– The First Failure
The laboratory trembled.
Emergency lights flashed red across the steel corridors.
WARNING. CONTAINMENT BREACH.
WARNING. CONTAINMENT BREACH.
Breddy stood shoulder to shoulder with Ethan.
Both of them stared into the darkness.
A low growl echoed through the hallway.
Then...
A massive figure slowly stepped into the light.
It was nearly nine feet tall.
Its body was stitched together with scarred muscle and thick black veins. One arm ended in enormous claws while the other looked almost human. Broken restraint chains still dangled from its wrists.
Its eyes...
Looked almost human.
Almost.
Ethan's expression hardened.
"...The First Failure."
The creature tilted its head.
Then it smiled.
"You..."
Its voice was raspy.
"...should have stayed... dead."
Before Breddy could react—
The monster lunged.
BOOM!
Concrete exploded where Breddy had been standing.
He rolled to the side, raised his assault rifle, and fired.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The rounds struck the creature's chest.
It barely slowed.
Ethan charged first.
He drove a heavy punch into the monster's ribs.
The impact cracked reinforced glass.
The First Failure answered with a brutal backhand.
Ethan crashed through a laboratory window.
"Breddy!"
The creature turned toward him.
Its claws flashed.
Breddy ducked.
One claw sliced across his cheek.
A burning pain shot through his face.
Blood dripped onto the floor.
His vision blurred.
"My face..."
The monster attacked again.
Breddy blocked with his rifle.
SNAP!
The rifle split in half.
He threw the broken weapon aside.
"No more playing."
Drawing Raven's combat knife, he rushed forward.
The First Failure swung again.
This time, Breddy used his Muay Thai training, stepping inside the attack and driving a knee into the creature's stomach.
It staggered.
He followed with a spinning elbow.
Then buried the knife into its shoulder.
The creature roared.
With unbelievable strength, it grabbed Breddy's left arm.
Its claws ripped through his sleeve.
Blood soaked his black Walmart AP tactical vest.
Breddy screamed.
The monster threw him across the room.
He smashed into a steel cabinet.
Everything went black for a second.
"Breddy!"
Ethan sprinted in, tackling the monster into a row of containment tanks.
Glass exploded.
Green fluid poured across the floor.
The creature recovered instantly.
It grabbed Ethan by the throat and slammed him into a wall.
The laboratory shook.
Breddy forced himself back to his feet.
His left arm hung limp.
His face burned from the fresh scar.
His breathing was ragged.
But he wasn't done.
He looked around.
Scattered across the room were broken pipes, electrical cables, and a heavy oxygen cylinder.
He smiled despite the pain.
"...Everything's a weapon."
He rolled the oxygen cylinder toward the monster.
"Ethan!"
"Down!"
Ethan dropped to the floor.
Breddy fired a single round from his suppressed pistol.
BANG!
The bullet struck the cylinder.
BOOOOOM!
A violent explosion ripped through the laboratory.
The blast hurled everyone backward.
The First Failure slammed into a reinforced blast door.
For several seconds...
Nothing moved.
Smoke filled the hallway.
Ethan slowly stood.
"You alive?"
Breddy coughed.
"Barely."
He touched the cut on his face.
Blood covered his glove.
He looked at his torn left sleeve.
Deep claw marks ran from his shoulder to his forearm.
He laughed weakly.
"Raven's gonna kill me when she sees this."
Ethan smiled.
"Only if you survive long enough for her to see it."
Then...
A deep growl echoed from the smoke.
The First Failure slowly stood.
Burned.
Bleeding.
Still alive.
Its glowing eyes locked onto them once again.
Ethan clenched his fists.
"It's not over."
Breddy tightened his grip on Raven's knife.
"Good."
"I wasn't finished either."
Walking Dead Walmart
– Project Black Eden
Smoke filled the laboratory.
The First Failure slowly emerged from the flames.
Its skin was scorched.
One of its massive claws hung broken at its side.
Yet...
It was still smiling.
Ethan stepped in front of Breddy.
"Stay behind me."
Breddy wiped the blood from the fresh scar across his face.
"My left arm's shot..."
"...but I can still fight."
The First Failure let out a horrifying roar.
Then charged.
---
Ethan met it head-on.
His enhanced strength shook the laboratory.
BOOM!
His fist slammed into the creature's jaw.
The monster stumbled.
Breddy saw his opening.
Despite the pain shooting through his injured arm, he sprinted forward.
He slid beneath the creature's swing.
With Raven's combat knife in his right hand...
He drove the blade deep into the monster's thigh.
The First Failure roared in pain.
It grabbed Breddy by his tactical vest and threw him through a reinforced laboratory window.
