My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 96: Standard Procedure

"Quarantine?" Jaxon asked, confused.

"Anyone who just boarded is isolated first," the doctor explained. "We still don’t fully understand how the infection behaves. You’ll be moved to another carriage with the other new survivors. You’ll stay there for several hours until we’re certain you’re not infected."

Jaxon hesitated. Then he carefully lifted Sumiko into his arms.

"You’ll be alright," he said softly, strapping her onto his back again. "You’ll get well soon. I promise."

Sumiko nodded faintly, her fingers gripping his sleeve.

Soon, soldiers escorted them down the narrow passage and into another carriage.

The moment Jaxon stepped inside, Cindy spotted him. Her eyes widened and she rushed forward, throwing her arms around him as tears spilled down her cheeks. "Brother. You made it."

Jaxon let out a quiet breath and patted her head, a tired smile forming on his face. "Barely."

"I told you he’d get here," Elena said from behind Cindy. Then she crossed her arms and shot Jaxon a sharp look. "She’s been a pain, you know. Kept insisting we go out and look for you. And not just her." She shook her head and glanced back.

Natasha, Isabel, and Elaine gathered behind, their faces a mix of relief and concern. One by one, they checked on him, asking question after question, their voices overlapping with each other.

They then led him and Sumiko toward where the others stayed. Hae-in noticed him right away and let out a small sigh, relief and worry mingling in her voice as she immediately began recounting the horrors of the talking infected they had encountered along the way.

Moments later, Jaxon finally sank into a chair beside Na-rin, letting his body rest.

Na-rin had been sitting quietly in the corner. When she noticed him, she froze. She looked at him for a long moment, her lips parting slightly as if she wanted to say something, then stopping herself.

A few seconds passed when she finally spoke. "Hey."

Jaxon opened his eyes and turned toward her, but she looked away, silent once more.

He tilted his head, confused. "Hey."

Na-rin met his gaze briefly. Jaxon smiled faintly and spoke, "I heard you had impressive aim... and that you saved the group while you were on the way here."

Their eyes met again, and this time, Na-rin let out a small smile before looking away.

A long silence settled between them once more. Then Na-rin spoke, her voice low. "I was worried..."

"Hm?" Jaxon turned slightly.

"When the train left... you still weren’t there. We thought you were left behind."

"So did I," Jaxon replied letting out a small smile. "But we got lucky, I guess."

Na-rin frowned. "Don’t keep throwing yourself away like that." Her voice rose before she could stop herself.

She paused, realizing it, then lowered her voice into a whisper. "You won’t be so lucky so often... don’t do that again."

Jaxon looked at her, surprised. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

"You must have someone you care about, don’t you?" He asked.

Na-rin nodded slowly.

"Then you understand," Jaxon said. "I don’t want to see anyone I care about get hurt... or worse." His gaze drifted for a second. "That’s why I did what I could. Sometimes things have to be done, no matter the cost."

Na-rin stayed quiet, watching him closely. "Then you should understand this too." She glanced toward Cindy and the others. "You’re not the only one who feels that way. If something happens to you... they won’t just accept it. They’ll follow after you."

Jaxon frowned, then froze as her words sank in. He had been ready to protect them no matter the cost, but he had never thought about what his loss would do to them.

"...You’re right," he said quietly. "Thank you for reminding me. I’ll be more careful next time."

Na-rin nodded. Then she spoke so softly it almost blended with the sound of the train. "I don’t want you to die either."

Jaxon turned to look at her, but she had already looked away, her eyes fixed on the dark blur passing outside the window.

.....

Minutes later, soldiers arrived and began escorting the survivors toward the quarantine zone.

Jaxon stood in line and looked around as the soldiers checked each person. There were about seventeen of them in total, survivors rescued from the city.

"I haven’t seen this many people in a long time," Jaxon said quietly.

Elaine’s voice followed, heavy with sadness. "When we made it to the station, I think there were more... but some didn’t make it."

"Cheer up, Miss Elaine," Hae-in said, trying to lift the mood. "Our group was the largest, and we all survived."

Elaine’s lips curved into a small smile. "You’re right. We made it."

"We made it because we had guns," Bong-gu added proudly, a hint of a grin on his face.

His words made Jaxon pause as he remembered something important. Just then, he felt a tug on his sleeve. Turning, he saw Natasha gesturing for him.

"Come here," she whispered.

Jaxon nodded and followed her to the very back of the seats, away from the others. Natasha crouched down beside one of the chairs and pulled out a bag, heavy and tightly packed.

"The soldiers might confiscate it," she said softly, opening the bag to reveal their firearms. "I collected it as soon as we got here."

Jaxon couldn’t help but smile. She really was dependable, always thinking ahead. He quickly stored the bag in his storage space, watching it vanish from sight.

"Thanks," he murmured.

Natasha gave a small smile before standing, and together they returned to the group, blending back in with the other survivors as the quarantine process continued.

Soon, it was their group’s turn.

A military officer stepped forward and spoke in a firm voice. "Everyone will be put into quarantine as part of standard procedure. This is to ensure that no one among you is infected."

He pointed to a male soldier standing nearby. "All men, follow him to Car 15."

Then he turned and gestured to a female soldier. "And women, follow her to Car 13."

"How long will the quarantine take?" Natasha asked.

"Three to four hours," the officer replied.

"And after the quarantine... will we see each other again?" Hae-in asked hesitantly.

"Everyone will be moved to Car 10 after the quarantine," the officer answered calmly.

Jaxon looked at the group and nodded. He leaned closer and gently patted Sumiko’s head as she slept against Isabel’s arm. "Take care of her. We’ll meet again later."

They all nodded silently. Not long after, the soldiers led them toward their assigned quarantine zones.

When Jaxon, Burgors, and the others arrived at Car 15, Jaxon froze mid-step. His eyes widened as familiar faces came into view.

"Sam... Rex... Uncle Harlan."