Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 189

Chapter 189: Disease Spreads
Walking over to the main lobby building, he began asking around if anyone had seen a group of people matching Ace’s description.

Unfortunately for Cal, most of the people refused to answer him, while others swore they’d seen them but couldn’t remember where.

After over an hour of searching, Cal bumped into a sick young man who looked to be around 18 years old.

“If you’ve checked everywhere else, I recommend you look in either the infirmary or the group shelter. That’s where most of the people are these days—sick or dying,” he said in a hopeless voice.

He himself was on his way to the infirmary to see if he could buy some medicine, even though he already knew it would be impossible.

In the last few days, dozens of people had died from this illness, while the majority of others were bedridden, waiting to see if death would claim them too.

Cal frowned at this news. He didn’t want to go to where the sick people were, worried that he might catch whatever disease was going around, but he had no other choice.

Dillon had specifically told him to find where Ace was and why he hadn’t made it to the previous meeting.

He dug around in his duffel bag and pulled out a white t-shirt, which he ripped and wrapped around his mouth and nose.

Hoping that the cloth would protect him from the illness, he walked into the infirmary wing of the base first.

People lined the halls, coughing and sneezing. Some were even passed out on the ground. Cal was horrified by the sight and couldn’t believe that all of these people were so ill.

He walked around, searching for Ace’s familiar face in the sea of people but couldn’t find him. The line at the reception desk was fairly long, but he had little choice and decided to wait.

“I’m sorry, but we’re completely out of medicine. There’s nothing I can do for you,” said the nurse at the reception desk.

“But my son is dying! Can’t you see? He can’t even keep his eyes open!” yelled a woman holding a young boy in her arms.

The nurse frowned. “I’m really sorry, Ma’am, but there’s truly nothing I can do besides advise you to let him rest naturally.” Scenes like this were popping up all over the medical ward, but unfortunately, there were no medicines to give out.

“What good is this base when you can’t even get basic help anywhere?! All I’ve done is starve and freeze here! I was better off at home!” the woman screamed and turned back, carrying her son.

Cal watched this scene repeat itself as he waited in line, and by the time it was his turn, the nurse at the front desk was exhausted.

“Sorry, we don’t have medicine,” she stated bluntly before Cal had a chance to ask.

“No, I’m here looking for someone. I’m wondering if you’ve seen someone by the name of Ace?” he asked.

The nurse looked at him and laughed. “Haha, does this place look that organized to you? I have no idea what anyone’s name is here. Not to mention, we haven’t been able to take in any patients these last few days since we really have zero supplies.”

Cal looked around, and indeed, this medical ward was a disorganized mess. The only benefit this place offered was the slightly warm interior, thanks to a wood-burning stove inside.

“Thank you,” he said quietly and turned to leave.

If Ace wasn’t here, he would check the last place—the group housing.

Cal had his doubts that Ace would stay in a group housing unit but thought maybe it was to help gather information.

As he arrived at the large, flimsy-built dorm-style housing, he couldn’t help but feel nauseous from the nasty smell.

The entrance was littered with trash and other unidentifiable items, all contributing to the horrid stench.

Cal quickly stepped inside to try and get away from the awful scent, but as he walked in, he realized that it was much worse inside.

Very few people were walking or standing inside; everyone looked either dead or half-dead, lying on their shabby bunk beds.

“There’s no way Ace is here,” mumbled Cal as he began to walk down the narrow walkway.

The farther in he walked, the more disgusted he felt. These people looked like they’d been laying on their beds for days on end, even soiling themselves right there on the bed.

Cal couldn’t believe that the higher-ups at this base had not done anything about the situation. Their residents were dying left and right—they could at least try to procure some medicine.

He continued to walk, looking at the faces of every person lying on the bunks until he got closer to the end of the building.

There was a group of burly men who were coughing nonstop, and among them lay a familiar face.

“Ace?! Is that you?” Cal called out, unsure if he was seeing things.

The man resembled Ace but was incredibly pale and sallow.

Ace was in and out of consciousness but heard Cal’s voice. He tried opening his eyes to look, but found the task too difficult.

Cal waited for any response but didn’t get one, even after a few minutes of waiting. He bent down to take a closer look.

Sure enough, the man on the bed was the Ace he’d been looking for this whole time.

“That means these men are part of his team,” Cal said, looking around at the nearby bunks.

Each one of the men looked worse than the previous. Cal wasn’t sure how to help them either. He dug around in his duffel bag and found a small bottle of expired painkillers that he’d brought in case he got a headache.

“I guess it’s better than nothing, right? But how do I get him to swallow it?” mumbled Cal, holding the small white pill.

After thinking about it, he decided to simply pop the pill into Ace’s mouth. The rest, Ace would have to figure out.

Ace felt someone pry something into his mouth as his body was burning alive. He wasn’t conscious enough to know what it was, but after a few seconds, he felt a very bitter taste spread through his mouth.

His mouth was a bit dry from not having water these past few days, so the pill took a long time to dissolve, subjecting him to the bitter taste for a long time.

Cal watched and waited, expecting to see some kind of miracle. But after ten minutes of waiting, there were still no signs of recovery from Ace.

Cal scratched his head. “Well, I guess I’ll go back and report to boss Dillon now,” he said and turned to leave the disease-infested building.