Chapter 212: Beneath Oakridge
Inside, the truck was cramped, with everyone packed tightly together as Jaxon’s eyes quickly swept across the group.
Haris was in the worst shape. He was completely unconscious, his body covered in cuts and bruises from the crash.
Hannah was kneeling beside her brother, tears running down her face as she tightly held his hand.
"Haris... Haris, wake up." She reached out and shook his shoulder.
"Don’t shake him!" Elena immediately knelt beside them and gently examined Haris for any obvious injuries.
"He’s breathing normally, but we can’t tell if he has a concussion or internal injuries," she said, keeping her voice calm. "There’s quite a bit of bleeding, so we need to treat his wounds and keep him still for now."
Elena opened the first-aid kit and began cleaning the wounds on his forehead and arms. Cindy quickly crouched beside her, handing her gauze and bandages whenever she needed them.
"Hannah, give us some space," Elena said gently. "He needs you to stay calm too."
Hannah wiped away her tears and nodded, though she refused to move far from her brother.
Nearby, Claire and Hae-in were treating Na-rin. They carefully cleaned the blood from her face and wrapped the deeper cuts while Na-rin remained quiet, occasionally wincing from the pain.
Jaxon stayed with Natasha, Isabel, and Elaine, helping clean their wounds while Jannah and Hiromi assisted by passing him bandages and gauze.
Somehow, Sumiko had escaped the crash with barely a scratch.
When the Hilux was hit, Isabel had instinctively wrapped both arms around the little girl and shielded her with her own body.
"I’m okay, Mom," Sumiko said quietly.
Isabel pulled her closer. "Thank God..."
A groan suddenly came from the other side of the truck.
"Ah, shit... my right arm." Bong-gu was sitting against the side of the truck, clutching his arm with a pained expression. "I think it’s broken."
Elena glanced at him while continuing to bandage Haris. "It’s not."
Bong-gu blinked. "How do you know?"
"Because you haven’t stopped complaining about it for the past thirty seconds."
Bong-gu stared at her in disbelief. "That’s your medical diagnosis?"
"Pretty much." Despite everything they had just been through, a few of them couldn’t help but chuckle.
Cindy looked over the injured group before turning toward Jaxon. Scratches covered his arms, and his clothes had been torn in several places from the impact.
"Brother, what about you? Are you okay?"
"I’m fine," Jaxon replied, glancing down at himself. "My body can handle this."
His arms were still throbbing from the impact, and a dull ache ran through his entire body whenever he moved. Still, the pain was already beginning to fade. His enhanced Vitality and natural recovery were slowly repairing the damage.
’A few hours of rest should be enough.’
Cindy still looked unconvinced. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Worry about everyone else first."
She hesitated before reluctantly nodding and returning to help Elena.
Jaxon glanced toward the sky. "Cindy, once you’re done there, send out a drone and keep an eye on the sky. If another one of those things comes after us, I want to know before it gets close."
"Got it, Brother."
Jaxon opened the System Store and purchased two more Recon Drones. He handed them to Cindy, who quickly activated them and sent them into the sky.
The drones climbed higher before splitting apart, flying in opposite directions as they began scouting the area around the military truck.
Hours passed as the military truck slowly put more distance between itself and the wreckage, continuing toward Oakridge City.
...
Back on the road where the Hilux had crashed, the corpse of the flying infected lay motionless where it had fallen.
Then a large shadow passed over it.
The massive flying infected descended from the sky, followed by several others of its kind. It landed beside the corpse and slowly lowered its head.
Its many dark eyes blinked independently as they examined the dead creature.
Then some of its eyes shifted toward the deep scratches and tire marks stretching across the road. The trail continued away from the wreckage and disappeared into the distance.
The creature closed its eyes. Its strange ears twitched as it listened to the surroundings, searching for the slightest sound.
Nothing. But then its nostrils flared.
It had caught a scent. Human blood.
The creature slowly raised its head, its many eyes opening again as they followed the trail left by the fleeing vehicles.
"KRAAAAAAH!"
Its deep, guttural roar echoed across the empty road.
The other flying infected immediately answered with shrill cries of their own.
The massive creature spread its enormous wings and launched itself into the air.
Together, they disappeared, following the trail of the fleeing vehicle.
...
Meanwhile, the military truck continued through the outskirts of Oakridge City, passing one building after another. The farther they went, the denser the buildings became, yet the streets remained eerily quiet.
Thomas kept his eyes on the road while Elena watched through the windows, carefully scanning the surrounding buildings for any sign of movement.
After a while, Thomas spoke. "Should we stop around here? There are plenty of buildings nearby. We don’t need to go any deeper into the city just to find a place to rest."
"That might be for the best," Elena agreed. "Most of us aren’t in any condition to fight. If we run into a horde deeper inside the city, we’ll be in trouble."
Jaxon nodded. "Then let’s find somewhere underground. If another one of those flying infected comes after us, I don’t want to be caught out in the open again."
"An underground parking garage?" Thomas asked.
"If we can find one."
"I’ll keep looking."
The truck continued down the quiet streets as Thomas and Elena searched for a suitable entrance. They passed several buildings, but none seemed secure enough to risk stopping at.
Several minutes later, Elena suddenly pointed ahead.
"There."
Thomas followed her gaze.
A wide concrete ramp descended beneath a large commercial building. Near the entrance, a faded sign was still hanging on the wall.
UNDERGROUND PARKING
𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
Thomas glanced at Jaxon. "Should we check it?"
Jaxon looked toward the dark entrance before nodding. "Go in."
Thomas turned the wheel, guiding the military truck onto the ramp.
The daylight faded behind them as the truck descended deeper. Their headlights illuminated rows of empty parking spaces, thick concrete pillars, and abandoned cars covered in dust.
Thomas glanced at the level sign.
"B1."
The truck continued deeper.
"B2."
The farther they descended, the quieter it became.
Thomas glanced at Jaxon. "How far down do you want to go? Looks like there are at least four levels."
"B3 should be enough."
"Got it."
The truck descended another level before finally reaching B3. Thomas slowed down as the headlights swept across the enormous parking area, revealing rows of abandoned vehicles and thick concrete pillars disappearing into the darkness.