Defy The Alpha(s) novel Chapter 857

Chapter 857: The Festival Of Souls - 1

District One

"This is an emergency broadcast. All occupants of District One are required to evacuate immediately due to a confirmed viral outbreak. Public gatherings are suspended until further notice. Please proceed to designated safe zones at once."

The announcement blared through the speakers mounted on rusted poles, echoing through the streets of District One.

"Fucking bullshit!" one of the residents hollered. "Where were you when we were dying before?!" He threw a bottle that shattered against the speaker.

But that was just one speaker against many others mounted across the district, and the announcement kept echoing relentlessly.

Just days ago, something that had never happened in District One had occurred. A group of soldiers had arrived in the city and started persuading people not only to stay indoors but to evacuate entirely.

More voices rose, overlapping angrily.

"Move to where?!"

"Into your perfect districts?!"

"Go back and tell your government we’re not interested!"

They booed loudly, and openly, right in the faces of the soldiers who stood in one of the popular city centers, trying to inform them of the outbreak.

The government had ignored them for so long that the idea of them suddenly caring about their well-being felt like a trap.

Of course, they had heard about the virus, the one that turned people into zombies.

But District One was far removed from Aster City, the outbreak zone.

For all they knew, the government wanted to chase them out and move their upper-class citizens into the city they had once looked down on, where they could be safe.

Yes, some of them truly believed that.

The government wanted to push them closer to the infection and take their district from them. So no, they were not budging from their home, even if it led to bloodshed.

Notwithstanding , there were still a few cautious citizens who began to leave, gathering what little they had. But most stayed. If the infection was real, then they would rather die here.

It didn’t help that tonight was a historical event for them. They were celebrating the Festival of Souls. The festival was a yearly event, and no one in District One ever missed it—and certainly not because of some zombie virus.

The celebration was to honor the souls of the humans who had died during the great war. Although it had been centuries since the war, it remained a symbolic event to District One, especially since they had borne the brunt of it and yet they were still here, still striving.

During the event, the people would gather at the designated location, where there would be loud music, partying, singing, dancing, and drinking.

Then, at a certain point, lanterns would be lit, each carrying notes tucked carefully inside, mostly prayers for their ancestors who had fought in the war, wishing them peace.

"You don’t tell us what to do! Get the fuck out of our town!" a resident shouted in the face of one of the soldiers.

"Yes, get out of here! We don’t want you here!" another protested, his voice rising above the rest.

While the commotion was going on, Vera Turner snuck out from amongst the crowd and slipped away. She tugged her hood lower over her face, hiding from anyone who might recognize her.

No one paid her any mind. All attention was on the soldiers, and the growing tension that threatened to explode at any moment.

She moved quickly through the streets, keeping her head down, weaving past groups of arguing residents until the noise began to fade behind her.

Joseph was there waiting for her by the time she returned to their current temporary residence.

"What’s the situation out there?" he asked immediately, following after her as she stepped inside.

"It isn’t getting any better. There are soldiers in the city square," Vera grunted with annoyance. "And I bet my ass more will be flooding in to force the people to comply with evacuation."

She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I thought we’d be safe here, but we’re as good as trapped."

They were dangerously low on resources as well. Not that her lackeys knew that, otherwise, it would give them the confidence to challenge her control over them. Not to mention, Vera was good at keeping up appearances.

The first thing she had done upon arriving in District One was buy mercenaries, knowing she was short on men. District One was a crime hub, and she had to secure their safety before one of them tried to intimidate her.

But that was not enough, which was why she had stepped out to make the arrangement for tonight. There was no more time.

"How did it go then?" Joseph asked, carefully.

Vera lifted a brow. Strange. She couldn’t help but feel like Joseph was being more nosy than usual. Her brother didn’t always care about their plans, only interested in the role he was to play. Yeah, he had always been callous like that.

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