...Well done, Meenda...Kantsuke allowed himself a small grin, genuinely impressed with the actress. It seemed her bullet had thrown the soldiers scattered across the front yard into total chaos, forcing them to flee and scramble for cover.
"She's on the rooftop by the entrance gate!"Kantsuke heard a soldier shout — they had pinpointed Meenda's sniping position.
...Damn it...Kantsuke swept his gaze around, searching for a spot from the second-floor windows where he could shoot back. About five meters away, at the end of the hallway, was a door leading into another room. A door on the left side, two meters away, hung ajar — but the stench wafting out gave him pause.
"Mari, watch out! Six of them are heading your way,"came Limo's voice through the radio, causing Kantsuke's stomach to knot.
"Roger!"Mari's voice came back, surprisingly calm. Still, the iron-legged young man couldn't help worrying about them.
Kantsuke crouched low, moving forward as quietly as possible.
Thud thud… Clank clank…The door at the end of the hall shuddered under a heavy impact. He saw a thick, flabby arm squeeze out through the chained door.
Clank... Thud thud!The bloated zombie woman shoved her massive body against the door, forcing it open with a final, splintering snap.
"Hhhaaaargh…"She stepped into view — a grotesque figure clad in a tight, pus-stained t-shirt, with torn, rotting thighs oozing foul fluids. Her white, soulless eyes locked onto Kantsuke.
"Hhhaaargh!"She raised her bloated arms and charged at him.
"Shit!"Before Kantsuke could fire, a flashlight beam from downstairs lit him up. He dove to the side — directly toward the charging zombie.
In a heartbeat that seemed to stretch endlessly—
Bang bang bang!Muzzle flashes flared like lightning. Kantsuke's heart lurched as three rounds whizzed past his head, the heat of the bullets brushing his hair.
...The bastard's a damn good shot...Thank God he had his flashlight turned on, Kantsuke thought.
Pew pew pew!Kantsuke fired three rounds while side-rolling, aiming at the zombie's left shin. She toppled before she could reach him, narrowly missing.
"Hhhaaargh…"She reached toward him with rotting purple fingers, stopping just two handspans away from his throat.
"Damn it,"he growled, hearing soldiers rushing up the stairs. He rolled into the left-hand room — the one that reeked of death.
"Shit..."Inside, another zombie corpse sprawled on the floor. His heart jumped into his throat. Instinctively, he kicked the rotting body against the wall under the window and finished it off with a quick shot to the head.
Pew pew!
The soldier's flashlight from downstairs illuminated the bloated zombie woman trying to rise again.
"Hhhaaargh!"
Bang bang bang bang!The panicked soldier emptied his entire magazine into her.
"He's upstairs!"someone shouted from the stairs. Kantsuke heard the clicking sound of someone changing magazines.
Screw this.He gritted his teeth, then kicked off the ground, sliding halfway out into the hallway on his left side.
Pew pew pew!Bullets ripped through a soldier's chest, neck, and jaw — lifting him off the floor like a fish breaching the surface.
"Bastard! Bang bang bang!"Another soldier on the lower stairs sprayed bullets upward. Kantsuke rolled back into the room, barely avoiding death as bullets stitched the wall where he'd been.
...Fucking hell...He fumbled for a grenade at his belt, yanked the pin with his teeth, and clenched it in his fist. He focused on the sounds of their footsteps closing in.
...Go to hell...
He visualized their positions in his mind, then flung the grenade into their path without hesitation.
BOOM—AARGH!The blast hurled the soldiers into the air before slamming them back down.
Kantsuke held his breath, swapped out the empty magazine with a new one, slapped it into place, and chambered a round with a sharp click.
Two more soldiers burst through the kitchen door below.
Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!Gunfire tore upward. Kantsuke ducked back, retreating from the shattered doorway.
"Shit..."He heard more footsteps approaching. Bullet holes riddled the stairway wall — but through them, he glimpsed movement.
Pew pew pew pew pew—AARGH, FUCK!"He fired ahead of them, catching another soldier climbing the stairs.
"Bastard!"someone howled, spraying bullets wildly.
Bang bang bang bang... Click.
Taking advantage of the pause, Kantsuke leaned out.
Pew pew!He double-tapped a bald, burly soldier in the head, then swiveled left.
Pew pew pew!Three shots punched through another soldier changing mags below, collapsing him where he stood.
Kantsuke crouched down again, panting hard, his heart pounding in his chest. He strained to listen for any more threats.
"Meenda, watch out—RPG incoming!"Limo's frantic shout crackled over the radio.
"NOOOOO!"came the girls' terrified screams.
And then—
BOOM!!
The explosion shook the ground like the sky itself had cracked open.