Dümped

"What happened to him?" Sandra asked.

"Not sure. He went into the woods and came back like this. Since then, we've been seeing more of them. We call them Genseng." Ray's voice was grim as he glanced at Genseng Mike.

Sandra stared. The thing in front of her barely looked human anymore.

"You've really never seen a Genseng?" Ray asked.

She shook her head.

Ray sighed. "We're running out of bullets, and their numbers keep growing. Fewer and fewer people come back from raids."

Sandra's stomach tightened. "What powers do you guys have?"

"We've got Matthew and three others, but we can't send them on raids, even if they're powerful. They're just kids."

Sandra blinked. "Wait—none of the adults have powers?"

Ray shook his head. "No. Only the kids."

That's when it hit her. Everyone she had met so far—Matthew, the boys—had been kids. Even the so-called Power Puff Girls are teenagers.

Her mind raced. "Then how did I end up with Moderna?" She wondered.

Sandra swallowed hard. "Is there a cure?"

Ray exhaled. "None that we know of. Right now, our only cure is a bullet. And we're running out."

"If the Genseng keep attacking, why don't you just move?" Sandra asked.

Ray scoffed. "And go where? This is a new world, and it's dangerous. I've seen cockroaches the size of small dogs and snakes that hunt in packs. We can't just move."

Sandra stared at him. None of this had been in her calculations. If she had known how dangerous it was outside, she never would have risked her life searching for that useless SVI list.

She reached into her bag, pulled out two hard drives, and without hesitation, threw them aside.

"What are those?" Ray asked.

"SVI list," Sandra muttered.

A new voice cut in. "SVI list?"

Sandra turned to see Moses watching her, and he wasn't the only one. Others in the room had gone silent, listening.

Ray picked up the discarded drives and handed them to Moses. Without a word, he carried them into another room, where an old, barely functional computer hummed on a cluttered table. Other hard drives were scattered across the surface.

Sandra and Ray followed as Moses plugged one in and pulled up the files. He scrolled through names—dozens of them. Then he froze.

His face paled.

"Wait… all these people… We killed them. They were Genseng."

He turned to Sandra, his voice sharp. "Where did you get this list?"

"I found it at a data center," Sandra said. "I don't understand. What does it mean? Are you saying these are the names of Genseng?"

Moses' eyes didn't leave the screen. "Think about it—either someone is recording the deaths of Genseng, or someone is turning people into Genseng using this list."

Sandra hesitated. "Or… it's just a coincidence."

Moses finally looked at her. "I don't believe in coincidence."

Sandra exhaled, rubbing her temple. "Fine. Then let's say you're right. Who would be recording their deaths? Or more importantly… who could turn humans into Genseng?"

A chill ran through Sandra's body.

Moses' expression darkened as he scrolled through the list. Then he noticed something else. "All of them… they have scores."

Sandra leaned in. Numbers sat beside each name—none higher than 50.

Moses exhaled sharply. "Every single one is below 50."

Sandra swallowed. "What does that mean?"

Neither of them had an answer, but one thing was certain—the SVI list wasn't just a record. It was something more.

Sandra thought about the boy—about every child she had met. A realization crept over her, tightening her chest.

"I have to warn them," she muttered.

"Warn who?" Ray asked.

She shook her head. There was too much on her mind, too many unanswered questions.

Ray gestured to a door. "This is your room. It's not much, but it'll do."

Sandra pushed it open, glancing inside. Then, after a beat of silence, she turned to Ray. "Want to come in?"

He hesitated.

Sandra smirked. "Too slow."

Ray let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "I would love to."

"Yeah, well, you snooze, you lose." She grinned and stepped inside, leaving Ray laughing softly in the hallway.

Sandra collapsed onto the bed and was asleep almost instantly.

It felt like only minutes had passed when she was jolted awake by gunshots.

She bolted upright, heart hammering, and ran outside. Genseng bodies littered the ground, their twisted forms making her stomach tighten. No matter how many times she saw them, the sight never got easier.

"Do you know how to use a gun? Grab one—more might be coming," Ray called.

Sandra grabbed a pistol, gripping it tighter than she needed to, and aimed in the same direction as the others.

A rustling sound. Movement in the dark.

She fired.

A figure ducked as the bullet sailed wide.

"Whoa! Calm down, it's me!"

Ray caught her arm, pushing the gun down as Drake stepped into the light.

Sandra exhaled, her body still tense.

Then Ray lurched forward, coughing.

A horrible, wet sound filled the air.

Sandra's breath caught. She looked down. A jagged branch jutted from Ray's stomach.

She turned—Drake.

But not the Drake she knew.

His body twisted, veins blackened. Genseng.

Sandra didn't think. She fired.

Drake staggered back. She kept moving closer, firing again and again, but she was still missing. Her hands were shaking.

Drake snarled and lunged.

She raised the gun and squeezed the trigger one last time.

The shot hit him square in the head.

Genseng-Drake crumpled.

Sandra ran to Ray as others rushed in to help. Blood dripped from his mouth, but he was still alive.

"You should have let me shoot him sooner," she said as they lifted him.

Ray winced but still smirked. "You need to learn how to shoot first. You wasted too many bullets."

Sandra clenched her jaw as she followed them to the makeshift clinic.