“Bzzt!”

With a final cut, the glass of the vending machine fell into Axel’s outstretched left hand, its heft causing him to almost drop it. It was a rare occasion that he did the scavenging. After all, he was more of a leader than a hands-on kind of guy.

The vending machine was about half full, filled with a mix of snacks and sweets. Not exactly anything nutritious or filling, but still better than nothing. He was just thankful that some other group hadn’t gotten to this area yet. They must have missed it.

Or were afraid of something. Axel thought, a chill running down his back.

Axel gently, but quickly set the glass panel onto the cracked concrete of the sidewalk, careful not to cut himself on its sharp edges, the glare of the overhead sun reflecting off the glass nearly blinding him. He had to move fast. The saw was quiet, but it was still far from silent. No doubt it would attract the more sensitive predators to his location. They would normally avoid coming out during the day, but they were in the middle of a surge. Their behavior was erratic during these times, so he had to be careful. There was a chance the mutants deign to approach. He had to be out before then.

Suddenly, a guttural roar sounded form just down the street. Startled, Lucas abandoned all caution, stuffing an armful of sweets into his bag and cutting his arm on the glass before bolting behind the nearby hedge beside the street. It made for good cover, solid enough to hide behind, and surprisingly impact absorbent. Although something taller would have been appreciated. It only barely reached to Axel’s chest if he stood up straight. Something he was wisely was avoiding doing at the moment.

With baited breath, he stopped to listen. The sound had come from someplace far, so it was unlikely that he had been spotted, but it was always best to be on the safe side of things. He wanted to be ready in case he had been noticed. That was when he heard the foot-steps. Four of them, and getting closer.

He had to move.

Luckily for him, the there were few leaves or twigs in the grass here, allowing Axel to near-silently sneak down the street, keeping just to the side of the hedges. He could thank his years of practice for this one, but it was mostly just talent. He had always been good at hiding. His proficiency in stealth had kept him alive these past years. The best way to avoid dying was to avoid danger, and what better way to do that than hiding from the big, hulking mutants. He considered it his best skill; it was his pride to never be seen if he did not want to.

Well, at least until today.

“Squeak!”

‘Shit!’ Throwing himself back, Axel quickly realized he’d stepped on an old chew toy while reminiscing.

He stood there a moment, stunned.

A moment too long.

Like a bolt of lightning, a mass of darkness flew through the hedges, right where Axel had been moments ago. Surprised at having missed its target, the beast stumbled a bit, leaving long lines in the grassy dirt from its claws, momentarily orienting itself. Axel took this chance to back away, simultaneously drawing from his waist a machete in his right, and pistol in his left. Shooting with one hand was inaccurate, but that hardly mattered when the target was mere feet away, and there was no worry about his offhand being useless. Axel was ambidextrous, another facet of himself which may have saved him more than he thought. But now wasn’t the time. Focusing, Axel turned his attention back to the beast before him.

Righting itself, it stood on all fours. Its height almost reached Axel’s own, who clocked in at 5’ 4”. Gray strips ran down its black form, emphasizing its rippling muscles. It resembled a dog, but with too much muscle and too many teeth. And claws. Big claws. A hound. And a fucking big one.

The thing had probably tracked him right up to the hedges through his smell before Axel had stepped on the toy. He had been screwed either way, the toy just giving away his location earlier. In fact, it may have saved him. If the hound had noticed him without any warning, it could have taken him out before he ever noticed.  

That was the thing about hounds. They were fast, reaching nearly twenty miles per hour instantly, with a max speed of around forty, and able to lunge yards forwards in fractions of seconds. That meant getting caught unaware was a death sentence. Typically, it wouldn’t be much of a problem to fight one if you were prepared, but you never were, and there were always many more than one. These things hunted in packs, and there was little chance this hound’s wasn’t already on its way.

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It was even worse at night, where they were near invisible. He was lucky it was a stealth predator at day, so he could probably take one on his own, but the pack was impossible with his weaponry. He’d packed light. It was a scavenging operation. He had to be fast and quiet. Fighting a pack of mutants was never part of the plan.

Axel considered his options. He could run and try to lose it in the twisting streets of the ruined town, kill it quickly and find a place to hide, or find something he could climb. Hounds were bad with ladders after all.

First option it is, he thought. Anything nearby of appropriate height might just crumble under him, what with the erosion and two years of abandonment, and he had no idea how much time he had before the rest of the pack showed up. That left running.

