A loud roar echoed through the air, sending shivers down Daniel's spine as he quickly turned. The child's piercing cry had drawn the attention of countless zombies, their menacing forms closing in on them. With a protective instinct, Daniel shielded the child from the terrifying sight, his heart pounding in his chest.
"Are we gonna die like my mom and dad?" the young child whimpered, her eyes filled with despair.
Daniel's heart sank at her words, a mix of sorrow and anger washing over him. "No, you're not gonna die. I'll keep you safe," he assured her, his determination shining through his gaze.
Despite his reassurance, Daniel's mind raced with worry. Escaping seemed impossible, but he couldn't let fear show on his face. Gripping the child's hand tightly, he turned to face the approaching horde, his fingers tightening around the cold metal of his assault rifle.
"We'll find a way out of this," he declared, steeling himself for the daunting task ahead.
A thunderous explosion echoed from the truck's path, instantly grabbing the zombies' attention as they lurched toward the source of the blast.
"Phew," Daniel exhaled, swiping his brow, relief flooding his features as they narrowly escaped danger.
"I hope the truck's safe. I hope everyone made it," he fretted, his voice tinged with worry.
"Dani--el! Are you alright?" Helen's panicked voice pierced the air as she sprinted towards him.
"Helen, why aren't you in the truck?" Daniel's confusion mirrored in his furrowed brow, puzzled by her absence.
"You're gonna get us killed, kid," the old man huffed, finally catching up to Helen.
Daniel chuckled softly, the tension momentarily broken.
Soldier 1, panting heavily, finally caught up to Daniel and his group, his breaths coming in ragged gasps.
The old man turned to Soldier 1 with a mix of surprise and concern etched on his face. "Hey, why did you leave your squadron to come after us? They'll need you more than us."
"B-because none of you know the location of the safe house," Soldier 1 replied between labored breaths. "We better hurry so we can catch up. We don't have any time to stand idle."
Daniel, Helen, and the old man stood in disbelief at the soldier's response.
"Hey, why are you guys just looking at me? Let's start moving!" Soldier 1 shouted, urgency in his voice.
"Hahaha, let's really start moving," Daniel said, turning to the kid and giving her a reassuring pat on the back. "Let's go. We shouldn't be here. It isn't safe."
"Hey kid, you're the reason why we're here. Why did you run off like that--" the old man began, but Helen cut him off sharply. "Hey, knock it off. She's just a kid."
"I'm sorry. I saw my parents, and I missed them so much. I'm sorry, mister," the kid cried out.
"See what you've done?" Helen shouted, trying to comfort the child.
The old man looked at the crying child, feeling unsure how to react. He turned his face away and said in a low tone, "I don't know how to handle kids."
Daniel heard the old man's words and smiled silently.
"Hey, look over there," Soldier 1 said, pointing ahead with a trembling hand.
Daniel, Helen, and the old man quickly turned towards the direction Soldier 1 indicated, seeing a horde of zombies rushing in the direction the truck was heading.
"Huh? Are the zombies moving the same direction that the truck was driving to?" the old man questioned, trying to confirm his guess.
"I'm not sure," Daniel said, disbelief evident in his voice.
"Oh no," Soldier 1 exclaimed, his expression confirming the old man's suspicion.
--------
[ Few moments before the explosion that saved Daniel's life ]
The truck rumbled along the road, the soldiers and civilians inside gripping whatever they could as they sped through the deserted streets, occasionally colliding with stray zombies.
"The road's just filled with a few zombies. Won't be an issue for us to break through," the soldier driving reassured.
"Alright, let's move it," the commanding soldier affirmed.
"Is everybody okay in the back?" the leader checked.
"Yes, we're all fine," the soldiers in the truck confirmed, their voices strained with tension.
"What the... I see something," one soldier exclaimed.
"Gimme the scope," another soldier requested urgently, hastily retrieving the scope and scanning the area. What he saw left him momentarily speechless before he stammered, "Sir, we have a problem. There's a horde of zombies rushing towards us."
"What?! Let's take the underground road to lose them," the commanding officer ordered.
With precision, the driver steered the truck towards the underground passage, their only hope of escape.
As they delved deeper underground, the driver slammed on the brakes, the silence deafening after the chaos above. "Have we lost sight of them?" he inquired anxiously.
"Yes, sir. They stopped following us and turned back. Kinda strange, sir," the soldier with the scope reported.
"Phew, it may be strange, but I'm relieved we managed to escape," the driver sighed.
The commanding officer tapped the driver's shoulder urgently, silently signaling trouble ahead. "Look forward. We've got trouble. Don't say anything and don't move a muscle," he whispered urgently.
"Yes, si-" the driver began, but the commanding officer cut him off with a stern look, emphasizing, "Don't reply. Don't say a word."
A Giant zombie blocked their path, lying in wait like a monstrous barrier.