[ T: 6 Days 5 Hours]
A man in combat uniform, fully geared, with a rifle hanging from a sling across his neck, is staring at a map drawn on the dirt. It is a crude map, one drawn with sticks. The light flickers around the map and shadows from three different directions lean towards the map. The source of the flickering light emanates from three different campfires. The map is centered in the middle of these fires.
The man has his arms crossed and his legs slightly open, leaning on both of them, keeping his standing body still. Across his chest, where the rank of a soldier is presented is a single dark green line; a 1rst Lieutenant. On the right side of his chest is the name Halliday.
The military cap crested on top of his head gives shade to his face, giving him a dark look. His eyes show no emotion and his jaws are clenched. The Lieutenant, Halliday, turns his attention to a man in uniform and combat gear as he enters. The man salutes Halliday, “Sir, Corporal McNull and Specialist Dew are back. Dew says that there are new developments”. Halliday nods, “Send them in”. The man drops his salute and 360° 's out.
The two men, Binoculars, and Stick-Man walk in. They salute. “Sir”, they both cry. Halliday nods again, “At Ease”. The two men get into their “At Ease” positions, their legs spread at shoulder width, their arms crossed behind their backs. Halliday then says “You said you had something to report, Specialist Dew?”. “Yes, sir”, Dew replies with a raised voice, “It appears that the creatures we’ve identified as Variants have yet another variant in their species”. Halliday looks at Dew. Dew does not look at him, he looks into an unknown empty space in front of him. Halliday relaxes and walks to the map with his stick and beckons. “Speak freely, looks like a complicated report”. The two men, Corporal McNull and Specialist Dew immediately relax and walk over to Halliday.
Specialist Dew: There are several developments of interest I would like to report on. The first is that we have identified that the differences in the variants between each Type are separated by phases, where the Type I could be considered at the child phase and the Type III is at more of an adolescent phase.
Halliday: Adolescent? Not adult?
Specialist Dew: Yes, sir. Recently the single Type III that we observed, responsible for the majority of civilian deaths has undergone a transformation in plain sight, which is how… we were able to observe. Type IV… (Dew pauses, a little unsure) Type IV is what we have named this new variant. And there is something further I would like to add, before we talk about this new variant.
Halliday: (nods) Go on.
Dew: Previously I mentioned that the variants grow into phases. (Halliday nods again) I meant to say they evolve.
Halliday: (repeats) Evolve.
Dew: Yes, sir. I realized just now that growth would mean that they grow slowly over time. These just change instantly. They change form more rapidly than what I would describe as “grow”.
“Ok”, Halliday says to confirm that he understands.
Dew: Not only is the word “evolve” or “change on the spot” more accurate of a description, but it appears- (Dew pauses and glances at Corporal McNull. McNull nods and looks away at the map). It appears that there is a trigger for said “evolution” to changing from one type to another. Eating, or killing. Hunting. That seems to trigger the instant adaptation. And it’s not just the Type III (Dew continues). At around the same time we’ve seen some of the Type I’s and Type II’s manage to get some kills and not all of them are human. Some of these kills involve variants killing other variants. Some intentionally, others not intentionally, you know how dumb these things are, they are like McNamara’s Folly during the Vietnam War. They have the brain of a child riddled with autism and ADHD. They are completely retarded. And they carry those long and large claws of theirs. Accidents are bound to happen when they are closely clumped up like that. (Halliday just stares taking it in). Anyways, the evolution, killing or eating, doesn’t trigger the change all the time, but the change always triggers after they’ve killed or eaten.
Halliday turns and paces a bit, taking in a moment. He turns around facing Dew.
Halliday: Ok. Ok. What about that new variant, the Type IV? It’s obviously changed, or “evolved”. What’s so new about it?
Dew: It’s bigger. Stronger. It’s kind of ripped like a bodybuilder. It has also started walking on four legs.
Halliday: Four legs? It’s a quadrupedal? So it’s stopped being a bipedal?
Dew: It seems to walk on two legs sometimes. Not all the time.
Halliday: Ok, anything else? The Type III you said is smarter, faster with better reflexes than the Type I and II’s. What is the intelligence of this Type IV?
Dew: I didn’t see any differences between the III and IV on this. We would need to observe it further.