CRASH!
Glass exploded around him.
Breddy landed hard inside a research archive.
Rows of filing cabinets covered the room.
Computer servers still hummed with power.
He groaned.
"...That hurt."
---
The First Failure tried to follow...
But Ethan tackled it into another hallway.
"Breddy!"
"Find the files!"
"I'll hold him off!"
Their battle disappeared deeper into the laboratory.
The sounds of punches, explosions, and roaring echoed through the halls.
Breddy forced himself onto his feet.
His flashlight flickered across the room.
One cabinet caught his attention.
Stamped across the front were the words:
PROJECT BLACK EDEN
He pried the doors open.
Inside were dozens of classified folders.
Research journals.
Military contracts.
Experiment logs.
Photographs.
One picture made him freeze.
It showed Dr. Victor Kane standing beside several Black Shield officers.
The outbreak...
Had never been an accident.
"They knew..."
Breddy whispered.
"They planned this."
He stuffed every document into his tactical backpack.
Then he found one final folder.
Across the front, in bold red letters:
SUBJECT ZERO
Inside was Ethan's military photograph.
Name:
Ethan Cross
Status:
SUCCESSFUL
Recommended Action:
Terminate Immediately
Breddy's jaw tightened.
"They tried to erase him..."
---
Suddenly...
The laboratory lights turned blood red.
A computerized voice echoed through every hallway.
WARNING.
CORE REACTOR FAILURE.
SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.
TEN MINUTES UNTIL DETONATION.
The ground shook violently.
Chunks of concrete crashed from the ceiling.
"Breddy!"
Ethan's voice echoed through the archive.
Breddy rushed into the hallway.
Ethan stood there, bruised and bleeding.
The First Failure was nowhere to be seen.
"We don't have much time."
The two men leaned against the wall, trying to catch their breath.
For the first time...
Neither of them spoke.
Finally Ethan laughed.
"You know..."
"I thought I'd die alone down here."
Breddy smiled.
"I worked overnight at Walmart."
"I got used to weird situations."
Ethan laughed harder.
"You really loved that place, didn't you?"
"It wasn't just a job."
Breddy looked down the hallway.
"It was home."
"I made friends there."
"I complained about customers every night."
He chuckled.
"I never thought I'd miss stocking shelves."
Ethan nodded quietly.
"I would've liked a normal life."
"I volunteered for Kane because I wanted to protect people."
"I thought we'd become stronger soldiers."
"Instead..."
"I became the only survivor."
He looked at his hands.
"I've spent years wondering if I'm even human anymore."
Breddy looked him straight in the eyes.
"You are."
"You've protected people this entire time."
"That makes you more human than the people who started this."
Ethan was silent.
No one had ever said that to him.
A small smile appeared.
"...Thanks."
Suddenly...
The laboratory shook even harder.
A monstrous roar echoed from somewhere below.
The First Failure...
...was still alive.
Ethan looked toward the collapsing tunnel.
"You go."
"I'll slow it down."
Breddy shook his head.
"We're getting out together."
Ethan smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
The two grabbed their weapons.
Side by side...
They sprinted toward the collapsing exit as the laboratory began to fall apart around them.
– Escape from Project Black Eden
The laboratory was falling apart.
Concrete rained from the ceiling.
Pipes burst, flooding the corridors with steam.
The emergency voice echoed one final time.
"WARNING... REACTOR MELTDOWN IN EIGHT MINUTES..."
Breddy and Ethan sprinted through the collapsing hallway.
Every step shook the ground beneath them.
Suddenly—
ROOOAAARRR!!
The First Failure burst through a concrete wall behind them.
Its body was burned and covered in fresh wounds, but rage kept it moving.
It wasn't chasing them anymore...
It was hunting them.
"Breddy!" Ethan shouted.
"Keep running!"
The creature ripped a steel door off its hinges and hurled it down the hallway.
Breddy dove out of the way.
The door slammed into the wall where he'd been standing.
"That thing just doesn't quit!"
They reached a collapsed bridge overlooking the reactor chamber.
The only way across...
A narrow maintenance beam.
Ethan looked down.
Hundreds of feet below, molten metal glowed inside the damaged reactor.
"One at a time."
Breddy nodded.
"You first."
Ethan stepped onto the beam.
Halfway across—
The First Failure landed behind Breddy with enough force to crack the floor.
It roared.
Then charged.
Breddy drew Raven's combat knife.
"Come on!"
The monster swung.
Breddy ducked, slicing across its injured arm.
Black blood sprayed across the wall.
The creature punched him in the ribs.
CRACK.
Pain exploded through his body.
He stumbled backward.
