My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 108: Don’t Look Back

Morning came. Jaxon woke up with a sharp breath, his chest rising and falling fast.

He had a nightmare. In it, they never reached the safe zone. One by one, the others fell along the way, their hands reaching for him. Their voices fading as he failed to save them.

His hands trembled slightly. His back was damp with sweat.

Then he felt warmth. Sumiko was hugging his waist, her small hands weakly clutching his clothes as she slept. Natasha and Cindy were leaning against him, asleep. Isabel was curled beside Cindy, her face pale but peaceful.

The rest of the group slept nearby on the cold floor, huddled close to each other.

Jaxon slowly leaned back and steadied his breathing. He stared up at the wooden ceiling above them. The sound of rain continued to pour down, drumming against the roof without pause.

He took a slow breath, then another. Gradually, his heartbeat settled.

Soon, the warehouse began to stir.

Not long after, the other survivors and the soldiers began to wake up one by one. Some sat up slowly, others rubbed their eyes, and a few simply stared ahead in silence. As awareness returned, so did the heavy truth.

They were the only ones who made it off the train.

"Everyone, get ready," Thomas said firmly as he stood up. "We’ll be moving toward the safe zone soon."

One of the survivors, a man in his thirties, walked near the window and looked outside. Rain poured heavily, the forest blurred behind the gray curtain of water.

A man in his thirties near the window frowned as he peeked outside. "It’s still raining this hard? Is there a storm?"

His companion rubbed his arms, shivering slightly. ""I heard it all night, it never stopped."

The man frowned. "We’re going to move in this weather? Just thinking about it feels terrible."

Thomas, who overheard them, spoke calmly. "This weather may be unpleasant, but it helps us. The rain can cover our movement from the infected."

The two men exchanged looks, then quietly nodded. They had no better option anyway.

Thomas didn’t say more. His gaze shifted across the warehouse until it landed on a corner.

Jaxon and his group were already awake, quietly preparing themselves without making noise. After watching them for a moment, Thomas walked in their direction.

"Hey." Thomas called out as he approached their corner.

Bong-gu, who saw the familiar soldier, let out a low snort and looked away.

Natasha adjusted the poncho around her shoulders and stepped forward. Her voice was much calmer than the day before, though her eyes still looked tired. "You came again, sir..." She glanced at the name on his chest. "...Thomas. Do you need something from us?"

Thomas nodded once. "When we move out, I’d like to ask your group to watch the rear flank while we advance."

The group exchanged looks, and Natasha instinctively turned to Jaxon.

"We won’t be moving with you," Jaxon said flatly.

Thomas blinked, caught off guard. "Aren’t we heading to the same place?"

"We are," Jaxon replied calmly. "But moving with too many people will slow us down. It will only attract more infected and cause more trouble."

A faint frown formed on Thomas’s face. That was not the answer he expected. In most situations, civilians clung to soldiers for protection, not the other way around.

Before he could respond, Elaine spoke softly from behind. "What... if we just move together?"

Her eyes drifted toward the other survivors in the warehouse. Many of them looked exhausted, hollow, and still grieving.

Jaxon noticed where she was looking, then shifted his eyes back to Thomas.

"Why are you so set on grouping up with us?" he asked calmly. "Fewer survivors means fewer people to protect. Less burden on your unit."

Thomas held his gaze for a moment before answering honestly.

"I won’t ask where you got your weapons," he answered honestly. "But it is clear you all can fight."

His jaw tightened slightly. "I lost many of my men on the way here. If we run into a large horde or more mutated infected, my remaining squad won’t be enough to guarantee everyone’s safety."

He looked straight at Jaxon. "Let’s help each other survive."

"Let’s go with them," Natasha said quietly. Then she faced Thomas. "Are you familiar with this area?"

Thomas gave a short nod. "We were stationed near here before. I know a few routes."

"Then you already have a path in mind," Natasha continued. "How long until we reach the safe zone?"

Thomas thought for a moment. "If everything goes well, half a day at the minimum. If the weather stays like this and we avoid the main roads, then at least a full day."

