William quickly stepped away from the door and hid behind it.
"Vella?!" William said in surprise. "How are you here?!"
Vella looked at him with frightened, exhausted eyes.
"I… I was hiding between the dumpsters," she said, catching her breath. "Then I saw you breaking into your apartment."
Vella Rockwill was William's co-worker at the pizza shop. She had a slim body and a naturally beautiful face, but she was fragile and clumsy—someone who clearly wasn't built for chaos like this.
William frowned.
"What are you doing near my apartment?"
Vella looked at him with tired eyes.
"I… I was about to go home when some unknown armed men showed up," she said. "They had riot shields and rifles… and they started shooting people."
She swallowed nervously before continuing.
"And I saw something else."
William's expression darkened.
"A monster," she whispered. "A big one. It had sharp claws and a long tongue. It was tall… and its mouth was wide open."
Her voice trembled.
"It slaughtered those armed men outside this apartment."
William slowly turned his head toward the street where he had first seen the soldiers earlier.
What he saw made his stomach tighten.
Bodies were ripped apart across the pavement. Blood covered the ground and splattered the nearby walls. Broken riot shields, rifles, knives, and armor were scattered everywhere like the aftermath of a battlefield.
"Vella, stay here," William said quietly while staring at the weapons lying in the street.
He grabbed his axe and an empty bag.
"W-where are you going?!" Vella asked anxiously.
"Stay here. I'll be back in a minute."
William quickly moved down the stairwell and slowly approached the front door of the apartment building.
He pushed the door open slightly and scanned the street for any danger.
Six zombies were crouched over the bodies, tearing into the flesh.
William's grip tightened on the axe.
He moved quietly, sneaking behind abandoned cars and debris until he got close to the first zombie standing near the entrance.
The creature was too busy chewing on a corpse to notice him.
William stepped forward silently.
Then—
WHACK!
The axe slammed into the back of the zombie's skull.
The body collapsed instantly.
The other zombies briefly lifted their heads and looked around, confused, but soon returned to devouring the bodies.
William used that moment.
One by one, he moved through the wrecked street and silently eliminated the three other zombies wandering alone in the area.
Each swing of the axe crushed bone and split skulls.
Soon, only two zombies remained.
They were crouched side by side, feeding on a corpse.
William studied the surroundings carefully.
The street was too open. Fighting both at once could attract more zombies.
He crouched down and picked up a rock.
He threw it, hitting one of the zombies in the shoulder.
Then he quickly tossed another rock toward a nearby dumpster in the alley.
CLANG!
The loud noise echoed.
One of the zombies lifted its head and slowly walked toward the alley to investigate.
William slipped behind a damaged car, waiting patiently.
The moment the zombie passed him—
CRACK!
The axe sliced deep into its skull.
The body collapsed instantly.
The last zombie continued eating, completely unaware.
William slowly approached it from behind.
With one final swing—
THUD.
The axe buried itself in the creature's head.
Silence returned to the street.
William exhaled slowly.
After confirming the area was clear, he began looting the dead soldiers.
"Dang… disgusting," he muttered as he stepped over torn bodies.
He grabbed magazines, rifles, and whatever gear was still usable.
When he finished, he hurried back into the apartment building.
Vella looked at the pile of weapons in disbelief as William dropped them onto the floor.
"Two rifles. One pistol. Eleven rifle magazines… eight pistol magazines… and two military knives."
William smirked slightly.
"Now we're talking."