Kade tightened his grip on the flask, his knuckles turning white as he stared into the distance. "You wanna know what the government did, kid?" he muttered, his voice dripping with bitterness. "They panicked. Declared a state of emergency and ordered the Army to contain it, but you can't contain something like this. Their solution was simple—kill anyone infected, no questions asked. It wasn't long before the streets turned into war zones. Soldiers shooting civilians, civilians turning into monsters. And then… the soldiers started to get infected too."
Kade let out a harsh, humorless laugh, the sound barely masking his anger. "You ever see a military unit go berserk? It's chaos. The same men who were supposed to protect us became just like the infected—ripping their comrades apart, firing blindly into crowds. It spread through the ranks faster than anyone could react. One moment, they're gunning down the infected, the next they're eating each other alive. The whole system collapsed in a matter of hours. The Army, the police… they all fell apart. The government? Useless. Now we're on our own, living in the ruins of their failure."
Dane's voice trembled, a mix of fear and confusion in his eyes. "How did you survive all of this? And… what did you see in me?"
Kade slowly stood up, stretching his stiff limbs before looking down at Dane with a cryptic smile. "Every story's got its twists, kid. Maybe I saved you because I saw something in you. Maybe I'm just not ready to be the last man standing in this hellhole. Or maybe… it's not time for you to die yet. You'll find out when the time's right. Until then, stop asking questions and start helping if you wanna stay alive."
Dane swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Kade's words settle in his chest. He thought for a moment, glancing at the broken world outside. If I want to survive, I need to work with him… at least for now, he thought, rising to his feet.
"Alright," Kade said, nodding approvingly. "Help me barricade this damn door. We can't let those freaks break through."
Together, they hefted a heavy table and shoved it in front of the door, securing it as best as they could. Kade wiped sweat from his brow, his eyes scanning the shop. "We don't have long," he said, his voice low and urgent. "These walls and that gate won't hold them off for long. We need to grab whatever supplies we can and get out of here. And no, we're not going out the front door where the street's crawling with the infected."
Dane frowned, glancing at the front of the store. "But how? We've got nothing to defend ourselves, and your shotgun's empty."
Kade gave him a sly grin. "Who said we were going out the front door? There's a back exit, leading to the alleyways. Fewer zombies, less noise. It's not safe, but it's better than being trapped in here when that horde comes knocking."
Dane nodded, understanding the gravity of their situation. "Alright… we searched the shop. Grab food, water, anything we can use. We're not going to last long without supplies."
Kade clapped Dane on the shoulder. "Now you're thinking. Move fast. The longer we stay here, the closer they get."
As they searched the shop, Dane couldn't shake the haunting images of the army turning on itself, the gunfire, the blood, the soldiers who were supposed to protect them becoming the very thing they fought. It was a nightmare beyond anything he had imagined, and it was only just beginning.
As Dane and Kade Mercer rummaged through the hardware store, they gathered anything that might help them survive. The place was cluttered with tools, nails, and various bits of equipment. Kade suddenly perked up, spotting something on the counter. His eyes lit up as he grabbed a dusty bottle of whiskey, holding it up triumphantly. "Woo! Now this—" he slurred slightly, already tasting the burn of alcohol, "this is the most important thing here!"
He tucked the bottle inside his jacket like it was a priceless treasure.
From across the store, Dane called out, "Kade, come over here!"
Kade stumbled over, still cradling the whiskey. His speech was already starting to slur, "D-Did ya find somethin' important, kid?"
Dane held up a long knife, gesturing towards Kade's shotgun. "We can attach this to your gun. It'll give you a bit more reach. Like... a bayonet."
Kade raised an eyebrow, squinting at the knife. "That's nonsense," he scoffed, but after locking eyes with Dane and seeing his stubbornness, Kade sighed. "Fine, it's the best idea you've ever had in your whole life, genius."
Dane smirked slightly, grabbing some duct tape and working quickly to attach the knife to the barrel of the shotgun. As he wrapped the tape around, securing the knife firmly in place, Kade wobbled a bit, clearly already deep in his liquor.
Before they prepared to leave, Dane's curiosity got the better of him. In a low, hesitant voice, he asked, "Kade, how many people have you killed? And... do you ever feel bad about it?"
Kade paused, pulling the whiskey bottle out again and unscrewing the cap. He took a long drink, staring into space, his usual bravado faltering for just a moment. "More people than I care to count, kid," he said, his voice lower, rougher. "Never wanted to, but..." He trailed off and took another long swig, his words becoming more garbled as the whiskey took over. "But sometimes, you gotta do what you have to do."
Dane watched in concern as Kade took yet another gulp, his hands shaky, his gaze distant. Worried about how much the man was drinking, he stepped forward and gently tried to take the bottle away.
"Kade... maybe slow down, yeah?"
Kade blinked at him, his eyes glassy, but before he could protest, his legs gave out, and he slumped against the wall, completely unconscious, the whiskey bottle slipping from his grip and rolling across the floor.
Dane sighed, looking down at the fallen man. "Great," he muttered to himself. "Just what we need. An unconscious drunk in the middle of a zombie apocalypse." He shook his head and grabbed a nearby tarp, covering Kade with it to keep him warm. "I'll deal with you later."
After a little while, Kade began to stir, groaning loudly as he blinked himself awake. "Where are we? What's goin' on?" he said, his voice too high for the tense situation.
Dane, who had been sitting beside him, quickly pressed his hand over Kade's mouth. "Shh! They're on the other side of the shop," he whispered urgently. "We need to get out of here. Quietly."