11 Charted Deception I
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[ Location ]
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[Human Region – Zone 3, Guisarme Commanding Office]
INCIDENT CASE LIST
1. A trojan horse ice cream truck snuck in 12 zombies in Zone 1. There were major casualties.
2. Hilde Stillwater (Guisarme Support) was MIA while investigating about the Zombie Evolution case for the past 13 days.
3. 6 incidents of lapsing zombies for the past 6 months remain unsolved.
4. There are no connections to the 6 zombies from the aforementioned incidents.
5. The media is demanding access to Zone 1 to investigate on their own.
6. There has been several attempts to trespass.
7. Felix Braviaht (aka zombie in a robe) still not found after his escape.
8. "Roxy" has offered several locations of her zombie friends but by far none of her friends were found in the location she gave us.
Reese sighed.
The list of things to-do just kept getting longer.
Their evidence board kept getting more threads, more pins on sub-zones in the big map, more list of casualties.
It doesn't help that the media kept writing their conspiracy theories to pressure them using the mass.
It's sad that the mass immediately believes our theories and starts bashing the Militia.
I'm a guilty conspiracy theorist as well but I choose my topics very carefully and I never have them published until I have proven it.
"Killian, have you tried contacting your source again?" Reese asked.
"She's just gone, no trace." Killian shrugs.
Ever since the assault on Zone 1, Roxy no longer stays at the basement of The Old Oyster.
Even MM says that she no longer sees the zombie girl there at late nights.
"So what, she and her friends just decided to skedaddle?"
"I don't know, Reese. There could be a zombie association-brotherhood-terrorist going on that we don't know about."
Killian is stressed himself, haven't had a good night's sleep since then.
Roxy's threat still lingering in his mind. MM's safety. Bel's job. His home. Me.
"She's our only lead."
"We should find another lead."
Reese grits his teeth.
He's familiar that zombies should be hiding in plain sight but why are they all disappearing all of the sudden?
'Is Killian right? Are they all gathering? Are they planning a coup d'état? Is this just the beginning?' he wondered.
Suddenly the thought of an all-out war hang in the air.
The fact that they are getting violent again and are now attacking in groups are signs that they are a threat now.
"What did she say again? Why was she staying at the bar?"
Reese asked as he slouched on his seat, looking up at the ceiling, pondering on the facts.
"Because humans won't open their doors to zombies."
"If she can blend in as a human, just like Felix did, what stops her from doing so?"
Killian thought about it, trying to reminisce their conversation.
"She has a lot of zombie friends, they split up so they can find a place to live in. She also wore contacts when I met her."
"But why hide in the bar's basement?"
"MM told me she's there with permission from the bartenders but not the actual owner of the bar, so it was needed to hide in some days."
"She and her friends splitting up. Wouldn't that be lonely?"
The question and answer bounced from Reese to Killian.
Reese believes that they have enough information to come up with an answer to their problem.
They just need to thoroughly go through it again.
"I don't know, they probably meet up every now and then. Unless she made human friends at the bar." Killian answered with uncertainty.
"Like MM? Do you think they are good friends?"
"Maybe. Roxy is very welcoming with her."
"Just like how Felix made friends with the contestants at the arena!" Reese exclaimed as he sat up.
Energy and hope spiked his adrenaline.
Killian saw the look in Reese's eyes, the motivation to work and keep going until they solve their problems.
"Did you print the list of arenas in Zone 8 like I asked you?" Reese brought up.
"Yeah, it's in your desk."
Reese grabs his gear and the printed list in haste and heads for the door.
"Wait!"
"You stay here and keep checking our evidences and intel. Connect the dots. Find something. Anything." Reese instructs before closing the door behind him.
"By myself?" Killian mumbled to himself.
I guess he's not used to working on cases alone.
It was always him and Hilde doing research like this while Reese follows his gut and looks into crime scenes.
Now there's no Hilde to accompany him.
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[Human Region – Zone 8, Arena 15 – The Symphony]
Reese and Ana had been going visiting Arena 15 every now and then to check on Felix.
They ask his fellow contestants about him but they weren't fortunate to receive any helpful tips on how find him.
But Reese's gut tells him Felix will be there because he has no other place stay.
It will be most likely be similar to Roxy's case.
Felix had made friends with the human contestants that's why they protected him and helped him escape.
Reese knocks on each room in the arena dormitories one by one.
He made sure he wore clothing similar to what fans wear. Colorful pajamas, sneakers, arena T-shirts and hood merch.
Until there is that one door opened by the right guy.
"Hi Felix."
Felix immediately recognizes him and attempts to close the door but Reese is faster than him.
He blocks the doorframe with his foot, his grip on the edge of the door.
"Please I just want to talk." he pleads. "Zombies have been going missing lately. You could be next."
With the human contestants has been misleading the Militia all this time.
Reese is convinced that humans and zombies can be friends after all.
"I'm not here to arrest you or anything. You have my word. As a Guisarme, I keep my promises." he assures.
I can vouch that he keeps his promises.
Felix stared sharply at him, his gray eyes piercing through Reese's.
It lasted a few moments before he sighed and opens the door wide for him to enter.
"Thank you." Reese steps in.
"What makes you think they are going missing?" Felix questioned.
"Well it's that theory or that they are all gathering in an underground base to plot their attack on the Human Region." Reese replied, his second theory dripping with sarcasm.
"You believe zombies can be peaceful?"
"I had zombie friends as a child. I believe they don't want war too."
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A/N: I revised this chapter so all of the paragraph comments have been deleted. I'm really sorry you guys.
