The tension in Haven was electric. For the first time since the outbreak, the survivors weren’t just preparing to defend—they were preparing to attack. With their new weapons coated in the stabilising agent, they had a real chance to push back against the enhanced enhanced that had terrorised them for so long.

Corey, Chantell, Ricardo, Ornelas, and D’Souza stood in the common room, armed and ready. The plan was simple but deadly: lure the enhanced enhanced into a carefully set trap just outside Haven’s cold perimeter, use the weapons to strike hard, and retreat before the enhanced could adapt. It was a test run for the stabilised weapons—a chance to see if the stabilising agent would truly work in combat.

Dr. Moloi stood near the control room, his face lined with concern. "Remember, the stabilising agent disrupts the virus. It won’t kill the enhanced outright unless you make a direct hit to vital areas. Aim for the head or heart—anywhere that will disrupt their nervous systems."

Corey nodded. “We’ll be careful. We need to see how they react to the agent before we push further.”

D’Souza had been overseeing the traps they’d set along the perimeter. "The cold will slow them down as they approach, but they’ve been getting smarter. We’ve laid out a few surprises—spikes, tripwires—enough to make them hesitate."

Ricardo shifted his rifle. "No hesitation from us, though. We hit them fast."

"Let’s keep it tight," Chantell added, her eyes scanning the group. "One mistake, and we’ll be overrun."

Ornelas, standing with his bow ready, nodded. "I’ll take position in the trees. I’ll signal when I see them approaching."

With the plan set, the group left Haven, the cold wind biting at their faces as they stepped beyond the safety of their base. The forest was eerily quiet, the sun barely piercing through the clouds as they moved toward the ambush site. Each of them knew the stakes—if the stabilising agent worked, it would give them a real advantage in this war. If it failed, Haven would be at even greater risk.

Ornelas climbed into a tree overlooking the clearing, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of movement. Corey and the rest took their positions behind makeshift barriers, their weapons ready. The traps D’Souza had laid—spike pits, tripwires connected to crude explosives—were hidden just outside the cold perimeter.

The minutes stretched on, tension building with every passing second. The wind howled through the trees, and every snap of a branch set their nerves on edge.

Then, Ornelas whistled softly from above—a signal.

“They’re coming,” Corey whispered, his hand tightening around his machete.

Through the fog, they saw the first of the enhanced enhanced. Its skeletal form moved with unnatural speed, its glowing eyes scanning the area with an eerie intelligence. Behind it, more enhanced followed, their movements swift and coordinated. They had learned to stay just outside the cold perimeter, waiting for the right moment to strike.

The lead creature stepped forward, crossing the invisible boundary into the cold zone. It hesitated for a moment, but then pressed on, its growls low and guttural. One by one, the others followed, moving cautiously but steadily toward the traps.

Corey signalled to the group, and they waited, breath held, until the first creature tripped a wire. A sudden explosion rocked the clearing, throwing debris into the air as two of the enhanced were sent flying backward. Spikes jutted up from the ground, impaling one of the enhanced that had been caught by the trap.

But they kept coming.

"Now!" Corey shouted, and the group sprang into action.

Ricardo opened fire first, his rifle loaded with bullets coated in the stabilising agent. His first shot hit the lead creature in the chest, and for a split second, it faltered. Its movements slowed, as if it were trying to fight off the effects of the agent. Ricardo fired again, this time aiming for the head. The bullet struck true, and the creature dropped, twitching as the virus inside it was neutralised.

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Chantell loosed her arrows, each one tipped with the stabilising agent. Her first arrow struck another creature in the neck, and it stumbled, its body convulsing as the agent spread through its system. Ornelas fired from the trees, his arrow finding its mark in the chest of one of the smaller enhanced. It screeched in agony, its glowing eyes dimming as the agent took hold.

