Bravo Team (3)

The bright moon cast its light on the river which glittered like crystals in the night but this beautiful scene did not lessen the anxiety that crept inside Kevin's heart. His mind was filled with the bloody fight they had encountered a while ago, and he could not help but look at the young man who was walking before him. Nevertheless, he opted to follow him knowing that his teammates were at risk, and he needed a capable ally right now. When he noticed that the young man stopped, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Mendell looked around as he used his heightened senses to detect any anomaly. To the east was the sound of an animal or a monster growling, the same one which he heard earlier while heading toward the crash site. To the west were two gunshots and a scream. "Hurry up, it might be your teammate."

Kevin heard the sound as well and quickened his pace.

After several turns, Mendell saw a man wearing a STARS uniform, currently leaning against a tree while aiming his gun at a dead animal. Upon closer look, he found out that the animal the cop was fighting against was actually a Cerberus.

"Who's there?! Don't move closer or I'll shoot!"

"Edward, it's me, Kevin!"

Edward Dewey recognized the voice and sighed in relief. "Hey, man. You can't believe what happened. This dog...is not a dog, and it's hard to kill."

Kevin saw the carcass and frowned. "Yeah. We've encountered a pack of these fuckers as well. Glad to see you safe and sound."

Edward laughed nervously as he moved closer to Kevin. "A pack? Wow! I can't believe you came out alive after meeting them. If I were in your shoes, I'd definitely die because my rifle and Samurai edge are not suited for fighting against multiple enemies simultaneously."

"Well, I have a helping hand. Meet Mendell." Kevin pointed at the young man behind him, who was partially hidden behind the trees.

Mendell approached them and smiled. "Hey, nice meeting you once again, Edward."

Edward inspected the newcomer and nodded. "I remember you. Back at the RPD." Then he looked at Kevin as if searching for some answers.

"It's a long story but you just have to know that we can trust him," Kevin remarked.

"Just tell me now."

"Okay."

While the two were talking, Mendell observed their current location and realized that they were near the Ecliptic Express. According to his other self's memory, there should be a pack of Cerberus that would attack Edward, injuring him severely. He tried escaping from them and finally reached the train, where he met Rebecca Chambers before succumbing to his wounds and died.

Mendell wondered if the pack of Cerberus that assaulted Edward were the very same group that attacked Kevin. Did he unknowingly save Edward's life by killing the pack earlier, he asked himself. "Butterfly effect, huh," he whispered.

The two cops approached him after they were done with their conversation.

Mendell looked at the tall Edward, realizing that his profile was correct. He was like a looming tower when standing beside him or Kevin. He cleared his mind from any distraction and asked, "So, do you have any plan or something?"

Edward just stared at Mendell for a minute, making the scene awkward. Kevin noticed this and was about to intervene when Edward finally answered, "3'oclock. I detected something in that direction. I think it's better if we investigate whatever that was."

That was the way to the Ecliptic Express and Mendell did not want to go to that place right now. He did not want to prevent the meeting between Rebecca and Billy. Trust should be built first, after all, Billy had a terrible reputation and he doubted that they would readily accept him in the group. If Rebecca would vouch for him, then everything would end up well. And Billy would save Rebecca's life many times.

"I have a better suggestion." Mendell pointed at the other direction, - "Let's go that way."

Edward frowned. "Why?"

"There's an abandoned mansion in that direction. I suspect that it's related to the monsters that are appearing in this forest."

Edward was still not convinced with his answer, and further asked, "How did you know this information?"

"My teammates died there. It was filled with monsters and we're overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. Luckily, I escaped through the window." Mendell looked visibly angry as his brows were furrowed. "And who knows, your team might accidentally go inside that house without knowing that the place is infested with those creepy monstrosities."

Edward's face softened when he heard Mendell's reason. "Then, I agree. Let's go to that mansion."

Kevin smiled when he saw the doubts of his friend disappeared. "Okay. We came here with six people. Let's leave this place with six people as well."

Mendell nodded and started running. The two cops followed behind him.

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The trio hid behind the trees. After half an hour of trekking, they finally reached the medieval manor.

Edward saw the gathering of the huge crowd at the pavement leading to the manor's entrance. But what surprised him was their appearance, as if they were rotten. He had seen many corpses in his life but this was his first time seeing such a grotesque body. He looked at Mendell, and asked, "Do you know these people?"

Mendell nodded. "Nah, they're zombies. Do not hesitate to kill them because they're already dead."

"The same group created them?" Kevin interjected.

"Yes. If you see one of them, don't hesitate to shoot and kill. Make sure to keep a distance when facing against zombies because a single bite or scratch from them will infect you, thus becoming like them as well - a mindless monster that craves flesh."

