Chapter 11

With newfound resolve, they turned their attention to the remaining two zombies. Daniel's precise shots disabled their movements, blowing off limbs and rendering them immobile. The two undead monstrosities, stripped of their ability to move, lay helplessly on the bloodstained ground.

The man raised his flamethrower once more, a maelstrom of fire swirling within its chamber. He took a step closer to the immobilized zombies, his eyes filled with grim determination.

With a final push, the man unleashed a torrent of flames, bathing the two immobilized zombies in a blazing embrace. Their deathly moans turned into ear-piercing shrieks as they succumbed to the merciless fire, their undead existence extinguished once and for all.

The battle was over, and the air was still thick with the acrid stench of burnt flesh and charred bones. The man with the flamethrower looked at Daniel, a sense of camaraderie forming between them.

"Thanks for the assist," the man said, finally lowering the nozzle of his flamethrower.

"But kiddo, how are you so good with handling a gun? It's like you've undergone some kind of training or something," said the man.

"Yeah, I went to the military to serve my country for 2 years. It's kind of a law, that's why I'm good with guns," said Daniel.

Recalling that he was searching for Helen, Daniel inquired, "Have you seen a woman outside? She has black hair and blue eyes; she wandered off while I was asleep."

The man removed his helmet and turned to look at Daniel; the man was in his late 40s.

"What, you had a partner?" said the old man.

"No, she isn't my partner, just a colleague at work," said Daniel.

"Hmm, if I recall, there are a few survivors in this city," said the old man, but he was cut short when Daniel said, "Survivors? There are a lot of them. That's a relief; maybe she went to ask for help," with a smile on his face.

The old man's expression turned sour, and he said, "Have you lost it? You should be more careful and watch out for survivors more than zombies. It's a warning I am giving to you, kiddo," said the old man.

Then the man turned around and began walking away, saying, "This is goodbye for now, kiddo, and I didn't see her. You shouldn't go looking for her for your own safety."

Daniel rushed and held the man by his shoulder, asking, "What do you mean by I shouldn't go looking for her, and also, what happened to the survivors? Please, I have been unconscious for a few days; please, can you tell me what's going on?"

The old man let out a sigh and said, "I don't know what happened, if it was nature taking its course, but as the world fell to ruins, everyone went nuts, killing each other and committing crimes. Some people created groups to steal from other survivors and sometimes kill them for fun."

The old man continued his sentence, "If you meet anyone, don't try to be friendly with them, either you kill them or you run for your life."

"Old man, what about them," Daniel pointed towards the back of the old man.

When the old man turned backward, he saw a group of people rushing towards them with iron bats, crowbars; none of them had guns with them.

"Oh, expletive," the man picked up his flamethrower and threatened them, saying, "Get back if you don't want to get burnt."

The old man turned towards Daniel and said in a low tone, "My flamethrower is out of juice; shoot them, or we are dead."

"I can't; they are people," said Daniel.

"I said shoot them, are you deaf?" said the old man.

"Look at them; do they look normal to you?" said the old man while he pointed at them.

One of the mob rushed towards the old man with a machete in his hands, swinging it to kill the old man. Still, he got countered when the old man dodged his first swing and used the flamethrower to hit him in the stomach, sending the first mob flying.

"Who is next, if you try attacking me this time, I will burn you alive," said the old man.

Daniel turned toward his back and noticed someone pointing a gun toward the direction of the old man. Daniel shouted, "Old man, duck!"

Hearing this, the old man reflexively bent his head downwards, and the bullet hit the floor, missing the old man.

The man that was on top of a vehicle behind them bent down as if he was refilling his gun. Daniel guessed his bullet was finished.

"Shoot that guy; hurry up and do it," shouted the old man while talking to Daniel.

Daniel, sensing the danger, knew he had no option but to shoot at him somewhere that wouldn't kill him, answered the old man, "Okay, I will."

He stretched his gun toward the sniper position and pulled the trigger to shoot at the man who was hiding right behind them, but no bullet came out. This came as a shock to Daniel, who said in his mind, "Did I use all the bullets in that zombie attack?" His face showed a scared expression.

One of the mobs that had surrounded them shouted, "Let's get him; they don't have any ammo left."

Another of the mob shouted, "We knew the world would end one day; it's finally our turn to rule the world."

"You guys are the top; you treated us like we aren't humans," said another of the mob.

"Yes, this has become our land," said another of the mob.

All the mobs started shouting in unison, "Let's offer them to the zombie as a sacrifice for making this world better."

Seeing this, the old man turned towards Daniel and said, "Can you still see these people as humans? They have

lost all their reasoning and gone insane."

Then a huge scream came from across the crowd of mobs; it was a man dressed in a suit. He walked majestically towards the front; seeing this, the mobs started screaming, "Leader, leader, leader."

But seeing the scene unfold sent a surprised look on both Daniel and the old man's faces.