Chapter 13: The Quarantine Line
The sunrise didn't feel like victory.
It was pale and artificial, flickering between shades of orange like it couldn't decide what season to emulate. Zayn Arif leaned against the broken warehouse wall, chest rising and falling with each breath.
Max crouched nearby, reloading the last few shells they had. "That wasn't just an event. Something's rewriting the backend."
Zayn didn't respond at first.
He stared at the black scorch mark where the Hollow had fallen.
A remnant of its body—just pixels, maybe—still pulsed faintly.
[You have obtained: Core Memory Spark – Status: Dormant]
[System Note: Item may respond to Reconstructed Memory Fragments or Viral Nodes]
Max glanced at the HUD. "We're out of safe zones. If this infection spreads past Sector\_5…"
Zayn looked toward the horizon. Smoke—or its simulation—rose from a distant ridge. Whatever had started in this zone might not stay contained.
[New Message: Automated Beacon – Quarantine Line Active]
[Zone 6: Watchtower Ridge – Last Clean Sector]
[Infected Expansion Rate: 3.6% Per Hour]
Zayn tightened the straps of his backpack.
"We move."
They left the port behind. No boats. No escape. Just the long broken highway and the noise of the game world slowly waking into something else.
As they walked, Max kept glancing back.
"You think there's a player behind this? Someone keeping the infection alive?"
Zayn didn't answer.
Because he didn't think it.
He *knew* it.
After two kilometers of silent running and occasional skirmishes with stray Revenants—slower, weaker ones—they reached the outer edge of Sector\_6.
And that's when they saw the wall.
It was massive. A shimmering dome of violet light that pulsed with warning runes.
A firewall—literally.
[Zone Entry Restricted – Quarantine Enforcement Active]
[Present Authorization: Denied]
Dozens of drones hovered above, scanning incoming movement.
And near the gate, three turrets pivoted toward Zayn and Max.
A voice crackled from a nearby speaker, filtered and distorted.
"Turn around. This sector is sealed under Protocol Echo-7."
Zayn stepped forward.
"I have a Core Spark. I need to reach the Watchtower."
A pause.
Then static.
"Core Spark… verified."
A low whine as part of the gate shimmered, then peeled open—just enough for a single person.
Zayn looked at Max.
"I'll go first."
Max didn't argue.
He knew the rules. One body past the firewall at a time.
Zayn stepped through.
And everything changed.
The sky was clearer here. Blue. Simulated birds chirped. Grass loaded properly. No glitches. No enemies.
It was... too perfect.
And standing in the middle of the road ahead was a girl.
She looked about seventeen. Wore a combat vest over a white jacket. Her eyes glowed faintly with interface code.
She didn't carry a weapon.
[Survivor Thread Detected – Name: Iris\_V]
[Status: Cleaned Sync – Immune to Infection]
"You made it," she said softly.
Zayn frowned. "Do I know you?"
She shook her head. "Not yet. But I'm your next checkpoint."
Max's voice crackled in Zayn's ear.
"There's something moving out here. Behind the trees."
Zayn's eyes narrowed.
"More infected?"
Iris looked away.
"No. Worse. Some of them learned how to hide. How to think."
As if to confirm her words, a distant scream echoed through the hills.
Not a Revenant groan.
A scream.
Human.
[System Alert: Mutation Type\_Theta Detected – Designation: Marauders]
[Behavior Set: Ambush / Mimicry / Coordinated Assaults]
[Warning: Daylight No Longer Ensures Safety]
Iris pointed toward the Watchtower barely visible above the treetops.
"You want to understand this world, Zayn? Then help me reach that tower."
She tossed him a new device.
[Item Acquired: Signal Knife – Function: Disrupt Infected Perception Field]
[Durability: 5 Uses]
Max's voice snapped in again.
"They're coming fast, Zayn! Cloaked signatures. I count six—no, ten!"
Zayn gripped the knife and looked toward the forest.
The shadows were alive.
And this time, the undead weren't shambling.
They were hunting.