My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 59: Someone Had to Close It

A foul stench poured out as the manhole cover came off, like rotting garbage mixed with sewage. The smell hit them hard, twisting their faces, but no one dared complain.

"Go. Get inside. Now," Jaxon urged. He lowered Hae-in to the ground and tossed a flashlight to Na-rin. "You lead."

"Mister..." Bong-gu called out, his voice shaking as the growls behind them grew closer.

Before anyone could react, Elaine suddenly stepped forward, placing herself between the group and the approaching infected, trying to buy them time.

But before she could take another step, a hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked her back.

"Get in there, idiot. Don’t do stupid things," Jaxon snapped.

He stepped to the front, rifle raised.

Soft thuds followed as he fired. No loud blasts, only dull impacts as bullets tore through flesh. The infected dropped one after another, bodies jerking as the rounds passed clean through, stopping only after piercing through several of them at once.

’What the hell am I doing,’ Jaxon thought grimly. ’Standing at the front like this.’

Behind him, the others were still climbing down the manhole, struggling as they helped Hae-in descend carefully and quickly as they could.

Bong-gu stood frozen, trembling as the infected drew closer. Then his jaw clenched. He tightened his grip on the fire axe and rushed forward beside Jaxon. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

"Bong-gu... w-what are you..." Lucas gasped.

He glanced down and saw the crowbar lying near his feet. He picked it up, hands trembling, then ran to join Bong-gu at the front.

The fight turned savage in an instant.

At the front, cold hands grabbed at Jaxon from every side. Fingers clawed at his arms and chest, trying to drag him down. He slammed the butt of his rifle into faces and skulls, forcing them back, then fired at close range. The shots were silent, only dull impacts and wet sounds as bodies dropped.

(You have leveled up to Lv. 6.)

(Strength +1)

The words flashed through his mind. And Jaxon did not hesitate, he pushed the point into Strength at once.

Warmth spread through his body, heat rushing into his muscles. He kicked one infected away, slipped past another, and fired while moving, never stopping.

Then he heard shouting nearby.

"Uahhhhh!" Jaxon’s heart skipped. He turned.

Bong-gu and Lucas were still there. Both of them were swinging wildly, weapons shaking in their hands. Bong-gu hacked with the fire axe while Lucas stabbed forward with the crowbar, barely holding the infected back.

’Why are you still here?’ Jaxon thought grimly.

He unsummoned his rifle and grabbed the corpse of a fallen infected at his feet. Muscles tensed as he twisted his body and hurled it forward with all his strength. The corpse slammed into the horde, knocking several of them down and buying a short moment.

Jaxon did not waste the chance. He rushed back, grabbed Bong-gu and Lucas by their collars, and lifted them with ease, one over each shoulder. Black blood smeared their faces and clothes.

On his back, Bong-gu suddenly burst into wild laughter, his voice cracked and shaking. "WHAHAHA! We’re badass, Lucas! Did you see that? I smashed its head!"

Lucas did not answer. He only clung on tighter, his breathing rough and uneven.

Bong-gu frowned and leaned closer. "Hey... what’s wrong?"

Lucas suddenly coughed. Dark blood spilled from his lips.

Jaxon’s eyes dropped to Lucas’s hand.

A bite mark.

His steps slowed.

"Drop me here, Sir," Lucas said, his voice weak.

"No. No, no, no..." Tears welled up in Bong-gu’s eyes as his voice broke.

Jaxon kept moving, his jaw clenched so hard it ached. The manhole was just ahead.

"Leave me here," Lucas said again. This time, he forced himself down from Jaxon’s shoulder. His legs shook as he landed on the ground.

He looked up at Jaxon and tried to smile. "Thank you... Sir," Lucas said, struggling to breathe. "...for giving us hope... Please... save the others."

The veins on his skin darkened as the infection spread.

"No... no, Lucas..." Bong-gu cried, reaching out.

"I’m sorry..." Jaxon closed his fist, grabbed Bong-gu by the arm, and pulled him back toward the manhole.

"Nooo! Lucas!" Bong-gu screamed as he was dragged down.

Lucas watched them go. He turned away before the tears could fall.

"Live... my friend," he whispered.

He turned back just as the infected rushed in. They grabbed at his arms and legs, teeth sinking into his flesh. He screamed, but did not stop pushing. Gritting his teeth, Lucas dragged himself forward and grabbed the manhole cover.

With one last burst of strength, he shoved it into place.

The metal slammed shut.

Below, in the darkness, silence fell.

On the street above the sealed manhole, Lucas’s broken glasses lay there, cracked and forgotten.

....

Meanwhile, on the highest floor of the school, red eyes glowed from a shattered window.

They stared down at the manhole below, the place where Jaxon and the others had escaped.

It was the Variant.

The one that had let out the ear-piercing scream.

It turned away from the window. In its massive hand, it gripped a trembling student by the neck. The boy was one of Elaine’s students, the one who had run first when the infected principal attacked.

Tears streamed down his face. His mouth hung open, saliva dripping as he struggled for air. His fingers clawed weakly at the Variant’s arm, but it did nothing.

The Variant dragged him deeper into the hallway.

What waited there was far worse.

At the end of the corridor, something was wrapped in thick webs. A cocoon of flesh clung to the walls and ceiling, swollen and alive. Dark veins ran through it, pulsing slowly, like a breathing heart. Rotten flesh spread around it, sticky and wet, as if the school itself was being eaten from the inside.

The Variant tossed the boy forward.

He fell into the soft mass with a sickening sound. The flesh sank under his weight, clinging to him like glue.

Then something moved.

A long, twisted tongue slid out from behind the cocoon and wrapped around his body. The boy screamed as he was dragged closer. Large jaws opened wide, lined with broken teeth.

Crunch.

His scream rose once, sharp and full of pain, before his body was crushed and devoured. The sound faded, leaving only wet silence.

The Variant stood still, its red eyes fixed on the cocoon as it fed.