I opened my eyes and looked around, the others were still sleeping. I put the sergeant badge on my clothes like a trophy I gained and went outside for fresh air. I looked around the plaza, there were soldiers and people awake.
I could see soldiers around giving out food to people. There is a soldier coming towards me with cellophanes of food on his hand.
"How many are you in there?" He asked
"5, including me" I replied
He gave me 5 foods placed in a plastic container, it has rice with fried chicken and vegetables in it. I accepted it and placed it on the entryway of the container of the truck. I know we had a lot of food in the truck but we don't want to give it away to people because they might storm our truck and take it all so we covered it.
"Where did you get that badge from?" The soldier asked
"Sergeant Hernandez Xavier gave it to me yesterday, he taught me some military training and Sergeant training" I replied
His eyes lit up and saluted, I saluted back
"Sergeant Hernandez taught you? He is popular for being one of the best sergeants ever known. I heard that he will be soon promoted to a General rank. He taught you right? At 10 o'clock just at the entrance or how you enter here. I just saw your truck yesterday, we will have a mission of scavenging foods. I think it will be a good mission for you to join in mostly what you have been taught by Sergeant Hernandez. I'll be going now, I need to hand out foods for the others. Remember, 10 o'clock, just later"
He continued looking around for people in need. A mission? My heart skipped a beat, hell yeah. I'll be controlling people now, maybe these guys will be my men. I woke up the others to eat, I told them about the mission.
"A mission?" Glenn said and laid his hand on me
"It's your fucking time to shine"
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I looked at the time, 9:51.
"Let's get going now" I said to the others
They took their guns, I took the gun Ivano gave me. We went to the entrance, we saw the other soldiers lined up, we joined them.
"I heard that Sergeant Hernandez taught you, we will be expecting that you will be good at this" one of the soldiers said to me
We waited, a staff sergeant went in front. The Staff Sergeant, a weathered veteran with a sharp gaze, strode to the front of the assembled soldiers. He held a rolled-up map, his face etched with a mix of seriousness and grim determination. He cleared his throat and spoke in a voice that resonated with authority,
"Alright, listen up. We're heading out on a food scavenging mission. It's a risky one, but it's essential for our survival. This encampment needs to be stocked, and we need to find reliable sources."
He unfurled the map, revealing a faded and worn depiction of the ravaged city. It was dotted with various symbols, each one representing a potential scavenging location.
"This is what we know so far," he said, tracing a finger across the map.
"The old supermarket district, the abandoned farms, the industrial zone. We've received intel in a few places that might still hold supplies."
He pointed to a section of the map marked with a red dot.
"The supermarket district is our primary objective. There are several abandoned supermarkets there, but they could be heavily infested. Be warned, it's a high-risk zone. We need to be cautious and ready for anything."
He continued, his voice gaining a hint of urgency,
"We're going to split into teams. There are several squads going out today, each with a specific target. You'll be going with Team Bravo, led by Sergeant Hernandez. He's picked you because he believes in your abilities, Sergeant."
He paused, his eyes sweeping over the group.
"It's vital that we work together on this mission. We're relying on each other's skills and experience. You will need to use everything you've learned to survive. We're not going to be coddling anyone today."
He glanced at Johnny and his group, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
"Sergeant Hernandez has good taste in students. We'll see how you handle this mission. I'm sure Sergeant Hernandez has already given you some pointers." He gave a small, cynical smile,
"But I'm sure you can handle yourselves.
"Sir yes sir! As a soldier, we will do our best to contribute and help our people!" Jayden and the others shouted
I looked at them saluting and with a soldier stance, what the fuck?
The staff sergeant just smiled, he tapped the map with a sharp finger,
"We'll be leaving today. You'll need to be ready to move quickly, and stay vigilant. Undeads are everywhere, and they're always hungry."
He folded the map and looked at the soldiers, his gaze fixed on each of them.
"Don't let the world break you, and don't let the dead get in your way. Good luck out there, soldiers."
The soldiers nodded, a collective sense of determination filling the air. Johnny felt a rush of adrenaline, a mix of fear and excitement coursing through him. This was his chance to prove himself, to show that he could be a leader in this new world.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
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They gave us ammos, muzzle and other useful things for the mission, they even gave us a car.
"I'm excited! Jayden said
I waited for the other soldiers to drive off. I followed the mark on the map they assigned us. While driving there, there are undeads walking around eating and walking. As the same, they saw us and approached us.
When we arrived, it was a big supermarket. The air inside the supermarket was thick with a potent blend of stale air, dust, and the faint tang of something metallic. The shelves were toppled, goods scattered everywhere. Sunlight streamed through the broken windows, casting long shadows that danced with the dust motes.
