---
Location: Forward Listening Post Alpha (FLP-A), Sector 5B Time: 14:10 | Day 10 of Infection Collapse
The landscape ahead was no longer scorched ruins but a dense web of pine forest and decayed infrastructure. Forward Listening Post Alpha had been active for six hours. The team was still on edge, watching the ridgelines.
Logan Hale stood at the observation deck of the prefab sentry tower, binoculars in hand. Around him, the Listening Post buzzed with focused energy. A solar generator hummed quietly in the corner. Sandbags, sensors, and motion tripwires surrounded the site like spider silk.
Below, Wraith adjusted the sensor relay uplink, crouched beside Iulian who was wiring a backup battery pack. Sofia, now acting as Echo's recon lieutenant-in-training, was mapping possible approach paths using a hand-drawn terrain overlay on the table nearby.
The air was cold. The silence unnatural.
Logan checked the system feed.
> [FORWARD POST STATUS: STABLE]
[SURVEILLANCE ONLINE]
[DATA LINKED TO FOB ECHO POINT]
[PASSIVE SCAN RANGE: 1.2KM RADIUS]
> [WAR CREDITS BALANCE: 1,482.4]
[INCOME: +6.0/hr]
"Reading movement again," Wraith muttered. "Southwest quadrant. One contact, then gone. Like it's scouting."
"Infected?"
"Not sure. Could be. Could be smarter than we thought."
Logan tapped the side of the binoculars. "Or a trap."
Petrescu's voice came through the comms from Echo Point:
> "Logan, status? Everything holding on our end. Training drills are underway. Hammer's working on mounting armor plating to the secondary Humvee."
"Copy. FLP-A operational. Minor ghost contacts. No direct engagement."
Petrescu grunted. "Stay sharp. These bastards adapt."
---
Location: Forest Edge – 1.5km from FLP-A
Time: 15:05
Logan led a three-man fireteam to investigate the last contact. The ground sloped gently downward. Pine needles muffled their steps. Wraith advanced ahead with Sofia. Iulian held the rear.
They found a carcass—human. Days old. Bullet wounds.
"Wasn't ours," Sofia noted, kneeling beside it. "No tags. Civilian backpack. Empty."
Wraith scanned the treeline. "Fresh drag marks heading west."
Logan raised his rifle. "Let's follow it. Ten-minute limit. If we find nothing, we pull."
---
Location: Abandoned Communications Relay Station – Sector 5B
Time: 15:28
The trail led to a fenced structure half-buried in ivy and time. An old NATO relay station, judging by the satellite dishes and concrete pillboxes.
They breached cautiously. No contacts inside, but signs of recent occupation: ration cans, empty water bottles, and a partially functional radio terminal.
Wraith inspected it. "Someone tried to get this running again. Last log was… yesterday. There's still power."
Logan examined a half-torn map pinned to the wall. Suceava marked in red. Arrows leading south and west.
"Someone else is operating in this zone," he said. "Could be hostile. Could be friendly."
Iulian looked up. "Or could be worse."
---
Location: Return to FLP-A
Time: 16:12
By the time they returned, Sofia was limping slightly, having twisted her ankle on a root. Logan immediately ordered a rest cycle.
Back at the Listening Post, Reaper One had arrived with Hammer in tow, bringing fresh supplies and another auto-turret in tow. As they reinforced the northern wall, Logan reviewed the scouting data.
> [SCOUT REPORT UPDATED]
[INFECTED ACTIVITY LOW | HUMAN SIGNATURES DETECTED: 2-4]
[SIGNAL ECHOES: UNKNOWN ORIGIN]
Logan sat by the fold-out table and reviewed a list:
Echo Point Assets
Personnel: 18 (9 Combat, 3 Logistics, 3 Technical, 3 Medical)
Vehicles: 2x Humvee, 1x Stryker, 2x CV90 IFVs
Stationary Weapons: 4x Auto-turrets, 2x M2 Browning emplacements
Infrastructure: Command Bunker, Barracks (4), Triage Bay, Motor Pool, FLP-A
Tier Access: Vehicle Bay Tier II | Training Facility I | Listening Post Active
> [Available Upgrades Unlocked]
Field Radar Truck (Mobility Support) – 180 WAR CREDITS
Perimeter Shield Node (Defensive Tech) – 240 WAR CREDITS
Tier III Infirmary (Surgical Recovery) – 320 WAR CREDITS
He stared at the options, then closed the interface. Not yet.
Let the silence hold for one more night.
But tomorrow, the storm would return.