My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 105: Burgors the Great

Jaxon pulled out another smoke grenade and hurled it behind them. Thick smoke bloomed between the trees, swallowing the path they came from.

Elena panted as she ran. "Just how many of those do you have?"

"Not many," Jaxon answered. "I’m almost out."

His mind raced as fast as his legs, thinking a way out for their predicament. ’Climb the trees? They’ll reach us. Smoke? It won’t last. Hide? There’s nowhere to hide.’

The thought he’d been avoiding crept back in.

’We might have to stand our ground and fight.’ His grip tightened on his rifle. ’It could work against the bald infected. But if the mutated ones showed up again...’

His thoughts shattered as the infected caught up again. Dozens of them burst through the trees, snarling and sprinting.

Jaxon clenched his jaw and spun around, raising his rifle. He began firing, each shot buying them seconds, nothing more. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"Jaxon, don’t you dare do it again!" Natasha suddenly skidded to a stop, turning and firing beside him. "If you try to lure them away, I’m coming with you!"

"NO! Just keep running!" Jaxon shouted back.

But she was not the only one who stopped. Cindy and Isabel turned back too, raising their rifles and opening fire. "That’s right," Cindy yelled, breathless. "We’re not leaving you again, Brother!"

Elaine stopped next. Then Na-rin. Then Hannah. One by one, the group turned, forming a shaky line as gunfire cracked through the trees.

Jaxon stared at them, disbelief flashing across his face. "What are you doing? KEEP MOVING!"

Elena stepped forward, eyes locked on him. "You’re planning to bait them again, aren’t you?" she said. "I get it, you want to save everyone. But you don’t get to decide alone." Her voice hardened. "We have a conscience too."

Jaxon’s hands trembled. That was exactly what he’d planned, the only option he could see. There was no other path, no escape. He didn’t want to do it, but there was no choice.

His jaw clenched until it ached as he snapped, his composure breaking. "I SAID GET OUT OF HERE!" he roared. "If this keeps going, we’ll burn ourselves out, every one of us, and we’ll all die!"

Natasha frowned, breath hitching as she opened her mouth to argue...

"I’ll do it." Burgors suddenly stepped forward. "I’ll lure them, you all get out of here."

"What are you..." Haris stared at him, stunned.

Then Burgors lifted his sleeve from his arm.

From it was a scratch, but not a normal one. The skin around it had darkened, veins spreading black beneath the surface, crawling up his arm.

Everyone froze. Hands flew to their mouths as they stared in disbelief.

Burgors let out a weak chuckle, his breathing becoming uneven. "This is what happens when a side character tries to be a hero."

Then he suddenly pulled off his rifle and tossed it to Bong-gu.

"From now on, this is yours," he said, meeting Bong-gu’s eyes. "As your senior, consider it a gift. Take good care of it, kid."

"Burgors... no," Haris said, shaking his head. "It’ll be fine. Maybe... maybe there’s something. We can find help."

Burgors looked at him for a long moment, then slowly shook his head. "We both know how this ends."

"N..."

"Just go. Don’t stand there." His voice rose, almost angry. "Don’t make me look pathetic in front of the girls."

"Burgors..." Elena stopped firing. Her hands began to shake as she turned toward him.

Burgors blinked, then smiled. "Huh... that’s the first time you’ve ever said my name like that." His grin softened. "I wish I’d heard it sooner."

"Burgors..." Elena said again. Her voice broke. Tears slipped down her face before she could stop them.

"No... no... no..." Jannah, Hiromi, Hannah, and Cindy could not hold it in, tears streaking down their faces as they tried to keep their weapons up.

"Burgors, it’s not over yet!" Jaxon shouted between shots. "If we can reach the safe zone..." His voice stopped, he knew the truth. There was no saving him. But knowing didn’t make it easier to accept. Rage burned in his chest as he kept firing, his grip on the rifle so tight his hands throbbed, as if pain alone could drown out the thought he refused to face.

Burgors turned to him. "You know Jaxon," he said quietly, "I always wanted to be like you. Strong, someone everyone could rely on." He smiled, small but sincere. "So... let me have this. Just this once... allow me to save everyone."

Jaxon froze. His chest tightened, vision blurring. He bit down hard, swallowing every word he wanted to say.

Before anyone could stop him, Burgors broke into a run, knife clenched in his hand.

