Sinan’s blood ran cold. He leaned against a tree trunk, surveying the area.
Could the zombies have taken it? Impossible – zombies weren’t that intelligent.
But the freezer box’s ring-shaped handle wasn’t easy to release, and he clearly remembered still clutching the box when he fell from the tree.
So where was it?
Sinan coughed up blood, casting his gaze forward. At the cliff’s end was a deep mountain valley, with steep rock walls and sparse wild grass. The steep slope was only ten meters from where he had previously been unconscious.
Sinan almost forcibly dragged his wounded body over, lying down and searching inch by inch, not overlooking a single dry grass or stone fragment. Finally, at the cliff’s edge, he discovered the trace he least wanted to see – fresh white scratches from a sharp object on the rock’s surface, pointing directly towards the bottomless valley.
In that moment, Sinan could almost imagine the freezer box flying out, violently striking the rock, then falling off the cliff.
“…Is anyone there?” he sat down, asking hoarsely.
The cliff’s edge was silent, the sky vast and distant, utterly desolate.
“Is anyone there? Help me!
“
Only indistinct echoes responded from the valley.
Sinan exhaled, finally accepting the truth, and stood up to look down.
The cliff was extremely steep, with no protruding branches, only wild grass growing from rock crevices. Sinan tried a few steps but couldn’t descend, his weakness from injury making it difficult to even stand steady – any further movement would result in a fatal fall.
From birth until now, Sinan had never felt so unlucky. He knelt, breathing heavily, the bloody wound on his shoulder gradually drying and healing, bringing a dull pain when moving his arm.
He finally stood up, supporting himself on the rock, tying his blood-stained jacket to the nearest tree, and slowly walking north.
If he could find a nearby village, someone would surely help.
This was the longest journey of Sinan’s life. The sky gradually darkened, leaving mountain paths and forests behind. Moss repeatedly caused him to stumble, and when night finally fell completely, firelight and human voices appeared at the mountain’s base, with shouting and sporadic gunshots.
“This is B Military District’s 9th Rescue Squad…”
“Ordered to search and rescue uninfected individuals in this area…”
“Stop, or we’ll shoot!”
