Jaxon finally finished off the last of the crawling infected, the faint sound of his shots fading. A small notification flickered before his eyes, (+17 Coins earned).
He was about to check his stats when a distant cry broke through the stillness.
"Help!"
Jaxon froze, then quickly turned his rifle toward the sound. Through his scope, about four hundred meters away, he spotted a chubby young man running in panic down the street.
"Wait... isn't that Burgors?" Jaxon muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Man, what the hell are you doing outside?"
He knew him, one of the few people he'd actually talked to in the neighborhood, someone he used to play with when they were younger.
Jaxon steadied his rifle and began taking aim. He took the shot, knowing it was beyond his comfortable range, hoping for luck.
"Damn it, you're too far, Burgors," he muttered after missing his first shot. The infected were closing in fast from behind, and even with his scope, the distance was too much. The farthest distance he could shoot accurately was two hundred meters, but Burgors was over three hundred away.
"Come on, don't go that way," Jaxon whispered, tracking him through the scope. "There are infected down that street..."
"Huff... huff... anyone, help! Help me!" Burgors gasped as he ran down, his voice cracking from panic. Behind him, a swarm of infected chased relentlessly, their footsteps and growls echoing through the empty neighborhood.
Up ahead was a wide intersection. He didn't stop to think, just ran and turned sharply at the corner, barely avoiding an infected that lunged at him from the opposite side.
"Left... right..." he muttered breathlessly, zigzagging through the maze of streets. Every corner he turned, he tried the doors of nearby houses. "Please, open up! Somebody!" He slammed his fist against a door, but there was no answer. Only the guttural moans of the infected closing in.
Eyes wide with fear, Burgors pushed off the wall and sprinted again. Luck seemed to be on his side as he dodged through narrow alleys and turned just in time to avoid groups of zombies ahead. His breathing grew ragged, sweat dripping down his face, but he kept on running.
Then, he stopped.
The road ahead was blocked by a tall wall. A dead end.
Heart pounding, he turned back and dashed into the next corner, only to find another dead end.
"No... no, no, no!" he stammered, backing away as the sounds of growls grew louder. The swarm had caught up, filling the street behind him, their hollow eyes locking on him like predators finding prey.
He was trapped.
"No, no, I don't want to die!" Burgors gasped, his eyes darting around frantically for a way out. Then he spotted an electric post nearby. Without thinking twice, he ran toward it and leapt, wrapping his arms around the rough metal surface.
It wasn't easy to climb. There were no proper grips, and his chubby frame made every move a struggle, but fear gave him strength. Bit by bit, he pulled himself higher, ignoring the pain in his arms and legs as the infected swarmed below, clawing and growling up at him.
He looked down and breathed in relief. "I did it... I actually..."
But before he could finish, one of the infected suddenly jumped and latched onto the post. Its filthy hands dug into the metal as it began climbing up after him, its eyes locked on his leg.
Across his window, Jaxon froze. "What the hell..." he muttered, his eyes widening as he saw it through the scope. 'You're joking, right? They can climb now?'
Burgors, meanwhile, was losing his mind. "No! Stay away!" he screamed, tears streaming down his face as the infected drew closer and closer. Its mouth opened wide, ready to bite...
"Mama! Save me!"
Then...
Thup!
The creature's head burst open, spraying blood and flesh across the post before its body dropped back to the ground.
Burgors froze, staring wide-eyed at the corpse below. The dull thud of the body hitting the ground echoed in his ears. It took him a second to realize what just happened, someone had shot the infected.
"Help! I'm here! Help me!" he shouted, looking around wildly, but he couldn't tell where the shot had come from.
'Idiot, don't shout,' Jaxon thought, tightening his grip on the rifle. 'You'll just attract more of them.'
Sure enough, another infected began crawling toward the post. It reached up, grabbing hold of the metal and pulling itself up.
Thup! Thup!
Two clean shots rang out, and both infected dropped instantly, their heads bursting open before they could even touch Burgors.
From his window, Jaxon stayed calm and focused. 'Huh... this actually got easier,' he thought. 'The distance is perfect, and since they're climbing one by one, it slows them down a lot.'
A small grin tugged at his lips. 'Just hang in there, Burgors. We'll start farming some zombies... I mean I'm going to save you.'
And with that, another round of quiet killing began.
.....
Thup! Thup!
Jaxon fired again, then paused to reload. He glanced at the magazine and realized it was his last set of bullets. From the start until now, he'd already taken down dozens of infected, earning a total of twenty-six coins.
Without wasting time, he opened the system store and focused his thoughts.
(DMR Bullets - 100 rounds purchased. 20 coins spent.)
A small box appeared out of thin air beside him. He placed it on the table and turned back to check on Burgors.
Below, the bodies of the infected were accumulating beneath the post, forming a gruesome pile that reached nearly halfway up. Jaxon realized it was making it easier for the remaining zombies to climb. Despite his efforts, more than a dozen still lingered, drawn by the sound of the gunfire.
Burgors saw it, too. His arms trembled as he clung to the post, sweat beading on his forehead. He struggled to hold on, the strain becoming unbearable.
"Hey! I... I can't hold on much longer!" he called out, his voice strained.
Desperate, Burgors scanned his surroundings for an escape. His eyes landed on an open window a short distance away.
He glanced down at the infected below. Their jaws snapped hungrily, as if anticipating the taste of his flesh.
Burgors trembled, anxiety coursing through him. His arms felt weak, his grip slipping, but he forced himself to take a deep breath.
'Three… two… one…'
He pushed off the post, throwing himself at the window with everything he had left.
He didn't quite make it. His body slammed hard against the wall, but his hands caught the edge of the window. He clung there, muscles screaming, holding on for dear life.
"I... I am not gonna die a virgin!" he yelled through clenched teeth.
With a final surge of strength, he hauled himself up and tumbled awkwardly through the window, landing in a heap inside.
….
Up above, Jaxon let out a sigh of relief. Burgors had helped him take down more zombies than he could even count. If the guy had died out there, it would've weighed on his conscience.
"Stay safe in there, Burgors," Jaxon murmured, letting out a long, tired breath. His shoulder was throbbing from the constant recoil, and now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he could finally feel the ache in his hands and arms.