My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 57: The Variant

Jaxon and the students each found a spot inside the storage room. Some sat against the wall, others curled up on the floor, their backs pressed together for warmth. One by one, their breathing slowed as exhaustion finally caught up to them.

Eyes closed, they rested in silence.

Then it came. The familiar howls and roars echoed through the building, just as they had expected.

Elaine and the students rubbed their faces, still half asleep. The sounds startled them, but not enough to make them scream or panic. After weeks of hiding, fear had dulled. They had grown used to.

Jaxon, however, was already on his feet.

He moved without a sound and pressed his ear against the door, listening closely. His body tensed as the noise grew clearer. Claws scraped outside, heavy footsteps rushed past. The sounds were too many to count.

.....

Outside the school grounds, chaos spread.

Howls and roars mixed with strange, broken cries. Hundreds of footsteps thundered across the pavement as the bald infected rushed forward. They poured into the school from every side, smashing through doors, climbing in through broken windows, flooding the halls like a wave.

Yet among them was one that did not move like the rest.

It was not a half-infected like the one Jaxon had seen before. This one was different, a variant.

It shared the same bald head and twisted skin, but it was far larger. Nearly two and a half meters tall, its body was packed with thick muscle, stretching the torn skin tight. It moved deliberately, each step heavy and steady.

As it walked forward, the other infected parted without a sound, moving out of its way as if obeying an unseen order.

One infected stumbled and fell right in front of it. The tall variant stopped and lowered its gaze.

Before the fallen infected could crawl away, the variant moved. Its claws flashed. And in a blink, the infected was torn apart.

Flesh and black blood spilled across the ground. At the same time the other infected rushed in at once, dropping to all fours as they tore into the body, feeding like starving animals.

The variant did not stop. It stepped over the mess and entered the school, its heavy footsteps echoing through the halls. Then it halted.

Its head tilted slightly, eyes moving from side to side, sharp and alert, as if it sensed everything around it.

Down the hallway, several infected were chewing on the headless bodies Jaxon had left behind. The variant walked closer and kicked one of the bald crawlers away with a single strike, sending it rolling across the floor.

Its nose twitched.

The creature lowered its head and sniffed the air, like a hunting beast.

Suddenly, it threw its head up and let out a ear-piercing roar.

The scream tore through the school, echoing far beyond the grounds. The horde froze for a brief moment.

Then chaos erupted.

They scattered in all directions, their movements turning wild and violent. They smashed into classrooms, clawed at doors, and tore through anything in their path, raging through the school like mad animals unleashed.

....

Meanwhile, in the storage room where Jaxon and the others were hiding, the ear-piercing roar reached them. Everyone instinctively covered their ears, wincing at the sheer loudness.

What followed was a chorus of destruction, howls, roars, and the thunder of bodies smashing into walls tore through the building.

"Was this supposed to happen?" Jaxon asked, still wincing, his heightened senses made the roar feel like it was tearing through his skull.

"Why is it like this?" Hae-in murmured, frowning. "Usually, after a little chaos when they return, they quiet down, unless something stirs them."

"Something’s wrong. We need to leave, now," Na-rin urged, her voice tight with fear.

No one needed convincing. Before anyone could move, the door slammed from the outside. And again. And again.

"Get ready. We’re moving," Jaxon said, tossing a fire axe and a crowbar to Bong-gu and Lucas, which the two caught instinctively.

"What... where did these come from?" Bong-gu stammered.

Jaxon didn’t answer. His eyes scanned the room until he spotted it, a tiny window at the back, just large enough for a person to slip through. He grabbed a chair and climbed, brushing off the dust as he shoved the window open.

The banging on the door grew louder and more frantic, the cabinet they had used as a barricade trembled with each strike.

Jaxon glanced at the group. "Move fast, we’re running out of time." He held out his hand, urging them forward.

Elaine stepped forward first. Jaxon grabbed her hands, helping her climb through the narrow window. She slipped through and whispered softly, "I see no infected here."

One by one, the others followed. The three girls and two boys moved quickly, with Jaxon guiding them carefully.

Finally, he turned to Bong-gu, the last one. "Your turn. Come on."

"I don’t think I’m going to fit," Bong-gu muttered nervously.

Suddenly, the storage room door creaked and bent under the pounding of the infected outside.

"Just come," Jaxon said, grabbing Bong-gu and pulling him toward the window. But his waist got stuck, the opening was too small for him.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

The cabinet blocking the door collapsed under the pressure, creating a small gap. Jaxon reacted instantly, raising his rifle. Silent shots rang out as he picked off the first infected trying to squeeze through.

He kicked the door open fully, firing again, as heads exploded silently, one after another.

But more were coming, dozens pouring in from the basketball court. They were too close, too many to fight at once.

Jaxon’s eyes scanned the room. Then he turned to the fallen cabinet. With a grunt, he unsummoned his rifle and lifted it. His arms bulged as his strength surged, hoisting the heavy wood and pushing it back into place to block the door.

Just in time, the infected charged, slamming into the cabinet and pushing Jaxon back a step.