My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 103: The Longest Run

"Natasha, Cindy, Mom. Are you okay?" Jaxon’s voice cracked as he pushed himself up. A sharp pain stabbed through his ribs and shoulder, stealing his breath. He bit back a groan and forced himself upright anyway.

’Damn it, damn it. Why did it turn out like this? We should have reached the safe zone in a few hours. How did the infected get here?’ His thoughts spiraled, anger and fear twisting tight in his chest. But he pushed it down. None of that mattered right now, he had to make sure everyone was alive.

He crawled forward, hands shaking as he tore at the layers of blankets and coats. From beneath the padding, someone coughed. Then a weak whimper.

"Jaxon..."

His heart tightened. "Cindy, Cindy, I’m right here." His voice shook as he dug faster. "Are you hurt? Say something."

He found her curled on her side, half buried beneath the padding. Her face was pale, streaked with grime. She wasn’t crying, but her whole body trembled.

He cupped her face, brushing dirt from her cheeks with careful hands. "Look at me. Does anything hurt? Tell me where."

"I’m fine, Brother," she rasped. "It just hurts to breathe. The dust..."

Relief hit him so hard his knees nearly gave out. He pulled her into a gentle hug, holding her with one arm. "Stay with me. Don’t move yet."

More sounds rose around them, painful groans and shaky breaths. Natasha pushed herself up, one hand clutching her side. Isabel and Hannah followed, faces tight with pain. Hiromi winced as she checked her arm. Jannah sat still for a moment, her eyes closed, whispering to herself before opening them again.

Then more bodies stirred. Elena cursed under her breath. Elaine coughed hard. Haris dragged himself upright, blood trickling from his forehead. Na-rin blinked through the dust, her face tense. Bong-gu groaned as he rolled onto his back. Claire and Hae-in surfaced last, both shaken but alive.

"Help... I’m pinned here... Sumiko..." Burgors’ rough voice echoed through the wrecked car, weak and strained.

Jaxon spun toward the sound. A flashlight appeared in his hand with a soft click, its beam slicing through the haze.

Burgors was half-crushed under a twisted seat frame, teeth clenched in pain, one arm wrapped tight around Sumiko.

"Sumiko," Jaxon said, dropping to his knees. "Look at me. Are you hurt?"

Her eyes fluttered open. "Brother..." she whispered, groggy but conscious.

Jaxon exhaled sharply in relief. She was shaken, but safe. Burgors had taken the hit for her.

"I got her," Burgors grunted through clenched teeth.

"I know," Jaxon smiled. "You did good man."

Without wasting another second, Jaxon turned. "Sumiko, I need you on my back. Arms around my neck. As tight as you can."

She nodded and did as told, her movements slow and unsteady. Jaxon crouched, lifted her smoothly, then pulled a strip of tough cloth from his storage. He wrapped it across her legs and chest, tying her firmly to him.

"Don’t let go," he murmured.

He rose and scanned the wrecked car. The air was thick with dust and smoke. And somewhere outside, something howled.

"We can’t stay here," Jaxon called out. "They’ll be here any minute. Everyone up. We’re moving out."

Groans answered him as the group forced themselves to their feet. One by one, they crawled toward a shattered window. Jaxon tore a cloth and wrapped it around the jagged edges, then helped them through. Hands reached out from outside, pulling each other free.

Jaxon stayed behind, scanning the car one last time. Shadows twitched beyond the broken windows. Before anyone noticed, he summoned their bag of rifles and slung it over his shoulder. Then he climbed out.

Outside, the ground shook faintly with distant movement. Smoke drifted around the wrecked train like a fog.

"Everyone here?" Jaxon asked, his eyes sweeping the group.

"My back really hurts," Bong-gu said, hunched over.

"Can you walk?"

"Yeah," he said after a breath. "I can."

Jaxon nodded and turned to the others.

"We can move," Elaine said after checking around.

"So can we," Elena and Natasha added, though their faces were tight with worry and fear.

"The train... how... how did this happen?" Hae-in’s voice trembled, tears streaming down her face.

"It’s the infected," Natasha said, her tone sharp, eyes scanning the wreckage outside. "And some kind of variant... maybe a mutant. Whatever hit the train caused all this. But... how did they all get here?"

Jaxon’s urgent voice cut through the silence. "We don’t have time to figure that out. We move now, before more of them come."

Elaine and the others looked toward the other cars, some crushed, others tipped on their sides, twisted metal and shattered glass everywhere. "What about the people inside...?"

Jaxon clenched his jaw, swallowing the knot of dread in his stomach. "We can only hope they’ll get lucky."

He exhaled sharply, forcing himself to stay focused. Then he threw the bag of guns toward them. "Take your weapons."

Everyone froze, still shaken by the chaos. Elaine was the first to recover, reaching for a gun with wide-eyed surprise. "Wait... these are ours? I thought we surrendered them! Where did you..."

"We hid them," Natasha answered quickly, covering for him. "It doesn’t matter now. Just take them."

.....

Meanwhile, from the other cars, a low, dreadful groan echoed, followed by frantic shouts.

"Help... someone help me!" a voice cried.

Bodies slammed against walls. Limbs were twisted. Others lay unmoving.

The soldiers weren’t faring any better. Most squads had been crushed by the impact. Only a few dozen remained, injured but alive, their uniforms torn and bloodied.

"Commander! Commander! Report!" Thomas shouted over the chaos, voice urgent. "Where is the commander?"

