You're all that's left

"We've lost all communication with the rest of the world. Every channel's gone dark. We might be the only ones left," Captain Pacco says gravely.

"That can't be," you stammer.

"It is, unfortunately," he says. "We've been trying to contact somebody, anybody, but there's no answer. Just us... and the zombies."

"So what do you want us to do?" you ask.

"Your mission hasn't changed. I want teams out in the field, bringing back gear and supplies, and most of all survivors. If there's anyone still alive out there, bring them in. Now gather your men and head out as soon as possible," Captain Pacco orders.

You nod, and head out of the command center.

Betty takes out her radio.

"Recall is over, all teams report in," she says into it.

One by one, all the scout teams report that they are on their way. Soon there's a briefing going on, with maps and charts spread across the hood of a Humvee. Routes and objectives are assigned.

"Drako," Kylie says, running up to you as you're about to hop in your Humvee.

"What?" you ask.

"Thank you for what you did," Kylie says. "And... I really regret not being your **** anymore."

"Kylie, I...," you stammer.

"Welp, them's the breaks," Betty says, snatching you by the arm and yanking you towards the Humvee. "Come on, let's go."

"Be careful out there," Kylie calls.

"We will, we will," Betty calls back.

"Thanks. That situation was really uncomfortable," you say, wiping sweat from your brow.

"Yeah, looked like it," Betty says.

You hop into the Humvee and slam the door shut. You sit there for a second, and think about the events of the day. Just as the sun begins to set, Betty pulls out of camp, and heads down the road.

You're heading towards the town of Lenexa. You remember from your map that it's about a three day drive. In the back of your mind, you're expecting trouble, but you don't know what kind.

The radio is still silent. No reports have come through. No warnings. Just dead air.

The two of you keep to the roads as much as possible but cut cross country when you have to, to avoid the horde. Eventually, you come to a small cluster of homes and shops. It's obviously not Lexena, but you decide to check it out anyway.

You park your Humvee next to a minivan, in front of a convenience store. The windows are shot out, and the door hinges are broken. You walk past it and into the store. The place is dark and deserted. You flick your flashlight on and look around. You see a few scattered zombies lurking about, but nothing too threatening. You take them out quietly with your machete and walk up to the counter and look behind it. An old man is there, hanging from a noose. His body has turned completely black and rotten, and a large pile of bugs sits near him. The odor is appalling but you're used to it by now.

You grab a few bags and fill them with what scant supplies remain in the store and leave. As you do, you hear the crack of a rifle firing and a bullet strikes the ground just ahead of you. You dive back into the store.

"What the hell is going on?" you think.

You hear another crack, this time from a different rifle, and shards of glass fall down onto your back as the front window shatters.

Outside, you hear Betty shooting back with her M16. You peek your head around the corner of the wall and see a combatant in the window of a building across from you, about 150 yards away. He's carefully lining up a shot on Betty. You raise your own rifle and take him out with a burst.

"For the Army of Nao!" one of the gunmen yells.

"Shit! I thought the horde took care of these nut-bags!" Betty calls from behind the Humvee.

"Cover me!" you yell and go running for the Humvee.

You run as fast as you can, keeping low and using every object around you for cover. You hear the bullets narrowly miss you. You get to the Humvee and dive into the back. You take position behind the heavy machine gun and take out four or five men in front of a nearby gas station. The combatants try to regroup but you fire another burst of 7.62mm rounds and take out two more of them. As you do, Betty hops into the driver's seat and revs the engine.

You hear the tires squeal as she takes off down the road. You see several trucks pulling out from behind a building and give chase. You quickly reload the MG42 as one of the trucks drives along side you. You fire a burst and take it out. The rest of the trucks don't slow down though, and keep driving towards you.

"Tell you what, Drako! If you take out all of them, I'll let you fuck me in the ass," Betty screams from the driver's seat.

"I'll hold you to that!" you shout back.

You take out two more trucks before you reach the next intersection, and see a horde of the rotting dead standing in the road. A large building, probably a hospital, is on the other side. The Humvee plows through them and into the hospital's parking bay. The last remaining truck doesn't have the power to do the same and flips over as it tries to follow. It is immediately enveloped by the horde. As for you and Betty, you're completely boxed in by the horde.