My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 51: Dead End

’Buildings are a no go. Where am I supposed to run?’

Jaxon kept moving, his lungs burning with every breath. His throat felt dry, and every second only made things worse. The noise drew more infected, their roars echoing from every direction.

He crawled when he had to, jumped over wrecks, climbed whatever he could. Anything to stay alive.

He rushed into a narrow alley and turned, only to stop short. A tall concrete wall blocked the way ahead. And it was too high to jump and too smooth to climb.

Jaxon spun around. The horde was already close, their mouths opened wide as they charged, eyes locked on him, as if they were already tearing into his flesh.

’Am I done for?’

Memories flashed through his mind, but he cut them off at once. ’Don’t bullshit me.’

His hand dove into his small bag behind. A grenade. One he had taken from the soldiers and never thought he would use.

"Screw this!"

He yanked the pin and hurled it toward the front of the horde.

Boom!

The explosion ripped through the front line, bodies blown apart as the shockwave slammed into his chest.

(2 EXP, 2 coins, 0.02 Strength obtained from the zombie)

(2 EXP, 2 coins, 0.02 Agility obtained from the zombie)

(2 EXP, 2 coins, 0.02 Speed obtained from the zombie)

At the same time, Jaxon summoned his rifle. He opened fire without holding back, screaming as he emptied everything he had left.

If he was going to die here, he would not go down quietly.

The smoke cleared just enough for him to see how hopeless it was. More infected kept coming, climbing over broken bodies and filling the street again as if nothing had happened.

Jaxon staggered back, breathing hard, his vision blurring, as he turned his head, searching for anything.

Then something caught his eye.

Near the corner of the dead end, half buried under dirt and trash, was a round shape in the road. A rusted manhole cover.

Hope flared in his chest.

(20 coins spent. Crowbar successfully purchased.)

Jaxon rushed toward it, gripping the crowbar tight. "Come on... come on," he hissed as he jammed it under the edge. The cover lifted just a little, but not enough.

One infected was already too close. Jaxon swung without thinking. The crowbar smashed into its head, dropping it to the ground.

He did not stop. With a strained grunt and a surge of panic-fueled strength, he shoved the manhole cover aside.

A wave of foul air rushed up from below, thick and rotten. But Jaxon did not hesitate, he plunged in without hesitation.

His hands barely caught the ladder. His arms screamed as his grip almost slipped. At the same time, another infected fell in after him. Its hands grabbed his ankle mid drop.

"Get off!"

Jaxon kicked hard. The grip broke, and the infected plunged into the filthy water below with a heavy splash.

Above him, the infected were already closing in on the opening. Jaxon hauled himself up with the last of his strength and shoved the manhole cover back into place. It did not seal fully, but the infected above slammed into it, pushing it down until it locked tight.

The light vanished.

Darkness swallowed the space as roars echoed from above. Claws scraped and fists pounded the metal, but each hit only pressed the cover harder into place.

Jaxon sucked in a shaky breath. Then he heard it.

The infected that had fallen earlier was climbing back up. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

(10 coins spent. Flashlight successfully purchased.)

A small beam of light flickered on.

Jaxon clenched the flashlight between his teeth. One hand held the ladder while the other summoned his rifle. He fired at the shape climbing toward him.

The infected jerked, then fell, crashing into the water below with a heavy splash. This time, it did not move again.

Jaxon dismissed the rifle and leaned against the ladder, dragging in deep breaths. His chest burned, but he could finally breathe a little.

He climbed down, flashlight in hand. The stench smelled shit, making his stomach twist, but he forced himself to endure it.

The tunnel was cramped, with waist-high water. Ahead, dark passages stretched into the underground.

Jaxon wiped his face and steadied his breathing. Without looking back, he disappeared into the darkness below, while the infected howled in anger far above.

....

Minutes earlier, somewhere in Hudson City, at Hudson Heights Senior High.

Sixteen students and their homeroom teacher were huddled inside a classroom. Chairs and tables were stacked high against the door, blocking it completely. Everyone stayed curled up in the corners, bodies pressed close together. Their faces looked worn and pale, eyes dull with fear and exhaustion.

Hope was already fading from many of them.

Boom.

The distant explosion echoed through the city. The sound jolted them awake, making several students flinch in shock.

"Hey... did you hear that?" a dude whispered to his two buddies beside him. "Someone must be fighting those monsters out there."

"Soldiers?" another whispered back. "The military?"

"Is someone finally coming to save us?" a girl murmured. Her eyes shone as tears gathered.

"Are they killing the monsters?" another voice asked softly.

Low whispers spread through the room, fear mixing with fragile hope.

"Miss Elaine," a girl with short black hair and glasses called out in a hushed but excited voice. She was the class president, Hae-in, her eyes bright despite the fear.

Elaine raised her hand gently. She had a calm and clean look, her long blonde hair tied back neatly despite everything. Her eyes were tired, but steady.

"Hae-in, calm down," she whispered. Then she looked at the rest of the class. ""Everyone, stay calm. Keep your voices down. We don’t want to draw their attention."

Elaine’s words did little to calm the room. Several students still crept toward the windows, peeking through the gaps in the curtains and broken glass, all looking toward the direction where the explosion had come from.

It was not far.

Maybe... just maybe, the soldiers were getting closer.