Mutagen

<strong>Day 6 – 10:11 AM – GSIS Road, Gardenia Valley Subdivision, Molino III, Bacoor City, Cavite</strong>

An asymmetrical convoy composing of different vehicles went travelling on this downward road. The arrangement of the vehicles was too unorganized that anyone a compulsive disorder would berate. Unfortunately, none of the people in the convoy wanted this either. When the acquisition of needed vehicles and supplies were finished, the leading military officers planned an arrangement that was symmetrical as possible to evenly distribute the firepower of the soldiers around the convoy. Another thing was to let the roving military vehicles have an easier way to respond to where their support was needed.

Unfortunately, the swarm of flies that came at a very crucial time destroyed everything. Many were killed and they lost a lot. Even the efforts and the sacrifice of the soldiers participated in the scouting and delay troops had gone in vain. They even had to abandon people behind and escape with their tails between their legs. Despite how lucky they were that the swarm of infected flies did not follow the escaped convoy and concentrated on the people left behind in the settlement, none of the people wanted to stop the vehicles until they reached the next destination.

Mark could hear the conversations in the radio and could not help but shake his head. The morale of the soldiers was too low. If it continued like this, they were even likely to die easily not to mention being able to protect the whole convoy. Losing a lot of their comrades in a swift and grotesque way gave them a blow that was hard to recover from. The only thing that was keeping everyone up was the hope that they would still reach the Bay City despite the setback they suffered.

After the convoy turned right behind the Wet and Dry Market, a constant metallic banging sound and the loud splash of water could be heard at the front. Looking at the creek filled with greenish water that ran at the right side of the road, they could see the broken fence and barriers along with vehicles and bodies that had just been thrown on the water. Apparently, the dump trucks at the front were pushing the vehicles and infected blocking the road unto the water.

Constant gunshots could still be heard as there were infected everywhere. When the refugees looked at the creek, they could even see infected that were exposed too long to the dirty water that their skin started to show different disgusting appearances. There was even an infected with similar appearance to a Dozer but its bloated body looked sagged and was spewing murky water on its mouth instead of methane gas. These infected on the water tried to approach the vehicles but the creek was deep enough to deter them from doing so.

Leaving the small road behind the market, they finally reached the intersection of Molino Road and Molino Boulevard. It was the same road Mark and his group took before when they looked for Carlo. The fast food restaurant Carlo's family owned was on the north of the intersection just two blocks away.

With Mark said before that the intersection was blocked with a lot of vehicles, the two squad captains expected a large number of infected too. As they had seen a lot of congregation of infected due to the blocked roads, it was something for them to expect and considering that it was an intersection of two main roads, the number of infected should also be alarming. A thousand infected would still be within the expected range and as such, they readied all their highest caliber weapons.

Nevertheless, the soldiers that were prepared to battle a thousand infected and break through the blockades of vehicles were bewildered. What they only saw wandering around the blockade of vehicles were estimated at most, a hundred. What shocked them further was the number of skeletons and burned bodies that littered the middle of the road along with the scorched marks on the walls, windows and melted plastic residue on the structures on the road side. Even the vehicles at the northern part of the blockade had scorched marks on their bodies.

'Just what happened here?'

Everyone asked in their minds and even the refugees that witnessed the scene was not an exception.

The radio crackled with the sounds of confusion and doubt. The culprit of this scene however was disinclined to bother telling them and was busy in his vehicle teaching Mei how to operate a sniper rifle. After all, the road was already cleared with most of the infected, what did these people still want for asking those questions?

If it continued like this, they would get to Citta Italia without problems.

Unfortunately, an accident happened. Mark was also alarmed as he stared at the right side of the road with an incredulous expression.

The former farmland deprived of everything aside from the tall grass and shrubs was now a mushroom wonderland. The grass before had already wilted brown and the majority of the surface of the farmland was covered with Mycorrhiza. At the center of the farmland was a cluster of white agaricus mushrooms of unknown species about as tall as three meters. That was not the most horrifying thing however. Dangling under the wide caps of the mushrooms were finger thick webs. Trapped on the webs were bodies of different kinds of infected that had already started to rot.

Around the farm land, several infected was sluggishly roaming the area. These infected were the same as the ones the people of the city hall encountered before. The holes of their bodies sprouted white mushrooms especially their eyes, mouth, ears and nose while their skin was entwined with white web like roots.

One of these infected was by the roadside and rushed unto the closest van containing the refugees. The infected was immediately shot down by the soldiers and fell on the road. That van was lucky but not the passenger jeepney behind it. Shocked by the surreal sight beside the road, the driver did not manage to avoid the dead body that had fallen and ran over it. The body suddenly released a cloud of white spores that immediately surrounded the jeepney outside and inside due to jeepney being an open vehicle not sealed by tight windows.

