The compound appeared through the trees: a low, concrete structure surrounded by a chain-link fence. It looked abandoned, just as we'd been told. There were no guards, no lights, and no signs of activity.

  Too easy, I thought. But I pushed the feeling aside as we approached the fence.

  Rond cut through it with surprising efficiency, creating an opening rge enough for us to slip through one by one. I went st, my medical bag clutched tightly against my chest.

  The east entrance was a simple metal door, which Rond quickly bypassed with some electronic device I didn't recognize. It swung open silently, revealing a dark corridor beyond.

  Fshlights clicked on, illuminating the way forward. The interior was dusty and neglected, with peeling paint and the occasional overturned chair. But as we moved deeper into the facility, the condition of the surroundings improved. The floors were cleaner, the walls intact.

  Someone had been maintaining this part of the building.

  We reached a set of double doors marked "Laboratory" in faded letters. Rond checked his tablet, then nodded to Andrik. This was it.

  Andrik pushed the doors open.

  The b beyond was illuminated by the soft glow of emergency lights. Scientific equipment lined the walls: centrifuges, microscopes, computers. And in the center of the room, a gss-fronted refrigeration unit.

  Inside, row upon row of vials filled with clear liquid.

  The antidote.

  I moved forward, my training taking over. I set my bag on a table and began the process we'd rehearsed. Carefully extracting the vials, packing them in insuted containers, and sealing them for transport.

  Andrik and Rond stood guard by the doors, weapons ready. The other men spread out through the b, checking for any additional materials we should take.

  I worked methodically, my hands steady despite the adrenaline coursing through me. Vial after vial, secured and packed. The process was going smoothly, too smoothly.

  That's when I heard it. A soft click from somewhere in the corridor outside.

  Andrik tensed, raising his weapon. Rond moved to the other side of the doorway, signaling to the rest of the team.

  "Nick," Andrik whispered. "How much longer?"

  I checked my progress. "Five minutes. Maybe less."

  "Make it less."

  The tension in the room was palpable now. I increased my pace, careful not to compromise the safety of the samples.

  Another sound from the corridor, footsteps this time. Soft, but unmistakable.

  We weren't alone.A shot rang out, followed by a scream. O'Connell, who had been guarding the door, rushed back into the b."They're here!" he shouted, just as we discovered the body of the scientist who was supposed to assist us. He y on the floor in a circle of blood, clearly dead for hours."Shit," Andrik said, his face hardening."We knew this was a possibility," Rond responded, surprisingly calm. "Let's hurry."

  O'Connell kept guard by the front door while I was already retrieving the gss containers from shelving on the East wall.

  Andrik ran to join me. "I thought we were told the antidote would be in pstic containers? And in gallons, not liters.""Must have been bad intel," I muttered, scanning the room. "Where are the transport containers we brought with us?"

  Rond called for O'Connell and went outside to look for him. He had been there a second ago.

  Rond came running in and tossed four containers to us.

  "There's a couple of trucks headed this way..." he announced.

  "The rogue group from Strayerfield?" Andrik asked, hurrying to bring more vials to the table.I struggled with the sealed lids. "These shouldn't be sealed like this. The briefing said they'd be ready for transfer."Rond tried to crack one open, applying too much force. The gss cracked and the precious liquid began leaking. He cursed and quickly handed it to me as I scrambled to pour it into one of our containers.

  Outside, we heard gunfire and shouting.

  "Let's get moving!" Andrik yelled to Rond.

  They ran to the shelving to get more of the containers. Just as they reached for the bottles, the building shook and the containers fell from the shelving. The shelving came down and knocked them both to the ground.

  The gss shattered all over, and I could see it puncture their bodies. They were soaked as they tried to push the remnants of the shelving off.

  "You guys alright?" I called.

  "Yeah," Andrik managed to say.

  Rond coughed as he tried to lift the shelving off.

  I was already there, lifting it. "Together, on three. One. Two. Three," I called out.

  It took all three of us to lift it so they could climb out from underneath. A fire broke out on the East wall and the remaining antidote was destroyed."Does it burn?" I asked, concerned about potential side effects."Like hell," Rond admitted, gritting his teeth.A fire broke out on the East wall, quickly engulfing the remaining antidote stored there."What do we do?" Rond asked, holding his bleeding arm, his face pale.I grabbed the only bottle we had successfully retrieved. My heart sank: it was not nearly enough to fulfill our mission."We have to get out of here," I said, pointing to an oxygen tank that the fire was fast approaching.Andrik looked out the door and signaled for us to follow him.Outside, the bodies of our men y scattered alongside half a dozen unfamiliar ones. In the distance, I could see the headlights of an approaching vehicle.

  "We have to get the st of the antidote out of here," Andrik said.

  Looking at Rond, I could tell his arm needed medical attention.

  "What about the men?" Rond asked.

  I checked the pulse of O'Connell and another lying near us. "They're gone."

  Andrik and Rond tried to run to the others to check, but the boratory took full fire. Fmes spread to the vehicles parked in front of it.

  "Run!" Andrik called.

  The three of us barely made it to the gate, diving behind the cement blocks.

  With a force I had never known, the Earth around us shook.

  Behind us, the entire camp was up in fmes.

  The bodies of the men were disintegrated, and the smell was unbearable.

  "There's an old pickup down the road by that post office. I can hardwire it," Rond suggested.

  I ripped the bottom of my shirt off and tied it around Rond's arm.

  Andrik vaguely recalled seeing the truck, but Rond was confident and it was about the only option we had left.

  The lights from that vehicle were getting closer, and we didn't have much time to waste.

  "We need to get out of here before the rest of their group arrives," Andrik said, pointing in the direction of the lights.

  The camp was hidden within woods; we might be able to hide our tracks.

  "The sun is coming up soon. Can you remember where you saw that truck?" Andrik asked Rond.

  "Yes, but we need to leave now," he said, looking in the direction of the truck lights. They were minutes away.

  I adjusted the backpack containing the only remaining antidote. "I'm following you."

  Rond led the way into the woods.

  I couldn't begin to process what had just happened. We had lost everything. I was focused on getting this small sample back safely. It was our only hope.

  But I couldn't help noticing Andrik and Rond. They were soaking wet from the antidote, shards of gss still piercing their skin. Yet neither seemed to register the pain. Andrik kept looking into the distance with a vacant expression.

  "What's on your mind?" I asked him as we trudged through the underbrush.

  He barely gnced at me. "Someone I need to get back to."