---Eric's POV---

The drink burned down my throat as I tipped the glass back, not caring that it was still in the middle of the day and I probably shouldn't be getting drunk.

But, after watching those trail cameras...

When Bryce had told me he had spotted something interesting, I had hoped, prayed, that he had seen Ash. No matter how wounded, we would've rushed out to get him, done our best to heal him.

It would've been dangerous, risky even, especially knowing that those damned rogues had found Ash's base. But it was worth it if we could find Ash and safely bring him back home.

You can't heal something that isn't living...

The glass clacked sharply on the table as I sighed, crossing my legs at the ankles and reached for a refill. The only time I've drank liquor like this, was when I had received news that one of our scouting parties had been ambushed by those blasted infected.

Now was hardly any different, as I had watched the video over and over again.

Ash had still been very recognizable as he and several other infected had zipped over the screen in a split second. Bryce had needed to slow down the images to be able to focus on Ash's face.

But it was enough.

Ash, the brilliant young man I knew... was gone. And from the looks of it, he was already a Viral, or even a Starved. I shuddered and took a sloppy sip, spilling liquor down my throat.

What if I ever encounter him? Would I be able to shoot Ash? Well... he's not quite him anymore but still...

The door creaked open and Bryce took one look at my form before he rolled his eyes and stormed in. "Hey-" I protested as the bottle, and glass, were yanked from my grasp.

"Shut up. For fucks sake Eric, you're the one people look up at. The entire compound relies on you! What'll happen if a breach happens and people can't wake you up because you're fucking sleeping off your booze?"

I looked at him, knowing that I looked an absolute mess and probably stank like one too. My eyes were puffy, swollen from crying and my throat felt raw.

Bryce pinched his nose bridge, taking in a deep breath before his shoulders relaxed. "Look, " He amended as he crouched down so we were at eye-level. "Losing a friend is hard. Losing family, even harder and I figure you saw Ash like a brother."

He grasped me by the shoulder, shaking slightly. I grunted when he tapped me on the cheek, helping me to focus through the pleasant buzz that was bordering on stupidly drunk.

"But I need you to focus, Eric. We have so much more to lose if we drop our vigil. Think of the women under your care. Fucking hell, think of the kids!"

I flinched, feeling shame flush over my cheeks as I realized I hadn't been thinking about them at all.

And Bryce was right, of course. While the compound didn't stand and fall with me, a lot of people looked up at me. Expected guidance from me. And while it was only natural that I mourned my good friend, I couldn't let myself go completely.

"I'm...I'm... feeling dizzy." I murmured, leaning heavily on Bryce as I stood up. He snorted, eying the bottle he had placed aside. "I would be too, downing half a bottle on my own. Are you mourning or are you trying to fucking kill yourself?"

I barked out a laugh before groaning, cupping my head. "The bottle was already opened..." I grumbled as Bryce guided me to the bathroom.

"Ah yes, because downing nearly half a bottle of whiskey is healthy." Bryce snorted, shoving me on the toilet before he helped me remove my clothes as I struggled to do so. "Guess I should be happy you didn't marinate yourself in tequila."

I cringed at the idea of downing a few shots of tequila, let alone half a bottle. That would indeed be an attempted suicide.

"Good, take a cold shower to get that stupor off, don't drown yourself and I'll see you in a little bit." Bryce said after tugging off my pants, leaving me in my boxers before he left the bathroom.

A groan escaped me as the bastard had even flicked on the lights, brightly illuminating the bathroom and bouncing off the tiles.

Nausea was hitting me in waves but I hoped, prayed, that my stomach wouldn't get too upset. Staggering into the shower, I managed to sloppily wash myself up, shivering as I could feel my head starting to pulse with a savage headache.

And yet, I didn't quite know if the nausea was from the alcohol that swirled in my stomach or the lingering realization that I would never see Ash again.

If I did...I'd have to kill him before he killed me. And I didn't know if I had the heart to do that to him.

Another shiver raced over my spine as I let the water pour down on my head, the rush of sound muffling my thoughts for only a moment.

These thoughts were pointless. For all I knew, I'd never encounter the husk that Ash once was, wouldn't even know where he was to begin with.

But, as I slowly went through the motions of washing myself before shutting the water off and reached for one of the towels, a thought came to mind.

A thought that slowly unfurled with endless possibilities and gave me hope.

It could work... it could be done, fairly easily too, I'd say. A smile slipped on my lips before I hurried to get changed, eager to share my newfound idea with my friends to hear their reaction to it.

It could work...

-------------

A sense of nervousness sparked underneath my skin, adding a bounce to my step as I left the labs after hours of work.

Already we have made so much progress by going off from Ash's notes. Theories we had that were annihilated, torn to shreds by the proof laid in his findings.

Sketches were added and new recordings were registered, as Ash had encountered infected that none of us had ever seen before.

We were still recovering what we could, cursing those rogues as they had decided to use some of these invaluable research books as tinder for their camp fires.

Pages had been ripped out, entire books singed and marred with soot, but we managed. Like we always did.

Our research had been slow, even with the live specimens we kept contained. There was only so much we could learn from repeating the same process over and over again.

Plus, none of the men were all too keen on the idea of trying to get our hands on a Starved for proper investigation. That would lead to too many risks and a potentially high amount of casualties on our end as well.

However, with Ash's notes and a lot of blood samples from multiple infected, we could see the mutations that blocked our path to a cure.

It made us realize that we had to aim a few steps lower, to first find a vaccine that could hopefully prevent a healthy person from becoming infected.

And if that was a possibility, we'd be able to progress until we could trap and cure those that have been infected.

But trying to generate a fool-proof vaccine for a virus that mutated extremely fast was near impossible.

With each new host, the virus selected the best traits available to it, adapted itself to new conditions, erased existing weaknesses and developed immunities.

One of the newly infected specimens in our care was such a case. A young woman, perhaps mid-twenties who was just now reaching her Viral state.

But even when she was deemed a Walker, a sluggish, slow-moving variant, she had moved quicker, reacted faster than normal.

And when we had managed to knock her out to get some blood samples, we realized why.

Her DNA had been altered to the point where it was mingled with that of wolves, cats and even a single part of horse. Impossible in normal cases but as I had asked the scientist in question, he had done the same test trice before letting someone else do it in case he repeated a mistake.

But he hadn't made a mistake. The HCV virus had taken the traits from its former hosts and placed it in the new one.

A shiver darted over my back, as I could only imagine the horrors that could be produced with more infections down the line.

If an infected had only been infected by other humans down to the very first person that got infected, things would still mutate, but at a slower, predictable pase.

But due to the fact that we had to deal with several species that got infected, some that might even be unknown.... How many abilities could these infected get?

Hell, what would happen if through some series of unfortunate events, the virus got its hands on some lion or tiger DNA?

I shuddered at the thought of a Starved that was more powerful than anything we had seen so far. These infected were already inhumanly fast simply because they paid no mind to the strain of their muscles, didn't fatigue like humans did.

But to have infected with better and stronger reflexes than humans roaming around.... Their sense of smell amplified to the point that even in our compound, we wouldn't be able to hide...

It was a real possibility... which is why we needed to prepare now. If we could at least provide a general vaccine for our people against the most common strands, we'd have some semblance of a security net.

Ash didn't have the luxury of owning labs, so none of his paperwork showcased the most common of infections. Which is why we were busy working on one now.

It would only be a matter of time before we hada breakthrough and then we would keep pushing until the world was save oncemore.