The metal modifications done on the vehicle to secure the windows and doors might be able to stop the infected and the oversized flies but not the dust sized spores. The refugees at the back of the jeepney were not covered with the spores immediately and tried to open the door at the back but they were not able to in time. The vehicle that was supposed to keep them safe became their final prison.

Affected by the spores, the driver stepped on the gas without knowing and lost control of the jeepney. The vehicle crashed unto the power post at the roadside and due to the impact, the concrete power post cracked with the threat of crumbling and falling unto jeepney.

The white spores continued to spread out for a few seconds and the other vehicles avoided the white deadly spores. Luckily, the vehicles around the jeepney were sealed vans and the spores were not able to enter the tightly covered windows.

"Stop the vehicles. We'll check the jeepney that crashed."

The Major's voice sounded from the radio issued to the drivers. The vehicles started to slow down but before they could stop, Mark who remained silent all the time finally spoke.

"There's no need for that. Continue driving unless you all wanted to die here."

Mark's threat confused everyone.

"Alright, continue driving! You are… Mark right? What do you mean?"

The Major did not force his order anymore and asked for the reason.

"That white spore is not just some kind of normal spore. It seems to be aparasitic one. It turns people in contact with it into something like the infected but slightly different. Look at the people inside the jeep, they already turned."

Those whose vehicles were still nearby and heard the radio transmission could not help but turn their heads towards the crashed jeepney. Inside, the people were growling and sticking their faces hard on the windows. White web like roots could be seen spreading on their bodies. The driver who was exposed to most of the spores had already grown a small mushroom sprouting out of his ear.

Everyone who witnessed that shuddered with cold sweat on their backs.

"Mark, how do you know of this?"

The Major's voice sounded from the radio once more.

"I already said before that we passed here the day before yesterday."

Mark then told as summary of what happened and what the people from the city hall witnessed here.

"I didn't expect that it will spread like this though."

He continued.

The Major turned silent and did not ask anything anymore.

Normally, they would try to address this kind of issue and threat but with their lack of manpower and necessary equipment, it was too risky.

Leaving the unfortunate jeepney behind, they finally left the area of the corrupted farmland.

It did not take them long and they finally reached Citta Italia.

By what it looked like, the soldiers from the settlement and the people in Citta Italia continuously maintained contact. Before the convoy arrived at the gates of the private subdivision, gunfire could be heard as the sentry above the gates started to eliminate the infected that congested in front. With the help of the soldiers on the convoy, the infected were all killed faster and the convoy was able to safely enter the subdivision.

The convoy did not stop after entering the gates but were led towards the central area of the subdivision where the Multi-purpose Clubhouse was located.

The subdivision still looked like how they pass through it before. The only differences were that there were police patrols guarding the perimeters of the subdivision and there was no three meter tall dog chasing them this time.

Looking at this scene, Mark was surprised. Considering that the wave of infected hit Firenze first, this place should have been reached earlier than the settlement. Strange enough, it seemed that this place had not been hit yet. Furthermore, the people on the roadside seemed to be on the calm side despite their inner anxiety.

Mark took out his phone and looked at the time. They actually travelled more than two hours. It was almost two in the afternoon already. However, Mark knew that aside from the road blockades that prevented them from driving faster, the constant attacks from the infected hindered them further. Not to mention that the soldiers behind would stop from time to time to pull the pushed aside vehicles once more to hinder the horde from catching up as much as possible.

Since the place was deemed to be safe, the soldiers alighted from their vehicles after the convoy parked on the curved road beside the Multi-Purpose Clubhouse. The refugees however did not immediately leave their vehicles. With how it looked like, it seemed that the refugees took trauma from the sudden attack of the swarm of flies.

"All of you remain inside. I'll go out for a little."

Mark said to the others inside the vehicle. He knew that these people were already feeling stiff due to the cramped space but he did not let them run about for now. It was because there were people around that did not feel right. Compared to the people he saw and felt at Firenze, these new people seemed to have experienced bloodshed more than the members of the police.

Using the radio he handed to the Jason who was in the armored carrier behind them, Mark also told them to stay put for now. He also approached the van driven by Monique and told them the same.

Soon, two groups went out of the Clubhouse to welcome them. The people who came to receive the welcome were the two squad leaders, Captain Dela Rosa and Major Lopez and the two government officials, Councilor Palabrica and Barangay Chairwoman Palabrica along with their respective entourage.

On the other side was the group led by Congresswoman Lanie and Police Chief Mallari while the other group was composed of some unfamiliar men.

Looking at the man at the center of the group, he could not help but fell like he was looking at Dominador but several times more bloodthirsty.

In his mind, danger alarms sounded. He was sure that this person and his men was were enemies.