My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 41: Holding the Line

He hit the floor hard. The infected climbed over him, snapping its jaws. Jaxon shoved his forearm against its neck, straining to keep its teeth away from his face. With his other hand, he tilted the rifle up.

Bang.

Blood sprayed across his chest and face. The sharp smell made him gag. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"Jaxon, are you okay?" Natasha shouted as she rushed toward him.

Before he could answer, Elena released another arrow. It flew past Jaxon and struck the infected creeping up behind him. The body dropped and went still.

Jaxon rolled to the side and sprang to his feet. Natasha grabbed his arm and pulled him upward as he ran. Fingers scraped the air behind him, missing his leg by inches.

"Close it. Now," Elena shouted.

Burgors and Haris slammed the door shut and threw their weight against it.

The door shook.

Something crashed into it from the other side, again and again. The hinges screamed as a narrow gap slowly opened.

The others rushed in, pressing their bodies against the door, pushing back with everything they had.

Still, the door creaked open just a little more.

Jaxon stepped back from the door and swung his flashlight around. The beam caught a steel bar lying on the floor. He grabbed it, jammed it through the door handle, and twisted it tight until it locked in place.

"Get back," Jaxon said. "Find a way up. Watch for infected. I’ll hold this."

The door shook again and again, and it sounded like it could burst open at any moment. The steel bar bent slightly with every slam. It was only a matter of time before they broke through.

Elena and Natasha moved at once, leading the group deeper inside. They rushed through one room, then another. Darkness filled every corner, sometimes an infected would rush out without warning, but they shot it down fast, covering each other as they moved.

Behind them, Jaxon fired into the door as his bullets punched holes through the metal. Then an eye poked at one of the holes, staring straight at him.

He shot it instantly, hitting his mark.

He reloaded and fired again as the banging continued. Then Natasha’s voice cut through the chaos. "We found it. There’s a way up here."

"Coming," Jaxon answered. He fired a few more shots into the door, then turned and ran. As he moved, he shut and locked every door he passed, leaving the noise and the infected behind.

Seconds later, the door he had held finally gave way. It burst open, and infected poured out and chased after Jaxon. Their groans echoed in the stairwell, growing louder and louder.

He ran hard and caught up with the group. Behind them, one door after another slammed open as the infected forced their way through.

From landing above, Jaxon turned and fired while moving. He would stop, shoot, then run again, never letting them get close enough to grab him.

"Hold on a little more, we’re almost there," Elena said as she glanced back at the twins. They were gasping for air, their legs shaking. Looking around, she saw it was not just them. Everyone was exhausted. They had run from underground all the way to the ninth floor.

Loud roars echoed from below. No more words were needed. Fear pushed them forward even when their bodies wanted to stop.

When the group reached the tenth floor, Jaxon arrived right behind them. Again and again, he had stayed back, firing until the last moment, then sprinting to catch up. Along the way, he shot down as many infected as he could.

"Get ready," Jaxon said as he took position. "We stop them here before we go through that door."

"Burgors, Haris, block the door first," Elena said as she lifted her bow. "We don’t want anything coming from behind."

Shapes moved in their flashlight beams as the infected rushed up the stairs. Then they opened fire.

Muzzle flashes lit the stairwell in sharp bursts. With Jaxon thinning their numbers, only a dozen remained, and their bullets killed the last of them until everything became silent.

"I...I-Is it over?" Hannah asked, her voice shaking.

"Shh, lower your voice," Jaxon whispered. "What we killed were only the ones drawn by the noise. There must be more of them around." He glanced at the door and tightened his grip on his weapon. "We go in quietly."

They slipped through the unlocked door and found a wide floor lined with rooms.

"I’ll check that side," Elena whispered, pointing to the right. "Jannah, Hiromi, stay here." Before the twins could reply, she was already moving, leaving them with Hannah.

Jaxon nodded to Natasha, and the two headed left. Cindy and Isabel stayed behind to guard the others.

They moved carefully, sweeping each room and checking every corner.

"Clear," Elena whispered when she returned. "I didn’t see anything. No infected."

"Same here," Natasha said softly.

Jaxon let out a slow breath. "Help me block all the entrances. We stay here for the night."

Everyone moved at once. Burgors and Haris dragged cabinets across hallways. Jaxon and the others pushed tables and shelves against doors, sealing off every way in.

When they were done, they picked one room and blocked it again from the inside. Exhausted and silent, they gathered close together, finally letting themselves rest, even if only for a little while.

"Everyone, turn off your lights," Jaxon whispered. "Even if you hear something, do not make a sound."

"What if they come back?" Hiromi asked softly, her voice shaking.

"Don’t worry. I will keep watch tonight. You should rest," Jaxon replied.

"I’ll guard with you," Elena said, and Jaxon gave a short nod.

One by one, the flashlights went dark. Jaxon had told them to rest, but no one could sleep. The silence felt heavy, and every small sound made their hearts jump. Fear kept their eyes open, and instinct would not let them relax.

An hour later, a roar echoed outside. It was loud and eerie, nothing like a normal infected. Jaxon froze, he was familiar with that sound. It was the same roar he had heard before, the jumpers, those disgusting variants. They had reached this place.