Decisively, Axel feinted towards the beast, causing it to rear back in preparation to lunge, then dropped his weapons and took off into the opening between the hedges beside him, scraping his arms in the process. He could feel the displaced air from the hound lunging past him as he ran out. With each bound Axel took, he could feel more adrenaline surging through his body. This was a life or death race.

He heard the beast roar and take off after him, but he had already gained a lead.

One that wouldn’t last long.

Axel flew down the street, exerting everything he had to go just a little faster. Behind him, he could hear the hound catching up, its weight mixed with its speed causing the sidewalk to crack slightly with each leap it took. Spotting an alley ahead Axel sped up a bit more. He could feel the heat of the hound’s breath on his back as his legs grew number and number. If he slowed down here, he was dead. The hound would catch him and tear him to shreds.

There was only one choice. He grimaced, prepared for what he was going to do. As Axel approached the alley, he prepared to shift his weight, and at the last second threw himself sideways, arms held in front to shield his head. He slammed into the wall, almost certainly spraining his wrists, but he’d succeeded. Moments later, the black hound shot past the alley, unable to turn before passing. Collapsing against the wall, Axel took a short breather.

His left wrist hurt. Bad. He had hit the wall at an unexpected angle, having miscalculated his speed. It was sprained at best, broken at worst. The wrist was usable, but not proficiently. He would be crippled for weeks. Luckily, his right wrist had suffered nearly no damage. It had smacked the wall after him, instead of before, meaning it was likely only bruised. Bad, but better than nothing. Sighing, Axel stood back up.

He’d gained time, but it wasn’t enough. He had to keep running. He had to get to base. The rest of the pack could be here, encircling him already. Catching his breath, Axel set his satchel back on his shoulder. It had nearly fallen during the run, which would have made the whole trip pointless.

Not that he had much to show for it anyways.

Chagrined, Axel took off again, down into the alley. This time at a moderate pace to conserve his stamina and avoid tripping. Any injury was fatal, and he was already hurt enough as is. Hopefully, if he was right, it would lead to another street, there he could meet up with their engineering crew, who would be scavenging for parts from the nearby cars. He’d warn them of the incoming pack, and they could flee back to base, or hold them off if they’d found something valuable.

While steadily traveling, Axel’s thoughts drifted again. He’d been in terrible situations before, but him and his crew had always escaped.

That’s right. His crew.

Unbidden tears threatened to escape his eyes at that thought. He quickly focused his mind, but the damage was already done. He needed to rest.

Axel slowed to a stop near an old dumpster. With a sigh, he sat beside it. Maybe… Maybe dying wouldn’t be so bad. If only he could just get some rest. Maybe he would even meet the rest of his crew. The ones he had lost last year.

Who was he kidding?

Letting out a long sigh, Axel stared at the poster across from him. It was an old, pre-apocalypse poster. It was all but rotted away, leaving barely a trace of what was originally written on it: “Zombicide 4! Coming March 8th, 2024!”

A chuckle escaped him. He couldn’t help but think back to his argument with his parents about getting a job. Back then, he was a hardcore gamer and wanted to save up enough to purchase the game. At the time, he was heated, angry they refused, saying his games were stupid. And now, looking back, it was almost a fond memory. A time when he could enjoy himself, when his only desire was for more entertainment.

Now he just wanted to stay alive. Something the rest of his crew couldn’t do. Had failed to do.

No, he was the one who failed them.

Shaking his head, Axel chased the thoughts away. Now was not the time. He had to survive, for them, for the camp. The camp had made it so far thanks to him, but he was still needed. He was their leader, and without him they would become a disorganized mess.

His thoughts drifted back to a brown-haired girl, barking orders at the rest of the camp and bringing him food when he was working.

Maybe they would be okay.

Axel’s thoughts were interrupted by a shriek from the other entrance of the alley. But who-

Shit. The engineers. The hounds must have found them while looking for him. They could take on the pack if they were prepared, but caught unawares…

Another scream sounded across the town. At this rate they would attract every monstrosity within a couple miles.

If only he had kept running.

No. He couldn’t think that way.

Wiping his forehead of sweat, Axel stood, his arm rising to wipe the sweat off his brow. Now was not the time for reflection. It was time for action.

He had two options here. He could run towards, or away from the screaming.

Silently, Axel made his choice, and took off down the alley.