[ MC POV ]
As I cut through the walkers' heads, I spotted the soldiers in my peripheral. They were charging toward the building, bullets tearing through the horde.
Good… they're finally safe.
I slid my blade across my back and called forth my sickle—morphing into a towering scythe.
Now, I could fully indulge in this glorious madness.
I tore through the horde with a feral grin, each swing of my weapon splitting heads and spraying gore.
The screams of the undead, the crack of bone under my hands—it sent a fire coursing through me.
One walker fell into my grasp; I ripped its skull free and smashed it into the pavement.
My heart raced.
I felt joy… Was this really how Madara Uchiha felt? Or was it simply that I craved this madness? Perhaps all Uchihas were battle maniacs—and now, I was one of them.
But then I noticed more hordes of walkers approaching.
Tch… seems their gunfire must have drawn even more into this street.
Perfect. Time to make things interesting.
I snapped my hands into position and roared,
"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"
A colossal fireball blasted from my mouth, swallowing the horde in flames and reducing the entire pack to ash in seconds.
Hmm… looks like this is the maximum scale I can summon for now.
I moved through the abandoned Humvees, checking for survivors—but found nothing.
I looted the vehicles, snatching ammunition, weapons, and supplies, carefully stashing everything for later.
Then my eyes caught the twins pinned in a crushed vehicle, bloodied and battered. I ripped the door off and dragged them out.
Still breathing… but bitten.
I clicked my tongue—damn it.
Then it hit me—the vaccines.
Perfect.
Let's see if they actually work.
Without hesitation, I hoisted both soldiers and sprinted toward the building before more walkers closed in.
...
[ Vladimir's PoV ]
"Ed! For cryin' out loud—door ain't open yet?! Don't you dare let the kids' sacrifice go to waste!" I barked, clutching his wife tightly, while firing at those fucking undead.
Edwin fumbled with the key, panic written across his face. He gritted his teeth, finally managing to unlock the door. "Come on! Get inside, everyone!" he shouted.
We rushed into the building—andfroze. Piles of mangled, bloodied bodies littered the floor. Each cut was precise, surgical in its cruelty.
"W-what the hell is this?" one of my men gulped, staring at the carnage.
A few of the boys lifted their rifles, eyes sweepin' the room, nerves tight.
"Isla, Duke—check the perimeter. I want eyes on every corner before we take another damn step."
They snapped a nod and peeled off, checkin' corners and hallways.
After a tense minute, they came back in.
Duke slung his rifle, gave me a sharp nod. "All clear, Cap. Ain't nothin' movin', no undead in sight."
"Good." I tilted my head. "Brick, Slade—stay here and hold that door. Wait for the kid, got it?"
They both nodded.
I scanned their gear. "You still got rounds left?"
Slade shook his head. "Used it all, Cap." He held up the empty ammo box.
"Same here, Old Man," Brick added.
"Gibson, spare ammo in your pack?" I queried.
He gave a tight nod. "Yeah… but it's the last stash we got."
"Shit," I hissed under my breath. "Fine. Hand it over to Brick and Slade—they're holdin' the door. The rest of you? Use your tactical knives or carambits. Pierce, you lead—we follow. Let's find a room, now."
"Yes, Captain!" they all said in unison.
"Follow me, Captain," gripping his carambit, Pierce moved to take point, leading us silently up the stairs.
We followed him quietly, my men clutching their weapons tightly, flanking me and Edwin to protect us from any surprise attacks.
As we moved through the floors, the scene grew worse.
Dead bodies littered every hallway—bodies slashed and impaled, some with heads pierced by a sharp weapon.
That ain't random—it's the kid, for sure.
By the third floor, rooms looked like slaughter pens, walls dripping red. No way we were stickin' around, not with Candace in bad shape.
We pressed on, finally reaching the tenth floor.
The room here was untouched, neat—likely belonging to an elderly couple. It would have to suffice.
I gently laid Candace on the bed.
"How's she doin'?" Edwin's voice trembled.
I couldn't answer. Instead, I called over Sith, our combat medic.
He approached silently, set down his bag, and began assessing Candace.
After a tense moment, he went silent.
"W—what's wrong? Can she be treated?" Edwin asked, his voice shaking with dread.
Sith's eyes met mine, hesitant.
Edwin lost it. He grabbed Sith, shaking him hard. "C'mon, kid! Open your mouth! Don't just gawk at me—TALK!"
"I… I can treat her, Dr… but—" he swallowed hard, eyes darting away. "She's been bit… I'm sorry."
The words hit us like a freight train.
Edwin's face twisted, disbelief written all over it. "What the hell did you just say? No—say it straight! You can fix her, right? Tell me you can fix her!"
Sith met Edwin's furious gaze, his voice cracking. "S-she's infected… I wish I could help… but I can't."
Edwin froze, his body going limp as he sank to the floor, eyes locked on his wife in disbelief. His voice cracked, trembling with horror: "You're kidding… right? She wasn't bitten when I pulled her out of the Humvee…"
His eyes snapped to me, wild with fury. He lunged, slamming me against the wall. "You were supposed to keep her safe, Vlad! I trusted you—damn it, I should've been the one with her!"
He rained punches on my face.
My men surged forward, trying to restrain him, but I held up my hands. "Back off!"
My men froze, glaring at Edwin with fury, but I ignored them.
I locked eyes with him, teeth clenched in frustration and regret. "…Forgive me, Ed. I'm sorry."
"Sorry?!" he screamed, striking me again. "Do you think sorry can save her, Vlad?! You killed her! You killed my wife… our last hope!"
Edwin collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. "No… no… my God… my God…"
I just stood there, useless, watchin' a man lose everything he had left.
Then—bang, bang—a knock at the door snapped us outta it.
I wiped the blood from my mouth, signaled my men to be ready, and called out, "Come in."