The stillness—
Didn't last.
More infected gathered around the collapsed remains of the building, their movements converging without hesitation.
Bodies pushed through debris-strewn ground, stepping over broken concrete and scattered fragments of what used to be walls and support beams.
The stronger ones moved first.
They stepped forward into the pile, hands digging into slabs of concrete and twisted steel. Muscles strained—not cleanly, not naturally—but enough.
They lifted chunks free and hurled them aside with violent force—
Debris scattered outward, smashing into the ground or other infected nearby. Some were struck directly—bones snapping, bodies folding under the impact—
CRK—!
—but none reacted.
No flinch.
No adjustment.
They all continued.
Others didn't bother with lifting.
They turned away.
Their heads shifted toward the compound exits, attention snapping elsewhere as if pulled by something unseen.
