My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 55: Not Clean Anymore

The students stood frozen, staring at the man in front of them. Jaxon studied them as well, his eyes moving from face to face. For a brief moment, silence hung between them. Then hope flickered in the students’ eyes.

"M-Mister... are you our school guard?" one of the girls asked, her gaze fixed on his uniform.

"Huh?" Jaxon raised an eyebrow.

Before he could say more, roars echoed down the hallway again, louder this time. His expression hardened at once. He turned his head, scanning the dark corridor with sharp eyes.

"If you want to live," he said calmly, "follow me."

Without waiting, he turned and moved forward, heading up the stairs. The group hesitated, confusion spreading across their faces. They looked to Elaine. She paused for a second, fear and doubt flashing in her eyes, then nodded.

The students followed.

As they moved, Hae-in crept closer and whispered, "Mister... where are we going?"

Jaxon did not slow down. His rifle stayed raised as his eyes swept the corners ahead. "The top floor."

Na-rin stiffened. "W-We shouldn’t go there," she said quickly, her voice rising despite herself.

Jaxon stopped. He turned and looked straight at her.

"That’s where the infected gather," Na-rin continued in a low voice, realizing she had spoken too loudly. "They return there in the morning."

"They’ll return?" Jaxon raised an eyebrow.

"Mm. Every night, they come out and return before morning," Na-rin whispered. The other students nodded in agreement.

"Why?"

Na-rin shook her head. "I don’t know."

The infected’s behavior made Jaxon wary. It was strange, too organized. The thought of a leader crossed his mind, and he quickly pushed it away. Whatever it was, he had no interest in digging deeper. Curiosity was a quick way to die.

"Then where do you think we should go?" he asked.

"The storage area near the court room," Na-rin replied. "I’ve been watching them. They don’t go there."

Jaxon nodded. He did not understand much about this place, and there was no reason to force his own plan. The girl was calm, sharp, and clearly observant.

"Stay behind me and show the way," he said.

Na-rin stepped forward, staying close as she quietly pointed out the turns.

The group of six students, three boys and three girls, along with their homeroom teacher, followed in silence with Jaxon at the front.

Whenever an infected appeared, Jaxon dealt with it before anyone else could react. A soft shot and a body would fall. Elaine and the students could only stare at the headless corpses they passed, their nerves tight as they forced themselves to keep quiet.

Soon enough, the group reached their destination. A quiet, dark storage room tucked beside the gym court. Jaxon moved first, checking the corners and listening closely. After a moment, he nodded. There were no infected nearby.

As he stepped inside, Elaine turned to the students and whispered, "Bring one of the bodies."

They turned back and dragged a headless infected across the floor, pulling it toward the storage room.

Jaxon stopped and looked at them, confused. "What are you doing?"

They all turned to look at him, just as confused by his question.

Hae-in’s eyes dropped to his clothes. Clean, and almost spotless. She frowned. "You didn’t cover yourself with their blood?"

"For what?" Jaxon asked.

Elaine and the students stared at him, their eyes widening as they noticed his clean state.

"How did you survive?" Elaine asked, shocked. ’Was he really out there all this time, running with them on his tail?’ she thought.

Jaxon frowned, still not understanding. Seeing his honest confusion, Hae-in explained, "We smear the infected’s blood on our bodies and clothes. It’s the only way to keep them from sensing us."

Jaxon slowly nodded. So that was it. That explained the smell, the filth, the way they all looked like walking corpses themselves. He had thought they were just exhausted and unwashed.

Then his eyes widened as another thought hit him

"Does anyone have a phone?" he asked at once.

Seeing the calm on his face turn urgent, Hae-in did not ask any questions. She quickly pulled out her phone and handed it to him. "Here."

"Thank you."

He stepped into a corner and dialed Natasha’s number. After a short pause, a familiar voice came through.

"Hello?"

"Natasha. It’s me, Jaxon."

"Jaxon?" Natasha’s voice rose at once. "Thank God you’re okay. I thought... I thought something happened to you."

Her voice shook. Relief, fear, and stress mixed together, all spilling out at once. It was the first time he had ever heard her like this. He had always thought she would stay calm no matter what.

"I’m fine," Jaxon said softly. "Calm down and listen."

He told her about the infected blood and how the students survived by using it to hide their scent.

As he spoke, other voices came through the phone.

"Brother? Is that you?" Cindy’s voice rang out, bright and full of relief.

He also heard Isabel, then Elena. Hearing them again eased something tight in his chest. The call went on as he quickly told them what had happened and where he was.

"Wait for me," Jaxon said at last. "I’ll meet all of you soon."

After ending the call, he stood still for a moment, already planning his move for the next morning.

....

Minutes later, Jaxon and the others began smearing the infected’s blood onto their clothes.

The moment the thick, black blood touched his skin, Jaxon felt his stomach twist. The rotten smell spread fast, clinging to him. He fought the urge to gag. When he looked around, he saw the same reaction on the others. One student turned away and vomited quietly in the corner.

"Are there any other survivors here?" Jaxon asked, forcing himself to stay focused.

Elaine shook her head. "There were sixteen students at first. When the infected attacked, we were split apart." She paused, then looked at him with a fragile hope. "We don’t know if the others are still alive. Maybe they are hiding somewhere else in the school. Can you help find them?"

Before Jaxon could answer, one of the male students spoke up.

"Miss Elaine, forget about them," Bong-gu said. He was tall and chubby, his black hair stuck to his forehead. "They ran. Left us behind while we were still fighting."

"Bong-gu, don’t say that," Elaine replied softly. "They were scared."

"We were scared too," Bong-gu said, his voice shaking. "Jun died holding the principal back so we could escape."

His eyes reddened, tears forming.

"Bong-gu..." Elaine called, her voice breaking. Then she turned to Jaxon. "Mister..."

Jaxon shook his head. "I can’t risk going out again. Not when there’s a high chance they’re already dead."

Elaine closed her eyes, a sharp ache pressing on her chest. Her students had died again. After a long moment, she nodded, forcing herself to accept the truth. Somehow, it felt a little easier this time, maybe she had grown numb after it kept happening over and over. Still, there were others who needed her. She had to keep moving.