[A little more than three months later--- 19th September 2021, Sunday…]

Despite the quiet early morning, the recreational area was fairly noisy. The few patients who did come were either suffering from insomnia or boredom. None of the nurses and doctors were up and about yet. There were only a couple of orderlies who bore the burden of monitoring the interactions amongst patients- in case there was ever a brawl though it was quite unlikely in most cases as everyone seem to be entirely in their own world.

‘Then again, only the non-destructive patients are allowed to roam about the facility during most hours of the day,’ Jared thought to himself as he turned to face the barred windows that were about six feet away.

‘When will I ever get out of here?’ Jared wondered and sighed as he saw a bird glide effortlessly across the clear blue sky.

“Hey! Are you going to daydream over there? We’re in the middle of a game here, you know!” 

“Ah… Right… I’m sorry, Louis…” Jared answered sheepishly as he turned around to face the young man who was seated at the same table as him. 

“Hey, I told you to call me Lou!”

“Are you serious? Hah… I played Bishop to g7,” Lou pointed to a black-colored piece on a board in front of them, “We’ve only just entered the late middlegame, and it’d be great if you could just focus on the game!” Lou growled.

Jared thought for a while and decidedly captured the Bishop- much to Lou’s glee. In a matter of several moves, Jared was checkmated.

“Haha~ You shouldn’t have taken my Bishop. It was a sacrifice to undermine your defense,” Lou said as he leaned back in his chair, looking very much like a contented cat.

“But if I ignored it, I’d have been under attack as well. I may end up losing my Queen.”

“Well, that’s true but to survive, you may have to lose something more valuable. Then again, the goal of the game is to emerge victorious- regardless of the consequences. At the end of the day, everything here- be it the Pawn or Queen- are all pieces. They’re a means to an end and can be killed off at any given time,” Lou replied.

Jared just watched his friend who candidly explained the strategy and the need to be ruthless when playing the game. Lou had a pale complexion and small stature. With long lashes and wide blue eyes, Lou gave an impression of an innocent, naive young boy. Thus, it was quite a shock to learn that Lou was a patient in the facility and that the boy had a very cruel way of looking at things- regardless that it was mainly expressed during a game. However, as time went on, it would seem that Lou was not of an unsound mind as many would assume a patient of this facility to be.

Jared smiled slightly.

‘Who would’ve guessed that there’d be another sane person in this place? Well, at least I think he is… I’ve only gotten to know Lou these recent weeks, but he seems coherent and witty. Playing chess daily may be boring, but I’m glad to have someone whom I can talk with. Whatever the reason that got him locked up in this place, I’m sure that it is a misunderstanding… just like in my case…’ Jared mused as the large doors of the recreational area were pushed open.

“Uh… The highlight of my mornings,” Lou muttered sarcastically without even turning back to see who had just entered the area.

Although Jared was well aware of who it was, he still glanced over and adjusted his shirt’s collar uncomfortably.

“Good morning. How is everyone today?” a female nurse asked in a cheery voice as she rolled in a metallic-looking trolley.

“Hah… These people are like clockwork,” Lou mumbled as he rolled his eyes.

Jared looked up, and the clock that was hung on display high up in the middle of the recreational area told him that it was only seconds passed 10 am.

‘Yes, just like clockwork… I wonder if they were just waiting idly before heading to the various areas to serve medicine to the patients when it was time to do so… They’re definitely monitoring us through the surveillance cameras since they’ve always known where I was no matter how much I initially tried to avoid taking the pills,’ Jared sighed, “There’s no escaping them. I wonder when will-”

“Hello, boys. Enjoying a game of chess, I see~”

Breaking away from his train of thoughts, Jared realized that the nurse was already at their table. She smiled broadly as she held two small paper cups in her hands.

“Hello, Samatha…” Jared said softly.

“Hey, Sammy. I’ve missed my drug dealer~” Lou said sarcastically, and the nurse’s smile faltered slightly.

“Ha. Ha. So, here are the pills for both of you… Jared, Doctor Heine would like to see you in his office in half an hour.”

“Ah… Okay,” Jared replied as the nurse waved before exiting the recreational area with her trolley.

Jared sighed.

“You know, you just have to pass the polygraph test and face-to-face counseling session,” Lou said.

“Yes, I know… But no matter what I do, Doctor Heine always manages to either get me flustered despite telling the truth or catch me lying…”

‘He seems adamant to keep me locked up here… But what’s the reason?’ Jared thought.