Halliday: Ok. You mentioned that some Type I’s and Type II’s have changed?
Dew: Yes, sir. There are more Type II’s roaming around Point Zero, and there are four Type III’s, as far as we can see, at any given point. We can count up to four of them. We don’t know if there are more. That’s it sir.
Halliday nods, “You are dismissed. If you could find 2nd Lieutenant Davis, send him up here.” The two men salute and are about to leave when Halliday says, “Oh by the way”. The two men stop abruptly. “I would like to know. Are any of the deaths at Point Zero military? Or are they all civilians?”
McNull answers, “All civilians, sir. No other member of any unit has come out of Point Zero except ours”.
Halliday comments, “I don’t know if I should say I’m relieved or disappointed. Carry on”. The two men salute yet again and leave.
Halliday watches as they leave, leaving him alone in the cave. He turns his gaze back at the map drawn on the floor. A breeze whispers by him, but none of the fires flicker.
[ T: 6 Days ]
About an hour after Chicken Man’s group exits the forest they walk downhill and arrive at a lake that pools around at the foot of the Great Eastern Wall. The lake after flooding around the wall seems to overflow and leaks away becoming a stream that paths away towards the north western direction. Even though the group has only traversed for only a couple of hours and it is still before noon, they decide to stay the day and night there. Most of the fodders start gathering fuel for a fire, without the gangsters needing to order them. And since they are out in the open with fewer trees to block vision, fewer patrols are needed and only a few sets of eyes are needed to look into the distance. Three of the fodders are looking into the lake, two of them arms crossed, one of them kicking into the wet sand. They are conversing in low voices taking care to not be heard by anyone around them.
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Arms Crossed man 1: So the general consensus of everyone is that there is some form of agreement?
Sand kicking man: Yeah. Not all are in agreement of taking action, since we kind of do need the fuckers right now. But everyone is very unhappy.
The second man who has his arms crossed uncrosses them and puts them in his pocket.
Hands in pocket man: The group isn’t too sure we could survive without these criminals. We haven’t been able to kill a single one of those creatures, and that’s causing people to think that being slaves is the only option we have right now.
Arms Crossed man: Trading in our Liberty for Security.
Sand kicking man: Fuck.
Hands in pocket man: The only way we can convince the group that getting in bed with the criminals (he pauses). Literally (he emphasizes the word and pauses again), isn’t our only option is if we can start fighting too.
Sand kicking man: But the gangsters got all the good weapons. We got like rocks, sticks and what “ that guy who builds the fire” has in his backpack.
Hands in pocket man: So… we convince him to give us some weapons.
Arms Crossed man: And then we kill.
Hands in pocket man: And then we kill.
Sand kicking man: (points into the water) Hey look… Fish.
Across the water, beyond the lake, a set of yellow globes surface. These yellow globes blink and stare at the three men at the water's edge. These same set of yellow globes then turn and focus on the group of humans behind the three men. They see the people gathering sticks to create a fire, they see the humans trying to create the fire, they see the black and brown men gathered together killing a wandering yellow creature and they see the females all huddled together like a bunch of sheep. The yellow eyes blink once and sink back into the lake.
Chicken Man meets up with the Hispanic “King” and after discussing the potential of the lake, with the open land surrounding them allowing them to see far and wide, they both agree that the lake is currently the best place to set up a more permanent camp.
[ T: 6 Days 9 Hours]
However, as night falls the group comes to realize that no matter how much of the land is no longer obscured by the trees their vision over the land becomes blackened by the darkness. And with only the single fire they created providing light, group has a hard time keeping watch on their surroundings. The fodders patrol the area with torches to light the way and the gangsters keep watch on the moving lights, emanating from the torches held by the fodders. The discomfort has the gangsters now realize that they had failed to critically think about how they would be able to see in the dark when night falls.
[T: 6 Days 21 Hours]
After an uncomfortable night the camping enthusiast offers a suggestion to the gangsters to have everyone gather even more fuel to light three more fires scattered in three different directions a short distance from the camp, to provide some more vision when night falls. The gangsters having no other solution or any better idea allow the camping enthusiast to manage the project.
