THE ZOMBIE OUTBREAK

chapter five

Ethan looked at Darren, whose face had been disfigured from the zombie bite. He was barely recognizable now, his skin gray and decaying, his eyes void of any humanity. Darren, or what was left of him, let out a guttural snarl and lunged at Ethan, who instinctively raised the compound bow, ready to defend himself. Sandra looked at Darren as he released her and plunged at Ethan. Ethan dodge him and looked at the bowed which was having no arrow to shoot with. Suddenly he had an instinct of drawing back the bow and a magic arrow came out of it. The arrow flew true, striking Darren in the chest. But instead of collapsing, Darren's body twitched violently and staggered forward.

Ethan quickly nocked another arrow, his muscles burning with the effort, and aimed for Darren's head. The second shot found its mark, and Darren finally dropped to the ground, lifeless.Sandra stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock. "How is he still moving? The system said the mission was accomplished."Ethan shook his head, breathing heavily. "I don't know. Maybe there's more to this than we thought."

As they stood over Darren's corpse, another holographic message appeared in front of Ethan.

[SYSTEM ALERT: NEW THREAT IDENTIFIED. PREPARE FOR PHASE TWO.]

Ethan's heart sank. "Phase two? What does that mean?"

Before Sandra could respond, the ground beneath them began to shake. The sound of crumbling earth and distant roars filled the air. Sandra grabbed Ethan's arm, pulling him back towards the safety of the room they had just left.

"Run!" she screamed, dragging him along.

They sprinted back into the building, slamming the door shut behind them. The walls trembled, dust and debris falling from the ceiling. They could hear the growls and snarls of zombies growing louder, and the unmistakable sound of something much larger approaching.

"We can't stay here," Ethan said, his voice grim. "We need to find a way out. I thought you said they were gone." Ethan raise his voice

Sandra nodded, her face pale but determined. "There's an old tunnel system beneath the building. It leads out of the city. I found a map of it in the records room."

Ethan's eyes lit up with hope. "Then let's go. We don't have much time."

They made their way through the dark, narrow corridors of the building, the sounds of chaos echoing around them. Every shadow seemed to move, every noise a potential threat. But they pressed on, determined to reach the tunnels.

As they descended into the basement, Ethan's headache returned with a vengeance. He stumbled, clutching his head in pain. Sandra rushed to his side, supporting him as best she could.

Ethan and Sandra managed to get out of the basement as they ran into the forest. " I think we lost them." Sandra said trying to get his breathe back. Ethan looked back and could see some walkers right in front of him. He drew out his compound bow and killed as many as he can as they walked through the forest.

" We need to find a safe zone. I heard there are some resistance there." Sandra looked at the map she was holding.

"We need to grab some few provisions too." Ethan said looking at his bag pack. " We will go through here and floor the path ahead. it should lead us to the safe zone." Sandra replied

As they walked, they tried to avoid some of the zombies until they reach the mall. Ethan saw one of the guards that had been turned to a zombie and immediately shot him with an arrow. They opened the door carefully and walked inside. " We move out in ten minutes. Grab whatever you need and we move." Ethan instructed with his fingers.

Going through the groceries, Ethan packed as many food as he could. His mind going back to his sister. He was going to share some of it with her if they ever meet. Ethan tried to make sure Sandra was in sight as they grabbed their stuffs.

Suddenly, the hall to the grocery stall rang and some men walked in. " Hide!" Ethan whispered seeing they were on army uniforms. " Can't be believe we have been searching for some food joint and we are fortunate to stumble upon this one." One of the men said with a smile

" We don't have much time, we leave in ten! Grab whatever we need at the hide out and let's go." A commanding voice said out loud. The men immediately swung into action grabbing some of the crucial things needed at the safe zone.

Ethan looked at them as they grabbed what they needed. He looked at Sandra and gave her some signal to stay put. He carefully went through the back.

Ethan knocked one of the men out and had his gun. He was about to get closer to the second men when he heard Sandra's shout. " I will advise you not to try anything funny. Come out !" The voice was commanding

Ethan walked out holding one of the men with a gun to his head. " We are not here to harm anyone. So, just let him go."

Ethan looked at the men who had thier guns pointed at him. " Release her to me and we would be on our way. " Ethan replied

" We can use a man like you, we have a safe zone where you wil be safe and looked after. Fresh food, clothes and even a warm bed over your head. I am Commander Derek. " The man said lowering his gun. He signalled to his men to do the same. "Careful now!" He said gently releasing Sandra

Sandra ran towards Ethan and he released the men he was holding too. " C'mon boys. We need to leave now. You can come with us if you want." Derek looked at Ethan

Sandra looked at Ethan and he knew she was tired of always looking after her shoulders. Derek was about to open the door when Ethan said they were going to follow them.

The soldiers walked out in formation taking some of the Zombies down. They even had an armour tank.

They drove heading towards the safe zone. Relieve watched over Sandra and Ethan and as they entered the safe zone territory, Ethan saw something that bothered him.

He looked at Derek and his men and back at Sandra. They were driven into a well fenced compound with soldiers mounting the gate. " We are here." Derek replied looking at Ethan and Sandra. They got out of the car and Ethan noticed that there was no civilians there. " What about the rest?" He asked looking around

" Have them taken and prepare them for feasting." Derek commanded one of his soldiers who grinned

Sandra looked at Ethan scared " what does he mean when he said feasting?" She asked as they led them away

Ethan and Sandra were taking into an abandoned house with a tray right in front of them. Ethan opened his eyes in awe seeing the ugly sight in front of him. "Cannibals." He said looking at the man holding him. Before he could say another word a blow landed on his face knocking him out