“Pfft. That’s easy! You just need to believe in what you say- be it the truth or lie.”

“Easy for you to say…” Jared grumbled, “If you’re able to pass the tests and get out of here, why aren’t you doing anything?”

“Hmmm… Perhaps I want to stay because I love you?~” Lou said in a sing-song tone.

Jared just stared.

“Okay, okay. Sheesh… Has anyone ever told you that your glare is really scary?”

Jared rolled his eyes in exasperation, “Answer the question, Lou.”

“Ahhh… What a buzz killer,” Lou ruffled his blond hair, “Alright, fine... I prefer staying here. That’s all.”

“But… Why? You’re surrounded by insane people and under constant watch…”

Lou did not respond and simply looked up towards the now darkening sky.

“There should be a storm coming soon,” he said in a low tune.

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[Approximately three hours later, within the streets of a town located in Nation 24---]

A group of men dressed in black stealthily walked towards a once crowded town. Instead of the streets bustling with people who went about their daily routines, the men were greeted with solemn silence. Even so, the silence was not unnerving as the Sun was about to set, and many of the locals would have already retired for the day. If anything, the only discomfort was the fact that there was a lack of visibility due to fog rolling in.

“I’ve always wanted to visit this Nation. Hey, Smith! Ahem… ‘Would you like a spot of tea?’” 

The men roared with laughter.

“How hilarious, Jones…” Smith replied dryly.

“Jokes aside, is the fog always this thick?” another man asked.

“No idea, mate. Ask Smith. This is his hometown anyway,” Jones replied.

“The weather today is absolutely bonkers!” someone else complained.

“I couldn’t agree more. We haven’t had fog this severe in ages- especially not when autumn has yet to begin,” Smith remarked.

“Ah!” the smallest amongst a group of men yelled in surprise when a rat across his boot.

“Hahaha! You need to man up, John! Can’t have you screaming at every movement during a reconnaissance mission!” a burly man thumped the back of the mousy-looking young man.

“Sir… I don’t think that this is a reconnaissance mission, right? I mean… We’re just here to check the situation due to a call of distress we’ve received…”

The burly man turned to answer in a grave tone despite his hearty laugh just moments ago, “Lad, remind me when was the last time we’ve done such a mission.”

“Err… Never?”

“Why is that?” the burly man asked in a tone that was neither sarcastic nor angry.

“...because it isn’t part of our job description…”

“Indeed. So, if a group of men as dangerous and trained as our squadron is ordered to survey a location, there is most definitely an enemy,” the burly man then looked towards the rest of the group who was listening, “Listen up. We’re in the enemy’s territory now. Stay alert, and do not hesitate for even a split second. Our superiors have not given us any other information, but since ‘we’ are here, you can expect the threat to be extremely volatile and deadly. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”

Once all the men in the group replied, the burly man continued, “Put on your night vision and gas masks. Check your inventory and have your weapons on the ready. We’re going to split up into teams of two. John, Cheng, Doucette, and Martinez- with me. The rest of you will follow Smith.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good. Stay connected and report if you find anything odd,” the burly man said as he connected his earpiece.

As the others started to split up, Jones tapped at the commander’s shoulder and asked in a low tone, “Sir, may I know what exactly the transmission entailed?”

“Why do you ask?” the burly man raised a brow.

“I don’t know… Something just seems… off.”

“Hmm…” the burly man scratched under his chin thoughtfully, “Well, I can’t remember the whole transmission, but it was something along the lines of 'there will be a frenzy of people biting others',” the commander’s eyes then widen as if he had just realized something.

“I see... Wait... 'Will'? What does that-”

“AH!!!”

Jones rolled his eyes, "Here we go again. I bet that John just-"

“AHHH!!!”

A severely injured and bloodied John crawled and dragged his body towards the men.

“What the hell?!”

Jones rushed towards the fallen comrade and attempted to hoist the boy up. However, his efforts were futile as the blood made it slippery to get a firm grip on the boy. Additionally, the boy struggled in Jones' grasp as he feverishly sputtered something. Whatever it was, the boy was determined for Jones to listen to him.

Jones sighed and growled, "What is it, mate? What can be more important than my pulling you back to safety?"

"P-please... leave.." the boy spurted out more blood and coughed violently.

"What?"

"R...RUN! J-JUST LEAVE ME!"

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[Somewhere within a scientific laboratory at an undisclosed location---]

*Beep*

*Beep*

*Beep*

In the room shrouded in darkness, a countdown display glowed--

[[00D:00HR:00MIN:00SEC]]