One of the three men previously the Hands In Pocket Man gives a side look to the two other men. All three look around towards the gangsters. Most of the gangsters are sleeping after staying up all night. Hands in Pocket Man slowly while picking up fuel makes his way to the Camping Enthusiast. The camping Enthusiast is overlooking picking out locations where the camps should be in order to use their limited amount of resources to light as much of the area as possible.
Hands In Pocket Man: Hey
Camping Enthusiast: (looks up) Yeah?
Hands in pocket man: I don’t think we are going to be able to pick up enough fuel to keep the fires going.
Camping Enthusiast: Yeah I know. There’s not a lot of trees here compared to the forest, so less wood to pick up.
Hands in pocket man: You got anything in that pack of yours that might help us saw off the some of the bigger branches? We could make the trek to the forest, get some bigger fuel, if you got anything.
Camping Enthusiast: Actually I do have a portable hand-saw. You want to take some guys to take turns sawing? You can have this pocket knife to clean up those bigger wood logs so that you can stuff the logs into a backpack.
Hands in pocket man: Will do. Last night was terrible. We’ll need all the light we need at night.
Camping Enthusiast: Yep. Oh but cut down the trees in the area first before you start going into the forest. Get a stockpile going.
Hands in pocket man: Then where would we get our leaves? You don’t expect us to trek to the forest just to get leaves later right? Better to keep the trees around here growing for the leaves and harvest wood from the forest.
Camping Enthusiast: Eh, maybe you’re right. I didn’t think of that. I wanted to show the gangsters faster progress than what we have right now.
Hands in pocket man: Careful now, they’re gangsters.
Camping Enthusiast: Yeah… I know. But we need them. And I want to make them feel that they need us. (Digs in backpack and takes out the small portable hand saw and pocket knife)
Hands in pocket man: (takes the two items) Yeah… I guess. I’ll head into camp and take a backpack or two and take some guys.
Camping Enthusiast: Alright. If the gangsters give you a hard time, tell them the same thing you told me and that I agreed with you.
Hands in pocket man: Will do.
After giving a look to the two other men, Hands In Pocket Man goes towards the camp, depositing his gatherings at the fuel pile and heads towards the luggage pile to get a backpack or two. Three of the gangsters lying on their sides yells out to him.
Black gangster 1: Hey is that a saw and a knife? What you doing with that?
Hands in pocket man: The guy who builds your fires said that we aren’t going to be able to gather enough fuel to keep the fires running so he gave me the saw and a couple of guys to go to the forest to get some bigger branches. I need some backpacks to carry the wood.
Black gangster 2: Why can’t you cut down the trees close by?
Hands in pocket: ‘Cuz that’s our source of leaves. If we cut those down, he (pointing at the Camping Enthusiast) says that we’ll all have to go to the forest just to gather leaves.
Black gangster 2: Oh that’s smart. He’s smart, that guy.
Black gangster 3: (Tsks and snorts at Black gangster 2) Nigga you just stupid.
Black gangster 2: Well sorry my black ass ain’t so smart. I never finished highschool. You know what… fuck you.
Black gangster 3: Well fuck you too, nigga.
Black gangster 1: Ey, you both stupid. (He turns his head to Hands in Pocket) Yeh, well go and get what you need and get that fuel. Work hard, so that the rest of us can see in the dark.
Hands in pocket: Yeah. We need you guys to see at night so that you guys can fight, right?
Black gangster 1: (Nods and acts like a badass professional, tilting his head up) Yeh, that’s right. You know what’s up.
Hands In Pocket Man nods, picks out two backpacks, empties out their contents and puts the saw and knife and extra backpack in the backpack, which he wears. He leaves the three gangsters arguing about what education they managed to go to, insulting each other about having “caveman” genes contributing to their families overall intelligence and how their genes contributed to their aunts and uncles being so stupid that they just died of alcohol or drugs, or going to jail and whatnot. As Hands in Pocket Man leaves the camp, Chicken Man is looking at the three gangsters, overhearing what they are saying and shakes his head.
Hands in Pocket Man walks past the area where he received the saw and knife from the Camping Enthusiast, who is now in a different area directing several fodders to dig up the grass, clear it up for fire prevention and to make a pile of stones so that they could construct a stone circle to encase the new fire in. Sand Kicking Man and Arms Crossed Man are waiting for him. He reaches the two men and after Hands in Pocket Man tells them what they are going to do they turn and walk towards the forest.