Corey charged forward, his machete gleaming with the stabilising agent. He swung at one of the enhanced, slicing through its arm. The creature roared in pain but kept coming, its other claw swiping at Corey. He ducked, then drove the blade into the creature’s side, where the agent quickly did its work. The creature’s movements became sluggish before it collapsed.

The stabilising agent was working.

D’Souza, keeping his calm under pressure, fired carefully aimed shots, each one weakening the enhanced enhanced. As they fell, the survivors moved quickly to finish them off, striking vital areas to ensure the virus had been neutralised completely.

But the enhanced didn’t give up easily.

A group of them rushed toward the survivors, faster and more aggressive than before. Ashlynn leaped into the fray, her knives flashing as she struck out at the closest creature. Her blade, coated with the stabilising agent, cut deep into its flesh, but the creature fought back, its claws raking across her arm.

Chantell fired another arrow, hitting the creature in the back, allowing Ashlynn to finish it off with a brutal strike to the neck.

“We need to fall back!” Corey shouted, realising they were being outnumbered. The stabilising agent was effective, but the enhanced were still relentless.

Ornelas fired a final shot from the trees, taking down one more creature before leaping down to join the others. The group retreated toward the cold perimeter, using the traps and barriers to slow the remaining enhanced.

As they crossed back into Haven’s protection, the enhanced hesitated, their movements erratic as the cold air and stabilising agent took their toll. The survivors stood just inside the gates, watching as the remaining enhanced growled in frustration before retreating into the fog.

Corey wiped the sweat from his brow, his heart still racing. They had survived the first test, and the stabilising agent had proven its worth.

“It works,” Dr. Moloi said, his voice filled with relief as he approached the group. “The agent works.”

“We’ve got an effective weapon now,” Corey said, breathing heavily. “But we need more. We need to refine it, produce as much as we can, and then go on the offensive.”

D’Souza, reloading his rifle, nodded in agreement. “We finally have an effective way to fight against them. Now we just need to work on our coordination.”

Chantell, still catching her breath, added, “The stabilising agent gives us an edge, but we can’t get overconfident. They’re still dangerous.”

Corey looked around at his team—tired, battered, but alive. They had fought back and won a small victory, but the war was far from over.

“This was a start,” Corey said, his voice steady. “Our base is improving by the day, we’re becoming self-sufficient, and now we have the means to attack. We’re going to keep fighting until we push them back for good.”

As the survivors made their way back into Haven, the cold air swirling around them, Corey couldn’t help but feel a glimmer of hope. For the first time since the outbreak, they weren’t just surviving.

They were winning.

Bonus: Regression of the World

The spread of the VX-9 induced zombie apocalypse exposed the vulnerabilities of even the most technologically advanced societies. Infrastructures crumbled under the weight of the epidemic, as power grids failed, communication networks went dark, and supply chains broke down. Governments, paralysed by the rapid spread and ferocity of the outbreak, struggled to maintain order.

The Internet, initially a tool for information and coordination, became a battleground of misinformation and panic. Social media platforms were flooded with conflicting reports, conspiracy theories, and desperate pleas for help. Official channels failed to keep pace with the evolving crisis, leaving communities to fend for themselves.

As society's pillars crumbled, survivors resorted to archaic means of survival. Barter systems replaced monetary transactions, and communities fortified themselves in defensible locations, often reverting to primitive methods of defence and self-governance.

The initial shock of the outbreak gave way to a grim new reality. Humanity, once at the pinnacle of technological and medical prowess, now faced a world where survival hinged on the most basic instincts. The VX-9 virus, designed as a miracle cure, had become a harbinger of the apocalypse, altering the course of human history in ways no one could have predicted.

As the world reeled from the devastation, pockets of survivors emerged, adapting to the harsh new environment. They sought to reclaim some semblance of the world they had lost, forging new alliances and rediscovering old ways of living. Yet, the shadow of the undead loomed large, a constant reminder of the fragility of human achievement and the relentless march of nature's wrath.

In this bleak new world, the fight for survival had only just begun.