The sun slowly sinking – threatening to snuff out light as the golden light bathed the ruined landscape. As the light slowly died, it dragged the warmth of the world with it, leaving only a creeping, suffocating darkness behind
From the silence among the ruin, slowly a movement can be seen among the ruin. A long time had passed since the boar destroy the vicinity and moved away, yet no one dares to move, they remained pinned to the ground, just staring at the ground, holding their breath and didn't dare to move, as if the tiniest move can call the boar back.
The mound of dust finally shifted and from that a person slowly emerged.
A lone figure slowly emerges from the wreckage. Rin forced herself up onto her feet, her legs trembling from the hours she spent kneeling behind the wall. She looked like a newborn lamb, unsteady and weak.
'Damn it – I can't feel my leg.' Rin stood still waiting for her blood to start circulating again.
"You are up?" a sharp voice whispered on her ear
"Wha!" Rin close her mouth before she scream, she gives a glare to the girl right beside her. Her once golden hair now covered in gray dust, yet her mischievous smile making this whole ordeal seems like a prank going wrong.
For a while Rin only stare at the horizon – mesmerize, fear and awe filled her – leaving her imagination run wild.
"Go get Gina, we need to move." A small voice recall Rin back to earth, she shake her head, focusing on real world matter
"Sure" Rin answered, she glanced down at the mound of dust beside her before giving it a gentle nudge with her sneaker, only to realize that Gina somehow manage to sleep through all that chaos.
With a smirk on her face, Rin grabbed Gina's shoulder and shook her violently
*Smack!
A hand flew out and slapping Rin square across the face.
"Stop!" Gina hissed, her voice cutting through the quiet before she remembered where they were.
"Is it... is it gone?" Her voices whispered as she frantically scanned the ruin, when suddenly Rin's face filled Gina vision.
"Hey, you. you're finally awake, you were the one that hide behind this wall, right? Annnd I don't remember the rest" Rin tries her best to imitate a certain Ralf voice despite wanting to grumble and rubbing her cheeks in pain.
Gina stared at Rin's ridiculous, dusty pout and bright red red cheeks.
Which earn a chuckles "pfft, now insert dragon flying"
"Please don't jinx it" Rin groaned, before pulling Gina's up
"uhhh.. I can't walk" Gina mumbled.
Suddenly, a mischievous smile adorned Rin.
"Wait, back off!" Gina panicked, but her legs were completely asleep from being pinned in a bad position.
A moment later, an agonizing groan of a certain individual can be heard across the street as Rin "helpful massage" bring Gina legs back to live.
Despite the initial terror of the boar, their resource gathering had actually gone surprisingly well. The commotion had seemingly scared off any zombies in the immediate vicinity. With a quick sweep of on ruined pantry, they managed to scavenge a few cans of food, some instant noodles, and a bag of coffee beans. At the very least, they wouldn't be returning empty-handed.
Meanwhile, on the same ruined street just few building away from the girls location, a completely different struggle for survival was taking place.
"huft... huft... sergeant! Sergeant! Can you hear me!"
The man moves painstakingly, dragging his body inch by inch over the asphalt. On his left abdomen a piece of rebar has puncture him. His camo military uniform was soaked in dark, tacky blood. To make matters worse, his commander was somewhere buried under the heavy rubble. His status unknown, dead or alive he didn't know.
He was stuck. No support or backup and his radio has turned into smashed plastic. He didn't even know if he could survive the night, even worse he didn't even know if he can survive in the next hours.
But then, through the heavy, dead silence of the evening, a sound drifted down the wind a sound that wasn't the groaning of the undead or the heavy steps of a mutant. It was the sound of distant, carefree human laughter.
For a second he thought he is already dead, what kind of person can still laugh in this mad world. Yet – survival and hope manage to push him forward. Gritting his teeth the soldier stood up, blood trickle from his wet uniform, with unsteady legs he walked forward.
"Are you stupid, you want to bring propane tank with you"
"Yup, think about it... We!" Rin spoke with confidence, she open her arms, showing off the propane tank and trying to impress the other two, swaying them to her side "Imagine using this for explosive or flamethrower, you guys see the vision, right?" Rin gave the tank a few taps, a loud metal ring echoes came from 20-kg propane tank beside her.
"Guys say something – don't just laugh"
"See, Chloe, there are 4 of us, so we each only need to carry 5 kilos. Perfect don't you think"
"Perfect my ass!! You can't even curl 4 kilos!"
The girls still locked in their heated debate when a sharp distinct heavy military boots stumbling against the rubble, shattering their arguments
They all snap their head towards the sound, to find a figure staggered towards them, it clutches its stomach, swaying violently and a low, unintelligible mumble escaping its lips.
"Another military zombie, my turn!" Gina shout excitedly.
Ever since she watches Rin play around with her newly acquired pistol, Gina feel jealous, she imagine herself in action, being apocalyptic gunslinger or something. Even though Rin never actually shot with it yet.
Gina Raised her cleaver, ready to pounce forward
"Stop, it's a person" Chloe yank Gina clothes back.
The man's face covered with dust and dried blood, his complexion is deathly pale from blood loss and his uniform was torn to shreds. Honestly, he looked more like a corpse rather than a living sould
A playful grin spread across Gina's face. "It's a person let's rob him!!" Gina shout.
The dying soldier stopped on from his track, his pale face went even whiter, panick wash him away as he is now contemplating if he should run.
"Just kidding" Gina added, she casually wave her hand, breaking the tension. "See, now we know he is not a zombie"
While Rin being amused by Gina tricks, Stella can only shook her head.
Despite the initial reluctant the group ultimately decide to help.
the wounded soldier, who introduced himself as Alex, rasped out that his sergeant was trapped under a collapsed storefront just down the road. Realizing they didn't have a second to lose, the group quickly split off. Stella and Gina looking at the wounded soldier while Rin and Chloe rescuing the other soldier.
By the time, they manage to transport the sergeant back to the others, night had fully descended. Travelling with 2 dying men was an absolute suicide, not only the blood might attract zombie, they can even barely walk.
Luckily, their destination outdoor supplies located not far away and building still intact, they shut the jammed the door and shut the windows, before they finally breath in relief
Alex, the wounded soldier, let out a long, ragged breath. 'Finally I'm safe' he breath in relief. He looks to the right to find his sergeant lying right beside him, heavily bandaged, breathing steadily, and resting peacefully.
Alex body was screaming for sleep, but every time his eyes started to close, a sharp, stabbing pain in his stomach violently yanked him back to reality. Forced to stay awake, Alex tries to eavesdrop on the second floor, but they only whispered to each other, leaving him in the dark.
Dark thought swirl in his mind. He hadn't escaped death's clutches just yet, he was completely dependent on the mercy of strangers.
But 'what can a dying patient do? They might abandoned him or feed him to the zombie' He understand that there is no worth in taking care a patient.
Tears filled his eyes, blurring the unfamiliar room. "Sergeant, please wake up soon... I need backup".