"I'm sorry for attacking you; I had to do it to protect myself," Brad said as he introduced himself. "My name is Bradley, but you can call me Brad. I'm a new police officer in this area," he added, trying to explain his situation to Cody.

Cody looked at Brad sharply, still trying to process the information he had just received. "My name is Cody, and I have a question for you. Why would a police officer like you ransack a house and attack its owner and assume him as a thief?!" Cody asked, his tone still filled with annoyance.

Lowering his gaze, Brad replied, "Again, I apologize; I didn't mean to attack you. I thought you were a robber or one of 'them’.'"

"Them? What do you mean by 'them'?" Cody asked, his confusion deepening.

Brad explained, "Have you not seen what's happening out there? People acting strangely, with red eyes, foaming mouths, attacking others randomly? Those are the ones I mean, the ones infected by the virus."

Cody listened to Brad's explanation with apprehension. "People infected by a virus? You mean they change like that because of a virus?! You must be joking. No one changes so viciously just because of a virus!" Cody said, his voice becoming more strained.

"I don't know for sure what causes it, but I've heard bits of information from the news. Apparently, the virus spreads quickly through direct contact with the infected person. So you have to be careful if they attack you by biting or contacting their blood," Brad warned Cody.

"So what were you doing around this residential area? Shouldn't you be with your colleagues at the police station?" Cody asked Brad, trying to gather more information.

Brad explained, "That's the problem. I was locked up by my colleagues in an empty holding cell when I was drunk at the welcoming party. I woke up when the office was deserted and dark. Luckily, the cell wasn't locked, and I could get out. Long story short, I left using the patrol car, but it ran out of gas, and I was starving, and your house was the only one unlocked."

"Wait, how did you manage to come here using your car when the city streets are crowded by them? I couldn't even bring my own car," Cody asked, trying to understand how Brad got to his house amidst the chaos outside.

"My post isn't too far from this residential area. I avoided using main roads and toll roads, so I took a longer detour to reach this residential area," Brad replied, explaining the route he took to get to Cody's house.

"Then why did you ransack my house besides the fact that the door wasn't locked?" Cody asked Brad again, trying to find out more about Brad's true intentions at his house.

"Again, I didn't intend to ransack your house. My house is actually around this residential area. But it's quite far, about five blocks from here, and I forgot to bring the key from the office, and my patrol car ran out of gas and stopped right in front of your house, AND I was starving. So I had no choice but to enter your house," Brad explained his situation clearly to Cody.

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Cody listened to Brad's explanation, feeling like he was starting to understand the situation. However, his heart was still focused on his worry for his sister, Lilly. "Before I forget, have you seen a 7-year-old girl named Lily in this house?" Cody asked with concern.

Brad shook his head, "Oh, so that's what you were shouting about earlier; no wonder you were hysterical. To answer your question, sorry, I haven't seen her. Since I've been here, no one has come or gone from this house."

Cody's heart ached hearing Brad's answer. He felt even more anxious about his sister's whereabouts. Without saying anything, Cody distanced himself from Brad, trying to take deep breaths to calm himself. His mind tried to process all the information he had just received.

"Okay, I have to think this through," Cody muttered to himself. "First, Lilly isn't at home; I have to find her quickly before something bad happens to her."

"Second, I'm stuck with this police officer. I have to persuade him to come with me if I want to survive and find Lilly," he continued, trying to find a solution to this complicated situation.

Cody approached Brad again, noticing his tired and hungry expression. "Where will you go after this?" Cody asked, trying to plan their next steps.

"To be honest, I don't know," Brad replied honestly. "Even if I go back to the office or go home, I probably won't last long. Not to mention, my patrol car ran out of gas, so I can't go too far."

"Speaking of gas, I actually have a reserve of gas for my car. It's about 4 gallons of gas in my garage; if you want, I can give it to you," Cody offered, trying to help Brad.

"Okay, of course, I'd love that; I really want to get out of this city," Brad replied enthusiastically.

Cody smiled but then interjected with a condition. "There's a condition; you have to help me find my sister until we find her. I won't agree to give it to you for free if you don't agree to my terms."

Brad nodded in agreement with Cody's terms. "Deal, I'm ready to help you, Cody," he said firmly.

"Glad to do business with you, Brad, and welcome aboard," Cody said happily, feeling relieved that there was finally someone who could help him. But in his heart, Cody still felt the unresolved tension. The mission to find his sister, Lilly, remained his top priority.

Cody continued his journey, searching for his sister Lilly alongside Brad in Brad's patrol car. As they navigated through away from chaotic streets, Cody couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency and anxiety gnawing at him. "Do you know any safe places amidst all this chaos?" Cody asked Brad, his voice tinged with desperation.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I've heard of a farm not far from here," Brad responded to Cody's question.

"A farm? Do you really think a farm is a safe place?" Cody retorted to Brad's suggestion.

"Well, I think so because it's quite secluded, they have vast land, and they can sustain themselves with food from their livestock," Brad replied confidently.

"What about their security? They can't possibly have weapons, can they?"

"Funny you mention that, the owner of this farm is one of the founders of the local animal hunting organization. So don't question whether they have weapons or not,"

"The farm owner is also a hunter. What a hypocrite. I bet he kills his livestock more often than he cares for them," Cody remarked sarcastically.

"Well, I don't really care about that. What I know is he has a large farm, and I think that's the safest place for now,"

"Alright, let's head there first. Maybe Lilly is there. Come on, Brad, direct your car towards that farm,"

"Ok, Cody," Brad replied.