"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The gunfire echoed through the woods, accompanied by the terrified screams of men. The moonlight cast a sickly glow on the ground, making it even more eerie and chilling.
The police had surrounded the officers who had turned into zombies, but it was clear that regular bullets were no match for these creatures. Following the previous incident, many were reluctant to even approach the zombies.
If this situation continued, it would spread like the plague.
Two bitten officers, John Cole and Matt Dawell, had bitten two more officers. Those bitten afterwards also turned into zombies, joining in the frenzy of biting their fellow officers.
"I think we need backup, Sheriff Louise, we can't hold them off. If they reach the town, it'll be the end. It's like a scene straight out of a zombie movie, my god... how did this happen?" Team leader Sean R. Gimmy was clearly panicked as he yelled at Sheriff Louise, who had a rigid expression on her face.
"Backup would take over an hour to get here, you think we can hold off for that long?" Sheriff Louise snapped back. "Damn it - you call for backup, I'll figure out something... Patton, has Mr. Jason come out yet?" She continued talking to Gimmy while dialing Officer Patton's number on her phone.
"No, I haven't found Mr. Jason, he's not at home. My god, at a time like this, he's not home!" Officer Patton's voice was filled with anxiety from the other end. "I'll keep looking, I'll find him. I promise, it'll be quick!"
Officer Patton then hung up, left Jason's house and sped off to Joseph's house. He arrived in less than two minutes and without bothering to close the car door, ran to the door and began knocking frantically.
"Hey, Officer Patton, how can I assist you?" The door opened to reveal Joseph standing at the doorway, looking puzzled. "I've followed your advice, I've stayed home."
"I know, but... that's not what I'm here about, do you know where Mr. Jason might be?" Officer Patton hurriedly stuck his head into Joseph's house. He was clearly desperate, knowing how critical the situation was. Otherwise, Sheriff Louise would not have kept calling.
Joseph shrugged, spreading his hands out as he replied, "If I were his mother, maybe I would know. It's strange, why not go to his house yourself?"
"Damn it!" Officer Patton slapped his forehead and shook his head. "I did, but he's not home. Why the hell can't the right person show up at the right time?" He even hit his thigh in frustration.
"What's happened?" Joseph asked.
Officer Patton shook his head, "Could you think about where he might be? Places he likes to visit. You guys are friends, I'm hoping you could give me a clue!"
Joseph thought for a bit then shook his head. "I'm sorry, Officer Patton, I don't think I can be of any help this time."
"Damn it!" Patton cursed, then said to Joseph, "Stay home, don't go anywhere or step outside until you hear the all-clear. Remember that, day or night-" He turned to leave.
Joseph watched Officer Patton turn to leave, then stepped out the door and called out, "Do you think I could be of any help? Sorry... I meant to say, if there's anything bad happening in the town, I should step up." He then turned back into his house and came back out with a double-barreled shotgun.
"What are you doing?" Officer Patton exclaimed in surprise.
"I'm fulfilling a citizen's duty. If there's an issue, I should step up." Joseph said firmly, not backing down. "If the police had a solution, they wouldn't be coming to find Mr. Jason. Am I right?" As he spoke, he loaded the shotgun and nodded at Patton.
Officer Patton just shook his head and headed to his patrol car. As he climbed in, Joseph sat beside him. The car then sped off towards town.
"What exactly is happening?" Joseph asked from the passenger seat, holding onto his shotgun.
"Zombies..." Officer Patton said nervously, his throat feeling dry. "Mr. Jason's prediction came true. He said there were zombies in this town... and he was right. But back then... who listened to him? No one did-" He cursed suddenly.
Joseph was taken aback. He'd heard Jason mention this before. He pursed his lips and said, "Have you guys tried silver bullets? They're supposed to be effective against these evil things."
"Do you think we have time to prepare for stuff that only happens in movies? Damn it!" Officer Patton cursed again, clearly exasperated. By the time they were nearing the town, the sound of gunfire could be heard, and numerous police cars were parked on the road ahead. Some officers had taken cover behind their vehicles, firing their handguns and assault rifles.
The gunfire was constant like popping beans, but bullets only left holes in the zombies, momentarily pushing them back but not stopping them from advancing again.
The number of zombies had increased to six, and they were fearlessly advancing against the hail of bullets. Despite being repeatedly pushed back and their bodies riddled with bullet holes, they kept moving forward.
"Damn, they can't hold them off!" Officer Patton couldn't help shouting. As expected, the police were unable to hold back the six zombies. They were about to abandon their patrol cars, which had served as a barrier, and retreat towards the town, but once they reached the town, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Suddenly, the head of one of the zombies turned towards Officer Patton and Joseph who had just gotten out of the car and gave them a ghastly smile. The two of them instinctively took a step back in fright.
One of its eyeballs hung in the hollow socket, and a black liquid was seeping out from within. Its head had been blown off by a bullet, revealing a disgusting mix of red and white substances. The sight of its bloodstained teeth inside a cracked-open mouth was chilling.
"Hey, Patton, what the hell are you doing?" A stern voice came from the side. It was Sheriff Louise, who had rushed over from the retreating crowd of officers. "Where's the person you're looking for? Where's Mr. Jason?"
"I'm sorry, boss, he wasn't at home, I've been looking for a while... Joseph here, he insisted on coming with me." Officer Patton stuttered. He suddenly raised his hand towards Sheriff Louise.
"What are you doing?" Sheriff Louise froze in place. Despite holding a gun in her hand, she didn't dare to move. If Patton were to pull the trigger, she would be a goner. If she's bitten by those monsters, she might turn into one of them, which made her break out in a cold sweat.
"Bang, bang, bang!" Officer Patton suddenly fired his gun.
Sheriff Louise trembled, closed her eyes, and braced herself for the impact of the bullets. However, nothing happened. Instead, she heard Officer Patton shouting, "Come here, run towards us! Run!"
Sheriff Louise jolted and ran towards Officer Patton. She quickly understood that Patton must be shooting at the zombies. As she turned around after running a few steps, she saw the zombie with the dangling eyeball being hit by the bullets and stepping back. One of its arms just missed grabbing her.
If it had caught her, Sheriff Louise would've been done for.
"God-" Sheriff Louise quickly lunged forward, rolling away from the zombie's grasp. But Patton's bullets soon ran out. Once the zombies were no longer hindered by bullets, they began to speed up. Sheriff Louise immediately raised her gun to shoot, but only the click of an empty chamber could be heard. Her bullets were all gone. In desperation, she threw her gun at the zombie.
But that didn't affect the speed of the approaching zombie at all.
"Bang, bang!" Two gunshots rang out, and one of the zombie's arms was blown off. It was Joseph who had fired. But that still didn't stop it. The three of them turned to run, Joseph even threw away his shotgun. But as he opened his hand, a radiant light appeared, and in his palm, a small sword emitting a bright glow suddenly materialized.