Chapter 10: Chapter 10 Awakening
The team immediately sprang into action, shooting down the zombies that had begun gathering around them.
Dylan quickly climbed onto the car roof and opened fire on the encroaching horde of zombies.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Sylas jumped out of the car and positioned himself back-to-back with another soldier, both of them taking down the relentless swarm of zombies.
"The sound of gunshots is attracting even more of them! Comrades, we need to move quickly!" Kyle shouted, firing at a zombie lunging toward them.
After several minutes of relentless gunfire, the team finally cleared the area. Piles of corpses now littered the ground around them.
Kyle quickly assigned four soldiers to stand guard, keeping watch for any approaching zombies, while instructing the rest to push aside the overturned car blocking the road. It was an off-road vehicle, and scattered around it were dozens of heavy metal poles. Nearby, a truck lay on its side, its cab smashed halfway into a shop. The only way forward was to physically move the overturned car away from the road.
The team consisted of twenty-five members.
Under Major Kyle's command, twenty-one of them put their full strength into pushing the overturned car.
"Major, I hear noises coming from the alley on my right. It might be a group of zombies," one of the soldiers reported, aiming his gun toward the alley.
"I hear something from my side too," another soldier added, his voice tense.
Bang!
A gunshot echoed as one of the soldiers took down a zombie advancing toward them.
"Try to hold them off for a while," Major Kyle responded through gritted teeth. He pushed the car alongside the other members. The sound of metal scraping against the asphalt rang sharply as they struggled to move the vehicle to the side.
"Everyone, we're almost there. Push harder!" Major Kyle shouted, his muscles bulging as he strained against the weight.
Sweat dripped down Sylas's temple as he poured every ounce of his strength into pushing the car. If it hadn't been overturned, it would have been easier, but with the roof pressed against the ground and it's wheels above, moving the nearly 4,000-pound off-road vehicle was a difficult task.
"Almost there," Kyle said, his body trembling from the exertion.
At that moment, the sound of gunfire erupted again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The four soldiers guarding them had already engaged the approaching zombies. The sharp cracks of gunfire mixed with the guttural, intangible sounds of the undead could be heard by everyone.
"Major, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold on much longer," the soldier said as he shot at the zombies, all while slowly retreating. The zombies kept falling, but more and more were approaching. Even the guns couldn't contain them. These creatures were neither fully dead nor alive, making them unafraid of bullets, unlike a normal human.
Dylan's eyes were bloodshot as he exerted every ounce of strength, pushing the car alongside the other team members. From the corner of his eye, he saw the approaching horde of zombies. If they didn't hurry, the zombies would keep coming, drawn by the sound of gunshots, further exhausting them. Desperation clawed at him as he huffed and inhaled sharply. In that moment, the sounds of gunfire, zombies, and the ragged breathing of his teammates seemed to fade away slowly, and the only thing inside his mind was to push away the vehicle blocking the road. Unbeknownst to him, his bloodshot eyes slowly regained their natural color, and his pale blue eyes constricted. Then, all of a sudden, he let out a loud roaring scream.
Agghhh...
The heavy vehicle, which twenty-one team members had been struggling to move, was suddenly shoved aside by Dylan and crashed into the building near the road.
The rest of the team stood frozen, dumbfounded by the unbelievable scene in front of them. Staring at the vehicle now smashed into the shop, they couldn't believe their eyes.
"H-how did you...?" one of the soldiers stammered in surprise. But before he could finish his sentence, Dylan, still frozen in a pushing stance, seemed to lose all his strength and collapsed.
Sylas, who was nearby, immediately caught him.
"Everyone, take down the zombies first, hurry!" Major Kyle ordered, waking up the rest of the team who were momentarily stunned.
Though shocked, the soldiers didn't waste time. They quickly picked up their guns and began shooting at the zombies, giving the four guards a brief moment to catch their breath.
Major Kyle rushed toward Dylan and said to Sylas, "I'll take him to the car. Cover me, in case."
"Yes, Major," Sylas replied, then handed the unconscious Dylan to Kyle.
Major Kyle wasted no time, carrying Dylan to the car and laying him down in the backseat. He immediately began checking Dylan's condition. Dylan appeared to be simply sleeping, his was steady.
Sylas stood by the car door, vigilant. Though they were in the center, protected by the soldiers, he didn't let his guard down.
After a while, through the combined efforts of the team, all the zombies were taken down.
"There will be more coming. We need to leave now. Everyone, get in the car, hurry!" Major Kyle instructed as he sat in the backseat with the unconscious Dylan.
"Leo, you drive the car, and Sylas, take the front seat. I have some questions I need to ask you," Major Kyle ordered as they started the vehicles.
The rest of the team immediately got into the cars and drove away.
"Sylas, I noticed you were the closest to Dylan, so I want to ask you about him," Major Kyle said.
"Sir, to be honest, I've only known him for a few days, so I don't know much about him. All I know is that he's a retired Special Task Force member," Sylas replied honestly.
To be honest, Sylas was far from calm at the moment. He knew he wasn't the only one feeling this way after witnessing what had just happened—it looked like something straight out of a superhero movie.