"Stop, stop right here."
"But, we can still go further." Vo keeps on driving. It has been around twelve kilometers from Dan's village.
"You remember what he said? Farther than this, there would be more people. Look."
"But why should we waste the damn fuel?! You walk, there's a risk you're attacked by them. You ride, you can run them over. Choose." Vo gets a bit tense.
"Uhh."
We got closer to the sub-district. Across the way, more villages and houses can be seen. Stores, markets, and culinary zones are all around. But everything that was once a center for the social hustle has now been an abandoned mess.
"This is crazy. Look over there, something's burning." Serx pointed far to the left, a building that was set on fire. The situation around us doesn't seem conducive. People are waving their hands around the streets, some only stare at us from the windows of their fortified homes.
"They're unlucky," I said, worried about what will happen to them. "Eh, but who knows?"
We went down to an intersection. The road in the middle looks wider, like a highway. Near it, a man is frantically waving their hands, yelling at the passing vehicles. Looks like he's begging for a ride. And from the left, another person suddenly jumped at him; an infected.
"Whoa!"
That guy fights back - he stood up, kicking the infected. The fight continued in the middle of the road. At the moment, a sedan is rolling toward him. It quickly swerved to the right lane, only to crash a Pickup car from the opposite direction. That zombie caught himself between the vehicles. It was thrilling just to watch them, somehow. It was, fun, and I don't know why.
Our van took a left turn.
"That's one a good example. Imagine you're there without a vehicle." Vo said, "This vehicle can still run, but the tank will be empty in several kilometers. He will stop only if the fuel runs out. Now I agree with that.
"3:34." Serx read the clock on the dashboard.
Our car takes a turn to the right from the highway
into a smaller road. We don't want to be in the middle of a city when this vehicle runs out of gas. We have gone a kilometer from the intersection until the engine sounded like shaken bolts inside a metal box.
"Right there." Vo drives the van to the side of the road and put it to a halt. "We have to go. Goodbye, lil' van."
Vo got out and opened the back door. The boys look like sleepy mafia backpackers with crazy weapons at hand. We'd only slept two hours before. Down the small road, we walk. On the right are slopes and trees. Everything's quiet, not even a cricket singing it's the creek. All is quiet until a ray of bright light is seen from behind; A police car passing by, very quickly, breaking the darkness of foggy 4 a.m.
"Dude, we could've stopped him and hitched a ride. May save several hours of walking." Anton said.
"Well, should've said earlier."
--
"HELP! HELP!" A piercing cry burst out somewhere ahead.
"Did you guys hear that?" Serx asked everyone.
"That policeman-"
"No, no, no, don't go further, there may be a village and there's chaos going there."
BANG!! A sound of a pistol goes off. It happened a bunch of times in successions until he started yelling again.
"It's clearly that policeman! Help him, we can go together." Dan advise.
"Let's do that!"
We immediately run after him. Behind this curvy road, the police car is now visible. The vehicle was wrecked up. It crashed through the road barrier with one of its fore wheels hanging out of the ledge. And the lone officer is fighting a mob of zombies, overwhelmed.
"Whoa, stop right there!" Vo pulled Anton that wanted to keep going forward. "Prepare to fight guys."
My ears immediately caught some rustling noise from the bushes. Out from there, came out several dogs. It's charging down along the street, then leaped towards the policeman. He dodged it. It's a new sight since then. It looks like a dog that has succumbed to rabies, but, much worse in every way.
"What are you waiting for?" Dan shouted, "Let's go!"
One more dog comes. It's bizarre. I'm still standing, stunned. My vision is glued to the animals.
Then, two zombies came. I immediately took a stance. Using my spear, I drove my spear forward, impaling him. I got that one. Vo's bludgeoning them with his modified club. The rest of the team killed them with ease. Some have died, but more comes in as we advance. We are moving closer to the policeman. Dan tosses a machete to him so that he can stop using that loud firearm.