"He... he’s not responding, sir," a soldier gasped. "Last we saw, he was at the front... he might be dead."

Thomas cursed, fists clenching. His eyes swept over the wounded, the survivors, the wreckage, the shadows of movement in the smoke. "All units! Gather every surviving soldier and civilian! Move, now! We can’t wait!"

...

From the outside, Jaxon’s group began moving, keeping low and alert. Outside, the afternoon sun cast long shadows over the barren landscape.

The first infected reached them, stumbling over the gravel, dragging limbs in unnatural angles. Suppressed rifles cracked sharply in short bursts.

Jaxon fired once, dropping one before it could scream. Burgors took the next, the recoil jerking his arm as the body crumpled to the ground.

"Where should we go now?" Elaine’s urgent voice rang.

"Anywhere... just away from here," Jaxon said, sweeping the area with his scope. Everywhere he looked, infected were closing in. They were in the middle of nowhere, no streets, no buildings, just dirt, grass, and gravel stretching under a heavy grey sky.

To the east, jagged trees and distant mountains. South, more mountains lining the rails. West, the dark outline of a barn and farmhouse. North, the faint shape of Ironpoint City. But the open ground left them exposed, and every second felt like eternity.

"How about east? We might find somewhere to hide," Elena suggested, voice low.

Jaxon nodded. "Then follow closely, I’ll take the lead." He turned to Sumiko, who clutched his neck weakly.

"Brother... what’s happening?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Jaxon forced a wry smile. "Some trouble. Just keep your eyes closed and stay quiet."

Elena crouched slightly and addressed the group. "You all know what to do. Keep formation, stay low, and don’t make a sound."

"Move!" Jaxon urged.

They broke into a sprint, careful to stay low.

From the overturned train behind them, smoke and fire rose like a black cloud. Gunshots rang out, likely the few surviving soldiers fighting, but the sounds were distant, muffled under the approaching roar of the horde.

"Don’t look back!" Jaxon barked. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

A bald, snarling infected burst from the tall grass ahead, mouth gaping like a black pit. Jaxon squeezed the trigger while sprinting. The bullet slammed into its skull, and it collapsed underfoot. He leapt over it without breaking stride, eyes locked on the distant tree line, their only hope for cover.

"Infected from the left!" Na-rin shouted, panic lacing her voice. Three fast-moving infected lunged from the underbrush.

"Miss Elaine!" Claire yelled. Elaine spun, firing short, precise bursts. One fell, but the second leapt. Hae-in shrieked, stumbling. Burgors’s M16 barked, dropping another, and Na-rin’s pistol cracked, felling the third.

"Keep moving!" Jaxon roared. His DMR barked, each shot punching through the charging infected. Three, four, or five bodies crumpled at a time, but the horde never seemed to end.

Sumiko clung to his back, arms wrapped tight in his shoulders. His lungs burned, his vision narrowing.

Shots echoed from every direction. Magazines emptied in flashes of sparks and smoke.

"Reloading!" Elaine shouted, spinning her empty Uzis and shoving a fresh magazine in with practiced speed.

One infected lunged too close, snapping at Natasha’s pack. She twisted instinctively, drove her knife into its eye, and shoved it off without even looking back, forcing herself forward again.

More and more infected poured toward them, their snarls and shrieks echoing across the open field. Jaxon’s eyes darted, tracking their relentless speed. The trees in the distance were still too far, and running alone wouldn’t be enough.

(210 coins. Frag Grenade successfully purchased) x3

(80 coins. Smoke Grenade successfully purchased) x2

"Everyone, take cover!" Jaxon shouted, yanking the pin from a frag grenade and hurling it into the oncoming swarm. At the same time, he tossed a smoke grenade behind them, the device hissing before erupting in a cloud of choking gray.

Explosion rocked the ground, scattering infected bodies, while the smoke hung thick behind, hiding the group from sight.

"Keep formation! Keep running!" Jaxon roared.

They ran, feet pounding the gravel, their lungs burning. Jaxon fired his rifle in precise bursts, cutting down any stragglers that survived the blast.

When more got close, he lobbed a second frag grenade, then followed it with more gunfire. The explosions and smoke gave the group precious seconds to push forward, gaining distance from the infected.

The last smoke grenade and frag went off in a storm of chaos, shrouding more of them.

(70 coins. Frag Grenade successfully purchased)

(40 coins. Smoke Grenade successfully purchased)

Jaxon used the coins he’d earned to restock, grabbing another round of grenades. It wasn’t enough, but it would have to do.

Minutes dragged by in a blur of running, grunting, and the snapping of limbs behind them. Then, suddenly someone stopped.

"Claire!" Hannah cried, panic rising in her voice. Claire’s pace had faltered, her chest heaving from exhaustion. She tripped on the gravel, sprawling forward.

Jaxon skidded to a halt, turned, and hauled her up by the stomach in one swift motion. The sudden weight nearly threw him off balance, but he steadied himself just as an infected lunged at them.

Burgors fired over Jaxon’s shoulder. The creature’s head snapped violently, its body crashing face-first into the dirt.

"Go! Don’t stop!" Jaxon shouted, shoulder-straining as he kept moving.

The trees were almost within reach, but fatigue weighed on everyone. Their legs burned, arms ached, lungs screamed, and hearts pounded like drums in their chests.

From behind, deep, guttural roars thundered, pushing them to run even faster.

"Don’t take your eyes off the path!" Jaxon shouted, driving them forward with sheer force of will.