Not tense—focused.
Unit Seven stood in a loose semicircle, weapons slung, armor scarred from earlier encounters. Research teams lined the walls, tablets in hand. Medical and engineering staff stood behind them, quiet and alert.
Captain stepped forward.
"What you saw in the field wasn't an anomaly," he said. "It's the next stage."
He activated the screen.
Footage froze on a runner mid-sprint.
NEW COMBAT RULES
RUNNERS
• Engage immediately
• No warning shots
• No retreat once contact is made
• Maintain spacing at all times
"They exist to collapse formation," Captain said. "If you hesitate, they win."
He switched the slide.
A bloated infected filled the screen.
BLOATERS
• Slow movement
• Central positioning within infected groups
• Acidic rupture on death
A murmur moved through the room.
Captain raised a hand.
"There's a correction to earlier assumptions," he said.
He tapped the screen again. New footage rolled—grainy, zoomed in.
A bloater stood amid a dense cluster of zombies.
A shot rang out.
The bloater ruptured.
Acid sprayed in all directions.
Nearby infected collapsed instantly—skin dissolving, bodies dropping in smoking heaps.
The footage paused.
"The acid kills surrounding infected," Captain said. "Not just us."
A researcher nodded. "Confirmed across multiple encounters."
Captain turned back to the unit.
"That makes bloaters dangerous," he said. "But also tactical."
UPDATED BLOATER PROTOCOL
• ❌ Never detonate near civilians
• ❌ Never detonate near friendly units
• ❌ Never engage in enclosed spaces
• ✅ Controlled detonation authorized when bloater is surrounded by infected only
• ✅ Engage from long range
• ✅ Treat blast zone as contaminated
"A bloater dying in the wrong place kills us," Captain said evenly.
"A bloater dying in the right place kills them."
No one argued.
They didn't need to.
FIRST EXTERMINATION MISSION
The map zoomed in on a warehouse district near the river.
"Confirmed runner packs," Captain said. "High density. No civilians."
Unit Seven shifted, attention sharpening.
"This is not reconnaissance," Captain continued. "This is extermination."
He traced a route across the map.
"Clear the zone. Collapse runner movement. If a bloater appears inside an infected cluster—use it."
Arjun felt his chest tighten.
This wasn't survival anymore.
This was warfare.
ASSIGNMENT
As the briefing concluded and Unit Seven prepared to move, Captain raised his hand.
"You," he said.
Arjun stopped.
Captain walked over and held out a patch.
UNIT SEVEN – ACTIVE
"You're officially attached to Unit Seven," Captain said. "Observation, situational awareness, and support."
Arjun took the patch slowly.
"I'm not a shooter," he said.
"I know," Captain replied. "That's why you're here."
Arjun nodded once. "I won't freeze."
Captain met his eyes.
"Make sure you don't," he said. "People will be counting on it."
Minutes later, engines roared to life.
Weapons were checked. Visors lowered. Doors slammed shut.
Arjun climbed into the transport with Unit Seven—not as a survivor this time, but as part of the unit.
Captain's voice came over the comms, calm and deadly.
"Unit Seven," he said,
"rules are clear.
Targets confirmed.
Move out."
The vehicle rolled forward.
And ahead of them, runners were already moving.
The transport slowed a kilometer out.