CHAPTER THREE: THE ROAD TO HELL

The Decision

The night was silent except for the distant groans of the undead. Jace sat near the shattered window of the abandoned house, sharpening his knife. Kunle leaned against the wall, arms crossed.

"So," Kunle said, breaking the silence, "you're doing this?"

Jace didn't look up. "Yeah."

Kunle sighed, rubbing his temples. "Travelling across states, dodging the dead and God knows what else. You sure about this?"

Jace finally met his eyes. "I have to be."

For a long moment, Kunle didn't say anything. Then he exhaled sharply. "Guess I'd be a real bastard if I let you do this alone."

Jace raised an eyebrow. "You're coming?"

Kunle shrugged. "You're my best shot at not dying out here. Besides, someone's gotta be around to tell you when you're being a nerd."

Jace smirked. "That's most of the time."

Reed grinned. "Exactly."

With that, the decision was made. They were going together.

Now, they just had to survive the road ahead.

The Highway Of The Dead

They left at dawn, moving fast and quiet through the wrecked streets. Cars sat abandoned on the roads, their windows smashed, doors hanging open. Bones littered the sidewalks.

The highway was worse.

Hundreds of cars jammed the road, rusting in the sun. And among a massive horde of undead.

Jace crouched behind an overturned truck, watching the slow-moving swarm.

"We can't fight through that," Kunle muttered.

"No kidding."

Jace scanned the area and spotted an old motorcycle half-buried under a wrecked van.

He tapped Kunle's arm. "You know how to ride?"

Kunle followed his gaze and grinned. "Hell yeah."

Getting on the bike was another problem. The moment they pried it free, a car alarm blared to life.

The deadturned.

Jace barely had time to jump on the bike behind Kunle before the creatures lunged.

Kunle gunned the engine.

They tore through the wreckage, dodging grasping hands, and weaving between rusted cars as the horde closed in.

Just as they cleared something exploded behind them.

Jace turned in time to see an overturned fuel truck ignite, the fire consuming everything in its path.

The highway was gone. There was no going back.

The Scavenger Ambush

They rode for miles before stopping in a small town. The streets were eerily empty. Too empty.

Jace drew his knife. "Something's not right."

The moment they stepped past an old gas station gunshot rang out.

Jace tackled Kunle as a bullet slammed into the pavement beside them.

From the rooftops, a voice called out. "Drop your weapons!"

A dozen figures emerged from the shadows, their clothes tattered their faces hollow with hunger. Scavengers.

Jace slowly raised his hands, glancing at Kunle. "You got a plan?"

Kunle smirked. "Yeah. Don't die."

The leader, a wiry man with a bald head, stepped forward. "You're trespassing."

Jace eyed the makeshift cages behind them-filled with half-starved survivors.

Not scavengers. Slavers.

Jace tightened his fists. Yeah? Well, I don't take kindly to people who cage others like animals."

The scarred man sneered. "Tough talk from someone about to be on the wrong side of those bars.

He lunged,

Kunle fired his shotgun, dropping two men. Jace slammed his knife into the leader's gut, twisting hard. The slayers scrambled, unprepared for the fight.

By the time the dust settled, only Jace and Kunle were left standing.

Jace turned to the caged survivors. "You're free."

One of them, a young woman with short blonde hair, stepped forward. "Name's Kofi. You save our asses."

Jace helped her out. "We're heading to Lagos. Got any useful intel?"

Kofi's expression darkened. "Yeah. If you're going south, you're walking straight into hell. Because even before the fall, Lagos is the most populated with humans making the infection spread faster.

Jace exchanged a glance with Kunle. They already knew that.

The Roadblock

By nightfall, they reached the outskirts of Benin.

That's when they saw it.

Rows of barbed wire, makeshift barricades, and scattered bones.

A flare shot into the sky.

Jace barely had time to react before a voice echoed through the silence.

"Who goes there? Drop your weapons. Kneel. Or die."

From the shadows, figures in tattered armor emerged.

Faces hidden behind metal masquerades. Military-grade weapons in their hands.

Jace's gut twisted.

This wasn't just some gang.

This was something else.

A force that didn't just survive the apocalypse-they controlled it.

And they weren't letting anyone pass.

TO BE CONTINUED...