Vengeance

Wade saw the black cylinder I was holding through the cams. He had no idea what it was, but fear drove him to speak, his voice cracking. "What's that in your hand? Put it down, Jason!"

I ignored the mongrel. I held the concussion grenade with one hand and pulled the safety pin off with the other. The digital countdown shrieked across the battlefield.

"If you're sending me to hell, then I'd like to have some company." I clenched my teeth and poured all my remaining power into my legs. I could feel the muscles in my thighs scream as I rocketed into the air and landed on the roof of the ten-foot vehicle.

I landed with a heavy thud, my boots slamming into the steel roof.

"He's on the roof! Gunners, open fire! Smack him down!" Jasmine screamed like a banshee.

The machine gun turret swiveled as hard as it could in an attempt to lock on to me. I was faster than the machine. I held up the armor-breaking bayonet and pointed it straight at the ventilation valve designed to keep out toxic gas.

It was installed with a thick layer of dust filter. So, I slammed the bayonet into the valve with all the strength I had.

Thanks to my ability, the sturdy filter and alloy pieces shattered, revealing a dark shaft that led straight into the vehicle.

"No, Jason! What are you doing? Are you mad?" Wade's shouts were filled with despair. He knew what I was going to do.

"Enjoy getting eaten alive, you animals." I looked into the darkness with a biting chill and tossed the blinking concussion grenade down the shaft.

Then, I leaped off the vehicle and rolled off the impact before hiding behind a gigantic concrete rubble.

A wave of high-frequency sound waves screeched from within the vehicle. The frequency was designed to be nothing more than a dizzying sound to humans.

However, that sound might as well be a homing beacon GPS for zombies that relied on their hearing and senses to hunt. The horde that had been attacking me immediately whipped into a frenzy thanks to the soundwaves, swiftly changing directions.

Thousands of zombies crashed into the vehicle's sturdy glass and armor. I could hear sickening thuds echoing across the air as the hulking zombies jumped onto the roof and tore the machine gun turrets apart with their harder-than-steel claws.

"Help! Go away, you monsters! Go away!"

"Jason, I'm sorry! I'll open the door! Please, save me!"

Jasmine and Wade's screams and pleas came from within the vehicle, but the thick layer of armor stopped their voices from traveling too far. Soon, the zombies' deafening roars drowned out their pleas.

The vehicle was nothing but a sitting duck for the zombies. Meanwhile, I hid in the shadows of the ruins, watching the scene unfold with vindictive satisfaction. My eyes held nothing but indifference as I held the blue-colored original serum antibodies tightly in my grasp.

Keep It a Secret

I started planning my escape route while the zombies were busy attacking the vehicle. I'd read this story in my previous life, and my mind was parsing out any useful information from the original Jason's memories.

Fortunately, I quickly recalled that the story mentioned an abandoned bunker from the Cold War lying somewhere in this zone.

The entrance was expertly hidden, and it was in an abandoned subway less than 500 yards away if I went straight. If I could get in there, the heavy-duty door could stop the horde's attack.

Unfortunately, 500 yards was impossible in my current condition, especially since my calf was injured. It didn't help that my ability was running on empty.

The lingering scent of the inducer got the attention of a Tier Three licker. It swiftly pounced from the top of the rubble, its tongue shooting straight at my face like a sword.

"Piss off!" I roared, charging ahead. My bayonet glinted coldly as it sliced the licker's tongue off before ramming through its brain.

Rancid black blood splashed across my face, but I had no time to wipe it off. I dug out the remaining Tier Four crystal core from my previous zombie hunt and popped it into my mouth without even cleaning it. Then, I swallowed it.

Violent energy exploded in my body, and energy coursed through my veins like hot lava. My decision to ingest a high-tier crystal core so rashly was making my body protest.

My veins throbbed, but it also gave me a boost. Now, I could squeeze a burst of power from my ability, albeit for a short while.

"Die!" I cut everything down with this short burst of strength, behaving no differently from a lone wolf backed into a corner. I eventually made it to the edge of the horde. Limbs flew everywhere as I stampeded over countless corpses, running for dear life.

100 yards.

200.

300.

I could barely make out the broken subway sign, but my body was already at its limit. The complications from ingesting a high-tier crystal core by force were starting to show. My vision had gone blurry, and I could taste metal in my throat.

I was 50 yards away from the subway when the wall beside me fell with a loud crash. A Tier Six zombie, 13 feet tall and covered in spikes, roared as it charged at me. Its claws swiped loudly against the air.

The hit was far too fast for me to follow. I couldn't dodge. Judging by the trajectory of the attack, it would land on my chest. Was I going to die here? I just came to this world…

No, I wouldn't go down without a fight. I widened my eyes and held my bayonet as tightly as I could, bracing myself for the lethal hit.

Suddenly, a deafening roar came from the skies. Then, firepower slammed into the zombie like a whip from the heavens. Heavy autocannons.

The rain of ammunition tore the zombie apart before it could even muster a scream. Blood, bones, and viscera rained on me. I raised my head with all the strength I had left. Through the blood and smoke, I saw three gigantic aircraft hovering above me.

Three heavy gunships, painted midnight black and bearing the emblem of the nation. Central Command. Military strength two ranks higher than the safe zone camp showed up when I needed it.

An order came from the megaphone in the chopper. "Survivor, stop moving at once. I repeat, stop moving at once! We're Search and Rescue Special Forces: Thunder. We're with Central Command!"

A dozen armed special forces rappelled down the ropes and formed an unbreakable defense wall around me. They were clad in exoskeletal armor. A group of medical units came rushing to me and propped me up.

"Survivor found, sir! Heavily wounded and carries a high risk of infection!"

My consciousness was slipping, but I chomped down on my tongue and pushed the medical unit away before they could hit me with a sedative.

I shakily took out the original serum antibodies from my shirt's pocket and waved them before the special forces' captain.

The sight of the serum melted the captain's icy look. He started breathing heavily.

I stared at his eyes as hard as I could. My voice was raspy and barely a whisper, but I still pushed through, saying, "I'm Jason Kane, a safe zone Cleaner. This is the very serum you've spent three years looking for."

I coughed up a puddle of blood, but my eyes shone brightly. "I request immediate medical attention and a total lockdown of news of my survival for the next two weeks. Tell no one about my whereabouts."

I needed Jasmine and Wade to think I'd died out here.

The officer noticed the resolve in my eyes and looked at the hope of humanity. He raised his right hand and saluted me. "Roger, Cleaner! All units, escort the hero to the chopper! We're now in top secret status!"