Kevin clicked his tongue. "A good script. Too bad that this is real and not a film."

"Yeah. And I don't wanna risk it even though it sounds unbelievable," Edward chimed in. "Well, you're the expert. Tell us how to deal with these...monsters."

Mendel placed the ammunition case on the ground. "Zombies refer to most humans that have succumbed to the t-Virus created by the lab. Since some of the traits of zombies are the decomposed skin and the lack of pulse, they're often mistaken for reanimated corpses. They have strong resistances and the easiest way to kill them's by hitting the heart and head. It might take you several bullets to kill it. Remember, when you down one, make sure that it's truly dead. Poke it, whatever means, just make sure they're dead. A few of my friends died, thinking that they've killed a zombie, only to find out that it's still alive." He knew he was lying about his friends but he needed to pretend as a mercenary.

Kevin patted his shoulders. "I'm sorry about your friends."

Mendell felt awkward and just replied with an, 'Uh'.

Edward sympathized with him and changed the topic. "Judging by their positions, it looked like Captain and the rest didn't reach this place yet." He aimed his rifle at the nearest zombie, - "Let me support you from here. I'm good at sniping things."

Kevin agreed and took out a grenade. "A grenade can trim their numbers. After that, let's pick them one by one. I know the sound might attract some unwanted attention but whether we like it or not, we'll be making a lot of noises after fighting against them."

Mendell nodded. "How about this? We follow what you suggested but instead of us, it's going to be just me going forward. Kevin, you better guard Edward's back or you might get attack by sneaking monsters. Edward's gonna be very busy sniping things and he won't see those monsters behind you."

"Got it," Kevin added. "After the count of three, we will start. 1...2...3!" Kevin hurled the grenade toward the unsuspecting zombies as he shouted, "Fire in the Hole!"

A loud explosion shattered the stillness of the night and several zombies were thrown in different directions. Limbs and body parts were scattered on the ground while others were burning alive as they walked toward them.

Edward remembered Mendell's warning and started shooting them with his rifle, head shooting each and every target.

Mendell walked forward and gripped his log with his two hands. Compared to zombies, the Cerberus and infected crows were harder to deal with. After all, their mobility was not an issue, and all he had to do was to keep some distance and make sure that he was not surrounded and overwhelmed by these zombies.

The nearest zombie saw Mendell and lunged forward, its mouth wide open as it growled. He pushed it away by stabbing his log against its belly and followed it up by hitting its head, severing it completely. The two others who were slowly approaching behind him were hit by Edward's bullets.

Mendell was somehow relieved that someone was backing him up. With this, he approached one of the zombies confidently and struck its leg, thereby making it stumble on the ground. He then finished it by smashing its head. This he did with the rest of the zombies - crippling its legs and hitting its head.

Somehow, Mendell was amazed by his stamina. Even though he was fighting ever since he got this power, he did not feel tired nor weak. The gunshots were not affecting him the way it affected him earlier, even tolerating the smells of guts and blood despite his enhanced olfactory nerves.

"Zombies!" Kevin shouted as he saw five figures approaching them from behind the trees.

Edward looked behind and witnessed the zombies, which were only four meters away from them. He dropped his sniper rifle and took out his Samurai Edge and shot the nearest one on its head. He continued shooting until the zombie collapsed in his direction. His body was pushed against the ground due to the sheer weight of the zombie, making him lose his aim.

Kevin stepped backward as it aimed his Samurai Edge at the nearest zombie and fired five times before killing it completely. He then killed the other two but they were getting closer. As he was reloading his gun, the remaining zombie lunged at him.

"Shit!" Kevin grabbed both of its shoulders, trying hard not to be bitten. He could even smell its rotten flesh as it growled, its eyes staring at him. He was pushed slightly from where he was standing, realizing how strong these zombies were. Its head was already moving closer to his neck, and he could not help it but shout, "Help!"

Edward pushed the body away from his body and aimed his gun at the zombie. But they were both moving and he did not want to risk hurting his friend. He immediately took out his military knife, stood up, and sprinted to the zombie and stabbed its head. The zombie was still struggling so he kicked it as hard as he could, finally freeing Kevin from its grasp.

Kevin aimed his gun again and shot its head. He continued firing his gun until the magazine was empty.

At last, the zombies were killed and both of them exhaled deeply. After that, Edward picked up his rifle and helped Mendell while Kevin became more alert as he guarded Edward's back.

Mendell was glad that they overcame their predicament. Even though he heard Kevin's voice, he could not afford to slack off because there were still many zombies around him. He was about to continue his slaughter when he saw three people who were rushing to his direction.