System Of The Undead

Chapter 292: Fool Me Once, Shame On Me...

Clementine tracked Sam, she tried her best but she couldn’t find him because Sam was one of the best when it came to covering up his trail.

Even the best trackers in existence wouldn’t be able to find him if he didn’t want to be found.

Clementine, unfortunately for her, wasn’t exempt from this as she was

There was no other way to do this, she didn’t know how long she could keep going but she had not only seen Sam but established that the fragment had somewhat corrupted him.

Clementine regretted falling for his trick because if she hadn’t, then Sam wouldn’t have come into contact with the very things destroying his mind like some cancerous cell.

It was like a drug that hooked anyone unfortunate to come into contact with them.

Clementine needed rest, she had been away from the military base for a year and wondered how her friend was doing.

The rock that she had touched before or rather, the residue of it still lingered and Clementine wasn’t sure why this was happening but she wasn’t going to question it.

Logic went out the window the moment the dead started coming back to life.

Clementine, however, couldn’t explain it but she just felt drawn to a location where she was convinced that Sam was.

It was similar to how Sam was drawn to the location of the meteorite he just destroyed.

The parasite was digging its claws into the very planet and should it accomplish what it intended, life on earth will cease to exist.

Clementine knew that the meteorites were showing signs that hadn’t been reported despite humanity’s extensive research on them.

Clementine wandered throughout the night but she didn’t even realize where she was or how she got there.

It was in a desolate park with absolutely nothing in sight, she was confused as to why she was because, for reasons she couldn’t explain, she was certain that Sam would be there.

She looked up at the sky and the scorching sun basked her skin in its warmth.

"Where am I?" Clementine thought to herself but she was lost. She couldn’t recall the road she had taken to get here as well, this was out of character for her so she knew that there was something off.

She began to explore the area for any clues but there was nothing, no plants, no buildings, nothing.

Clementine also noticed that it had a strange smell, there was something nasty about it, she couldn’t quite place her fingers around it but she had to calm herself down.

"I see you have found this place just fine..." A voice said behind her, Clementine immediately turned around with her dagger pointed in that direction.

"You are...!" Clementine knew exactly who it was, it was Dr. Schneider but how did she randomly stumble upon him?

However, she didn’t know that this was a parasite that had taken over his brain, she wasn’t armed with that information.

"I’m the man who started this mess and is trying his best to fix it," Schneider said, the parasite had learned human mannerisms.

There was no way to know he wasn’t human, Clementine soon lowered her hand because there was no reason for her to be so alarmed.

"How did I find you?" Clementine questioned in suspicion.

"I was the one that found you, I know you have been in contact with a rather interesting subject that has come into contact with the very thing ruining this planet," The way he presented the situation, it was almost like Jason was a virus.

"But I believe that we can cure this disease," Schneider said, inevitably drawing Clementine in.

"Are you saying there is a cure!?" Clementine questioned, she knew that laboratories had shut down long ago because there was no cure.

However, what he said about knowing that Jason was infected or better yet, if he was the cause.

Otherwise, he had no reason to be tailing Jason or knowing about his whereabouts in a world where information and technology were severely limited.

"That is correct, there is a cure and I am happy to say that it was only possible because of your friend," Schneider said.

One thing became clear, the fragment that Clementine came into contact with wasn’t one influenced by Jason, it was influenced by this creature.

"You have Jason?" Clementine asked and this was where her suspicion peaked.

"That is correct," Schneider responded.

Clementine instantly knew there was something fishy about this because why was she followed if he had Jason in his possession?

This was strange and she began to slowly back away from him, trying her best to get out of this situation before it could escalate.

She remembered seeing Jason eating the fragments but she had somehow made physical contact with it, what if that is why she was here?

Clementine was a smart lady, she could put a few pieces together despite not understanding the situation to its full degree. She made this connection despite not having all the pieces to the puzzle she needed.

"How did you find me?" Clementine asked the all-important question.

"I found you the moment you made contact with the fragment," Schneider revealed and the moment he said this, his eyes glowed purple.

Clementine didn’t waste time and immediately attempted to retreat from the area but found that she was surrounded by evolved zombies.

"Oh no... You aren’t going anywhere, you are here for a reason, Clementine," Schneider said.

-

Sam was with everyone gathered and he didn’t know why they were here but he wasn’t one to question it; why did he hear Jason’s voice?

He thought it was Jason speaking to him but in reality, it was Chronos, it was Chronos all along and it had used Jason’s voice because it knew that Sam would be able to resist its hold hence decided to use someone that Sam trusted to a certain degree, that person was Jason.

And right now, Chronos had gathered everyone that could potentially pose a threat to it for one sole purpose; to get rid of them all.