The first contact at the refinery lasted less than ten seconds.
The infected collapsed across the access road, their bodies sprawled between cracked pavement and patches of overgrown weeds. The echoes of gunfire lingered among the massive storage tanks and steel structures, bouncing from one processing unit to another before fading into silence.
Nobody lowered their weapons.
Captain Herrera stepped forward, rifle raised, and studied the entrance through his optics. Beyond the gate stretched a wide industrial complex of rusted pipes, steel towers, and interconnected roads disappearing between gigantic fuel tanks.
The refinery was too large.
Far too large.
An uncomfortable feeling settled over the security teams.
Places this big never stayed empty.
"Alpha Team, secure the gate," Herrera ordered. "Bravo, with me. Engineers remain behind the vehicles."
Several acknowledgments came through the radios.
The security teams moved immediately.
