chapter three

Ethan opened his eyes and saw Sarah was tied down beside him. He looked at her forehead and saw it was bruised. Ethan tried to speak but the cloth they had used to have his mouth was making it impossible. He looked trying to find out where they are but the darkness was so thick that a knife could prove through it. He looked forward and saw a burning fire in his front. Ethan was freezing and the wound on his head was making his vision a little hazy. " Can you please get him some water?" Sarah shouted at the men who were seated beside the fire.

" Look who is up. Soldier boy." one of the men said while the other laughed.

Ethan. was putting on an soldier uniform showing he had served in the army before the chaos. He was now old but he could still take a few men down if he had wanted too.

His uniform was tattered and worn, but the insignia on his shoulder revealed his rank and years of service. The scars on his face and the weary look in his eyes told a story of their own - a story of battles fought, comrades lost, and memories that would haunt him forever.

As he struggled to free himself, the men beside the fire jeered and taunted him. "Looks like the soldier boy needs a drink," one of them sneered, tossing a canteen at Ethan's feet. The water spilled out, and Ethan's parched throat constricted with longing. He tried to speak again, but the cloth gag muffled his words.

Sarah's eyes met Ethan's, and he saw a flicker of hope there. She knew him, knew that he was a soldier, knew that he would fight to escape. The men, oblivious to the silent communication between the captives, continued to mock Ethan.

"Twenty years of service, and this is how it ends," one of them sneered, ripping off Ethan's rank insignia. "You're nothing but a prisoner now, soldier boy."

Ethan looked around and he knew they were bunch of rogues and touts. He looked at Sarah and made sure she was intact. Many like them liked to rape women and little girls but not tonight. Ethan. was ready to do anything to get them out of the mess they were in even if he had to kill a few men.

His gaze never left Sarah's face, and he knew that she understood. His cloth, his uniform, his scars - they all told a story of a man who would never give up, never surrender. And in that moment, Ethan knew that he would fight with every last breath to escape, to protect Sarah, and to make it back to the world outside this dark and forsaken place.

Suddenly, he heard a husky voice and a man walked into the midst of the men seated by the fire. They all stood up immediately and saluted him. Ethan was surprised, the man was also a soldier. His build,his body structure showed he had also had his fair share of the war before the mess. Ethan looked at him as he walked moving closer to him and Sarah.

The more he walked closer to him, the more his face looked familiar. The man was finally in his front and stared at Ethan in the eyes. " Remember me?" he said with a smirk on his face.

" Think hard before you answer any of my questions because your answer will determine what happens to her."

Ethan grunted as he tried to free himself. The rope around his hand was loosen a bit and he tried to steady himself. " Shall we begin?" The man's voice was heard and all the men stood by the fire wondering what was between the man and soldier boy. " Do you know who I am?" he asked again

"No," Ethan responded truthfully and before he could say another word, Sarah received a hot slap on her face making her fall backwards to the ground.

The man smiled and looked at Ethan " Looks like we are going to be here longer than I thought."

" I said I don't know you and if we have had a little scuffle in the past, can we just let it go?" Ethan looked at him

" Let' it go? Are you saying I should forget everything and let you go?" he shouted making Sarah shiver in fear. " Did you hear the man. He said we should let him go." The man stood up in front of Ethan's and signalled to one of his boys. who went inside the uncompleted building right in front of him. He came out with a sickly man who was dragging his feet in front of him. " Maybe this will help you remember."

Sarah looked up and she tried to scream but the stern gaze she was given made her shut her mouth. The sickly man got near the fire and Ethan was able to see the man was a zombie. " Let him have a go at him." The man shouted at his thugs

The zombie was released at Ethan and the scuffle began. The snark grew louder as the zombie tried to eat him up.

Sarah watched as she began to sob gently. She knew her best chance at surviving was with Ethan. If he dies then everything dies with him. The hope of finding her son

Ethan scuffed trying hard not to be beaten by the hagger zombie right in front of him. With his hand tied behind his back, he went back and forth trying to dodge the Zombie as he fell on him each time trying to bite him. Sarah shriek as she watched

The men laughed as they made fun of Ethan thinking he was going to die. Ethan saw a pointed stake and made his way towards it. The zombie dragged after him but suddenly it stopped moving. The snarling stopped making the men wonder if the sickly creature got Ethan or not. The atmosphere was tense as Sarah looked at the creature on top of Ethan.

Suddenly, Ethan's hand moved and he pushed the zombie off him. ' Woah! that was what I was talking about. A man like you would not die easily. " The scar man said walking back to Ethan

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" Let's play another game." He said crouching beside Ethan and Sarah began to cry. "Shhhh....sh....I am not going to hurt you if your man here can remember me."