"Where do we go first?" Jayden asked, his voice low and cautious, his gaze scanning the aisles.
"The food is probably in the back."
"Right," I said,
"But let's be smart about it. We need to secure the perimeter. No surprises."
I reached into my bag, pulling out the small notepad and pen that Sergeant Hernandez had given me.
"Let's make a plan, just like he taught us."
I started jotting down the basic layout of the supermarket.
"We'll use the aisles as cover," I said,
"And we'll stick to the outer edges. We'll leave the middle to the undead."
We worked together, drawing out a rough plan, identifying potential hazards and safe zones. Jayden, despite his initial hesitation, embraced his role as leader, his voice firm and decisive, his movements controlled. Kristy, with her keen eyes and quick reflexes, scanned the environment, her finger resting lightly on the trigger of her rifle, prepared for anything. Glenn, stoic and reliable, maintained a watchful eye on their rear, his presence a reassuring anchor in the midst of uncertainty.
We moved carefully, sensing the oppressive silence of the abandoned supermarket. The air was thick with a palpable sense of dread, a haunting reminder of the horrors that had unfolded here. Our footsteps echoed through the cavernous space, each one a potential trigger for the undead.
"Hear that?" Kristy whispered, her hand gripping her rifle tighter.
It was a low, guttural groan, a sound that emanated from the depths of the supermarket, a chilling reminder of the dangers that lurked in the shadows. A slow, methodical shuffle, the sound of decaying flesh dragging against the concrete floor. A pair of gleaming eyes materialized in the darkness, a horrifying sight in the dim light filtering through the broken windows.
"Two of them," I said, my voice steady,
"Moving slowly. They're probably drawn in by the smell of food."
"They're not on the alert, we can use that," Jayden said, his voice firm, a new confidence blossoming within him.
"Right," I said, my mind racing,
"We'll use the flanking maneuver. Jayden, you take the left, Kristy, you take the right. Covering fire. We'll be quick and clean. We don't want to alert any others."
The three of them moved with a practiced efficiency, their movements fluid and silent. They had learned to work together, to trust each other, to move as one.
I held my breath, my fingers tightening around the grip of my PO-13. I felt a surge of adrenaline, a mix of fear and exhilaration. This was it, the moment of truth. This was what I had been training for, this was what Sergeant Hernandez had prepared me for.
I signal Jayden and Kristy to shoot the 2 undeads, they nodded and shot them on their heads. We continued to the backdoor of the supermarket. We all looked at Glenn.
"We know your good at picklocking" Jayden said to Glenn with a big grin on his face
Glenn made a frustrated face and picklock the door. We waited for him to finish it while looking behind.
*Tick*
"Door unlocked"
"Okay, ready your guns, there might be undeads here" I ordered
They pointed their guns on the door. Glenn pushed the door while crouching, we were met by darkness. We turned on the flashlight of our guns. No undeads, we entered avoiding making noise.
It is the storage room and there are stacks and lots of boxes on the shelves. Glenn and Jane started looking at the boxes.
"Canned Foods"
"Mineral Water"
Both of them carried stack of boxes they found and placed the boxes on the door and came back to find more. The 3 of us searched the area of it is clear. We helped the 2 carry necessary boxes.
"I think this is enough" Jayden said
"Okay, Jayden and I will be guarding the entrance of the alleway while the 3 of you carry the boxes" I said
They nodded, me and Jayden ran to the entrance and guard. We shoot the undeads near the car and us. The 3 started carrying the boxes. We waited for them to carry them all.
"Let's go, we got all of it" Glenn said while coming at us while carrying 5 boxes
We went to the car, I start the car.
*Tetettetet*
*Tetetetetete*
What the, it's not working
*Teteteteetet*
*Teteteteet*
"We got to go" Jane said
"I'm trying" I replied
I kept on turning the keys, the sound attracted the undeads nearby, the others open fired on them.
"Fuck, why would the military give us this kind of car!" I complained
*Tetettetet*
*Tetetetetettetet*
"Is that a dog? Wait what the fuck, is that a human prowling!?" I heard Jayden
I looked up, there is something prowling in a fast speed coming towards us. It is a undead, there are 2 also came out from the left and the right. The prowled towards us jumping from car to car.
"Johnny! Please Johnny!" Jane shouted
"Kill them when they are near!" I shouted back
*Tetetetetettetet*
*Tetetetetete-*
*Vroom*
"Okay let's go!"
I did a u-turn
*Bang*
I heard the familiar sound of Glenn's shotgun.
