blur, crossing over the heads and shoulders of the zombies. In the blink of an eye, he had crossed the sea of zombies, kneeling by the side of the road outside the prison gate.
Tang Hao immediately understood his intention. Sure enough, the young Omega got up instantly and charged towards the nearest car.
It was an ordinary Toyota Camry with both doors wide open. The driver, a middle-aged man with a face covered in blood, was still tied up in the seatbelt, screaming in agony, his purple fingers clawing forward in confusion.
The horde of zombies turned around and began to pursue. The sound of their heavy footsteps grew louder. The young Omega didn't look back again. With a shot, he shattered the driver's skull, lifted the body, and threw it out of the car before smoothly closing the driver's door.
The corpse crashed to the zombie crowd, tripping the closest few. Watching from the third-floor window, Tang Hao's expression darkened slightly.
"Sergeant, we must evacuate now. The rolling shutter door..."
The sound of the rolling shutter door's creaking continued, the concrete blocks falling down. Finally, with a groaning sound, the door was ripped apart.
The tattered, bloody horde rushed in. Gunfire erupted in the hall as the soldiers fought against the overwhelming tide of zombies.
Tang Hao strode forward, his shoulder twitching as he pulled out the MP5 from his back, and fired a storm of bullets at the zombies entering the hall, sending rows of them flying backward from the impact of the 9mm bullets.
"Sergeant!"
Tang Hao fought as he retreated, without looking back, sweeping his hand from top to bottom and commanding, "Let's go!"
The soldiers retreated quickly via the safe stairwell. At the brink of crossing the threshold, Tang Hao diverted his gaze from the terrifying faces of the living dead to the spilled blood on his sleeve.
"Sergeant?" the soldier asked.
Tang Hao climbed the stairs two steps at a time, pointing to the bloodstained sleeve with his gun, "After we return to the base, extract the DNA and compare it with the population information in T City. I want to know the background of this Omega."