My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 84: Until Morning Came

Harlan didn’t argue. He climbed swiftly while Jaxon stayed behind, keeping the infected at bay.

Once everyone else was on the roof, Jaxon began his ascent, unsummoning his rifle so he could move faster.

"Kid, just leave the guns," Harlan said, eyeing the bag of rifles still strapped to him.

Sam reached out his hand, ready to pull Jaxon up, but before he could grab him...

"Watch out!" Kira screamed.

A massive chunk of concrete hurtled toward them, slamming into the metal ladder with a deafening clang.

The impact rattled the ladder near Jaxon, almost knocking him off. The metal groaned under the weight, and the ladder gave way. Jaxon, still gripping it, plummeted, crashing down with it.

"Jaxon!" Sam shouted, peering through the smoke below, but his vision was blocked by dust and debris.

"He’s done for! Let’s move!" Rex barked, already sprinting forward.

Kira didn’t hesitate either, firing a few shots as she ran, while Harlan simply shook his head, his expression unreadable.

Sam hesitated for a moment, looking down, but the horde of infected closing in left him no choice. He turned and ran after the others, gun ready.

.....

Below, between the rooftop and the street, Jaxon hung from a torn metal frame, part of the shattered ladder. The height made his stomach drop, and his arms and shoulders burned from the effort of holding on. Every slight sway sent a sting through his muscles, but he gritted his teeth and stayed perfectly still. One wrong move, one sound, and the infected rushing toward the gunfire could spot him in an instant.

The heavy bag of rifles on his back suddenly vanished as he stored it in his storage space, easing the strain slightly. He let out a silent breath, but didn’t move until the last infected had passed. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

When the streets below finally fell silent, Jaxon’s eyes scanned for a safe landing. A lower rooftop lay just within reach.

Wincing at the pain in his shoulder, he swung carefully, using every ounce of strength. With one final push, he launched himself toward the edge, his fingers clutching the roof just in time.

He pulled himself up, gasping as his muscles screamed. The howls of the infected still echoed below, but at least they weren’t on him.

Pushing through the pain, Jaxon forced his body forward, climbing higher from roof to roof, each movement deliberate. His mind focused on a single goal: find cover, stay alive, and keep moving.

.....

Moments later, he struggled onto a higher rooftop, his body trembling with exhaustion.

Then gunfire rang out in the distance. ’Sam? It must be them,’ he thought.

He summoned his DMR, hands shaking from fatigue and the strain on his torn shoulders. Peering through the scope, he spotted the four familiar figures still holding the line inside a house, fending off the horde.

Ignoring the pain that burned through his arms, Jaxon steadied himself and began firing, supporting them from afar, each shot a small lifeline against the relentless swarm.

.....

Harlan held the front near the door, his shotgun barking as he drove back those trying to break in.

"Harlan, I’m running out of ammo! We need a way out, now!" Rex shouted. His calm demeanor was gone, replaced with raw tension.

Harlan didn’t even glance at him, voice calm. "There is no way out. We fight them until we die!"

"This fucking old man..." Rex muttered, gritting his teeth. "Sam, hand me your gun!" He snatched it from Sam before he could protest.

Kira’s twin Uzis roared, tearing through the infected trying to force their way inside the windows. Her ammo was running low, and each second that passed sent a fresh spike of fear through her chest as the creatures closed in.

Suddenly, heads exploded under her fire, black blood splattering the window frame like smashed watermelons. More followed, in the same gruesome pattern until she finally noticed.

She glanced around, her eyes searching, but no one from her group was shooting at those sides, their focus elsewhere.

Then her eyes widened in realization, her mind racing as understanding dawned. ’Jaxon... he’s alive?’

At the same time, a thought struck her, a hope emerging, as she turned to the others. "This way! We escape through here!"

"What are you saying, bitch, are you crazy, can’t you see there are infected there, it’s suicide, we’ll never make it," Rex yelled, his fear escalating, losing his composure as the danger pressed in.

Kira clicked her tongue and pulled Sam along. "Harlan, follow behind us," she called, already moving toward the window.

Harlan, out of bullets, swung his rifle like a club, smashing the infected that got too close before following after them.

Rex clenched his teeth, frustration boiling over, ready to curse. But in the end, he fell in line behind the group, muttering under his breath as he moved.

As Sam leapt through the window, he froze, a bald infected was lunging straight for him above. He raised his hand, eyes tight shut, bracing for the strike.

Then, BOOM.

The creature’s head exploded, black blood splattering across Sam. He staggered back, trembling.

"What... what just happened?" Sam whispered, his voice trembling, unable to process what he had just seen.

"Stop dawdling, get going, idiot!" Kira snapped, grabbing his arm and pulling him forward.

The four of them ran, weaving through alleys and debris. Infected rushing toward them fell one by one, struck down by an unseen sniper from above. The group noticed it but had no time to think, their survival was all that mattered now.

Suddenly, a strange infected appeared above them. Its throat bulged with a pulsing, grotesque sac.

"Rex, shoot it!" Kira shouted, her voice tight with fear.

Rex raised his assault rifle, squeezing the trigger. Click... click... click. "Shit! I’m out!"

Before they could react, the mutated infected spewed a thick, green fluid from its throat. It spread like a mist, sizzling and hissing as it hit the ground and walls. Some of it sprayed onto Sam’s arm, instantly eating through his clothes.

"Ahhh! It burns!" Sam screamed, his skin turning black as the acid ate through him. Kira yanked him back, pulling him out of the stream just in time.

At the same moment, the creature’s head exploded in a spray of greenish-black blood. The sniper above had taken it out with a precise shot.

The group didn’t stop. They sprinted from alley to alley, heart pounding, lungs burning, until finally the sounds of pursuing infected faded behind them.

.....

Meanwhile, on the rooftop, Jaxon followed the group through his scope, tracking every movement. But soon, they vanished behind buildings, disappearing from sight.

He squinted, exhausted, but there was nothing more he could do for them now. Whether they survived or not now depended on luck.

’I hope we meet someday again.’ He thought quietly.

He unsummoned his DMR and began moving, carefully slipping through the city as he made his way back toward the bunker.

.....

By the time he reached the bunker, morning had broken. Jaxon stumbled through the doorway, bloodied and worn. His shoulders sagged under the weight of exhaustion, his body battered, injuries sharp reminders of the night’s chaos. Stamina completely drained, he felt like he could collapse at any moment.

"Jaxon?" Natasha’s voice trembled as she saw him step through the door. She had been waiting all night, unable to sleep, despite knowing he would fight the infected to earn coins.

Seeing his battered form, she rushed forward. "What happened to you?" she demanded, her hands hovering near him, unsure where to start.

Jaxon offered a small, weary smile, but the strength to speak had deserted him. Pain and exhaustion washed over him, his mind blank and heavy. Suddenly, the weight of everything crashed down, and he slumped forward into her arms.

"Jaxon! Jaxon!" Natasha’s voice rose, panic threading every word as he collapsed against her.