Two hours later, they finally finished piling the dead bodies about fifty meters away from their house. The air was thick with the smell of decay, but at least the streets near their home were clear again.
"Do you think we're the only ones left alive here?" Cindy asked softly.
"Most likely," Natasha replied. "I saw most of our neighbors die that night."
Jaxon's eyes darkened. "I'll check later."
Isabel looked at him sharply. "What do you mean, you'll check later? You're going out?"
Jaxon nodded, and her frown deepened. "I can't just stay here and wait for them to come again," he said firmly. "If I want to earn more coins, I need to start hunting zombies actively."
"You can't," Isabel said quickly. "What if that Alpha zombie comes back?"
"That's exactly why I have to do this," Jaxon replied, his tone steady but serious. "We need to be ready next time."
"I'm coming with you," Natasha said suddenly. "You'll need someone to watch your back."
Jaxon met her eyes and gave a small nod. "Thanks. I appreciate it."
"Brother, me t..." Before Cindy could finish, Jaxon cut her off gently. "No, you can't. And you too, Mom," he said, turning toward Isabel. "The more people who go out, the more noise we make. It's riskier. Just stay here and wait for us, alright? We'll be fine."
Seeing that he had already made up his mind, Isabel could only sigh. She looked at both of them, worry filling her eyes. "Be careful, both of you... please."
Jaxon gave her a small smile before grabbing a bag and his fire axe. Natasha followed soon after, and together, they stepped out of the house, leaving Isabel and Cindy standing by the doorway, watching them.
.....
Meanwhile, Jaxon and Natasha moved cautiously through the quiet streets.
"Hold on to this, Sis. Only use it if it's an emergency," Jaxon said, handing her the fire axe. He summoned his rifle and aimed ahead.
They approached the overturned military vehicle from more than two hundred meters away, moving slowly and carefully.
Then...
"Help..."
A weak voice cut through the silence. Both of them froze.
"You hear that?" Natasha whispered.
Jaxon nodded, his sharpened senses picking up every detail. "Yeah. It came from that house."
"Should we check it out?" she asked quietly.
"Follow me."
They crept closer, moving through the gate and carefully shutting it behind them once they stepped inside the yard.
"We'll stop here. Keep an eye out for any zombies that might approach. I'll make a little noise to draw them out," Jaxon whispered, turning toward the house.
"Anyone there?" he shouted, his voice echoing into the empty yard.
Almost immediately, another sound answered him, footsteps coming from inside.
Jaxon tightened his grip on his rifle.
The door creaked open, and what stepped into view made their eyes narrow. An infected, its hands and mouth dripping with fresh blood, stared at them with pure black eyes. It held scissors in one hand and pliers in the other.
Without a roar and warning, it charged.
"Incoming!" Natasha hissed, gripping the axe.
Thup.
The rifle cracked. The infected's head exploded before it even got close.
(2 exp, 2 coins, 0.02 Agility gained from the zombie.)
"Another one…" Natasha whispered, her voice barely audible.
Thup. Jaxon fired again, and the second infected collapsed instantly.
They paused, listening. Nothing followed.
"Anyone there?" Jaxon called out again, scanning the house.
When no answer came, he gave Natasha a small nod. Carefully, they stepped inside the house.
The door and windows were shattered, and the furniture lay in chaos. Blood smeared the floor and the walls in dark, sticky streaks.
"Hand me the axe for a moment," Jaxon whispered, unsummoning his rifle.
They climbed the stairs cautiously. At the top, three doors awaited them. One by one, they opened them, moving slowly.
The first two rooms were empty, but the third…
Their stomachs twisted. A man lay on the bed, barely clinging to life. His hands and feet were tied, his eyes gouged out, fingernails stripped away, lips peeled back. His body was full of bruises and fresh cuts, bleeding in several places.
"Kill me..." he croaked, his voice hoarse and trembling, teeth gritted even with his lips barely closed.
Beside him, a zombie just like the ones they'd seen outside was calmly slicing at his limbs with a knife, methodical and terrifying.
The stench of blood and the sight was overwhelming. Natasha stumbled backward and vomited to the side, unable to stomach the horror before her.
The zombie turned its head toward them, a sick grin spreading across its blood-smeared face. Its eyes were pitch black, and it licked the fresh blood from its mouth as if enjoying the taste.
"This sick bastard," Jaxon muttered under his breath.
Instead of fear, anger flooded through him. He gripped the axe tightly, his pulse quickening. The zombie stood up, still holding the bloodied knife.
Then both of them charged at each other.
(Speed +1)
Jaxon didn't hesitate to use the stat point he saved. A surge of warmth spread through his body, and his muscles tensed. His movements became faster as his legs burst forward with speed.
In a blink, he reached the zombie and swung the axe down with all his strength. The creature didn't even have time to dodge before its skull split open.
(2 exp, 2 coins, and 0.02 Strength obtained from the zombie.)
Jaxon breathed heavily, forcing himself to calm down. Then he ran to the man on the bed and began untying the ropes around his arms.
"Natasha, help me," he said quickly.
Natasha hesitated, her face pale, but she stepped closer.
The man's cracked lips moved weakly. "Kill me..." he whispered, his voice raw and trembling. It sounded like someone who had been shouting for hours.
Jaxon froze. His hands trembled. The man's body was broken beyond saving, yet hearing him speak made it all too real.
"Kill me..." the man said again, his tone pleading, begging for mercy.
Jaxon clenched his jaw tight. He could kill hundreds of zombies without flinching, but this...
Then the man spoke one last time, his voice barely more than a breath. "Kill me... I beg you."
Natasha couldn't bear it, and she turned away and ran out of the room, tears in her eyes.
Jaxon stayed. He took a deep breath, forcing his shaking hands to steady as he summoned his rifle. He aimed it at the man's head.
"I'm sorry..." he whispered.
Then he pulled the trigger.