My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 83: Five Against the Night

A few hours later, Jaxon was jolted awake by heavy thuds echoing through the streets. Hoarse, guttural voices followed, layered with the sharp crash of glass and the twisting of metal. Something was tearing through the street.

He pushed himself up, wincing as his ribs protested, and saw the four of them already gathered near the front of the store. Guns were ready in their hands, faces sharp and focused.

"Jaxon, you’re up," Sam whispered, his voice low and tense. "Looks like we won’t be getting any sleep tonight."

Kira crouched at the window, peering through the narrow gaps. Her brow was furrowed as she followed the movements below.

"They’re tearing through every house, even the empty ones. They’ll reach us soon," she said, her voice calm but edged with warning.

Harlan leaned against the wall, shotgun resting across his forearm. A smirk tugged at his lips. "They’re going crazy again, huh. Looks like we’re gonna have some fun tonight." He racked the shotgun’s pump with a practiced motion, each movement smooth and confident.

Rex, the mohawked man, adjusted his submachine gun with the same calm precision, eyes cold and focused. He racked it once, then rested it against his shoulder.

Jaxon couldn’t help but notice, none of them showed the slightest hint of fear. Not like the trembling civilians he had seen before.

"Just stay behind us, Jaxon," Sam said, patting his shoulder lightly. "We’ll handle it."

Jaxon nodded quietly, slipping to a corner. He summoned his DMR silently, careful not to draw attention, and hoisted the bag of rifles he had collected onto his back.

BANG. BANG. BANG.

The reinforced door shuddered under the force. Scratches and the sound of something charging echoed against the windows and walls.

"Time to work, they’re coming," Harlan said, a calm smile on his face as he lit a cigarette.

Glass and wood reinforcements splintered first, as bald infected forced their way through the windows.

BANG. One was blasted apart by Harlan’s shotgun before it could fully enter.

More came, but each was met with a hail of bullets. The gunfire rang loud inside the shop, drawing the attention of the horde outside. They surged toward the building, a living wave of snarls and claws.

"WHAHAHHA! Fucking idiots, eat this!" Rex laughed, letting loose with his submachine gun. His rifle spitting lead with deadly precision.

Kira’s twin Uzis barked in rhythm, carving clean paths through the approaching horde. Sam added his own shots, shooting down anything that got too close.

BOOM.

Suddenly, the door and part of the concrete wall exploded, ripping open a massive gap.

A massive, muscular hand shot through first, followed by a towering Variant, muscles rippling under taut, pale skin.

"What in the hell..." Sam gulped, stepping back instinctively.

Harlan didn’t flinch. He aimed, pulled the trigger, and each shot landed with deadly precision.

Before the variant could step fully inside, the four of them rained bullets down, forcing it to retreat. Still, the hole remained, as infected poured through the breach.

’Damn, these guys are badass.’ Jaxon thought in amazement.

They moved like a single unit. Harlan held the front line, covering the chokepoints. Rex laid down suppressive fire, forcing the horde to scatter. Kira and Sam flanked, taking precise shots at anything that got too close. Every weakness was covered, every angle guarded.

Jaxon steadied his DMR behind them, letting the rhythm of their teamwork guide his own shots. The chaos outside became a controlled battlefield inside.

Suddenly, a chunk of concrete, the size of a soccer ball, came flying toward them.

"Watch out!" Kira shouted. Rex barely rolled out of the way as the rock smashed into the ground beside him.

"What the fuck was that?" Rex growled, eyes narrowing.

Through the smoke and dust, they spotted it, the Variant.

Rex started firing, bullets tearing into the ground near it, but it ducked behind a crumbling wall with inhuman speed. "Holy shit... what the fuck is that monster?" he growled.

"Take cover! Another one’s coming!" Kira yelled.

More chunks of concrete flew toward them, each one forcing them to dive behind overturned counters and broken shelves.

One massive rock barreled toward Sam. Before it could impact, it shattered into pieces midair.

Jaxon’s eyes followed the Variant as he aligned his shot. In that split second, he squeezed the trigger, hitting the rock aimed at Sam and sending it flying apart.

The Variant’s grotesque form appeared in his scope as he fired. A bullet hit, grazing its ear and chipping a piece of its skull. The creature yelped and retreated behind cover, bleeding, but still alive. That stopped its throws, at least for the moment.

"Let’s get out of here," Rex said, gritting his teeth. The horde around them was growing too thick.

They fell back toward the backdoor, firing as they retreated. Jaxon quietly followed, hoisting his DMR, keeping an eye on every shadow.

Harlan took the front, moving like a wall of iron. His shotgun barked again and again, tearing through any infected that got too close.

Step by step, they made it out into the streets, already crawling with the infected.

"I’ll take the right, Kira on the left," Rex said, stepping forward as the horde advanced. Kira didn’t need to be ordered twice. She moved to the left and opened fire on the advancing infected.

Sam stayed behind, covering their rear, while Jaxon moved in the middle, firing shot after shot.

’So this is what it feels like to have capable comrades,’ Jaxon thought, a small smile tugging at his lips despite the chaos. ’These guys are the real deal.’ With them by his side, survival didn’t feel impossible.

"There... there’s something on the rooftop!" Sam shouted.

Jaxon’s eyes snapped upward. He saw a familiar form, the fast, hunter-like mutated infected crouched above, its limbs ready to pounce. "Dodge!" he yelled.

The group’s formation instantly broke as everyone scattered to avoid the charge.

"Motherfucker!" Rex cursed, spraying his submachine gun at it, but the creature twisted midair, leaping from building to building, narrowly avoiding the bullets.

"Get out of the way. I’ll handle it," Harlan said, shoving Rex aside. He stepped into the open, cigar clenched between his teeth, smoke curling into the night air.

The mutated infected lunged at him. Harlan fired his shotgun, the recoil rocking him back slightly, and the bullets slammed into one of its legs.

Suddenly, the creature’s head exploded.

Harlan blinked, momentarily surprised. He wasn’t the one who fired the fatal shot. His gaze shifted, and he saw Jaxon, rifle still aimed.

"Nice shot, kid," Harlan said, a rare smile breaking across his face.

The group didn’t waste time celebrating. They pushed forward, moving through the infected-packed streets with deadly precision.

Still, the horde of superhuman infected was too much for just five people. They were funneled into a narrow alley, backs pressed against the walls, forced to make their stand.

"There, there’s a ladder!" Jaxon pointed at the emergency ladder bolted to the side of the building not far from them.

"Move, move!" Rex barked, rushing toward it first.

"That bastard..." Harlan muttered, holding his ground, protecting the others as they edged toward the ladder.

They reached the ladder, and Kira was the first to climb after Rex. After she reached the top, she shouted down, "I’ll cover you! Climb on!" Her twin Uzis roared, cutting down the infected swarming below.

Rex and Kira, now on the rooftop, unleashed a hail of bullets down on the horde, each shot finding its mark. Sam followed after, keeping his head low as he climbed.

Soon, only Jaxon and Harlan remained below.

"Get up, kid! It’s your turn." Harlan called, his voice steady but urgent.

"I’m fine. You go on first," Jaxon replied, keeping his rifle trained on the approaching infected, each pull of the trigger buying precious seconds.