Age of zombies

[42] Mist and Hikers

I was in the middle of a dream—something about being back at UC Berkeley, where everything was normal again—when the sharp crack of a gunshot jerked me awake. My eyes shot open, and for a moment, I was disoriented, my heart pounding in my chest. The darkness around me was thick, and the campfire had long since died down to just a few glowing embers.

Then, I heard it: Daisy's voice, low and urgent. "We've got company. Get up! Now!"

I scrambled to my feet, adrenaline coursing through me as I grabbed for my katana. Ethan was up too, rubbing his eyes, his face a mix of confusion and fear. Liza was next, wide-eyed and swearing under her breath as she fumbled for her pack. The mist had rolled in thick and fast, swirling around us, making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead.

"Move your asses!" Daisy barked, her rifle already in hand. "We're leaving. Now."

Yabe was by her side, her hands trembling but steady as she clutched her own weapon. Her eyes were wide with fear, but she was focused, keeping her cool despite the sudden chaos.

"What happened?" I asked, my voice still groggy with sleep.

"Zombies," Daisy muttered, already packing up what little we had. "They came out of nowhere. We need to move before more show up."

"Shit," Ethan muttered, grabbing his bag and throwing it over his shoulder. "How many?"

"Five, maybe more. Couldn't see them all in this damn fog," Daisy replied. "But they're not far. Let's go."

We didn't waste any time. In a matter of seconds, we had our gear packed up, the remnants of our camp abandoned as we moved out into the misty woods. The mist clung to everything, making the world feel smaller, more claustrophobic. The ground was slick with dew, and every step felt uncertain, like the earth itself was shifting beneath our feet.

As we moved, I could hear faint groans in the distance, the unmistakable sound of the dead. My grip tightened on my katana, my pulse pounding in my ears. The tension was thick in the air, and none of us dared to speak, our focus solely on getting the hell out of there.

Then, from the mist ahead, figures began to emerge—slow, shambling figures dressed in what looked like old, worn hiking gear. Their faces were gaunt, twisted into grotesque masks of decay. Their eyes were blank, lifeless, but their movements were deliberate, driven by the mindless hunger that kept them going.

"Zombies," I muttered under my breath, more to myself than anyone else.

There were five of them, their decaying bodies barely recognizable as once human. They staggered toward us, their footsteps uneven but persistent. Without thinking, I raised my katana, my heart racing.

"Take 'em out!" Daisy yelled, raising her rifle. "We don't have time to fuck around."

I didn't hesitate. As the first zombie lunged toward me, I swung the blade in a clean arc, slicing its head clean off. The sound of metal against flesh was sickening, but I didn't let it stop me. The body crumpled to the ground, twitching as the head rolled away into the mist.

Ethan, armed with a makeshift spear, jabbed at another one, catching it in the chest and knocking it off balance. "Fuck! There's more behind them!"

"I got it!" I shouted, stepping forward to take down the next one. I swung the katana again, the blade slicing through the air with deadly precision. The zombie's head flew off, its body collapsing in a heap at my feet.

Yabe stood close by, her eyes wide with fear but her hands steady. "Senpai, watch out!"

I turned just in time to see another zombie lurch toward me, its arms outstretched. With a swift motion, I slashed across its chest, the blade cutting deep. The zombie staggered, but I didn't give it a chance to recover. One final swing, and its head was gone.

Daisy fired a shot, taking down the last of them with a clean headshot. "That's all of them," she said, her voice tight with adrenaline. "For now."

We all stood there for a moment, panting, the mist swirling around us like some kind of living thing. The bodies of the zombies lay scattered at our feet, their dead eyes staring blankly into the fog.

"Holy shit," Ethan muttered, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "That was too close."

Liza, still catching her breath, looked down at the corpses with a grimace. "These guys look like they've been out here for a while."

Daisy holstered her rifle and walked over to the nearest body, giving it a quick once-over. "Hikers," she said, nudging the corpse with her boot. "Must've gotten caught out here when everything went to shit."

Yabe stepped closer, looking down at the bodies with a mix of sadness and fear. "It's awful..."

"Yeah," I muttered, glancing at the worn hiking gear and faded backpacks the zombies had been carrying. "But they might have something useful."

Daisy nodded, crouching down to start rifling through the pockets of one of the dead hikers. "Check them. We're running low on supplies."

I followed her lead, kneeling beside one of the bodies. It felt wrong to be looting the dead, but we didn't have the luxury of morality anymore. Survival came first.

Ethan, already digging through another pack, let out a small laugh. "Hey, look at this—matches. And a decent amount too."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised. "No way. We were almost out."

"Not anymore," he said, tossing the pack of matches to me. "That'll keep our fire going for a while."

Daisy pulled out a small compass from one of the hiker's jackets and held it up. "We can use this. We've been navigating by the sun and stars, but it'll help."

I pocketed the matches, feeling a small sense of relief. "Good find."

As we continued to search the bodies, we found a few more items—a pocketknife, a half-empty bottle of water, some worn hiking boots. Nothing major, but every little bit helped.

"We should keep moving," Daisy said after a while, standing up and dusting off her hands. "There could be more of them nearby."

"Agreed," I said, looking around at the thick mist that still surrounded us. "Let's not stick around to find out."

With the loot secured and our nerves still on edge, we quickly gathered our things and set off into the mist again. The forest felt more ominous than ever, the thick fog making it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. But we had to keep going. Stopping wasn't an option anymore.

As we walked, the reality of the situation weighed heavily on my mind. We were running on borrowed time, and every step we took brought us closer to the unknown. But for now, we were still alive. And in this world, that was the only thing that mattered.

Q: What would you do in this situation?