My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 102: Hold the Center

"Hey! Don’t touch me!" Elena swatted his hand before he could make a move.

Everyone laughed, but underneath the laughter, there was a quiet understanding: they weren’t just fellow survivors anymore. They were friends, comrades, or even a family in their own right.

Jaxon smiled faintly, watching the group. He had once only hoped they’d survive, now he cared for them, felt them worthy of trust.

’Maybe after fully upgrading my family’s weapons, I should upgrade theirs too. And even if the rest of the world outcasts us, we’ll make our own safe place.’

Then a frown crossed Na-rin’s face as she suddenly remembered something and spoke her mind. "The other survivors from our city... the ones the soldiers said turned without bites or scratches..."

"What about them?" Cindy asked.

"If they really became infected without any physical contact, then... could it mean the infection is airborne now?" Na-rin said, her voice grim.

A sudden hush fell over the group. Jaxon and Natasha exchanged uneasy glances, their minds racing.

’If it’s true...’ Jaxon thought, a chill running down his spine. ’Then maybe... the world as we know it... is doomed.’

.....

An hour later, Jaxon and the group, who had dozed off resting, were suddenly jolted awake by a crashing sound that shook the train. The force made the entire car tremble, metal groaning under the impact.

Jaxon’s eyes snapped open first, scanning the car around him. He felt the vibrations of thumping and thudding all around, accompanied by the distant howls and roars of infected.

Outside, near Ironpoint City, a massive horde surged toward them. Normally, the infected could never keep up with the train’s speed, but this time, tens of thousands pressed forward from every side, a dark, moving wall of bodies.

Inside, the soldiers were quick to notice the threat.

"Infected! Infected on all sides!" reports rang out from multiple cars as soldiers peered through the windows, weapons raised.

"Goddamn it... how the hell did they get here?" the commanding officer muttered, his eyes scanning the chaos outside. "This sector should’ve been mostly clear."

"I don’t know, sir," the train driver responded, his voice tense. "Even with all the noise we’re making, there shouldn’t be this many. This route... it shouldn’t draw a horde this large."

"Can we change course?" another soldier asked.

"Impossible," the driver snapped. "We’re already surrounded. Any attempt to reroute just brings us closer. And the reinforcements on board won’t matter if thousands of them swarm us."

The commander ground his teeth, cursing under his breath. He keyed the radio, voice sharp and controlled despite the chaos. "All units, prepare to engage. Hold your positions and don’t let any of them breach the train!"

Then, the speakers across all cars blared to life.

"Attention all survivors. The Train to Mongoloid will be experiencing difficulties. Remain calm. Military personnel are handling the situation."

The announcement did little to calm anyone. Panic rippled through the cars as survivors pressed to the windows, eyes wide at the thousands of infected rushing toward the train.

.....

Outside, on the rails ahead, three hulking infected loomed. Their bodies were unnaturally large, grotesque mutations towering nearly four meters high. They were like the hulks Jaxon had fought before, but these were even bigger.

The three fixed their gaze on the approaching train. Then, with a bone-chilling roar, they charged straight to it. Every step shook the rails and the ground beneath like a small quake. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Not just them, dozens of variants and mutated infected surged in from the sides, their twisted forms moving with unnatural speed, eager to collide with the train.

Then...

BOOOOOM!

A massive explosion rocked the train as it collided with the three-hulking infected. Metal screamed, tearing and folding under the impact, while flesh and bone were crushed and shredded.

The hulks’ massive bodies crumpled under the force, unable to withstand the collision. The head car, where the driver and commander sat, crumpled under the impact sparks flying as metal twisted, glass shattered, and the force jolted every car behind it.

....

Moments earlier...

Jaxon could hear the distant roars of infected, and even from afar, he could make out the variants, the mutated infected, and thousands of them surging toward the train.

His gut twisted. He knew what would happen if these monsters reached the cars. The force alone could crush everything inside.

It wasn’t just him who sensed the danger. Natasha, Elena, Na-rin, and the others stiffened, their instincts screaming the same warning.

"Wh-what do we do?" Cindy’s voice trembled from behind him.

Jaxon’s eyes scanned the car, taking in the layout, the seats, the narrow aisle. "Everyone, get on the floor in the aisle! CENTER OF THE CAR!"

They dropped without hesitation.

Jaxon quickly summoned whatever he could from his storage space, bags of clothes, pillows, winter coats, blankets, tossing them toward the group as discreetly as possible.

"Grab them! Pile them around you and make a nest."

Chaos turned into organized motion. The group tore open packaging, fluffed pillows, and layered coats. In minutes, a thick, protective mat formed in the aisle between two anchored, heavy seats near the car’s center.

"Face the front!" Elaine shouted. "When they hit, everything’s going to be thrown forward. If we’re going to get tossed around, our bodies need to be pointing the right way!"

Jaxon crouched low, carefully lifting Sumiko. "Burgors, take her, keep her safe," he said, handing her over. Burgors wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

Jaxon didn’t lie down with the others. Instead, he pressed his back firmly against the train’s rear wall, feet planted wide, knees bent, hands braced flat against the metal.

Seconds later, the world exploded around them.

Jaxon’s enhanced strength made him an unyielding brace. The force ripped through the car. Overhead compartments shattered, sending luggage flying like cannon fire. A seat tore free from its bolts, slamming into Jaxon’s shoulder. The impact knocked the air from his lungs, the metal buckling against him, but he held firm, redirecting it over the huddled group below.

The train pitched and swayed, throwing them across the aisle like ragdolls. The group tumbled together, a tangled, padded mass, but the layers of bedding they’d made absorbed the worst of the blow, turning bone-crushing impacts into bruising rolls.

Windows exploded inward in a glittering shower. But the group remained low, tucked behind the seats, protected from the worst of the flying glass.

Seconds stretched like hours. Finally, with a groan of metal settling, the chaos eased. Dust hung thick in the air, mixed with the distant, gathering shrieks of the infected horde outside.