It's now dozens of them versus us. A zombie rushed to me from the front. I tried to aim my spear up forward. He's caught in the spearhead. With all my strength, I'm pushing the zombie to Serx.
"Behind you!" I gave a signal.
With his double knife, he stabbed my impaled zombie and a dog that jumped at him from the front at the same time. One by one, those unarmed zombies stood no chance against us.
But it hasn't ended yet. That officer had his machete fallen. Two zombies got him. Anton shot one with his bow, but the remaining one is moving a lot he can't take a clear aim. The zombie pushes the policeman to the right side windshield. He has no choice except to get his gun out of the holster.
But poor, the zombie swatted his firearm just right after he got it out. The other bit into his nape, spraying red liquids on the windshield. He's helpless, and now, infected.
The gun dropped several feet ahead of me. In spontaneity, I dashed to get his pistol. After having it grabbed in my grasp, I aimed the reticle toward the zombie, then I squeeze the trigger.
BANG!! It goes loud and kicks strong. Damn, I have never touched a gun before.
"Good." Vo complimented. I was astounded knowing what shooting feels like.
"And how's that guy going? He will 101% be infected if he's still alive." Anton said, looking at his body that doesn't move any muscles anymore.
"No idea."
But, he was still breathing hard, like snoring, but more terrifying this time. He is surely alive, but sick. It seems like the virus is now working inside his body, paralyzing him.
"We have to leave, guys."
"Dang, a half kilo ahead is a kinda crowded settlement." Dan looks at his phone, probably opening a digital map.
"More will come. Get to the car! Stuff yourself in. At least you can cover yourself inside." Vo rushed to that crashed police car. All of us followed. There's no better option.
"Maybe we can get this car running." Vo tries to turn on the engine, which works out. He puts the gear to reverse and presses the pedal.
Guys started to come in as the car's engine roared.
"One seat for two. Three have to sit on the floor. Just don't ask about it." Vo ordered.
"Umm, not really," I said. Something's wrong with this police car.
The car only slide left and right a little, barely moving, despite how hard Vo tried to drive it backward. Smoke plumes out of the exhaust and the frontal engine. Vo peeked out of the car window and found out that the car got stuck to the metal roadside barrier. And to make matters worse, the left wheel is dangling out on the ledge. We can't get it out. Breaking through the thick fog, tens of zombies start to come. All the noise had invited them.
"Guys it's going to be rough."
Vo inserted the fifth gear. For one more time, he stepped hard on the pedal, trying to get the car loose.
The engine blows out a long, harsh roar before the car breaks free. It then slides off the slope, tumbling on some roots and debris, bouncing off rocks and stumps. Tightly filled by dozen of guys, feels like there is no room to breathe. Then it rolled over to the side, shaking the human loads in a hard crash.
The car hits a trunk of a tree and thankfully stopped just right here. It doesn't need to go any further.
I found myself stuck in the legroom of the backseat, with two rucksacks on top of my body. Dizziness and nausea started to kick in. The interior of this entire car looked like a shipwreck but cramped as heck.
"Haha, at least we didn't get attacked by those bloodlust monsters," Vo said, relieved. He pries open the front door. "Ahh, here we go."
"So, where will we go?" Serx asked Dan.
"I don't know for sure, but we have to go east, then north. We have to skip as many settlements through this forest. There's no signal. So how could I have this? This is an offline pre-downloaded map, but I haven't downloaded the areas around us. From the wind direction, we can go this way." Dan points out.
"Yeah, good. Let's hope we don't get a bear on the way."
"Haha, no dude."
"Checkup! Is anyone feeling dizzy, fever, difficulty breathing, or abnormal stuff that may not be comfortable? Sorry but you have to stay here if you feel. The symptoms will appear at least thirty minutes from exposure." Vo said as he went out of the car.
"I don't!" Serx responded. "Oh wait, I think I do because of that whole rolly-ride. Dang it, man."
"Me normal."
"Me as well."