"Scott Morris," Craig said. "By the power vested in me by the government, I sentence you to death."
Scott's eyes widened as Craig raised the gun, firing off a single silver bullet that tore through his skull, blood spraying across the room.
The body went limp, hanging from the shackles as Craig put his gun away.
"Come on," Sadie said, grabbing her notes. "You guys know the drill."
Deepa and Parker rose to their feet, joining her as they entered the room.
Deepa wrinkled her nose at the scent of blood as she moved around the body.
"Any problems?" Craig asked, wiping his face with his sleeve.
"None," Parker said. "We took out two wolves and one that was just turned."
"Excellent," Craig said. "Keep it up and you might make a squad leader next month."
"Thanks, sir." Parker grinned, puffing out his chest, until Deepa elbowed him in the ribs. "Deepa also killed one," he wheezed.
Craig eyed her, looking impressed. "Very good. You're becoming quite the asset here, Deepa."
Deepa blushed, looking down at her feet.
"I'll have the body burned," Sadie said, already calling someone on her radio.
"I want you all to take the rest of the night off," Craig said. "Get some sleep, eat something, and report back in twelve hours."
"Yes, sir," they replied in unison.
"And then he was going on about how we can all live peacefully together," Parker took a sip of his beer. "Can you believe it? Like those monsters aren't the reason why we have to put people down every night."
"I know, right?" Varn mumbled through a mouth full of burger.
The bar was crowded with college students and several other Infection Control officers. It was old and smelled like stale cigarettes, but it was cheap and served food until late.
"I don't know," Sadie said while idly munching on her fries. "I read the guy's file. He didn't seem so bad. He was actually trying to help the turned by giving them medication and a place to live. I think he honestly believed what he was saying."
"Oh come on," Parker snapped. "You don't actually believe all that peace and love bullshit, do you? Those people he helped probably went mad and killed people later on.”
"I'm not saying that they aren't dangerous," Sadie said. "But that doesn't mean we have to kill every single one."
"So what, you're a sympathizer now?" Parker demanded.
"Don't be ridiculous," Sadie retorted. "I'm just saying we shouldn't be so quick to pull the trigger on them."
"Hey, calm down," Deepa interjected, sensing that the situation was about to escalate. "There's no reason to fight about this."
Parker snorted, draining the rest of his beer. "Fine. Whatever. I'm getting another round."
"Wait, Parker," Deepa called after him, but he ignored her, disappearing into the crowd.
"Sorry," Sadie said. "I didn't mean to-"
"Don't worry about it," Deepa cut her off, shaking her head. "He's just.... sensitive, that's all."
Varn snorted, taking another bite of his burger.
"Hey," Sadie said while lowering her voice to a whisper. "Is it true that his parents were... you know..."
