Age of zombies

[20] Into the madness

The city was falling apart all around us. As I drove through the streets, the sheer scale of the destruction was overwhelming. Buildings were burning, the orange glow of the flames casting an eerie light across the shattered windows and rubble-strewn streets. Bodies were everywhere—some lying motionless, others moving in that slow, jerky way that made my stomach turn. Zombies and people, all caught in the chaos.

Looters were running in and out of stores, smashing windows and grabbing whatever they could. A man ran past, holding a TV, while another tackled him to the ground, a knife flashing in his hand. There was no law, no order, just pure, raw survival. People were killing each other as much as they were being killed.

Yabe sat in the back, her face pale as she watched the madness unfold outside the windows. Ethan gripped the dashboard, his knuckles white. The weight of everything—Kenji, Malcolm, Raul—hung heavy in the air, but none of us said a word. There was nothing to say.

"Holy shit..." Ethan muttered, shaking his head as we passed by a group of people fighting in the street. "It's worse than I thought."

I nodded, swallowing hard as I kept my eyes on the road. "Yeah... it's bad."

We weaved through the debris-strewn streets, dodging overturned cars and fallen streetlights. My hands were gripping the wheel so tightly I thought I might crush it, my pulse pounding in my ears. Every corner we turned, there was something worse waiting for us—a burning car, a body twitching in the road, more people screaming and running.

As we approached an intersection, I turned the wheel sharply, trying to avoid a pile of wreckage in the middle of the road. But I took the turn too fast, and suddenly, there was a sickening thud as something hit our windshield with a wet smack.

"What the—" I gasped, my heart leaping into my throat.

A body slid across the windshield, smearing blood across the glass. It was a zombie, its decaying face twisted into a grotesque snarl as it tried to get up. Its fingers clawed at the glass, leaving streaks of blood and grime as it struggled to find its footing.

"Oh fk, oh fk," Ethan stammered, his eyes wide as he leaned back in his seat. "Get it off!"

Yabe let out a soft whimper from the backseat, her hand covering her mouth as she stared in horror at the zombie's bloodied face pressed against the glass.

Before I could react, someone rushed out from the shadows, slamming their hand against the side of the car. The door rattled, and I looked to my left, panic surging through me as a man tried to yank the door open.

"Hey! Open up!" he shouted, his face wild with fear and desperation. "Let me in, please!"

I froze, my mind spinning. The guy was frantic, his hand jerking at the door handle, but the zombie was still there, clawing at the windshield, and I didn't know what to do. My breath was coming in short, ragged gasps, and my grip on the wheel tightened.

"Jake, go!" Ethan yelled, his voice sharp with panic. "Just drive!"

The man outside cursed, banging harder on the door. "Open the fucking door!"

But I couldn't. My body was locked up in fear, and for a split second, I considered stopping. Maybe I could help him, maybe—

The zombie let out a low, guttural growl, its face sliding down the windshield as it clawed for purchase. Its hand reached the edge of the hood, its milky eyes locking onto mine, and that's when I snapped out of it.

"Fk this," I muttered under my breath.

I slammed my foot on the gas.

The car lurched forward, the tires screeching as we barreled down the street. The zombie hit the ground with a sickening crunch, its body crumpling under the wheels as we ran over it. The man at the door let out a string of curses as I sped away, his voice fading into the distance.

"Asshole!" I heard him shout, but I didn't stop. I didn't look back.

The car swerved slightly as we hit the next turn, and I could feel my hands shaking on the wheel. My heart was still racing, my mind spinning from what had just happened. I'd left the guy behind. I'd run over a zombie. It all felt surreal, like I was watching it happen from outside my own body.

"Shit," I muttered, wiping the sweat from my forehead with a trembling hand. "I can't believe I just did that."

"You did what you had to do," Ethan said, his voice calmer now but still tense. "We can't save everyone."

I nodded, though the guilt still gnawed at me. Yabe didn't say anything, her face pale as she stared out the window. I couldn't tell what she was thinking, but I could see the fear in her eyes.

We drove in silence for a while, the burning buildings and chaos fading into the background as I focused on the road ahead. The streets were still littered with debris, but for the moment, there were no more zombies. No more people. Just us.

"You okay back there?" I asked, glancing at Yabe in the rearview mirror.

She nodded slowly, her voice soft. "I'm okay, Senpai..."

I wasn't sure if I believed her, but I didn't press. We were all on edge. We were all barely holding it together. But at least we were still alive.

For now.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves as we drove deeper into the night. The world was falling apart around us, but we had to keep moving. There was no other choice.

Q: What would you do in this case?