His boots reached the edge of the broken bridge.
One more step...
And he'd fall into the reactor.
The First Failure smiled.
Then lunged.
At the last second...
Ethan jumped back across the beam.
"No!"
He slammed both fists into the creature's chest.
The impact sent all three of them sliding across the broken floor.
Breddy grabbed Ethan's arm just before he slipped over the edge.
The First Failure wasn't as lucky.
It clawed desperately at the concrete.
The floor beneath it finally gave way.
The monster fell into the blazing reactor.
Its roar echoed through the chamber...
Then disappeared beneath a massive explosion of fire.
Silence.
Ethan pulled Breddy to his feet.
"You okay?"
Breddy winced, holding his ribs.
"I've definitely had better days."
Ethan laughed.
"So have I."
The laboratory began collapsing even faster.
Entire hallways disappeared behind them.
The two survivors raced toward the emergency elevator.
The doors were already closing.
Breddy dove forward.
His injured left arm barely caught the edge.
The doors reopened.
They stumbled inside.
The elevator shot upward.
Neither man spoke.
They simply leaned against the walls, exhausted.
After a long silence...
Ethan smiled.
"You know..."
"If we make it out..."
"I owe you a coffee."
Breddy laughed.
"Deal."
"And if we ever rebuild civilization..."
"I'm opening a Walmart."
Ethan burst out laughing.
"After everything we've been through..."
"You still want Walmart?"
Breddy grinned.
"It's home."
The elevator doors burst open.
Fresh air rushed inside.
Moonlight lit the mountains.
The helicopter was gone.
Black Shield had already left.
Only one military jeep remained.
Colonel Graves stood beside it.
His eyes immediately fell on Breddy's face.
The fresh scar.
The torn black Walmart AP vest.
The blood.
Then he noticed the backpack.
"You found them."
Breddy threw the heavy pack onto the hood of the jeep.
"They're all there."
Graves opened one folder.
His expression changed.
"...My God."
Before anyone could say another word—
The mountain exploded.
A massive fireball erupted from the laboratory entrance.
The shockwave knocked everyone to the ground.
Breddy looked back toward the collapsing mountain.
"Ethan!"
Smoke swallowed everything.
No answer.
Only silence.
Breddy lowered his head.
"...I'm sorry."
Far beneath the rubble...
Hidden inside a collapsed service tunnel...
A hand reached out from the dust.
Ethan slowly opened his eyes.
"...Guess..."
"...I'm not done yet."
– Brothers
The laboratory continued to collapse.
Massive chunks of concrete crashed into the hallways behind Breddy and Ethan as alarms screamed through the underground facility.
"WARNING... REACTOR FAILURE..."
"EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY..."
The two men sprinted through the smoke-filled corridor.
Breddy's breathing had become uneven.
His left arm throbbed with pain.
Blood still dripped from the fresh scar across his face.
Ethan glanced over.
"You should've bled out by now."
Breddy laughed weakly.
"I've survived Walmart Black Friday."
"It takes more than this."
Ethan couldn't help but laugh.
"I have no idea what that means..."
"...but I believe you."
The emergency exit finally came into view.
Bright daylight poured through the broken blast doors.
They had almost made it.
Then...
The ground shook violently.
A massive steel support beam crashed between them.
BOOOOM!!
Dust filled the hallway.
Breddy stumbled backward.
"Ethan!"
"I'm okay!" Ethan shouted from the other side.
The support beam had split the corridor in half.
Neither man could reach the other.
More rocks began falling.
The tunnel was collapsing.
For a brief moment...
Everything became quiet.
Ethan leaned against the wall and smiled.
"You know..."
"I've spent years talking to empty rooms."
"I forgot what it was like to have a friend."
Breddy smiled back.
"You've got one now."
Ethan looked at him.
"When this is all over..."
"...I'd like to see the world again."
Breddy nodded.
"I'll take you."
"We'll grab a coffee."
"And I'll show you Walmart."
Ethan burst into laughter.
"After everything that's happened..."
"...you still want to show me Walmart?"
Breddy shrugged.
"It was home."
"And someday..."
"It will be again."
Ethan's smile slowly faded.
He reached into one of his pockets.
"I almost forgot."
He tossed a small metal keycard through the gap.
Breddy caught it.
Across the front were the words:
LEVEL OMEGA
Ethan's voice became serious.
"That card opens places even Dr. Kane couldn't enter."
"If anything happens to me..."
"Keep it safe."
"You'll need it."
Breddy carefully placed it inside his vest.
"I'll guard it with my life."
The laboratory groaned.
The ceiling began collapsing faster.
Ethan looked upward.
"...It's time."
Breddy shook his head.
