Then—
BOoM!!
A deafening explosion rips through the air, shaking the floor beneath my feet.
...
Without hesitation, I sprint up the stairs. Bursting through the rooftop door, I'm hit with the sight of Atlanta—burning.
Smoke choked the skyline, and skeletal buildings loomed, battered and blackened.
Down below, a Humvee was swarmed by walkers, its doors buckling under their weight.
Another vehicle lay crumpled, its bumper torn away.
A handful of soldiers fired desperately, trying to protect whoever was trapped inside.
Idiots.
All that noise will pull the dead down on them any second now.
I stepped off the rooftop, dropping thirty-six meters along the wall.
My heel caught the narrow ledge, controlling my fall. I landed with flawless precision.
A kunai blinked into my hand. I swung, effortless but deadly, the air shattering around it.
"GET DOWN!" I shout.
...
[ Vladimir's PoV ]
"Damn it, Ed! We need to move—now!" I shouted over the gunfire, my rifle spitting rounds into the advancing horde. "Those fucking undead aren't stopping, and neither are we!"
Edwin slammed his fists against the mangled car door, face twisted in desperation. "No! I'm not leaving her, Vlad! I won't let my wife die here! Help me—she's our last hope for a cure!"
I cursed under my breath, clicking my tongue. A walker lunged at me, and I smashed my rifle butt into its skull, bone and rot bursting under the blow. "Alright, boys! Cover us, or we're all dead!"
"Go, Captain! We'll hold them!" one of my men shouted back, unloading his magazine into the swarm.
I sprinted to Edwin's side.
Together, we wrestled with the crushed door until it groaned open with a metallic scream.
"Arghh!"
Edwin dove inside, slashing through the seatbelt. He pulled his wife free, cradling her in trembling arms. Blood trickled down her temple. He wiped it away, gently patting her cheek.
"Candace? No… no, no, no! Please, wake up! Come on, hon! I need you… we need you…" His voice cracked, tears streaking his dirt-covered face.
I fired into the horde, grabbing his shoulder. "Ed! We're out of bullets! My men are dying for this—move!"
"But… she's… no—God, please! I can't lose her!" Edwin sobbed, clutching her tight.
I didn't wait for his permission. I shoved him aside, lifting Candace into my arms, and barked, "I'll carry her. You move your ass, Ed — if you die here, everything we've done means nothing! Do you understand me?!"
His hands shook, but he nodded.
"Boys, let's—"
"Auld man!" John's voice cut me off. Grinning through the chaos, he fired in short, controlled bursts. "Leave us! Make sure Dr. Jenner and his wife stay safe—they're the last hope for humanity. Get goin', now!"
My eyes burned red as I clenched my jaw. "Say it again, punk—"
"GET DOWN!"
The voice came from behind.
A blur of movement burst through the walkers—a kid with wild, unkempt hair. His kunai flashed, carving through the dead in a fluid, almost effortless rhythm, bodies dropping like wheat before a sytche, each strike fast, precise… almost like a deadly dance.
In one fluid motion, he halted and tossed a key to Edwin. His voice was calm, yet edged with authority. "That building's safe. Go. I'll cover you."
Edwin froze. "W-what…?"
"NOW!" the kid snapped, already cutting back into the horde, blades slicing through flesh and bone.
We didn't waste another second.
Biting down our fear, we turned and ran, boots pounding the cracked asphalt, every step taking us closer to the building… and further from the kid still holding the line.
---
🔍 Did you know?
Madara Uchiha awakened the EternalMangekyō Sharingan, a powerful evolution of the Sharingan, granting him unmatched visual prowess and formidable combat abilities.
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