Zombie Train

Lambert ran forward, leaping onto a half-height wall and then trying to jump to the rooftop of the neighboring apartment building. He sprang up, reaching for the edge of the roof, but he misjudged the distance slightly.

"Oh no!" Lambert instinctively shouted as he realized he wasn't going to make it.

Just as Lambert was about to fall, Shao Ming quickly leaped forward and grabbed him. The two of them slid down toward the edge, almost falling off the building.

Asgi arrived just in time, pulling Shao Ming backward and helping to stabilize the situation. Lambert's legs kicked against the window below, and the sound of approaching mutants echoed inside the apartment.

"No, no, no..." Lambert was nearly in tears, hanging six stories up, with two mutants charging toward his lower half.

Together, Shao Ming and Asgi pulled Lambert back onto the roof, with the latter barely managing to keep his composure. Fortunately, Lambert was of average build; if it had been someone heavier, the outcome might have been fatal.

The surrounding mutants were alerted by the noise. Shao Ming turned his head to see some mutants from across the street, growling angrily at them from inside the building.

"We need to move quickly," Shao Ming said as he dragged Lambert, who was still shaken, to his feet.

"Okay... okay..." Lambert trembled, managing to stand and follow the others, but after only a few steps, his legs buckled again, and Shao Ming had to help him walk.

Not far ahead, the school appeared in view, but several mutants had already charged out of the apartment building, running toward the trio.

Shao Ming looked down and saw dozens of mutants gathered at the bottom of the apartment building, banging on the door.

"What do we do now? The street is swarming with zombies," Shao Ming asked.

"I've got a rope," Asgi responded, turning his tactical vest around to show Shao Ming. It was a standard MOLLE system vest, similar to the one Shao Ming had taken from a SWAT officer, equipped to carry extra gear. Asgi had a bundle of descent rope hanging from his back.

Shao Ming quickly unstrapped the rope and handed it to Asgi, who swiftly tied one end to a nearby ventilation pipe. Then he secured the other end around Lambert's body.

"Listen up, you two," Asgi said. "Since you don't have hooks, I'll lower you down. Once you hit the ground, stay alert—mutants can't see what's behind the building."

"Is it secure?" Lambert asked shakily.

"Of course," Asgi replied, leading Lambert to the edge of the roof.

"We'll be holding on to you," Shao Ming reassured, giving Lambert's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

With the rope in place, Lambert was safely lowered to the ground. Shao Ming followed suit, landing softly. Finally, Asgi slid down the rope, landing easily.

The alley behind the apartment was quiet; all the mutants were still clustered around the front door.

"Let's go," Asgi said.

The trio carefully navigated through the parked cars on the street and made their way to the school. The mutants were still preoccupied with the commotion at the apartment, and they didn't notice the three of them slipping by.

Lambert, now steadier on his feet, was keeping up without trouble. Soon, they reached the school, where the train station was nearby. 

Inside the train station, there were no mutants, but the entrance had been blocked off by the police.

Shao Ming's eyes locked onto an open police car parked nearby. "You guys check the tracks, I'll see if there's a radio in the police car."

"Be careful, kid," Asgi warned.

Shao Ming gave a quick pat to his shotgun. "If anything happens, this will have my back."

The trio split up. Shao Ming crouched low and moved toward the police car. As expected, there were no guns or ammunition inside, but he did find two spare radios in the glove compartment.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw two mutants stumbling out from the intersection, shaking unsteadily.

He immediately ducked down. These mutants seemed oddly familiar—they were among the ones that had been outside the building earlier.

The two mutants appeared to be wandering aimlessly, unaware of Shao Ming's presence in the car.

Slowly, Shao Ming reached for his shotgun, hugging it tightly to his chest. He carefully edged his way out of the car, his finger hovering over the trigger.

At that moment, Asgi and Lambert emerged from behind the train station. The two mutants immediately locked onto their new targets and began charging toward them.

Asgi raised his gun but then saw Shao Ming signaling him from inside the police car.

He glanced at the approaching mutants, understood the situation, and quickly drew a knife from his shoulder sheath.

The mutants charged past the police car, and Shao Ming swiftly emerged from the driver's seat, swinging the shotgun's stock at one mutant's head. 

At the same time, Asgi darted out from behind the wall, aiming his knife at another mutant's head. The mutant lunged at him, but Asgi ducked under the attack, slashing across the mutant's abdomen.

Without missing a beat, Asgi spun around and drove the knife deep into the mutant's skull.

Shao Ming, meanwhile, repeatedly slammed the shotgun's stock into the other mutant's head. The creature covered its head with its hands but continued crawling forward in fury, only for Shao Ming to pin it down, ensuring it couldn't escape.

He kept hitting it until the mutant finally stopped moving, the wooden stock of his shotgun cracking under the force.

"We're done here," Asgi said, wiping his knife on the mutant's clothes. "Let's head back to the train."

"Wait a second, wait a second," Lambert said, stepping out from behind the wall. "Are we going back the same way?"

Shao Ming replied, "Unless you want to walk through the middle of town along the tracks."

The trio retraced their steps. The mutants that had previously gathered in front of the apartment had dispersed, wandering through the streets. Since they weren't grouped together, it was much easier to handle.

Working together, the three of them silently took down the mutants along the two main roads they needed to travel.

There were only about five in total.

As they returned, they were confronted with an unexpected sight.

The train was surrounded by mutants.