Day 365 - 9:21 AM - Southside Peak, Muria Sacred Fortress, Mount Muria, Central Java, Indonesia
The 365th day of the apocalypse finally came. It was the last day of the first year of the apocalypse.
It was already a year. Was it something people should celebrate, or was it something people should lament? Everyone still alive might have survived the difficult and dangerous year. It was something they could celebrate. Nonetheless, it was also the anniversary of everyone losing almost everything.
How people would view this day would likely be up to each individual and the things they experienced.
And on this day, a new rumor was spreading across the Muria Sacred Fortress.
***
"Have you heard? A horde attacked the 38th."
"Is that the cause of the gunshots last night? It sounded pretty far, but it kept me awake all night."
"But some people are saying something strange."
"What is it?"
"They said the attack came from inside. Not outside."
"That's stupid. How did that even happen? You believe that?"
"Nah. I also think it's stupid. It's already hard surviving, and some people are still trying to spread fear for no reason."
Similar exchanges could be heard all over the Muria Sacred Fortress after the vague events of the previous night.
Some brave ones went and asked soldiers on patrol for confirmation. However, the soldiers were either clueless, would answer with an obvious pre-practiced business reply, or just bluntly refused to answer.
Confusion was slowly creeping up into the hearts of the people in addition to the fear still lingering because of the [Face Wearers].
Nonetheless, confusion was still better than panic and chaos.
But when the people of the Southside Peak thought that things would still be more or less the usual...
VRROOOOM!
They saw vehicles of soldiers under General Wijaya passing by. With how the vehicles and the soldiers were kitted out, it was clear that something unusual was bound to happen today.
People along the road watched as military jeeps and trucks filled with armed soldiers drove through. There was no prior announced military activity. The scene caused more confusion and speculation among the populace.
Most importantly, it caused confusion to soldiers who were not under General Wijaya's authority. Many of these soldiers immediately reported to their military superiors about what they had witnessed. Unfortunately, those military superiors who received the reports were far more flabbergasted by General Wijaya's unannounced action.
They immediately tried to contact the spies they placed within General Wijaya's forces.
To the surprise of these faction leaders, they received no response from their spies. It was as if they all vanished.
...Just like the missing victims of the [Face Wearers].
***
Eight military vehicles drove out of General Wijaya's camp. Five huNovelFireees and three military trucks. All soldiers were armed to the teeth. It would be their most crucial mission after a long time of being suppressed by the other military factions.
Nonetheless, the soldiers were quite in disbelief.
The briefing happened in a hurry, and so was their mobilization. It all began after General Wijaya returned near sunrise along with the soldiers who escorted him while visiting the 38th Satellite Settlement.
Immediately after their late return, everyone was informed about the sudden mobilization. Everyone was quite confused at first. Furthermore, the gunshots echoing early the previous night throughout the mountain kept many of them awake. But when the briefing started, the information was shared, and the soldiers realized how important this mission would be.
The missing victims returned as [Infected]. The horde that attacked the 38th Satellite Settlement were those victims. Worse, the [Infected] came from inside the fortress, inside their current home.
Not only were the [Face Wearers] kidnapping residents and stealing their identities, these monsters turned people into [Infected].
And now, the soldiers accepted that they had to do this. They had to remove the threat called the [Face Wearers].
General Wijaya stepped out of the vehicle. It was a bold move, considering the situation.
However, General Wijaya's attention was not on the danger. It was the familiar person who walked in front of the blockade.
A man with a rather tall figure. He might look old because of his silver-colored hair and beard, but his physique looked no different than a bulky-looking soldier. He had an air filled with pride and confidence.
"Wijaya. What is the meaning of this?" The person asked. "You know that there's punishment to mobilization without authorization. Past laws might not be applicable anymore, but to mobilize armed soldiers in this fortress, you need to pass a majority vote."
A majority vote. It was a rule established in the Muria Sacred Fortress regarding the general mobilization of anything military or government-related. This was especially the case for armed military missions and deployment. Unfortunately, it was also the way how the others oppressed General Wijaya and his supporters.
"Piliang..." General Wijaya glared at the man leading the opposing force. "You should know the threat the [Face Wearers] brought to us and the people. To think that a prideful person like you would be siding with those monsters."
"That's a serious allegation you have there," General Piliang shook his head. "You can't pin a crime on anyone without serious evidence. It was the same for raiding a place with excessive force, like bringing all your armed soldiers to raid a place of worship. This church had been a pillar many of our people had been leaning to at the time of need.
You should know that attacking this place is tantamount to betraying the hopes of the majority of our people."
"Your words are full of nothing but sophistry," General Wijaya sighed. "I won't justify my actions now. I am fine accepting the blame if I am mistaken. Now, get out of the way and let us investigate."
"That can't be done," General Pilliang shrugged. "I won't aid you in your crimes."
It was clear in each word the older general uttered. He was adamant about pinning crimes on General Wijaya and stopping them from moving closer to their goal.
But at this time, Mark stepped out of the vehicle to join the charade.
"Hey, old man," Mark shouted. "Are you sure you want to do this? If you had nothing to hide, why are you stopping us? What's inside that church that you are adamant to protect?"
"And who are you?"
General Piliang frowned at the unfamiliar and disrespectful man.
"Hmm... That's odd," Mark tilted his head. "You sent some idiots to kidnap my people, but you don't know who you are targetting?"
General Piliang frowned even more as his stare at Mark became sharper.
"Another baseless accusation," General Piliang replied as he shifted his attention back to General Wijaya. "Wijaya. Just give up and surrender. We will bring this to trial. This way, no blood needed to be shed in this place."
"Unfortunately, we can't do that," General Wijaya glared. "After everything that already happened, we can't back out anymore."
After saying that, General Wijaya stepped back. Once he retreated to cover, it would be the start of this battle.
General Piliang watched as General Wijaya began to step back. However, instead of doing the same, General Pilain suddenly nodded his head with a slight tilt.
BANG!
A gunshot came out of nowhere, and an impact sounded into the ears of everyone.
General Wijaya fell to the ground. He was still fine, but he could only watch the person who pushed him out of the way fall to the ground.
"SIR MARK!"
General Wijaya shouted.
Mark pushed General Wijaya out of the way after a sniper shot, taking the bullet meant for the general.
"Open fire!"
General Wijaya yelled as he grabbed Mark and dragged him into cover.
After the command was given, although some hesitated, Mark's sudden fall caused General Wijaya's soldiers to throw the hesitation out of the window.
A barrage of bullets flew towards General Piliang, who did not take cover.
But General Piliang stood unfazed. Despite the barrage of bullets, he stood unmoving.
In front of General Piliang, the bullets aimed at him hovered freely. And as the gunshots stopped due to confusion, the hovering bullets fell to the ground.