"Faster Johnny! It looked like they are more faster than a car!" Glenn said
"Only you will shoot! The 3 of you will shot when they reach us! We don't want to waste ammo" I shouted
*Bang bang*
"Fuck! Their moves are unpredictable!" Glenn said
I drive as fast as I can
"Kill them before we went back to Barete Park! We don't want to lead them there!" I yelled to Glenn
*Bang bang bang*
I took a lot of u-turn and made zigzag.
*Bang*
"Okay 2 down, 1 bullet in 2" Glenn said
"Wait where's the 3rd one?" Jayden asked
*Thud*
One of the prowlers came out of nowhere, just Infront of me trying to destroy the windshield.
"Fucking kill it!"
*Bang bang*
Jayden tried to shoot it with his pistol, but it is still hanging on even after receiving a bullet on the brain.
"What the fuck!"
A barrel shotgun emerged from my right pointing the undead, it was Glenn. He put a headphone on me and shoot the undead. Glenn went flew backwards because of the shotguns power. The undead got knockback but still hand on tight on the car. His ugly face can be seen on my window.
I saw a car nearby and went near it, I went to it to hit the undead. The undead suddenly disappeared in the thin air. I stopped the car. All of us took deep breaths.
I rolled my down and looked behind, the undead is not moving.
"What the fuck, a running undead and now a prowler... What the fuck!" Jayden shouted
I took of the headset Glenn put on me. I just looked in front and sigh on relief. Theres a soldier car made a turn and stopped near us.
"Aren't you kids supposed to go to the west?" The driver asked
"We already looted it, we just went far from Barete Park to avoid the Prowlers entering it" I replied
"Prowlers?"
Kristy rolled down their window and showed something to the soldier with her phone, she might have recorded it.
"You seeing this Ryan?"
"Y-yeah, they are fast and... Shit let's go, we might encounter them on the way if we stay here for too long"
"Okay let's go kids" the driver said
I nodded, made a u-turn and followed them back to Barete Park.
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The familiar silhouette of the Barete Park statue rose in the distance, a beacon of relative safety in a world gone mad. The soldier in front of us, Ryan, nodded at me as he turned his head to look at the park.
As we drove through the park, the mood was somber. The soldier's words,
"Don't let the world break you," echoed in my head.
I'd seen enough to know that the world was full of things that could break you. And I'd seen enough to know that sometimes, you had to be prepared to break a few rules to survive.
We parked the truck near a tent marked "Command," and the soldier's car pulled up beside us. Ryan hopped out, his face a mask of weariness. He waved at us, his expression grave.
"The General wants to see you," he said.
"He's called a meeting to discuss the mission and the new threat."
As I stepped out of the truck, I could hear a low murmur of conversation coming from the Command tent. Soldiers were gathered, their faces drawn and weary. The stench of sweat and fear hung heavy in the air.
Inside, a makeshift stage had been set up, a podium with a microphone, a worn map of the city displayed on a wall. General Mendez, a tall, broad-shouldered man with an air of authority, stood behind the podium, his voice a low growl. He surveyed the room, his gaze sharp and focused.
"We've received reports of a new threat," the General said, his voice resonating through the tent.
"The Prowlers. Fast, unpredictable, and dangerous. They're unlike anything we've ever encountered before."
He tapped the map with his finger, his gaze fixed on the area where we'd encountered the Prowlers.
"They're spreading, and they're a serious threat to our survival."
He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to sink in.
"Our mission today was to secure food supplies. We succeeded, thanks to the courage and hard work of all of you. But at a cost. We lost some good soldiers today. Soldiers who fought bravely to ensure our survival."
A hush fell over the room, a collective wave of sadness washing over the gathered soldiers.
"But their sacrifice will not be in vain," the General said, his voice unwavering.
"We will honor their memory by fighting for the future, by securing our survival, by building a better world."
He looked at me, his eyes piercing.
"Sergeant, you and your team have demonstrated exceptional courage and skill today. You faced a new and dangerous threat, and you overcame it."
He paused, his gaze lingering on me.
"I've heard good things about you, Sergeant. You've been training with Sergeant Hernandez." He glanced at the soldiers, his voice a low growl.
"I've been informed about the Prowlers as well, we will be training you all for this. I don't want to be losing soldiers anymore."
The General's words were a mixture of praise and a stark reminder of the dangers they faced.
"The survival of this encampment depends on our ability to adapt, to learn, to grow stronger," he said.
"We will stand together, we will fight together, and we will prevail."
His words echoed in my mind, a call to arms, a promise of hope.