Chapter 8 – Akra Hill
The road leading to Akra Hill was narrow.
Too narrow.
Trees stood close together on both sides, their branches blocking most of the sunlight. The higher they drove, the colder the air became.
No infected.
No survivors.
Nothing.
Only silence.
Kevin looked outside nervously.
"Something's wrong."
Raj nodded slowly.
"There should be signs of people."
Asha spoke softly,
"If this place really had a cure… someone would still be here."
No one answered her.
Because everyone was thinking the same thing.
Then—
They saw it.
A gate.
Half broken.
Rusty.
But still standing.
Above it—
A faded metal sign:
AKRA HILL RESEARCH FACILITY
Lyana whispered,
"This is it…"
Adam stopped the vehicle slowly.
No guards.
No movement.
No sound.
Malik stepped out first.
Weapon ready.
"Stay alert."
They walked inside together.
The compound looked abandoned.
Vehicles were left everywhere.
Some doors were open.
Some were broken.
Some looked forced open from the inside.
Raj frowned.
"That's not normal."
Kevin pointed toward the ground.
"There was a fight here."
Blood stains.
Scratch marks.
Bullet shells.
Signs of panic.
Not evacuation.
Escape.
Suddenly—
A weak voice came from inside one of the buildings.
"…help…"
Everyone froze.
Lyana turned immediately.
"There!"
Adam rushed toward the sound.
Malik followed behind him.
Inside the room—
A man was lying against the wall.
Weak.
Thin.
Barely breathing.
A scientist.
His lab coat was still stained with dried blood.
Adam knelt beside him.
"We're here to help."
The scientist grabbed Adam's arm weakly.
"You're too late…"
Adam's expression hardened.
"What happened here?"
The scientist tried to speak.
His voice shaking.
"They found out…"
"Who?"
"The infected… they changed…"
Malik stepped closer.
"What do you mean changed?"
The scientist looked directly at Adam.
"They're evolving."
Silence filled the room instantly.
Kevin shook his head.
"That's impossible."
The scientist coughed.
More blood.
"They're not just reacting anymore…"
"They're hunting."
Lyana stepped back slowly.
"No…"
Asha whispered,
"That explains the road…"
Raj looked at Adam.
"They were waiting for us."
Adam tightened his grip.
"What about the cure?"
The scientist stared at him.
For a long moment.
Then whispered—
"There is no cure yet."
Everything stopped.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Malik's voice became sharp.
"Then why was this place marked on the map?"
The scientist reached into his pocket slowly.
Pulled out something small.
A dried leaf.
Dark green.
With strange veins running across it.
Akra leaf.
"The cure… starts here."
Suddenly—
A loud noise echoed outside.
Metal falling.
Footsteps.
Not random.
Organized.
Controlled.
Kevin whispered,
"They followed us."
The scientist grabbed Adam's sleeve one last time.
"They're not like before anymore…"
"They remember."
Then—
His hand dropped.
Still.
Silent.
Gone.
Outside—
Something moved between the trees.
Watching.
Waiting.
Learning.