"What the hell am I seeing? This is absolute bullshit. No way this is real!"
According to Lilly, there were more than 2,000 people here. Each person needed to kill ten zombies. How many would be necessary to fill the smallest quota?
20,000. That was the number needed for 2,000 people to pass. What I was seeing should have been many times that! The zombies surged through the dimly lit cavern like a tide of death. As I was in the middle, I could hear fighting from all directions.
In seconds, thousands of zombies charged at the people on the edges. I saw the people get torn apart. Men, women, and children screamed in pain and terror all around me. I could hardly stop myself from puking.
'Fuck! Move, John! You'll die if you don't!'
Fighting in the dark was suicide. I couldn't even see the enemy like this. Most people likely had the same idea that I did. Large groups ran toward the flare of Alphabet or the fire column of Tesla behind me.
The shining flare was very far away. But, from my position, I could see the zombies. They surged forward, a wave of rotting flesh. It crashed against the spot below the flickering light, hungry for prey.
"Fuck that, no way I can survive there with only a handgun," I complained.
I looked behind towards the flame tower. I noticed they were fending off wave after wave of undead in a similar manner, but their numbers were fewer. Each Tesla knight carried a tower shield and formed a wall of metal. They formed a Roman orb and hacked at the nearby zombies while protecting their group.
The increasing number of bodies around them proved their fighting prowess. As it seemed like a good idea to join such a group, I started running toward them. Yet, the next thing I saw forced me to stop.
Two swordsmen who were closer cried out while killing their way toward the Tesla group.
"Brothers! Please let us join you! We can carry our weight!"
Without waiting for an answer, one of the swordsmen approached the knights. When he got beside the circle, a Tesla knight hacked him to death. The abrupt murder stopped me and everyone else from coming closer.
A cold voice, full of disdain, spoke.
"Worms aren't meant to become Reapers. Do us a favor and die away from here. The undead corpses are annoying enough."
The insanity of it all surprised me. The people here were no longer human. Trusting others in this situation was both naive and suicidal.
Heroes would be the first to die. I already did that. Not interested. But what could I do? I couldn't stay still and die. I had to think!
In any RPG, a ranged combatant would have been unable to survive out in the open. You had to either be behind a tank or in a defensive formation like a fort or something.
Thus, I needed to find high ground as soon as possible. I couldn't remember anything suitable in my surroundings, except for the platform.
The platform! That was it! It was even taller than me, and there were spotlights around it. If we could turn them on, we could fight back! I ran away from the Tesla group and moved toward the platform.
Not used to this level of physical activity, my breath was already ragged as I gasped for air. Unable to keep my pace, I slowed down to a jog while still going in the same direction. I checked around as I did.
I regretted my decision immediately. Faint lights showed mangled corpses as zombies feasted on them. I heard crunching sounds from their jaws. A foul smell assaulted me. The odor was like that of a dead animal but many times worse.
Covering my mouth, I tried to ignore them and continued to my destination. The further I went, the darker it got. This area seemed deserted aside from a few zombies that were eating. I was lucky that they were preoccupied. But where were the other survivors?
As I continued my jog, I heard an unintelligible groan that made my body shiver. It was close. Too close. Not taking a chance, I ran away at full speed, without even bothering to turn back. Sure enough, the sounds of footsteps that chased after me soon followed. The fear turned my spine cold.
"Fuck! Run, you fat bastard! We will die if you don't!" I cried out in despair.
If they reacted to light and sound, then using a gun was fucking suicide! The moment I shot one, they would be all over me!
Then, I heard the faint sounds of combat. Glowing weapons and corpses on fire were visible in the distance. A lot of figures were rushing toward the area.
In front of me, a figure lunged towards what appeared to be an obese female who stumbled. Like a football quarterback, the zombie tackled the fat woman to the ground. Her bone-chilling screams were horrifying to hear.
"AHHH! HELP! HELP ME, PLEASE! IT HURTS! SOMEONE HELP!"
For a brief second as I passed, even in the dim light, time slowed down when our eyes met. Her desperation was obvious. Still, her expression transformed into terror when I looked away. I ignored her pitiful pleas as I ran.
"NOOOOO! SAVE ME! SAVE ME, PLEASE! DON'T ABANDON ME!"
In my mind, I could only lament my weakness. I was sorry for her. I would die if I stopped! My legs pushed me ever faster due to adrenaline. On the way, I passed an old man and a young child. They asked for help in the same manner, yet I ignored them without compassion and went on my way.
"THEY WILL COME AND GET YOU TOO, BOY! YOUR TIME WILL ALSO COME!" cried the old man in anger.
The child let out a pitiful wail. "I want to go home! Mommy! Waaaaah!"
Not even making eye contact, I passed them as I would pass a dead animal. Tears fell from my eyes. I was such a coward. It was the same as me killing them. Still, even with such thoughts, I did not stop running. Their screams would leave a lasting impression on my dreams for years to come.
In this open space, the moment I engaged them, they would swarm me. I couldn't outrun the zombies forever. The screams faded behind me. But the gnashing teeth grew louder. I had to keep moving. Unfortunately, it would get louder when I passed those eating corpses.
I couldn't stop. Heading for the platform was my only goal. Nothing else mattered.
Adrenaline coursed through my system as I dashed as fast as I could. My throat burned from exhaustion. The sharp pain in my chest and legs almost caused me to stop.
In desperation, I looked up, only to see a large group of survivors fighting the zombies. The group used the platform to shield their backs. Even better, I could also see people atop the platform shooting arrows.
"Huff! Just need to make it there. Huff! Just a little bit more," I encouraged myself.
I then noticed a figure rushing toward me from the right side. It was a man with red hair who wore armor. The man carried a sword in his hand.
'Why the hell is he coming here? Fuck, he isn't going to do what I think he is, right?'
I stretched my right arm towards him, gun in hand. If that bastard tried his luck, I would smoke him.
Yet the man simply smiled and brandished his sword toward me.
FUCK! WAS HE SERIOUS? THIS FUCKING LUNATIC!
I aimed.
I squeezed the trigger and opened fire. The man calmly held the flat of his sword to his face as he approached. The recoil from my shot sent my arm wild. Even worse, it prevented me from aiming again on top of missing. The only consolation was that I didn't drop the gun.
Before I could fire again, he slashed my right thigh. Unable to avoid it, he carved a deep gash and sent me tumbling. My face smashed onto the ground as he spoke.
"No hard feelings, mate. Just surviving, yeah?"
I couldn't even rebut him. Didn't I do the same thing? Yeah. This was hell. A dog-eat-dog world. Everyone was an enemy. I had to learn and survive. I bit my lip and moved on.
'I am going to put a bullet in you. Wait for me you motherfucker.'
I wheezed for air. Despite the pain in my wounded thigh, I turned around and got on one knee. I gripped the firearm with both hands. I aimed it, with steady determination, at the approaching undead. My proximity to the burning corpses gave me better visibility. I could now see the zombies from various directions.
"Five zombies with fifteen more incoming. I refuse to die here. I still need to kill that bastard. Come at me, you fuckers!" My angry roars drove the fear out of my system as I braced myself for battle.