Zombie survivor

[55] Kite and run

Jean slammed his rusted pole into another zombie's head, the decayed skull caving in with a sickening crunch. He stepped back, panting, his arms trembling from the exertion. Around him, the remaining contestants swung their makeshift weapons, their grunts and curses mixing with the snarls of the undead and the deafening roar of the crowd.

"This isn't gonna work," Jean muttered to himself, his eyes scanning the chaotic arena. The zombies kept coming, their sheer numbers overwhelming. The group was already showing signs of fatigue, their movements slower, their strikes weaker.

Another zombie lunged at Jordan, who barely managed to shove it back with his beam. "Yo, Jean! You got some magic plan, or are we just gonna die tired?"

Jean gritted his teeth, his mind racing. "We can't just stand here and fight them. They're too many, and we're gonna burn out."

"Brilliant observation, Einstein!" Luca shouted, swinging a metal rod like a baseball bat. "What the fuck do we do then?"

Jean's eyes locked onto the crowd of zombies closing in, their rotting forms shambling with terrifying persistence. Then he looked at the scattered wreckage in the arena and the gaps between the undead. An idea began to form, desperate but feasible.

"We split up!" he yelled, his voice cutting through the chaos.

"What?!" Evan nearly tripped as he jabbed a zombie with a jagged piece of wood. "Split up? Dude, are you trying to get us killed faster?"

"No, listen!" Jean shouted, raising his pole to block another zombie's swipe. "We'll go in pairs. Two of us distract the zombies and lead them away. When that pair gets tired, another pair makes noise and draws the zombies off them. We rotate. That way, we keep moving and conserve energy!"

The others froze for a moment, processing his plan even as they fought off the advancing horde.

"That... could work," Akira said, her voice calm despite the chaos. She drove her makeshift weapon into a zombie's eye socket with practiced precision, then stepped back to Jean's side. "If we stick to the plan and don't panic."

Jordan swung wildly at a zombie and stumbled back. "So what, we play zombie tag? Fine. Whatever keeps me from becoming the next buffet special."

Luca bashed a zombie in the head, sweat dripping down his face. "Alright, Jean. Let's hear the fucking lineup."

Jean barked out orders quickly. "Me and Akira. Jordan and Evan. Luca and Tyler. Trev and Blake. Everyone sticks with their partner, no matter what. Got it?"

Trev groaned from where he was swinging a rusted pipe like a sledgehammer. "Oh great, I get stuck with Mr. Feminist over here. What's he gonna do, apologize to the zombies?"

"Shut up, Trev," Blake snapped, smacking a zombie's arm away with a grimace. "You're not exactly Rambo yourself."

"Focus!" Jean shouted, cutting off the bickering. "We'll take the first run. Jordan, Evan, be ready to move when I give the signal. Everyone else, keep these bastards off us until then."

Akira gave Jean a curt nod. "Ready when you are."

Jean tightened his grip on the pole and exchanged a look with Akira. "Let's go."

The pair sprinted away from the group, weaving through the wreckage and shouting to draw the zombies' attention. "Hey! Over here, you ugly bastards!" Jean yelled, swinging his pole against a piece of metal to create a loud clang.

Akira followed suit, her smaller frame darting nimbly around obstacles as she banged her weapon against a pipe. "Come and get us!" she called, her voice cold and deliberate.

The zombies, drawn by the noise, began to peel away from the main horde and shamble after them. The crowd roared, their cheers rising as they watched the two contestants lead the undead on a desperate chase through the arena.

Jean and Akira kept running, dodging debris and ducking under jagged beams. Jean's breaths came in sharp gasps, his legs burning as the adrenaline began to wear off. He glanced back at the pursuing horde, their decayed faces leering hungrily. "Shit... they're faster than they look."

"We need to switch soon," Akira said, her voice steady but urgent. "We're going to burn out."

Jean scanned the arena, spotting Jordan and Evan crouched behind a wrecked car. "Jordan! Evan! Go!"

Jordan groaned as he pushed himself up, muttering, "Fuck my life," before shouting at the top of his lungs. "Hey, you zombie assholes! Dinner's over here!"

Evan joined in, banging a metal rod against the car hood. "Yeah, you brain-dead fucks! Come and get it!"

The noise worked. The zombies began to veer away from Jean and Akira, lurching toward Jordan and Evan instead.

Jean and Akira staggered to a stop, panting as they ducked behind a pile of debris. Jean leaned against the wreckage, his chest heaving. "Nice work."

Akira gave him a faint smile, wiping sweat from her brow. "Your plan's working. For now."

Jordan and Evan sprinted across the arena, dodging zombies as they continued to taunt them. "Yo, Evan!" Jordan called. "You ever think about how much cardio we'd be doing if the apocalypse hadn't hit?"

Evan huffed, his voice strained. "Bruh, I was barely surviving PE class. This is some next-level bullshit."

"Switch!" Jean yelled, his voice cutting through the arena.

Luca and Tyler sprang into action. Tyler grinned as he cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey, you undead rejects! Over here! I bet you can't catch me, dumbasses!"

Luca rolled his eyes but followed, smacking a metal pipe against a beam. "Yeah, follow the cringe lord. He's got plenty more where that came from!"

The zombies turned their attention again, shambling after the new pair. Tyler darted through the wreckage with surprising agility, laughing darkly. "Man, these guys are slower than my old internet connection."

"Just keep running, idiot!" Luca snapped, his face pale as he weaved through the chaos.

When it was Trev and Blake's turn, the pair hesitated, their fear evident. "Uh... do I really have to run?" Trev muttered, glancing at Blake.

"Yes, you do," Blake hissed, grabbing Trev's arm and pulling him forward. "Come on, just shout or something!"

Trev reluctantly raised his voice, though it cracked with nerves. "Hey! Uh... over here! I'm... juicy or whatever!"

Blake groaned, banging a piece of metal to compensate. "That's not how you taunt them, you moron."

The zombies turned anyway, shambling after them as the rest of the group took a moment to catch their breath.

Jean watched the rotation from his crouched position, his mind racing. The plan was working—for now—but it was only a matter of time before someone slipped or the zombies overwhelmed them. They needed a long-term solution, and fast.

Akira nudged him, her voice low. "What's the next move, Jean?"

He glanced at her, then at the unstable jungle gym looming in the distance. "We need to thin them out. Create a choke point."

Akira nodded, her gaze hardening. "Then let's find one."

As the rotation continued, the group's coordination improved, their movements more deliberate and precise. But the exhaustion was catching up to them, and Jean knew they couldn't keep it up forever.

The crowd roared louder, sensing the group's struggle. And as the zombies continued their relentless pursuit, the contestants could feel the weight of the arena bearing down on them like a death sentence waiting to be carried out.

Q: Do you have good stamina?