The fire still burned.
Black smoke rose into the gray morning sky.
Pieces of Black Eden Facility Two continued collapsing behind the survivors.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody looked back.
The only sound was the crackling of the flames...
...and the wind.
---
Breddy stood alone at the edge of a cliff overlooking the burning mountain.
His black Walmart AP tactical vest was torn.
His face was bruised.
Fresh blood had dried along the scar on his cheek.
His shotgun rested against his shoulder.
He stared into the fire.
Waiting.
Almost expecting Mason to walk out laughing.
"...Come on..."
"...Tell me this is another joke."
Only silence answered.
---
Behind him...
The rescued Walmart associates quietly gathered.
Former Team Leads.
Former Coaches.
Cashiers.
Asset Protection associates.
Stockers.
People Mason had given his life to save.
No one could find the right words.
---
Tyler suddenly stopped walking.
His breathing became heavier.
He looked toward the burning warehouse.
Then...
BAM!
He punched a nearby tree.
Again.
BAM!
Again.
BAM!
His knuckles split open.
Blood ran down his hand.
"DAMN IT!"
"He was supposed to make it!"
"He promised we'd all leave together!"
He punched the tree one last time before collapsing to his knees.
"I should've stayed..."
"I should've helped him..."
Breddy walked over quietly.
He grabbed Tyler's shoulder.
Tyler looked up.
His eyes filled with tears.
For the first time since the outbreak...
The two friends embraced.
Neither of them said a word.
They didn't have to.
---
Nearby...
One of the rescued Walmart Team Leads slowly removed his faded name badge.
He walked toward a large flat stone.
He carefully placed it on top.
Another associate stepped forward.
Then another.
One by one...
Every rescued Walmart associate removed their Walmart name badge.
Soon...
The stone was covered with blue badges.
A silent memorial.
Not just for Mason...
But for everyone who never made it home.
---
Breddy slowly reached into his pocket.
His hand trembled.
Inside...
Was Mason's Walmart name badge.
The edges were scratched.
Covered in soot.
But his name was still readable.
MASON
Breddy stared at it for a long time.
Then...
He unclipped one of the inside pockets of his tactical vest.
Right beside his own badge...
He attached Mason's.
He placed his hand over both.
"...You'll always be with us."
---
Raven quietly walked over.
She didn't interrupt.
She simply stood beside him.
After several moments...
She reached for his hand.
He held hers tightly.
"I couldn't save him..."
Breddy's voice barely came out.
Raven looked into the burning valley.
"You gave him something worth protecting."
"He made his choice."
"He believed in you."
Breddy closed his eyes.
"I'll make sure it wasn't for nothing."
---
Ethan approached slowly.
He looked toward the flames.
"I didn't know Mason very long."
"But..."
"I knew enough."
He folded his arms.
"Most people survive because someone else dies."
"Very few choose it."
"Mason did."
The entire camp lowered their heads.
Even Colonel Graves remained silent.
---
As evening arrived...
A small campfire burned outside the temporary camp.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody joked.
Mason's absence could be felt everywhere.
His empty seat remained untouched.
His coffee mug sat beside the fire.
Exactly where he'd left it.
Tyler looked at it.
"...I can't move it."
"No one should."
Breddy nodded.
"Not yet."
---
Later that night...
Breddy sat alone beneath the stars.
Sleep wouldn't come.
Every time he closed his eyes...
He saw Mason standing behind the blast doors.
Smiling.
Saying goodbye.
Footsteps approached.
Raven quietly sat beside him.
Neither spoke.
After a long silence...
She rested her head against his shoulder.
"We keep going."
Breddy nodded.
"For Mason."
"For everyone."
---
Just before sunrise...
A Black Shield scout sprinted into camp carrying a portable radio.
"Colonel!"
"We found another transmission!"
Everyone immediately stood.
Colonel Graves grabbed the radio.
Static filled the air.
Then...
A calm, familiar voice echoed through the speaker.
«"Good morning..."»
Every survivor froze.
Dr. Victor Kane.
His voice remained calm.
Almost cheerful.
«"Congratulations on surviving Facility Two."»
«"If you're hearing this..."»
«"...you're finally ready for the truth."»
Static crackled.
Then one final sentence.
«"If you want the cure..."»
«"...come find me."»
The transmission ended.
Silence returned.
Breddy slowly looked toward the horizon.
His eyes no longer held grief alone.
Now...
They burned with determination.
"I'll find you."
"And this time..."
"...you don't get away."
The camp remained quiet.
No one had the energy to talk.
The rescued Walmart associates slowly unpacked what little equipment Black Shield had given them.
Blankets.
Bottled water.
First aid kits.
No one complained.
They were simply grateful to be alive.
---
Breddy sat on a fallen tree, cleaning his shotgun.
He wasn't really cleaning it.
His hands simply needed something to do.
Every scrape of the cloth reminded him of Mason's machine gun echoing through the warehouse.
Every click of the shotgun reminded him of the final explosion.
His hands stopped moving.
"...Damn it."
---
Raven quietly walked over carrying two steaming cups of coffee.
"I figured you'd still be awake."
Breddy accepted one.
"Thanks."
Neither drank.
They simply watched the sunrise together.
After a long silence...
Raven finally spoke.
"You blame yourself."
Breddy sighed.
"I was supposed to bring everyone home."
"You brought almost everyone home."
"That's not good enough."
Raven gently grabbed his hand.
"It wasn't your decision."
"It was Mason's."
"He believed everyone else's lives were worth risking his own."
Breddy stared at the coffee.
"...He deserved better."
"So did the rest of the world."
---
Nearby...
Tyler quietly walked over to Mason's empty chair.
He picked up the old coffee mug.
Still stained with dried coffee.
He smiled sadly.
"You idiot..."
"You still owe me twenty bucks."
A few nearby associates laughed through their tears.
It was the first laugh since the explosion.
Tyler looked toward the sky.
"...Thanks."
---
Ethan slowly approached Breddy.
"I found something."
He handed Breddy a small metal object.
It was scratched.
Bent.
Covered in ash.
Breddy's eyes widened.
Mason's old keychain.
Attached to it was a tiny shopping cart charm.
Mason had joked that he'd carried it since his first week working at Walmart.
Breddy closed his hand around it.
"...I'll keep it safe."
Ethan nodded.
"I figured you would."
---
Not far away...
One of the rescued Coaches gathered the Walmart associates together.
"We survived because someone gave us another chance."
He looked toward the burning mountain.
"We honor him..."
"...by living."
The group quietly nodded.
One former cashier stepped forward.
"I never even got to thank him."
A Produce associate answered softly,
"I don't think he would've wanted thanks."
"He would've just told us..."
"'Quit standing around and help unload the truck.'"
A few smiles appeared.
For just a moment...
It felt like Mason was still with them.
---
Colonel Graves walked toward Breddy.
"The helicopters will arrive before nightfall."
"We'll head back to Black Shield Headquarters."
Breddy looked up.
"And then?"
Graves unfolded a weathered map.
He pointed toward a location marked with a red circle.
"There."
"Dr. Victor Kane wants us to find him."
Ethan stared at the map.
His expression immediately changed.
"...No."
Graves looked at him.
"You know this place?"
Ethan slowly nodded.
His voice became almost a whisper.
"That's not another laboratory."
He looked directly at Breddy.
"...That's where Black Eden began."
Silence swept through the camp.
Every survivor looked at the map.
Breddy folded it carefully and slipped it into his tactical vest.
He looked toward the rising sun.
"For Mason..."
"For everyone we lost..."
"We finish this."
No one argued.
No one hesitated.
The next journey had begun.