Out in the middle of nowhere, nestled among mountains and shrouded in forest, it stood: North River Co.’s Japanese lab number one.
Wide and short in stature, the mountainside building was a thirty-something-minute trip away from the nearest public road, making it practically invisible to passersby. Stumbling upon it by chance would’ve been no easy feat.
It appeared to have been home to many employees, judging from the sheer number of walkers roaming the area. Some donned white coats, while others wore blue uniforms. They were male and female, both young and old.
The miasmic stench of rotting flesh hanging in the air was a sign that they had turned zombie in the very initial stages.
With every step, swarms of flies enveloping their bodies like a wriggly, charcoal-black skin flew off and back on again, beginning the cycle anew.
It made for a deeply repulsive sight.
“Multiple threats detected. Forty or so, all likely former employees.”
Out in the distance, shadowy figures obscured by the veil of nightfall were observing the building and the walkers that roamed its premises.
Their bulky frames were covered in camo, multipurpose vests, and knee and elbow protectors. Guns were slung over their shoulders. At first glance, they could’ve been taken for members of the military.
However, they were clearly not associated with the JSDF, going by their equipment. Their firearm of choice was the Heckler & Koch UMP, a submachine gun that used .45 ACP cartridges.
The UMP had been designed for special forces, meaning that you wouldn’t have seen it out on the battlefield; rather, the gun was intended for use in counterterrorist or sabotage operations.
Instead of opting for supersonic 9mm Parabellum cartridges, the golden standard for submachine guns, this weapon was fitted with higher-caliber but subsonic .45 ACP because of its insta-kill potential and suppressor-friendly properties.
A suitable choice for an all-out battle.
Yes, these individuals were out for zombie blood, and their gear reflected that.
Case in point: not only were their joints protected by reinforced plastic protectors, but so were their hands, feet, and necks—parts that a zombie could easily get to.
“Our prize sleeps at the bottom of this facility,” the presumed squad captain said into the communicator affixed to his chest. “Our goal is to find and secure it. Shoot down every zombie in sight.”
His men nodded without saying a word.
Pssh-pssh-pssh went the UMPs in unison, a sound so dull that it barely even qualified as a gunshot.
Gunfire rained upon the zombies wandering around the facility.
Normally, they would’ve been able to react to the attack, but due to the suppressors, and the fact that the source was a good distance away, they had been caught completely unawares.
Most of them quickly fell to the ground, bullet-shaped holes adorning the backs of their skulls.
“South-side entrance, clear!”
“East gate, clear!”
“North gate, clear!”
The squad captain popped out of the woods and rushed straight toward the front entrance.
Along the way, a few stragglers tried getting the drop on him, but he put a bullet in every single one of their heads and made it to the door unscathed.
“Threat neutralized. Shifting to phase two.”
He pulled a key card out of his pocket and placed it against the electronic scanning device on the wall. He had made sure to pack explosives just in case plan A backfired, but the shutters started rolling up without a hitch.
All according to plan, he thought to himself, but he had no idea what was about to come.
“Bravo, Charlie? Report back immediately.” The units in charge of the east and north gates did not respond. Even more worryingly, his own unit was nowhere to be found.
“Hey!”
No sooner than the word left his mouth did a blurry flash of light flicker in the dark, catching his attention.
A muzzle flash. Although it couldn’t really be seen during the day, it was just barely visible at night, even with the silencer equipped.
And then... a bloodcurdling scream rang out in the distance.
“What the hell’s going on out there?!” the captain yelled into the communicator.
Miraculously, one of his men replied, screaming, “Alpha One reporting in! The zombie, it’s—oh God... s-stay back! Stay baaack!” The piercing shriek that followed echoed louder than the gunfire.
Then came an explosion.
“You imbeciles!” the captain exclaimed as he watched the flames rise.
Someone must’ve gotten the drop on them, and in their confusion, they had used the explosives meant for plan B. This did not bode well, as the explosion could’ve attracted zombies out on the public roads.
It was now a race against time. Do or die.
He knew that securing the prize was all but impossible, so he settled on simply pinpointing its location as he stepped into the building.
“What the—?!” Motivated by some primal instinct, he whipped his head around.
At that exact moment, something seemed to materialize behind him. Such an astounding feat of dexterity had been performed by none other than what appeared to be a... zombie.
Its flesh was so rotten, so decayed, that the only identifiably humanlike features were its general body shape and red, glowing eyes.
What are you?!
Many animals, including dogs and cats, had a layer of specialized tissue, known as tapetum, just behind their retinas. Tapetum gave light a second chance to be absorbed by the animals’ eyes and caused them to shine in the dark.
Humans, however, weren’t lucky enough to have this tissue. Thus, these glorified human corpses known as zombies shouldn’t have had it either.
Smacking his lips, the captain unloaded his UMP. Ten rounds shot out in the span of a single second, most of which landed in the upper body region. They weren’t just any rounds, oh no; they were high-caliber soft-point rounds.
Its head burst into pieces, and then it unceremoniously collapsed to the ground.
“Huh?”
At least, that was what was supposed to happen.
Instead, the zombie stood its ground, completely unfazed.
The bullets had most definitely landed. He even saw loose chunks of flesh flying off of the zombie’s body. Yet there it stood.
“Wh-Why isn’t it working?!”
He unloaded the rest of the magazine. Not only did it remain standing, but it began stepping toward him, as though it had noticed his magazine was empty.
The captain reached for a backup magazine in his multipurpose vest, but the zombie wouldn’t allow him the chance to fire again.
“Grk!”
Closing the distance in an instant, the creature seized his hand.
It’s that fast?! No way!
His hand was crushed, along with the backup magazine in it. Blood and bullets spilled onto the floor.
“AaaAahHh!” The man let out a guttural scream as the zombie chewed through his protection and into his flesh.