" Why do I have too? Do you know how many faces I have seen? You certainly didn't strike any remembrance." Ethan replied sharply looking around if he could see the holographic message once again but it looked like he had been forgotten by the mysterious Zombie system

" Are you waiting for someone? Your helper perhaps?" The man said and his men burst into laughter. ' We are at the end of the human race. Nobody will come for you and if they do. I am going to kill every last one of them."

Ethan was dragged towards the fire and the scar man stared at his face. Ethan immediately had flashes and he remembered who he was. " Darren?" he said slowly trying to remember where they had met.

" I like him..He is beginning to remember things and that would give me a good reason to have him fed to the Zombies tonight. They are going to feast on you soldier boy." He said with a wide grin

Ethan tried to recollect where they had met

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{ FEW YEARS BACK }

" Where the hell are you keeping it comrade!" Ethan yelled whipping a young man tied to the stake. The man yelled each time the whip landed on his back. " I am going to stop when you tell me what I need to know." Ethan lashed at him again.

" Is he talking yet?" A voice asked behind Ethan and he looked back. He quickly saluted his boss who had a pair of glasses on his face. " Nothing. He still won't tell us where he had the bomb kept." Ethan replied

" We don't have the time, Agent Ethan. Would you like to see the entire town blown to bit? The people you knew, men and women who entrusted their life into your hands. Would you like to see everything burn and crash?" Lieutenant Rick looked at Ethan's face. " No sir." Ethan shouted looking up

" So do your godamn duty." he lashes at Ethan. The doorstep of Lieutenant Rick was heard as he walked away.

Ethan grabbed his whip again and this time added some iron and nails to It. " You are going to tell me where you hid the bomb or we can keep doing this all day " He shouted lashing the whip at Darren's back.

They both grew tired and Ethan decided to go to the extreme. He poured some cold water on Daren and went over to the electric circuit. He jammed some wires together and they sparked some light. Ethan dipped the current into the water making Daren shakes like some fish being taken from the water and put on the ground.

" It is in my house. The attic." Darren mumbled some words as saliva came out of his mouth.

Ethan immediately took his phone and sent the addresses to his subordinates. "You see, this wasn't so bad after all." Ethan said sliding into the chair before him.

Ethan looked at Daren as he slept off after the torture and he felt guilty not knowing why they were really after him and what he wanted with the bomb. Ethan was a black opps and all he needed was a go. He had never bothered to ask his superior while he needed to do the things he does. But the day he started to ask was when he had some issues. He ended up being fired and men were sent to have him killed. They gave up when they noticed Ethan was not some ordinary oops they could kill.

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{ PRESENT DAY }

" Darren? You.." Ethan didn't know what to say and he knew he was not getting out alive and neither was Sarah. Ethan looked at her and he could see the face of a woman longing to see her child. " Can you let her go? She has nothing to do with any of this " Ethan pleaded.

" It is me that you want." He added

" No, I pleaded that day too but all you wanted was to please your boss. Did you know what happened? Why did I have to go to the length I went too?" Daren asked as the light crackled before them. As Daren kept talking Ethan noticed the cell opposite them was loaded with Zombies. He looked back at Daren and wondered why he had to cage so many defects.

Daren took off his shirt and the mark was visibly seen on his back. A reminder of Ethan's brutality. Sarah's face widened in disbelief and looked at Ethan. She wondered how, a calm looking man could do something that evil. But the truth was that he was a soldier. Evil and brutality was part of their life.

Darren walked closer to Ethan, " You are going to go through the same fate as I did back then. Maybe even worse. " He said with a wide smile on his face.

" String him up guys. " Daren ordered and Ethan was immediately lifted up from his feet. " I need you now!" Ethan shouted

Daren looked around, " Don't tell me you still believe you can wiggle your way out of here? You are all alone boy. String him up!" Darren shouted again

" Wait..wait.." Ethan shouted again as if buying himself sometime for the systems to intervene. He looked around and still there was nothing.

Daren looked at his face in anticipation of what he was going to say. " Deal. Let's make a deal. You allow the woman to go and you can have me to yourself." Ethan looked at him

" Have you? No, my men are dying to have some warmth tonight and she will warm all of our beds." Darren looked at Ethan. And then, Ethan felt a sharp pain in his head. He looked up and a holographic message appeared

[ SYSTEM LOADED SUCCESSFULLY]

[ SYSTEM TASK ; YOU HAVE TO KILL TWO MORE ZOMBIES TO MEET UP WITH THE TASK AND BONUS. HERE IS A NEW MISSION ]

Ethan smiled as he read the mission. He felt a jolt in his body and his eyes changed