Zombie survivor

[74] Trapped

The horde of zombies closed in on them like a relentless wave. Jean's heart pounded, sweat slicking his palms as he looked around, his breath shallow, adrenaline coursing through his veins. They were surrounded. There was nowhere to go, no escape. The forest that had once seemed like a refuge now felt like a trap, and the only thing ahead of them was a lake—too wide to cross without help and too full of danger to offer any sense of safety.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Jean cursed under his breath as he took in the scene. The undead were closing in fast, coming from three directions. They had maybe a few minutes before they were completely overrun.

"Yo, I can't take much more of this!" Jordan yelled, slashing at the nearest zombie with a broken pipe. The thing's head splintered like a melon, but there were always more. Always more. He kicked it off him, but another one lunged, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"We gotta do something, NOW!" Tyler shouted, his voice laced with panic. He swung his crowbar wide, knocking a zombie's head clean off, but another took its place.

Jean's gaze flicked across the group—Morgan was bleeding, her leg twisted at an odd angle, and Trev was carrying her, struggling under her weight. Akira was right next to Jean, her face an emotionless mask as she repeatedly drove two kitchen knives into the skulls of any zombie that dared come too close to him. Her eyes burned with a strange intensity.

"We need a plan!" Jean shouted, his voice shaky but loud enough to be heard over the chaos. "Anyone got ideas?"

"Dock!" Brittany yelled, pointing behind them. "There's a freaking dock! We can—"

"Yeah, no shit, Brittany, I see it," Brad spat, his voice dripping with frustration as he swung a metal rod through the air, knocking a zombie's teeth out. He was a force to be reckoned with, muscles straining as he fought, but the weight of the situation was starting to show on his face. "But what's the plan once we get there? You think we just swim to safety?"

"I'm serious," Brittany said, a little more urgently now, her voice high-pitched in the stress. "We can get to the boat. We can use it to get across the lake. Just get us the hell out of here."

The horde grew larger, more overwhelming by the second. Chloe, shaking with fear, backed into Jean's side, her eyes darting around. "I don't care how, just get us out of here," she whispered urgently. "Please."

Jean turned and looked at the dock, then back to the group. His eyes flicked to Evan, who was grinning despite the blood and sweat dripping down his face. "Evan, can you hot-wire a boat?" he asked, his voice desperate.

Evan gave a dramatic shrug. "I mean, I watched a YouTube vid on it," he said, holding up his hands like it was no big deal. "I've never actually done it, but how hard can it be?"

Jean just nodded. "Try it. We don't have time to wait for someone else. Just... do it."

Evan nodded, running toward the dock, muttering under his breath about "epic fails" and "I'm not trying to die today." The others immediately formed a defensive line, weapons ready, as the zombies closed in.

"Yo, keep those freaks off me!" Evan yelled, his fingers fumbling at the boat's ignition. The sound of zombie growls grew louder as they pushed forward. Jean, still holding his crowbar, swung it with every ounce of his strength at the nearest zombie, caving its skull in with a sickening crack.

"Move! MOVE!" Brad shouted, pushing through the group, flexing as he swung his massive arms with precision, knocking zombies out of the way. "We need more space!"

"We're gonna get fucking surrounded!" Tyler screeched as he smashed another zombie's face into the dock's wooden post. "Somebody cover Evan!"

Morgan grimaced as she leaned against Trev for support, her leg clearly injured, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. "Keep pushing! Keep them off him!" she barked, voice tight with pain. "We don't die today!"