"No."
"We're both getting out."
Ethan smiled.
"You really don't know when to quit."
"Neither do you."
Another explosion rocked the facility.
Huge slabs of concrete crashed into the hallway.
The opening between them grew smaller.
"Breddy!"
Ethan shouted.
"Listen to me!"
"If you expose Black Shield..."
"If you stop this outbreak..."
"Then everything I sacrificed..."
"...will finally mean something."
Breddy's eyes filled with determination.
"I promise."
"I'll finish this."
The final section of the ceiling gave way.
CRAAASH!!
A wall of rubble separated them completely.
"Ethan!!"
No answer.
Only silence.
Breddy stood there for several seconds.
Then he slowly saluted the collapsed tunnel.
"...Thank you."
He turned and ran toward the surface.
Far beneath the rubble...
In complete darkness...
A hand pushed through the broken concrete.
Ethan coughed violently.
Dust covered his face.
He looked toward the collapsed tunnel and smiled to himself.
"Heh..."
"...Guess that coffee will have to wait."
He stood up, picked up a broken flashlight, and disappeared into another unexplored section of the underground laboratory.
Unknown to both Ethan and Breddy...
A pair of glowing eyes watched him from the darkness.
The nightmare...
Wasn't over.
– Homecoming
The Black Shield convoy rolled through the forest just before sunset.
Breddy sat silently in the back of the armored truck.
His black Walmart AP tactical vest was ripped across the shoulder.
Blood had dried along the fresh scar running down the left side of his face.
His left arm was wrapped in bandages.
Raven's combat knife still rested on his belt.
He held the backpack containing the Project Black Eden files tightly against his chest.
He had kept his promise.
The convoy stopped inside Black Shield's temporary base.
Colonel Graves climbed out first.
"Bring me the documents."
Breddy stepped down from the truck and handed him the backpack.
Graves unzipped it.
Research journals.
Hard drives.
Photographs.
Project Black Eden.
Subject Zero.
Every file was still there.
For the first time...
The Colonel looked genuinely impressed.
"You actually completed the mission."
Breddy didn't smile.
"I held up my end."
He stepped closer.
"Now hold up yours."
"...Where are my friends?"
Graves nodded toward the command tent.
"They're waiting."
The tent flap opened.
Tyler was the first one to notice him.
"Breddy!"
He ran over and hugged him.
"You actually came back!"
Mason walked over with a grin.
"...Man."
"You look terrible."
Breddy laughed.
"I've looked worse."
"No."
Mason chuckled.
"I don't think you have."
Shijiki punched Breddy lightly on the shoulder.
"You disappeared for days."
"I was about to steal your room."
The manager shook Breddy's hand firmly.
"Good to have you back."
For the first time in what felt like forever...
Breddy smiled.
He was home.
Then...
The crowd quietly moved aside.
Raven stood there.
She hadn't said a word.
Her eyes slowly traveled over him.
The scar.
The torn vest.
The bandages.
The exhaustion written across his face.
Then she noticed something clipped to his belt.
Her combat knife.
He had brought it back.
Breddy gave her a tired smile.
"I told you..."
"I'd return it."
Before he could say another word...
Raven crossed the distance between them.
She wrapped her arms around him.
Tightly.
For several seconds...
Neither of them spoke.
Breddy slowly hugged her back.
"I made it."
Raven buried her face against his shoulder.
"You idiot..."
"You scared me."
Breddy smiled.
"I'm sorry."
She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes.
Her fingers gently touched the scar on his face.
"...Does it hurt?"
He chuckled.
"Only when I smile."
That finally made her laugh.
"You still have jokes..."
"Good."
She unclipped her combat knife from his belt.
Then paused.
"You know what?"
She pushed it back into its sheath.
"Keep it."
Breddy looked surprised.
"Really?"
She nodded.
"It protected you."
"Now it's yours."
He looked at the knife.
"...I'll carry it with honor."
That evening...
The group gathered around a campfire.
For the first time in weeks...
No one talked about zombies.
They joked.
Shared food.
Laughed.
For a few precious hours...
It almost felt like the world before the outbreak.
Inside the command tent...
Colonel Graves opened the final folder from Project Black Eden.
His expression slowly changed.
He spread a large map across the table.
Red circles covered the country.
One...
Two...
Five...
Twelve.
Twelve underground laboratories.
His hands trembled.
"This..."
"...was never just one facility."
A young officer looked over his shoulder.
"Sir?"
Graves slowly closed the folder.
"Don't tell anyone."
"Not yet."
Outside...
The laughter around the campfire continued.
None of them knew the truth.
The nightmare they had survived...
...was only one piece of something far larger.