Grey's expression sank.

His grip on the bag of snacks loosened, and the small—cutely packaged treats fell one by one. Like a sweet dream that was cut far too short.

He didn’t bother to pick them up.

Grey didn't waste any time and ordered his team to search the whole building. Every hallway, every abandoned ward, every supply closet and emergency staircase. Nothing.

Without a single trace as to where he went, Grey had no choice but to return to his base since it was about to be nightfall.

On the drive back to the supermarket base, Grey felt his fears creep up on him—the possibility of Lucien being taken by the zombies and never seeing him again crushed him to pieces.

He rolled down the car window and lit up a cigarette.

Time seemed to go by very slowly, almost still. Only the low sound of the car moving through the rough road could be heard.

Grey's eyes stuck to the withering mist of smoke and inhaled the acrid, ashy scent of burning tobacco.

He thought that if he couldn't find Lucien now, then he'd build the kind of world Lucien could come back to.

The supermarket still had his name on the lease.

The Summit supply's flagship, the biggest one in the entire country—had six floors of rot-resistant steel, shatterproof glass, and decades of it's legacy sealed in every square inch. It had survived riots, earthquakes, and economic crashes. 

Of course it would survive a zombie apocalypse too.

The supermarket was jam-packed to the brim with supplies, making it a paradise for those lucky enough to be taken in.

Grey had been working tirelessly for one week—upgrading and fortifying his base and only until he was satisfied did he accept any survivors.

He had also only taken in those that proved to be strong, (by fighting with his bodyguards), had great strategic plans that gave them an advantage against the zombies, and lastly with skills in fixing mechanical and electrical issues.

The rest can be added when the base gets bigger, Grey figured.

At this point of time—at the beginning of the apocalypse, everyone thought they could survive due to the abundance of resources, but only those who took into account the long-term effects of this disaster understood how much of a hidden gem the Summit supply was.

Not only did it provide food, shelter, and medicine, but also superior defense against the zombies.

The supermarket was surrounded by concrete wall gates with barbed wires on top. A big, heavy metal gate rests at the entrance. 

Multiple of his men were also stationed outside to kill wandering zombies, and at the top floor was an emergency helicopter in case they needed to evacuate the place.

Lines of warehouses stood at the back, filled with spare items and food that naturally had a long shelf life.

Grey also included an underground ice storage, where he built an insulated ice house deep in the ground where the meats are stored.

It was double-walled with sawdust to slow down the ice from melting quickly.

Vegetables and fruits were stored in the basement. They were organized into shelves to keep them clean and off the ground. A few ventilation shaft fans are also found around the walls to provide airflow.

Although all this food won't last forever, it can be enough to support a lifetime. As long as it is rationed carefully.

**

A few days passed, and there was still no news on Lucien.

Grey's team happened to pass by the military base. They came in briefly to ask about him, but the leader wished for more when he found out Grey was the Summit supply's boss.

Unfortunately, he wasn't having any of it. When the old leader asked Grey a few questions out of courteousy, he was tight-lipped and said nothing.

He just calmly waited for him to reply on whether Lucien found refuge there or not.

Seeing that Grey wouldn't open up no matter what he tried, the leader gave up on small talk and simply asked the intake officer in charge of headcount to join them in the meeting room.

She disappeared for one minute, but returned back with an unexpected 'yes.'

Grey sprang out of his seat, for a moment, he couldn't control himself.

"Where is he?" His voice came like a sharp blade.

The intake officer flinched, she stuttered before checking the filebook in her hands.

"H-he already left..."

Grey stared at her. For a second, he didn’t understand the words.

Already left?

Grey took a half-step forward, and then stopped himself. His fingers twitched by his sides like they wanted to form fists.

"Since when?"

The intake officer looked toward the old man, as if asking permission to speak again. She looked scared, like she had no idea how to make this kind of thing better.

"A week and a half... He wasn't there when i did the headcounts the next day..."

Grey fell back on the satin sofa. The back of the chair scraped against the concrete wall, but he didn’t notice.

He had finally found a clue to Lucien's whereabouts, but just when he was about to get into the bottom of things, he had once again slipped through his grasp.

He rubbed his temples anxiously. "Missing without anyone knowing?"

He looked up, a glint of sheer determination flashed through his eyes.

"Then find him. Wherever he could be, he couldn't have gone that far."

His voice echoced through the thin walls, and the men dressed in black scattered into the wind like shifting black phantoms.

The old general saw the uniform row of bodyguards leave the meeting room in one, quick swoosh.

He rubbed his chin and nodded approvingly. 

He very much liked their work ethic and loyalty.

Slowly, the grin on the old man's face washed away. As the minutes passed by, so did the tension in the air became even more thick.

Finally, after fifteen minutes of pure silence, Grey's bodyguards came one by one and explained what they've found.

With the last bodyguard presenting some actual, real solid evidence.

He handed over a torn-off piece of a hospital gown, and it was undeniably Lucien's. It had matched the small hospital's gown design.

Grey rubbed the small piece of cloth between his pointer and thumb, he missed the owner of these clothes so much.

Without needing to ask, the bodyguard relayed the exact location from where he found it, and they quickly left the military base like it was a no strings attached one night stand.

The general felt the unmasked disrespect from Grey's group, and his neutral expression turned nasty.

He clenched his fists and some newfound resentment planted itself in his heart.