* * * * *
A few minutes before the raid began, life in Trosta continued as usual. The people went about their daily tasks, unaware of the imminent threat approaching—until the guards stationed at the hunting towers noticed something unusual along the tree line a few meters away.
It was Jairus and his men, marching forward. At the front was Miya, her hands bound, blood staining her face.
The guards, now on high alert, focused their binoculars on her. Their recognition was immediate. Miya’s face was unmistakable.
"Is it really her?" David asked, after the details were relayed to him.
“It’s her, and it looks like they’ve taken her hostage," the man confirmed.
Without hesitation, David and the others moved swiftly toward the front gate. They ascended one of the hunting towers, and he took the binoculars for a final look.
A deep sigh escaped David as he lowered the binoculars and patted the shoulder of the man beside him.
"Get the young ones hidden and arm everyone," he ordered. "Wait for my signal."
"Wait—what are you going to do?" the man asked, concern etching his face.
"I’ll try talking to them," David answered, his gaze lingering on the group in the distance. "I just hope we can come to some kind of agreement."
As they descended from the tower, Zachia and Rachelle approached him.
"What’s going on? Everyone’s freaking out," Zachia asked, worry in her voice.
"There’s a large group of armed survivors outside," David explained.
Rachelle raised an eyebrow. "Then we should just shoot them from here. We’re safe inside the walls."
"We can't do that," David replied firmly.
"Why not?" she asked, her frustration rising.
"They’ve got Miya as a hostage. And I don’t see Zack or Zy with her. Something happened while they were scouting." His voice was grave.
The two women fell silent, processing his words.
"Zack and Zy... they can’t be dead, right?" Zachia asked, the worry evident in her voice.
David didn’t answer. He simply let out a long, heavy sigh.
Suddenly, a loud voice boomed from outside the gates, amplified by a megaphone.
"Hello, hello! Testing, one, two, three. Can you hear me?" It was Jairus.
"That’s too loud," Rachelle muttered.
"We don’t have time to argue. Get armed," David said sharply, signaling for the gates to be opened.
"And where do you think you’re going?" Anna, David’s wife, asked, her tone suspicious.
"Outside," David replied, his voice tense.
Anna raised an eyebrow. "And why would you do that?"
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Days are Gone (Under Massive Editing - Republishing Chapters)
Science FictionIn a world where the dead started walking, a few people inherited traits that were considered peculiar. Once bitten, they'll turn, not as infected, but something else. People call them... "Rejected Subjects" - - - The story begins with Cyra, a twent...
