"OI!" Carter steeped forward towards the SUV, his boots crunched against the gravel as he approached the vehicle that had just pulled up like it owned the damn place. His fingers were wrapped tight around the flashlight. He was cautious.
Behind him, Arin and Rajiv stepped out of the bus.
"We weren't expecting any company were we?" Rajiv asked. "No we weren't," Arin shook his head.
Around them, the workers, who had been lazily setting up tents, froze. Tools dropped. Conversations stopped. And whispers slithered through the air.
"Who the hell is that?"
Carter stopped five feet from the car and flashed his light directly into the windshield.
"Who are you?" he barked.The car's engine died with a cough that sounded more alcoholic than mechanical. Then,
Click,
The door opened. Out stepped a man in a corporate suit, followed by another guy in battered construction gear.
"Oh... Sir!" Carter sprinted forwards and stood by the door.
Sir?
"Did he just say sir?" "Wait, Carter has a kawaii mode."
"You telling me all it took was one old man with a torn suit to turn our local Stalin into a soggy biscuit?"
The workers' faces were frozen, processing the fact that their dictator just sounded like he was about to ask for a hug.
Arin blinked. "Didn't know Carter's voice had a romantic setting," he muttered.
Rajiv nodded . "World's full of surprises, son. Maybe he is a superior "
"Hello, Hayes," the man said warmly, extending a hand. "I apologise for the surprise visit."
"No apology needed, Mr. Hwang," Carter said, shaking his hand.
'So his name is Hwang,' Arin thought to himself,'where have I heard that name before'
" It's more of an honour to help the chairman needs" Carter continued
'That's the Chairman' Arin thought aloud to himself, so did everyone a sudden panic through the whole area. The Chairman was here himself.
"I dont like this," Arin said to Rajiv,"If the chairman is here by himself then it is real bad situation"
Hwang exhaled. "I wish this was a social call, Carter. But we've got a situation. We are short on some men on the nearby site."
Carter's jaw tightened.
"How bad sir?" he asked.
"How many men have you got here?" Hwang asked, glancing over Carter's shoulder.
Carter looked around "Thirty here. Another forty on route. About two hours out."
The construction guy whispered something to Hwang. They exchanged the kind of look you only see in shady poker games or before a cover-up.
"I need eight men,for now" Hwang said."We've got an old site to handle. Urgent job. A bit off the record. And send the others to site"
"Which site sir?" Carter asked.
"Sector 47. Forty minutes away. You'll get 'em back in three hours. And yes, they'll be paid. Even your lazy ones." Hwangs smiled his old age being reflected by the wrinkles that appeared.
"Sir but that's th-" Carter was stopped in his mid sentence
"I know that Carter but it's real urgent," Hwang said looking at Carter with small and threatening smile,"We will return by 5 hours atmost give or take."
Behind Carter, murmurs began again.
"Sector what now?" "Isn't that the ghost military town?" "Didn't two guys vanish there last year?"
"Man, I just wanted to eat dinner and maybe blow off some stress in peace."
"what's up with Sector 47," Arin spoke his thoughts out loud
"Sector 47 is an old military base that was abandoned during the shift," Eli appeared behind Arin
Arin jumped a little from the sudden suprise ," What the-" he said placing a hand over his chest.
"Wait you know that place," Arin asked him
"Remember my old radioactive bug job," Eli simply answered " That base is 4 kms to the south of that lab, I think after shift it became a ghost town, or something"
Arin nodded,"So empty town full of stories, got it " as he set his eyes in front.
Carter sighed through his teeth as he spoke to the Man with Mr. Hwang.
"Alright. Steve pick eight of your unlucky bastards."
Steve, the man in construction gear, complete with tattoos, a thick dutch beard, and sunglasses, stepped forward.
Rajiv leaned toward Arin. "Why is he wearing sunglases at night?"
Arin muttered, "I don't know, but I'm out. Will suck to go there to be honest"
Rajiv sighed." You just had to say that" he said facepalming himself.
Steve's eyes scanned the crowd one hand pointed.
"You.""Ugh, why me" the man began to complain.
"Oi!" Carter snapped that shut the man up his shoulder hung in defeat.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," the man grumbled.
"You.""You." Steve began to chose people one by one.
"You."He pointed at Eli, who just sighed in defeat.
"Seems like the old ones have to work twice as hard," He mumbled to himself
'Poor Eli',thought Arin and Rajiv together
"You."
"You."
Then, the last finger raised.
"And you," Steve said, pointing at someone near the bus. Arin froze.
"Me?" he asked, as if he hadn't already heard him.
He turned to Rajiv, whose face had that classic "well, fuck" look.
Even Maya, watching from inside the bus, gave him an apologetic shrug that says,
"You're screwed, but I still love you, so please don't die." Arin groaned."God why me!"
15 minutes later
The Men began to squeeze their way into the SUV
'this is the worst,' Arin thought to himself
"Hey move a little to the left," he said to Eli."Arin there is no room"
"Oi, just get on his lap, aye!" Steeve voice came from the driver seat
"Ughh!" Arin groaned
"Dont worry gentlemen" Mr. Hwang smiled at them " just have to get there. Right"
The workers didn't say anything just nodded in with awkward smiles they didn't want to piss of the chairman.
Arin got into Eli's lap closing the door and waved outside to Rajiv and Maya
they waved back at him, Maya shot him a flying kiss and waved back.
"Alright,let get going"
the SUV rolled to Sector 47.
Meanwhile.
The cold wind blew softly through the thick Russian forest, chilling everyone under the tall, dark trees. Snowflakes floated gently down, mixing with the wet ground as a small group moved quietly among the woods. Their coats were old and worn, their boots covered in mud, and snow.
One man picked some frost-covered berries from a low branch, quickly stuffing them into his pocket. Another grabbed a small apple-like fruit and took a careful bite before nodding with approval.
"Be careful," one warned, looking around nervously. "They say some of these have gone bad since the Shift."
The others didn't listen. Hunger makes people take risks.
Suddenly, a noise came from deeper in the trees. Three figures stepped out of the shadows, moving with slow, careful steps. Unlike the workers, who wore dull grays and browns from long labor, these men dressed in heavy dark coats lined with fur, not from any government supply. Their belts were full of gear, their boots fresh and clean.
They weren't from their groups. They were the suppliers.
The group tensed up, some stepping back just a little not because they were scared, but because these meetings were always tricky. Even if they were supposed to be allies.
One tall man with sharp eyes and hollow cheeks stepped forward. He didn't look threatening with muscle, but with confidence and quiet power.
"We have what you asked for," he said, pulling a rough sack from his shoulder and tossing it to a worker. The sack hit the ground with a heavy thud.
The leader of the group in his late thirties, bent down and opened the bag. Inside were food, medicine, and fuel canisters , the basics they needed.
But at the very bottom,a gun barrel.He let out a sharp breath.
"This… wasn't part of the deal." His voice was cautious.
The tall man smiled thinly, like he knew more than he was letting on.
"Maybe not for now. But times are changing," he said softly. "Soon, The 'United Front' will fall apart. When that happens, you'll want to be ready. "