Chapter 171
Winter’s boots echoed softly as he walked through the dimly lit halls of the base, the quiet hum of the place settling around him like a constant low buzz. The flickering of the overhead lights seemed to match his thoughts—flickering, uncertain.
The meeting with the group had brought some relief. It always helped to speak the truth, to have people who understood the danger they were all facing, but there was an undercurrent of worry gnawing at him, tightening in his chest with every step.
The truth had been laid bare: Harker was alive, and he was embedded in the very fabric of this place. Not just a ghost from their past, but a malignant force, manipulating the infected and their powers in ways that were becoming more and more dangerous by the second.
Harker’s return isn’t just a personal vendetta. It’s a threat to everything we’ve built here
The threat he posed wasn’t just to him—it was to them all. The team. Zara. Leo. The world, maybe.
They had no idea yet how deep Harker’s influence reached, how far his experiments stretched. But Winter knew that whatever his old adversary was doing, it wasn’t just about control. It was about power—unfathomable power—and the last thing they could afford was to give him even a small advantage.
The streets were quieter now, the oppressive quiet of the night settling in like a heavy fog. The base never truly slept, but at this hour, everything felt more muted, more threatening. There was no place for doubt now.
He rounded the corner of the hallway that led to the small apartment he shared with Zara. She’d been on edge for days now, that nightmare of hers proved it. He raked a hand through his hair as he tried to put on a face of relaxation. She was already stressed as is, they all were but it was clearly taking more of a toll on her.
Now if only he could just pass this off and give her the information he had learnt without feeling her out. He doubted it though. She had a way of reading him, of sensing when something was wrong.
He didn’t have an answer as he approached the building where they were staying, the worn-out structure standing tall in the silence of the night. A few soldiers stood guard at the entrance, their figures half-hidden in the darkness. Winter nodded at them, but his attention was already drawn inward, to the warmth of the room awaiting him. To Zara.
When he pushed the door open, the room was bathed in a soft glow from a single lamp on the table. Zara was sitting by the bed, cradling baby Leo in her arms, her body tense, even in the stillness. The sight of her made his throat tighten.