Survival in the last days of America

The changing room fell silent once more. Brian gave the group one final warning before returning to his place. He looked at the five men now standing in a neat line and shouted loudly:

"Roll call!"

His voice was sharp and commanding. At the sound, all five snapped straight, their bodies reacting instinctively, and began calling out in order from left to right.

"One!"

"Two!"

"…"

When the young East Asian at the end shouted "Five!", Brian finally lowered his eyes to the roster in his hand and looked at the first man in line.

The first was a large Black man—broad-shouldered, square-jawed, with a prominent nose and towering at nearly two meters tall. His massive, muscular frame was hard to believe on someone so young—barely eighteen or nineteen.

After confirming his appearance, Brian glanced down at the details on the roster to verify the information. This was just routine—standard procedure for teams that had suffered casualties. For them, it was merely a formality.

Name: Wade

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Rank: Private First Class

External Missions: 4

Background: Left the quarantine zone school on May 6, 2017. Completed a two-year training program at the military training base. Joined the exploration team for external supply retrieval.

The second man was a noticeably slender white man, unremarkable in appearance and under 1.6 meters tall—creating a stark contrast to the giant beside him.

Name: Elton

Gender: Male

Age: 18

Rank: Private First Class

External Missions: 4

Background: Left the quarantine zone school on May 6, 2017. Completed a two-year training program at the military training base. Joined the exploration team for external supply retrieval.

Unlike the two younger recruits, the third man was a white man in his early thirties. His hair was already streaked with gray, and a deep scar ran from his left cheek down to his jawline, giving him a strikingly fierce appearance.

Name: Norman

Gender: Male

Age: 32

Rank: First Sergeant

External Missions: 4

Background: Former stationed soldier in the Atlanta Quarantine Zone.

The last two were both Asian. Their similar features made them look like brothers at first glance—one was Japanese, the other, the more mischievous-looking one, was Korean.

Name: Mike (Ito Takuma)

Gender: Male

Age: 20

Rank: Private Second Class

External Missions: 6

Background: Left the quarantine zone school on March 12, 2015…

Name: Kim Seong-min

Gender: Male

Age: 21

Rank: Private Second Class

External Missions: 8

Background: Left the quarantine zone school on June 21, 2016…

Two months earlier, after being promoted to sergeant and becoming the leader of a search team, Brian had begun assembling his own squad—personally selecting members. Each team, including the leader, could have up to six members. Once the roster was finalized and approved by the individuals, it was submitted to the management center.

But when Brian began searching, he found that most people were unwilling to join such a high-risk unit. Those with real ability had already joined other teams. The ones without skills, he didn't want.

Eventually, after hearing some rumors, he decided to seek out Norman personally and invited him to join.

Norman had been a stationed soldier in the Atlanta Quarantine Zone. Before the cordyceps outbreak, he was a warrant officer. But his wife had been killed by an infected, leaving him with a four-year-old son to raise.

If he stayed home to care for his son, no one would earn supply cards. Even as a soldier, no one would feed him for free.

So when his son turned six, Norman sent him to the quarantine zone's early education center, paying supply cards to have others care for him.

At first, life in the zone was stable. But as corruption spread, everything changed. Norman, being an honest and principled man, reported the corruption to his superiors.

His actions angered many. They bribed his commanding officer, hoping to have him punished and removed.

Fortunately, his superior still had some conscience. After taking the bribe, he simply found an excuse to demote Norman—stripping him of rank and transferring him to the patrol unit as a First Sergeant.

Even there, Norman's integrity made him a target of constant exclusion. When Brian found him and helped resolve the issues of food and childcare for his son, Norman agreed to join the team.

Why did Brian choose him? Because after reviewing his records, Brian discovered Norman had once been a sniper. It was worth the effort to recruit him.

As for the rest, Brian simply couldn't find anyone else, so he ended up inviting fresh recruits who had only recently left the military training base.

Wade and Elton had been recruited shortly after finishing training. Having lived their entire lives inside the quarantine zone, they longed to see the outside world. With no parents or family ties, they hesitated only briefly before accepting Brian's offer.

Mike and Kim had joined because their original teams had either been wiped out or disbanded. Left alone and without a unit, they accepted Brian's invitation.

Of course, each of the four had specific strengths or skills—exactly why Brian had chosen them.

After confirming everyone's information, Brian lowered the roster, nodded, and said:

"That's it. Time's almost up. You have ten minutes to change. Meet at the designated spot afterward."

"Yes, sir!"

At Brian's order, the men scattered. Each went to their own locker, opened it, and pulled out their external mission combat uniforms, quickly dressing.

Brian turned and began changing as well.

Within minutes, all six were suited up. Despite the summer heat, the thick combat uniforms clung to their bodies. Even in this short time, sweat had already begun to form beneath the heavy fabric.

"Ugh, I can't stand it! These uniforms are way more comfortable in winter. Wearing them in this heat is torture!"

The six stepped out of the changing room. Mike tugged at his collar, his discomfort obvious as he complained aloud.

Though they'd grown used to the stifling heat during military training—wearing these uniforms for hours even in peak summer—they could endure it. But that didn't mean they couldn't complain.

"You never shut up, do you? Always chattering."

Hearing the constant noise, Kim rolled his eyes in annoyance. He could tolerate it briefly, but as they exited the office building and Mike kept talking, he finally snapped.

He kicked Mike hard in the backside.

"Ow!"

Mike yelped, stumbling forward a few steps. He rubbed his sore backside, grimacing.

"Hah! I thought you were acting weird today, but that kick made me feel way better."

"Pfft!"

Wade and Elton burst out laughing. Even Norman, bringing up the rear, had to suppress a smile. Every mission brought moments like this between Mike and Kim—small distractions that eased the tension before heading into danger.

They crossed the wide open yard. After showing their IDs, they reached the vehicle storage area.

Row after row of rolling garage doors stretched deep into the compound—over a dozen lines in total. Some open bays held military trucks, others fuel tankers, and various other vehicles.

Brian found a building marked with a "B," then followed the sequence from B1. After a short walk, he located a garage with a "B12" sign above it.

He pulled out the key he'd received at the entrance, lifted the rolling door, and revealed a vehicle covered in a tarp. To the sides were maintenance tools and fire extinguishers. At the back was a small room.

He stepped inside, checked for any abnormalities, then turned to issue orders to his team:

"Mike, inspect the vehicle. Make sure everything's working."

"Norman, you guys go to the armory and collect the firearms."

"Kim, Wade—head to the ammo depot and bring back the rounds."

"Elton, go to the supply station and pick up the radios."

He glanced at his watch and said:

"You have ten minutes. Move out!"

"Yes, sir!"

The team responded in unison. Except for Mike, who ran into the garage, the others scattered in different directions.

Once they were gone, Brian turned around. Mike had already pulled off the tarp and was now lying on a wheeled creeper, sliding under the military truck with a small flashlight.

Brian gave him a quick glance, then walked to the small room at the back, opened the door, and stepped inside.