Zombie Exodus: Aftermath, scene 23

Continued from scene 22 

Rushing through his woods, you lower your body and tackle the zombie holding Serena to the ground. Your arms wrap around its waist, and you roll across your back, dragging it with you. The world spins, and you hear the anxious moan of the zombie above you. The momentum carries you, and you release your arms, tossing the infected. It tumbles into the trunk of a tree and scrambles to rise. You hop to your feet and slam your foot into the side of its head, bashing it against the tree trunk. Blow after blow, you hammer your boot against its head until the zombie falls to the ground, its head cracked open and feeding the moss below with its blood.

When you turn to Serena, you see she’s gone. “Serena!”

“Over here!” she shouts back, and you run to her voice. You dash between two trees and move towards the sound of fighting: a growl, a shriek, a call for help. A pit grows in the bottom of your stomach as you fear the worst. You spot a tree marked with brownish blood, and the sounds grow closer.

“I can’t kill this thing.”

It’s Cameron’s voice, and it’s farther away. When you run for him, you catch Portland in the corner of your eye. The zombie lunges at her, but she ducks. Its legs crash into her crouched body, and it tumbles over her. When it lands, Serena bursts from behind a tree, a hunting knife in hand, and drives the six-inch blade through the back of the infected’s skull.

A scream calls from the left, and you run to it. You can hear Serena and Portland at your back as you run through the forest again.

“Help me,” Cameron shouts, and you maneuver through the trees, guided by his voice.

Rifle fire rings out, and the three of you take cover. You wait and listen, fearing another shot strikes you. Voices in the distance carry on the wind, and your instincts tell you to move closer to them. As you move through the woods, you spot tracks through the dirt — two sets of boots spaced apart, heading west. Between the tracks and the voices, you find yourself atop a grassy ridge overlooking a natural path through the woods. Cameron stands with his arms raised to two men, their rifles aimed and their uniforms showing West Point insignias. The body of the gray zombie lies at their feet.

The soldier in the lead points at Cameron. “You’re traveling alone?”

“Yes, sir,” he answers in a broken voice full of fear. “I’ve been on my own for weeks and was scavenging to the north when this infected found me.”

“Bullshit, you couldn’t have survived alone with that injury.”

You feel a hand on your back and turn to see Portland and Serena. The three of you ease down the ridge and speak in whispers.

“Those must be the West Pointers that took my friends, and now they have yours,” Serena says.

“There’s only two of them. We have to save Cameron,” Portland says.

“I’ve only got six shots left in my pistol,” Serena says. “Let’s try to take at least one hostage so that we can interrogate him.”

Portland shakes her head. “If the rumors are true, you can’t intimidate them. Let’s do what we have to do to save Cameron.”

Continue to scene 24