Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 33

Continued from scene 32 

You jump out of the Jeep and grab an M-16 as several West Point soldiers break from the tree line. You open with a burst of suppressive gunfire, which forces them to retreat to the safety of the woods. Steven dashes straight to Serena, who keeps firing toward the forest at her unseen targets. From behind you, Jesse climbs out of the back of the Jeep and throws her body against it to free the back wheels.

A shot hits the ground next to you, forcing you to run to the opposite side of the road and take cover behind the tall bush. As a soldier pops his head from the tree line, you fire at him. A line of blood flips off his shoulder, and he retreats with a cry of pain. A flurry of bullets hit the ground around you, forcing you to draw back even farther. You step behind a tree, crouching low as bullets strike the thick trunk. You flinch with each pop and crack of the wood.

“Press forward! Do not let them get away!” the captain shouts across the road.

When the storm of bullets stops striking the tree trunk, you peek towards the road and see Steven firing as he runs towards Serena. You pop from cover and run towards the edge of the tree line. A pair of guards rush out, rifles raised at Steven, who fires and hits one in the chest. The other soldier, a skinny boy with light blond hair and a long rifle, drops his weapon and runs off into the trees.

You hear the roar of the Jeep engine and turn to see the grill as its skids to a stop only a few feet behind you. Dirt flies at you in a wave, covering you.

“Get in,” Megan shouts.

Jesse stands in the back with the M-60, and you can see her toying with the back of the weapon until it discharges a volley of bullets into the woods. She jumps as the weapon swings out of control, and she wraps her arms around it to control the direction of gunfire. The bullets slice through the ground and into the trees, pinning the rest of the soldiers from advancing.

You leap into the side of the Jeep, and as it lunges forward, you fall into the passenger seat. “Hold on,” Megan says, and you turn to see a determined smile on her face. As the Jeep bears down the road towards Steven and Serena, you catch a flash of something thrown from the forest.

“Grenade!” someone shouts, and you catch sight of a dark-haired man with a full beard and a splint on his leg at the edge of the forest.

Megan spins the wheel of the Jeep, which turns and slides along the dirt. Your eyes go to Steven and Serena, and in the next second, you witness a flash of light and an explosion of sound. The shock hits you from thirty meters away, though it only feels like a strong gust of wind. Smoke covers the bodies of Steven and Serena. It dissipates quickly, and you see them both lying on the ground, unmoving.

“Over there,” Jesse shouts and points to a side path through the woods on the left, where you see Portland jumping and waving her hands at you.

Gunshots call from behind, and Jesse spins the machine gun behind the Jeep. Standing at the edge of the forest, seventy-five meters away, the captain and contingent of soldiers, perhaps a dozen, aim at the Jeep.

Continue to scene 34