Karel kept his hand on the heavy metal door.
The hallway was silent.
Everyone was holding their breath.
The thirteen people outside…
The people inside…
And Karel standing right in the middle of them.
For a while, he said nothing.
Then he spoke slowly.
"Put your weapons on the ground."
"Then step back three meters from the door."
The man outside stayed silent for a few seconds.
"…Alright."
Metal sounds echoed.
It was obvious the weapons had been dropped.
Riven tightened his grip on the spear a little more.
Boran was upstairs behind the railings in a sniper position, watching below.
Karel spoke again.
"Now tell me your name."
"Yours."
The man behind the door answered.
"Emir."
"How old are you?"
"Thirty-four."
"What did you do before all this?"
"Private security."
Karel's eyes narrowed slightly.
Private security.
So he knew how to handle weapons.
"The people with you?"
"Two families."
"Three teenagers."
"One old man."
"And a child."
Some of the people inside began relaxing.
But the feeling inside Karel still hadn't disappeared.
Because something was missing.
A group of people…
couldn't possibly stay this calm.
Especially with the world outside in this condition.
Karel closed his eyes and thought for a few seconds.
Then…
He suddenly shouted.
"Riven!"
"I saw it."
At that exact moment…
A thin stream of blood started flowing from beneath the door.
The people inside flinched.
One of the women screamed.
"Blood…"
Karel's gaze turned ice cold.
"Move the corpse behind the door."
Silence.
Then the man outside spoke.
"…What?"
"There's a dead body."
"Right in front of the door."
"Move it."
A few seconds later, dragging sounds echoed.
And indeed…
The foot visible beneath the door was pulled away.
Most of the people inside became tense.
Boran shouted from upstairs.
"Bro, these guys are seriously suspicious."
Karel didn't answer.
But now he was sure.
They were hiding something.
Then the man outside spoke again.
"Look, brother…"
"Our people are in bad shape."
"If you're not opening the door, just say it."
Karel slowly smiled.
"I'm opening the door."
The people inside were shocked.
Even Riven turned to look at him.
But Karel continued.
"Because I want to see what you're hiding."
He walked toward the lock.
The heavy metal sounds echoed.
Tak.
Tak.
Tak.
He unlocked it.
He pushed the door open only a small amount.
And the first thing he saw…
was the face of a child.
A little girl around eight years old.
She was crying from fear.
There were people behind her.
Tired…
Dirty…
Exhausted…
But they weren't what caught Karel's attention.
It was the man standing in the back.
Someone wearing a black coat.
Silent.
While the others were talking, he hadn't said a single word.
And his eyes…
were locked directly onto Karel.
Coldly.
Karel's instincts screamed instantly.
Danger.
He opened the door a little wider.
"Come inside."
The people relaxed and quickly started entering.
One of the women burst into tears.
"Thank you…"
"Thank you so much…"
The old man dropped to his knees.
But the man in the black coat…
was still silent.
Without taking his eyes off him, Karel spoke.
"You."
"What's your name?"
The man stayed silent for a few seconds.
Then he answered.
"…Yusuf."
"Take off the black coat."
The hallway instantly fell silent.
The man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
Tension filled the air.
Riven slightly raised his spear.
Boran aimed his rifle from upstairs.
And after a few seconds…
The man slowly took off his coat.
Some of the people inside relaxed.
But Karel's face became even colder.
Because around the man's waist…
there was a bite mark.
Everyone froze.
One of the women stepped back in fear.
"No…"
The man suddenly shouted.
"WAIT!"
"I haven't turned yet!"
"I can control it!"
Without hesitation, Karel raised his gun.
But just as he was about to pull the trigger…
the man's eyes changed.
His veins began swelling.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
And suddenly…
the man screamed and lunged forward.