"Take them away, Jaxon," he shouted over his shoulder. "I know they’ll be safe with you." Then, with everything he had left, he shouted. "GO! SAVE THEM!"

"No!" Jannah and Hiromi cried, trying to run after him, but Isabel and Natasha grabbed them, holding tight, their own eyes wet as they turned away.

Burgors reached the first infected and drove his knife straight into its skull.

Then he slowed just for a moment, and looked back with a smile. "Haris," he said, laughing softly. "You’ve been a great friend. And... I like your sister too."

"BURGORS!" Haris screamed, trying to break free, but Elena held him back, pulling him close.

Elaine, Claire, Hae-in, and Bong-gu couldn’t hold it in anymore. Their sobs broke loose as they stumbled forward.

Jaxon turned back and shoved them ahead. "MOVE!"

His voice burned with fury, grief, and regret. Everything had been so close. They had made it onto the train. They had escaped. The end was right there. And yet... everything fell apart.

Something inside him cracked. A tear slipped down his face without him noticing as he forced his legs to keep moving, dragging himself forward with the others.

Behind them, Burgors charged straight into the horde, then veered sharply, shouting and waving his arms, pulling the infected away.

’When was the last time I felt like this?’

He felt no fear, no panic. The thought of death did not scare him anymore. It felt strange, almost funny, for someone who had fought so hard just to stay alive.

A smile crept onto his face.

’Mom...’

He remembered her cooking, her voice calling him to eat, the way she smiled even when times were hard. She was all he had before the world ended.

Then the faces of the group filled his mind.

’I found another family,’ he thought, smiling softly. ’I’ll save them this time. I won’t run away again.’

"HAHAHA!" Burgors laughed, his voice rough and wild. "This is me, Burgors the Great! Come on!"

An infected slammed into him, teeth sinking into his shoulder. Pain tore through his body, but he shoved it off and kept running, forcing the horde to follow.

Then he saw it. One infected broke past him, charging toward the group.

"No!" Burgors shouted.

He spun around and rushed back, driving his knife into its skull. Blood sprayed across his face and chest.

His vision darkened, his eyes slowly turned black as more infected swarmed him. They tore into him from every side, teeth sinking into his flesh.

Still, Burgors fought. He stabbed again and again, screaming, pushing forward with all he had left. When an infected bit down hard and ripped his arm away, he barely slowed. He lunged forward, using his teeth and bit back, his body moving on pure instinct and will.

He howled like a monster, his massive frame pushing against the horde, fighting, clawing, biting, refusing to fall.

Memories of laughter, arguments, and quiet moments flashed through his mind. His family.

He fought until there was nothing left of him to fight with.

Until the horde swallowed him whole.

...

From the trees, Jaxon and the group ran, tears streaking their dirt-smeared faces. They cried, but they forced themselves forward, each step heavy with grief and exhaustion.

Jaxon, moving alongside them, pulled out another smoke grenade, pin pulled, and threw it behind, the white haze rolling across the ground to cover their retreat.

Suddenly, Hannah collapsed to her knees, the weight of pain, fear, and sorrow crushing her. She pressed her face into the wet earth, sobs shaking her body.

Cindy rushed to her side. "Hannah... we have to keep going," she urged, her own voice trembling.

"But... but... Burgors... he..." Hannah’s words broke into choked sobs. Cindy gripped her arm tightly, tears running down her own cheeks.

Water splashed against their faces, not just tears this time. The sky darkened, and rain began to fall, first in scattered drops, then heavier, pounding around them. It felt as though the heavens themselves were mourning with them.

Everyone stopped for a moment, letting the rain wash over them. No one spoke, no one moved. The exhaustion, the sorrow, the helplessness, they all pressed down at once. And yet, the infected did not come. Despite everything, the horde had not followed.

Na-rin’s voice broke the silence, barely more than a whisper. "The rain... it’s... hiding us from the infected."

"Burgors..." Bong-gu murmured, choking on his own grief. "This... this is Burgors."

Jaxon lowered his head, letting the rain mingle with his tears. His voice was hoarse as he spoke. "Let’s go... we keep moving."

He helped Haris to his feet. Elena, Natasha, and Na-rin aided those who could barely stand. One by one, the group rose, leaning on each other, crying freely now, the grief pouring out as heavily as the rain.

Together, they continued forward, step by step, the storm soaking them to the bone, yet somehow giving them the strength to survive.