In the woods of Busay, Cebu Province.
"We are running out of bullets." Mark mumbled as he inspected his ammo. They also had to abandon some of their backpacks to lighten their weight and those backpacks contained rations. At this moment, they only had a day of rations left. They could search for food in the forest, but it was too dangerous. There were a lot of zombies roaming in the woods and they just barely escaped from a wave a few hours ago.
"Sir, what did the headquarters say?" A soldier asked before he took a sip of water from his canteen.
Mark was the leader of this small team and his military rank was Sergeant. Their task was to escort two researchers back to Last City, but the sudden appearance of the zombies made things difficult for them. "They want us to head towards Vista Tower 1.7 kilometers east of our current location. I spoke with the commanding general and he said that the backup force is already on their way here." He said in a grim tone.
The expression of the four soldiers hardened upon hearing this. The path towards Vista Tower was fraught with danger and there were some scattered zombies.
Looking at the sullen faces of his teammates, Mark said. "We just have to push through this. I don't think the headquarters would abandon us. Besides, I think they need the help of these two researchers." He stared at the two people wearing blue lab clothes. One was a slightly fat middle-aged man wearing glasses, while the other one was an old man with a head full of white hair.
The faces of four soldiers eased up as they nodded in agreement.
"Rip your shirt and wrap them around your shoes. This would minimize the sound we make as we move. We should go now. The zombies might discover us soon." Mark said as he ripped his shirt into two. He then wrapped the torn pieces of his shirt around his shoes.
The others followed his suggestion. Mark managed to safely bring them to this place so they trusted his judgement.
After everyone was done, Mark said. "Let's go."
They silently moved through the woods. They encountered some stray zombies, but Mark told them not to use their guns to avoid attracting attention. "There are only three of them. Gerald... Sheldon... attach your knives to your rifles. We will strike them up close. Be careful not to get bitten or scratched. You two stay here and protect the VIPs."
"Yes, sir!"
Mark and two more soldiers slowly walked towards the roaming zombies. He gave a hand signal to the two before he moved towards one of the zombies.
However, before he could get close to the zombie, it suddenly turned around and growled at him, revealing its sharp teeth. The zombie pounced towards him while brandishing its claws.
'What?! How did it notice me? Does it also have a keen sense of smell?' Mark was surprised, but he wasn't flustered. He raised his rifle and aimed the knife attached to it towards the head of the zombie.
After fighting with the zombies earlier, he noticed that their weakness was their heads. As long as he could severely damage the brain, the zombie would be killed.
"Ha!" He grunted as he pushed his rifle forward.
Puchi!
The knife cleanly pierced through the head of the zombie, killing it immediately!
Meanwhile, the other two soldiers were having some troubles, but they also managed to kill their targets without being injured.
"Are you two alright?" Mark asked while scanning them from head to foot. The zombie virus was very contagious and just one bite was enough to transfer the virus.
"I'm fine."
"Me too."
"Good. Let's proceed carefully." Mark heaved a sigh of relief. He didn't want to lose his men. These guys were his brothers in arms and he didn't want anything to happen to them.
The group slowly headed towards Vista Tower. They encountered more zombies along the way, but they managed to eliminate them easily. Although the zombies looked scary, they lacked mobility so it was quite easy for them to handle a few scattered ones. They were lucky enough that there was no longer a horde or it would have been a tough chase for them since they were almost out of bullets.
After more than an hour of walking and more than five times of detours, they finally saw an apartment building ahead of them.
"We're already close and backup should be here soon." Mark's words ignited everyone's hope.
They walked for another ten minutes when they encountered a zombie that was out of the ordinary. It was twice the size of a normal zombie and its arms were thick and muscular. There were also more than twenty zombies surrounding it.
After taking a closer look, they noticed that these zombies were actually feasting on a few unlucky humans. One of them was still alive and he was screaming for help.
"Heeeellllpppp!!! Ahhhhhh!!!"
Mark and the others could only watch as the zombies devoured the unlucky fellow. The scene was gruesome, making the two researchers retch in disgust. Even Mark's subordinates frowned from the hair-raising scene.
Suddenly, the giant zombie stopped moving and it moved its nose upwards, sniffing the air.
Mark had a bad feeling when he saw this. He turned his head behind him and saw the fat researcher puking with a red face. 'Crap! Did that guy smell his vomit?! What a keen sense of smell!'
"They discovered us! Quick! Head towards the tower! I will slow them down!" Mark shouted towards the group.
"Sir..."
"What are you guys hesitating for?! Move!" Mark shouted with a fierce look. He then turned his gaze back to the giant zombie. To his shock, he realized that it was already running towards their position.
"Sir, please come back safely!" The soldiers shouted at him before they sprinted towards the tower.
Mark glared at the giant zombie as he raised his rifle. "Come at me, you bastard!"
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