The heavy diesel engine of the Kia KM-450 tactical truck rumbled steadily as the three-vehicle convoy drove along the abandoned highway toward Muntinlupa.
"Rumble..."
Behind the lead military truck, the commandeered black Ford Everest SUV and white Toyota HiAce van maintained tight tactical formation.
Smoke rose in thin gray spirals from abandoned civilian vehicles and shattered roadside storefronts along the route.
Inside the front passenger cab of the KM-450, Elias held the leather steering wheel, keeping his sharp eyes focused on the highway ahead.
Beside him sat nineteen-year-old Maya, her hands clutching the strap of her duffel bag as she stared out the passenger window.
"Brother Elias..." Maya spoke up quietly, her voice trembling over the engine hum.
"Where are we going?"
"We're heading to Muntinlupa, to New Bilibid Prison," Elias answered in a calm, gentle tone.
Maya turned her head rapidly, looking at her older brother with wide, anxious eyes.
"Bilibid?" Maya asked, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes welled up with worry. "What about Dad? Is he still alive?"
A heavy, darkened expression fell over Elias's face.
His hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles turned pale, and his jaw set in a hard, painful line.
"Brother Elias... please tell me," Maya whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks as she saw his heavy reaction.
Elias took a slow, deep breath, looking over at his younger sister with profound sorrow in his eyes.
"Dad didn't make it, Maya," Elias said, his voice thick with emotion.
"When the crimson rain fell on the first day, the airborne infection spread inside the cellblocks."
"Dad turned into one of those monsters inside Block B."
"Sniffle..."
Tears poured down Maya's face, and she let out a heartbreaking, choked sob.
"No... Dad..." Maya wept, covering her face with both hands.
"We were so close to proving his innocence..." Maya sobbed softly. "He shouldn't have been in that prison..."
Elias reached over with his right hand, pulling his weeping sister close and holding her against his side.
"I know, Maya," Elias whispered, his own chest aching with deep grief.
"I was right there in Block B when the rain hit," Elias told her softly. "I put Dad to rest with my own hands so he wouldn't suffer as one of those things."
"We lost Mom at home in Imus, and we lost Dad at Bilibid... but I promise you, I will protect you with my life."
Maya buried her face against her brother's shoulder, crying for their parents as the truck rumbled down the empty road.
After several minutes, Maya wiped her eyes with her sleeve, taking a shuddering breath as she looked up at Elias.
"Brother Elias... how are you doing all of this?" Maya asked, looking back through the rear window at the armed soldiers following them. "Who are all these soldiers?"
Elias kept his focus on the road ahead, choosing his words carefully to protect the secret of the Arsenal System.
"You know I was in the Army Reserve in college," Elias explained calmly.
"When the meteor hit and the crimson rain fell, all long-range military communications with central headquarters went completely dead."
"Nobody is receiving orders from the government or the high command anymore."
"What about Company Commander Cruz and the rest of these men?" Maya asked, pointing toward the convoy behind them.
"When the outbreak started at Bilibid, I was trapped inside with them," Elias lied smoothly. "I fought alongside those soldiers and saved them from being wiped out by the infected swarms."
"Because communications were cut and I saved their lives, the men nominated me as their Supreme Commander."
"They follow my orders now so we can survive together and build a secure stronghold."
Maya nodded slowly, looking down at her brother's powerful arms and the calm confidence in his eyes.
"And your strength, Brother Elias?" Maya asked softly. "Back at home, you kicked a zombie straight through a glass dining table."
"When the crimson rain hit and I woke up on the first day, my body changed," Elias explained truthfully.
"My physical strength, speed, and reflexes became three times stronger than any normal human."
"It feels like a physical awakening... like the meteor event unlocked hidden potential in my body."
"Do you think other people might awaken powers like that too?" Maya asked, her eyes filled with wonder and curiosity.
"It's possible," Elias nodded thoughtfully. "The crimson rain mutated millions into zombies, so it makes sense that some people might awaken enhanced abilities instead."
"Right now, this strength is what keeps us alive."
"Screech...!"
Suddenly, Elias slammed his foot onto the brake pedal, bringing the KM-450 tactical truck to a sudden stop!
Behind them, the Ford Everest SUV and Toyota HiAce van screeched to a halt in tight convoy formation.
Ahead lay the major roundabout intersection of Daang Hari Road, less than two kilometers from the outer walls of New Bilibid Prison.
The entire roundabout was completely choked by a massive, impassable traffic pile-up!
Overturned passenger buses, jackknifed delivery trucks, smashed commuter cars, and crushed taxis were wedged tightly together across every lane.
During the initial panic on the first day, multiple high-speed collisions had turned the open roundabout into a total metallic wall.
Swarming between the crushed chassis and shattered windshields was a dense, wandering horde of hundreds of turned residents!
"Grrr... Raaagh!"
The turned residents snarled, their rotted heads turning toward the sound of the idling truck engines!
Company Commander Cruz leaned out of his window, looking at the massive blockade ahead.
"Supreme Commander! The Daang Hari roundabout is completely blocked by civilian vehicular pile-ups!" Cruz reported over the tactical comms.
"Our vehicles cannot push through this wreckage!"
"We are less than two kilometers from Bilibid!"
Elias looked out at the massive zombie swarm milling around the shattered vehicles, his eyes narrowing with cold resolve.
"Maya, stay inside the truck cab," Elias told his sister softly, unslinging his R4A3 assault rifle and pulling out his tactical blade.
Elias opened the driver side door, stepping down onto the asphalt as thirty-six soldiers from 1st Squad, 5th Squad, and 6th Squad dismounted with weapons drawn.
"We either clear a path through this wreckage or we clear these zombies on foot," Elias commanded, his voice echoing over the engine hum.
"Squad leaders, prepare for combat!"