Chapter 20: Hunters Hunted (1)

The next morning…

Three people roamed the deserted streets, each carrying a makeshift weapon.

The thin-bald guy in front had a machete, while the burly guy behind carried a sledgehammer. The third guy limped in the middle, with perhaps the best weapon of them all… a nail gun. A single aimed shot would be enough to kill a zombie.

All three had yellow helmets on their head, and a utility belt around the waist, carrying more tools.

They were one of the few humans who fought back since the first day. Hence, they were quick to evolve and establish a connection with the screens displayed before them.

Since then, the trio had worked together to help complete each other's quests. At the moment, they were on their way to help the guy with a limp leg complete his quest so he could fix his leg.

"Where do we find this sprinter zombie?" The bald guy asked.

"Nico, for the last time, I don't know!" The guy with the limp retorted.

"What kind of shitty screen do you have, Luis?" Darnell, the burly guy, laughed. "Our screen told us exactly what to do and where to do it, but yours doesn't seem to work."

"Just like his leg, haha—!"

The laughter was cut off when Luis pointed his nail gun at Nico.

"Don't you dare give me that crap!" Luis yelled, waving the gun. "You'd still be wearing those thick glasses if it wasn't for me, blind motherfucker!"

Luis's leg was a sensitive topic for him since his wife's boyfriend smashed it when he caught them cheating.

Obviously, Luis had dealt with that wife-fucker as soon as the world went to shit. The guy had turned into a zombie along with the wife, so he didn't even hesitate before ending them with the same nail gun he was carrying.

"Easy there, Luis. Nico was just messing with you," Darnell said, intervening before things got out of hand. "He chopped that fucker's legs for you, didn't he? Just let him go this once."

Luis scoffed but lowered his gun, regardless. Darnell then turned to Nico and lightly slapped him.

"Can you lay off him?" he asked. "The man's daughter is missing, and his wife is dead."

"Oh, boo-fucking-hoo! All our friends and families are most likely dead. His wife and daughter aren't any special."

Darnell shook his head before following Luis.

All three were working at a construction site when all hell broke loose. Some people got turned into headless monsters, while the rest were killed or transformed into zombies at night.

The three of them were the only survivors from that incident and decided to band together for good.

With the hammer, machete, and nail gun, they killed every zombie on the site, other than the headless monster who disappeared somewhere.

That's when the screens appeared before them. It ranked their strength and informed them how to fix their disabilities. Like Nico had glaucoma, which magically got cured after poking the eyes of ten zombies.

Similarly, Darnell turned into a jacked hulkling after saving the other two back at the construction site, turning his skinny body over. Now, only Luis was left to get the thing they called a 'blessing', and to get that blessing they needed to kill a sprinter zombie.

Yet no matter how many zombies they kill, none of the kills completed the quest. That's why they were looking for a zombie who appeared different from the rest.

"We should have raided the police station on our way," Nico mumbled. "We could get a car or, better yet, some proper weapons."

"A car would attract too much attention," Darnell said, shaking his head. "Same with guns. We can deal with these runts, but not those headless creatures."

"I agree," Luis chimed in. "Still, it'd be good to have a gun or two, in case of an emergency."

Although he said that, the only use he had for a gun was to kill other humans. He had seen and read enough zombie media to know humans were more dangerous than the undead.

Soon, they'd be fighting over resources, women, and whatnot. It was better to be prepared for such scenarios while they were ahead. Though, it was easier said than done.

On their way, they had come across a police station. It was locked from the inside, but the growls of the zombies could be heard from the outside. That was the only reason they didn't dare venture inside, despite wanting the resources hidden behind those doors.

Fixing my leg comes first.

Luis thought, side-eyeing the two.

The blessing they got not only healed them, but also improved their bodies entirely. Nico could see farther than either of them and even the smallest details didn't go unnoticed by him.

As for Darnell, Luis had seen him crush zombie skulls and metal doors alike, with his bare hands, of course. He rarely used the sledgehammer hung over his shoulder.

Their power-ups made Luis crave them. He wanted to be fast so he could outrun the two when the time came, and such a time would come sooner or later.

Luis noticed the changes in the undead. They were getting more aware and stronger as time passed. Eventually, the three of them wouldn't be enough. That's why he wanted to fix his legs, so he could abandon them before they abandoned him.

"ROAR!"

A sudden roar stopped them in their tracks. They looked ahead and noticed some zombies fighting amongst themselves. The next second, the zombies were decapitated and the culprit ran into an alley to hunt more.

"Did you see that?" Luis asked, gripping his gun.

"Yes…" Darnell replied. "That was a zombie, a fast one at that. It might be the one we're looking for."

"What are you waiting for, then?" Nico said with a smirk. "Let's get that rotting piece of shit!"

Without another word, Nico ran ahead, chasing after the undead with his machete. Darnell tried to stop him, but Nico was already gone.

"This moron!"

Darnell clicked his tongue before following Nico.

"Wait—damn it!"

Luis limped behind them. He had to kill the sprinter himself, or he wouldn't get the blessing. It took him a minute to reach the alley.

"Will you two stop—?"

Luis froze in his spot as something hit his feet.

It wasn't something… but a severed head.