Surprisingly, the food was similar to what Lucas usually ate on Earth and he wolfed it down happily, too famished to think about anything else for the moment. Just like him, there were others too who were inhaling their food as if there was no tomorrow. So, Vance and Ryker didn't find his actions weird.

It was only when Lucas was satisfied and his stomach was half-filled that he slowed down and sighed in relief. Smiling at Vance and Ryker who were observing him with amusement in their eyes, he decided to focus on the next problem at hand.

"Vance..." He hesitated, not knowing how to start. But he had to know how the world had come to this and what had happened. "Do you mind telling me when this disaster struck? I can't seem to remember the exact date."

While Ryker gave him a cryptic look, Vance heaved a sigh of defeat and shook his head. "It was in the second week of March last year."

'That'd be a year in a few weeks.' Lucas analyzed. 

"While our part of the world was safer and yet to be attacked, it could not be said the same about other places, especially the ones situated in the north and the west. They bore the brunt of the attack the most and the entire part has been wiped out. Almost all the people who resided in those regions are dead."

Vance shook his head again, his eyes filled with unprecedented sadness.

"Vance, let's not talk about it." Ryker patted the man's hand gently and gave Lucas a look.

"Yes, Vance. Let's not talk about it anymore." Lucas understood that he had scratched on an unhealed wound and felt guilty about it.

"Do you mind telling me about the tranquilizer you shot at the monsters?" Lucas directed his gaze towards Ryker, leaving Vance to handle his thoughts.

"Monsters..." Ryker smiled all of a sudden and Lucas raised his brows in wonder.

"Do you think those were monsters?"

"Then?" 

"They're our own kind. They were humans too before they became this way."

Lucas' jaw dropped in horror and the monsters' images appeared in his mind, especially how they had ripped apart other's bodies as if they were nothing.

"They are humans?" Lucas' voice was barely audible. But Ryker understood him and nodded in reply.

"But how?" The words left his mouth before he could control them and Lucas noticed the look of suspicion on Ryker's face. Immediately, he composed himself and donned a sad expression.

"I meant to say how things came to this." He clarified, hoping for Ryker to accept his pathetic excuse.

Ryker didn't say anything for a few moments, making Lucas all the more jittery. I was only when Vance started speaking that he finally averted his gaze, letting Lucas a moment of relief.

"Those tranquilizers are created by Trevis. We don't know what's different in those zombies blood. We're unable to kill them." He explained and Lucas nodded thoughtfully. "We can only render them incapable for a few minutes at far, nothing more."

"In that case, Trevis is going in the right direction. Maybe, he needs to adjust the composition or add something else to create the poison that can kill them." Lucas stated as a matter of fact and Ryker and Vance nodded at him slightly.

"Yes, that is what he is worried about and we are too. The humans are either dying or becoming zombies and if this continues, it'll not be long before this world gets destroyed completely."

"Agreed. We need to come up with something that can protect us and end this mayhem as quickly as possible." Lucas mumbled. He was fine perishing after a mishap in his laboratory. But dying under the hands of a zombie, no way. Never.

"Fortunately, those creatures can't cross the wall we have constructed around our city. Otherwise, it'd have been difficult for us to survive in this world as well." Ryker stated all of a sudden and Lucas relaxed all the more when he noticed the man not being suspicious of him anymore.

"May I ask why though?" Lucas tried to probe more even though he was close to the danger line. "I noticed that the walls around the city are higher than normal. But can this stop those creatures?"

Ryker, for the first time, smiled genuinely since the conversation started. "It's not just that. We have sprinkled the tranquilizer for a few meters from the wall. Fortunately for us, those creatures still have a sense of smell in them. So, they can never cross the wall." 

'So, those creatures aren't capable of aerial attacks. And they can't reach the wall as well, considering how well-prepared the people here are. Incredible!'

Lucas now understood why only Velomore had remained to stay safe while the other parts had been massacred. He was genuinely impressed by the residents. They had done an amazing job at protecting themselves and he didn't forget to voice out thoughts.

But an odd silence fell over them the moment he did so, flummoxing him with the awkwardness.

"Did I say something wrong?" He questioned, silently recalling all that he had said. But he couldn't remember anything that might have triggered such a heavy reaction from the two men.

"It's nothing. Finish your food, Lucas. We'll show you around the place or you may rest for some time before we show you around. Anyway, from tomorrow onwards, you'll be busy as hell." Vance changed the topic and Lucas gave him a look. But didn't dwell on it more, allowing him to have his way.

Once Lucas was done, he followed Vance and Ryker out of the dining hall silently. He didn't dare speak a word until prompted. He didn't know what word he said would trigger them.

"I'm not sure where to start. But there is one place you must know." Vance spoke as he idly led Lucas around. "God forbid, if one day we too are attacked by those creatures, we try to block them as much as possible. But if we are unable to do so, we hide and save our lives."

"Hide?"

"Yes." 

Lucas' eyes widened when Vance pulled a barely noticeable lever on the wall they were standing beside and a floor ahead of them opened, leading towards a staircase.

They started to climb down the stairs and didn't stop until they reached the basement. "This is Basement 1 and the entire basement is Trevis' laboratory. He'll show you the place tomorrow. Come."

Lucas stared ahead of him. Other than the small passage they were standing at, the entire place was the laboratory the door to which was closed. He was curious to see how Trevis' lab looked. But he knew it had to wait and followed Vance and Ryker, curbing his curiosity for the time being.

Unlike the previous time when they had pulled on a lever, this time, Vance approached the nearest wall and it was only then that Lucas noticed the abnormality in the wall. 

With a gaze filled with fascination, he saw Vance place his hand on the glass layer against the wall and immediately, the screen came to life. Vance's name and picture came on the screen before the floor beside him opened again.

"Only the people of Velomore are allowed to enter this place," Ryker explained and Lucas now understood why he had registered his fingerprints and got a picture of his clicked. "Come."

Again, they climbed down the stairs. 

"And this will be our place of hiding, Basement 2."

Unlike Basement 1, Basement 2 was completely open and stretched far and wide and it didn't take much for Lucas to realize that not just the entire building, but even the arena he had seen while deboarding the chopper was covered. It was as if Basement 2 occupied the entire city.

"This sure is impressive," Lucas commented. "I'm assuming this place occupies the entire city."

"Umm...no. We have left some space to grow crops. We need food to sustain, don't we?"

Lucas got the answer to his unasked question and he nodded.

"Is this place impenetrable?"

"More or less," Vance replied. "We've never faced any danger so far to use this place. So, we can't say otherwise. We're just hoping this place will shield us when danger falls."

"Understandable. Is there anything else I must know?"

"Yes, there is one more thing you must know," Ryker glanced at Vance who nodded at him subtly. "And for that, we'll have to leave the building first."