My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 85: Roles Reversed

Jaxon felt heavy, like his whole body had sunk into the bed. A dull, steady ache wrapped around his chest, tightening every time he breathed.

The sharp smell of alcohol and ointment filled his nose, and something warm rested against his shoulder.

His eyes fluttered open.

Turning his head slowly, he saw Isabel and Cindy asleep beside him, curled close, breathing slow and even.

Then he saw Natasha standing near the bed.

She was staring at him, arms crossed, but her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had cried herself dry.

Jaxon swallowed. "Hey."

"Don’t move," she said at once, turning her face away. "You’ll make it worse."

Only then did he notice the tight bandages around his chest, wrapped in layers. His shoulder was packed with folded cloth and taped down to keep it steady.

"You’ve got at least one cracked rib," Natasha said. "Maybe more. I wrapped your chest to limit movement."

She pressed two fingers lightly against his ribs, watching his face. "Slow breaths. If it starts to hurt too much, we loosen it."

Jaxon hissed through his teeth, then nodded.

After a moment, he spoke again, his voice low. "Sorry... did I worry you?"

A long silence settled between them.

Natasha looked like she was about to scold him, but instead she let out a slow breath, forcing herself to calm down. She dipped a cloth into a bowl of water and gently wiped the dried blood from his collarbone.

"You have to do this because we can’t, right?" she said quietly. "Because we’d only slow you down if we went with you."

"That’s not it," Jaxon started, but she kept speaking.

"Don’t worry. I understand," Natasha said softly. "So this is how you felt back then..."

Jaxon stayed quiet as she continued to clean his wounds, her movements careful and slow.

"Do you remember when we were young?" Natasha said. "When Mom was busy and left everything to me. I had to take care of you, the house, everything. I thought no one else could do it, so I carried it all myself. You and Cindy tried to help, even when it was hard for you." She smiled faintly. "It’s funny how things have changed."

"Natasha," Jaxon said, meeting her blue eyes. "I never thought of you as a burden. Not you, not anyone in our family."

"I know," she said, a small smile forming as she leaned closer near his face. "You won’t have to. I won’t let myself be this weak again."

She leaned closer, looking straight into his eyes, her voice steady. "I’ll get stronger, much stronger. Someone you can rely on, like you did back then. And I’ll stay by your side... forever."

They held each other’s gaze, neither of them looking away.

’What... what is this..?’ Jaxon thought.

’Have I always seen her like this?’

Something stirred inside him, something he could not deny. Her eyes, her words, her resolve.

He liked it.

Suddenly, the small noise stirred Cindy and Isabel awake.

"Brother, you’re finally awake," Cindy said at once, her voice bright as she leaned closer.

Relief flashed across both their faces when they saw his eyes open, but Isabel’s relief faded just as fast, replaced by a sharp frown as she straightened.

"Jaxon, why did you go out?" she asked. Then she turned her gaze to Natasha. "And you too. You hid it from us."

Pressed by their questions, Natasha explained everything. How Jaxon had gone out at night. How he hunted infected for coins.

Natasha lowered her head, her voice soft. "I’m sorry. We decided it on our own."

"Don’t blame her, Mom," Jaxon said quickly. "I was the one who pushed for it. I asked her to agree." He forced a weak chuckle. "But I came back in one piece, right? I’m fine."

"You were gone for the whole night and came back covered in injuries," Isabel said sharply. "Don’t joke about things like that."

Jaxon’s smile faded. He swallowed and spoke softly. "I’m sorry. I was too reckless."

Isabel’s expression eased. She stepped closer and sighed. "You have to be careful, Jaxon. I know you’re strong, but you only have one life. Take care of yourself, alright?"

He nodded slowly.

She had always been like this. Since they were young, she never stopped him from chasing what he wanted. She never tried to limit him and supported his choices. But every time he got hurt, her maternal instinct surfaced, reminding him again and again to be careful and not to hurt himself.

"Brother... you won’t go out again, right?" Cindy whispered, her hands gripping his tightly.

Jaxon turned to her and let out a small smile, staying quiet.

Her grip tightened. His silence spoke louder than words, he wasn’t promising her anything.

"She’s right," Natasha said suddenly. "Don’t go out again. The horde’s been moving on the streets since morning. They’re... agitated."

"What?" Jaxon asked, surprised.

Cindy nodded. "Haris, Burgors, Bong-gu, and Elena have been keeping an eye on them from above. The infected have been strangely active all day, like they were at night. Every now and then, they attacked at the buildings nearby, even ours."

Jaxon frowned, his mind racing. ’Was it because we killed so many last night? Is someone, or something controlling them?... or it’s because they knew there are still people alive in the city?’

"Jaxon, what happened last night?" Isabel’s voice broke through his thoughts.

He looked at the three of them. They already knew something had occurred, his injuries and the fatigue made it clear, but they waited for him to explain.

Jaxon took a deep breath and told them everything: the mutated infected, the other survivors he encountered, the battle with the variant, and how he barely made it back alive.

"Another mutation..." Natasha said, her voice sharp. "We have to stay hidden until the train arrives. Killing more of them now could trigger something even worse."

Jaxon nodded, understanding. He hated the idea of stopping the hunt, but she was right. Pushing further could be reckless.

They talked for a while, Jaxon explaining the new abilities the infected now possessed and how they could defend themselves if they encountered them again.

Eventually, Isabel and Cindy left, leaving Natasha by his side. Elena, keeping watch from above, had ordered the others to continue their training. She was strict about it, insisting that everyone needed to get stronger.