Natasha nodded, then looked back at Jaxon. "You heard him. If we go alone, it will be hard to find the right way. We are not using the roads, and the forest is dense. We might get lost, or walk in circles."

Silence stretched across the group.

’Why am I still hesitating...’ Jaxon studied their faces before turning to Thomas. "Fine, we’ll move with you. But if something goes wrong, we prioritize our group first."

"That’s fair."

Soon, the warehouse became busy. Survivors packed their things. Soldiers checked their weapons. Quiet whispers filled the space as people prepared to move once more. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Jaxon remained in the corner, staring blankly ahead. Sumiko leaned against him, still asleep on his shoulder, her breathing slow and weak.

A gentle tap landed on his shoulder. When he turned, he saw Na-rin standing behind there, watching him carefully. "Jaxon... are you alright?"

Jaxon stayed silent for a long moment. "I... I don’t know," he admitted.

Hearing his own words made him pause. He looked down for a moment, then back at her.

"If I start making bad calls," he said calmly, "wake me up. Question me. Don’t just follow because I said so. Can you do that?"

Na-rin froze for a second. Then, without saying anything, she suddenly stepped forward and hugged him.

"If it gets too much," she whispered softly, "you don’t have to carry everything alone."

Her grip tightened a little. "I told you before. I’ll stay by your side. So... you can rely on me too."

Jaxon blinked, caught off guard. He stayed still for a second, then slowly relaxed, not pushing her away.

.....

With the rain still pouring, the group began to move.

Thomas and his soldiers took the lead, rifles raised, eyes scanning every shadow. Behind them, twenty-eight survivors trudged through the mud, following closely. At the rear, Jaxon and his group stayed close together, guns ready, watching for any danger.

Their path led through dense trees and thick bushes. The rain had turned the soil into heavy, clinging mud, making every step a struggle. Branches whipped at their faces, and the cold wind cut through their wet clothes. Still, it was better than facing the infected, and they pressed on, hour after hour, inching closer to the safe zone.

Eventually, the trees thinned, and they came into a clearing. A small rural house stood in the distance, barely visible through the sheets of rain.

One of the survivors suddenly froze.

"Hey..." his voice trembled, barely above a whisper. "There’s... a ghost... standing there." He pointed with a shaky hand.

"Ghost?" another man muttered beside him, voice doubtful. "We’re in a zombie apocalypse. There’s no such thing."

But a woman among the survivors stepped forward to see what he was pointing at. Her sharp yelp cut through the rain. "Eek... there’s a woman!"

The sound made everyone stop. The soldiers slowed, rifles raising slightly as their eyes followed her gaze.

Jaxon, staying at the rear, raised his rifle and peered through the scope.

At first, he thought it was just a trick of the rain and fog. Then he saw it, a human figure.

Not far ahead, standing in the middle of the muddy grass, was a woman in a white bride’s dress.

She did not move. Her dress was soaked, clinging to her frame, but oddly clean. No blood, no stains. Her long hair clung to her pale, ghostly face, dripping with rain. Her arms hung at her sides like a lifeless doll.

The wind blew, and the grass swayed, but she did not. She simply... watched.

Jaxon narrowed his eyes. Her pupils weren’t black, she didn’t look like an infected either, but the way she stood utterly still, felt unnatural.

’Is it really a ghost?’ he thought.

"Sir," a soldier whispered behind Thomas. "What do we do?"

Thomas’s gaze stayed fixed on her. After a long pause, he shook his head, "Leave it. As long as it’s not moving toward us, don’t engage."

"Keep moving," he ordered.

They advanced carefully, each step slow. No one fully turned their back, as every nerve screamed at them to watch the woman.

Then... her head snapped toward them. A sharp, unnatural movement that made several survivors gasp.

Her mouth opened, and a scream burst out. It was not human. A high, piercing, and distorted scream, like metal scraping against glass. The sound stabbed into their ears, even over the pounding rain.

Some survivors collapsed to their knees, hands pressed to their ears, eyes wide in terror. Others froze, paralyzed, unable to tear their gaze away.