– Hold the Line -
Red emergency lights flooded Omega Sector.
The laboratory echoed with alarms.
«"WARNING!"»
«"UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED!"»
The newly awakened Walmart associates huddled together behind overturned laboratory tables.
Fear filled their faces.
Breddy stepped in front of them.
"No one gets left behind."
Raven stood beside him, locking a fresh magazine into her rifle.
"Let's get them home."
Tyler grinned as he loaded his shotgun.
"Now that's a plan."
Mason cracked his neck and smiled.
"Finally..."
"I was getting bored."
Shijiki rolled his eyes.
"You say that before every fight."
"Because every fight gets better."
Everyone laughed.
Even with death standing outside the door.
---
A deafening screech echoed through the laboratory.
The blue-eyed creatures charged from every hallway.
Dozens...
Then hundreds...
They moved faster than zombies.
Smarter.
Working together.
Colonel Graves shouted,
"DEFENSIVE FORMATION!"
Black Shield soldiers formed a firing line.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The first wave crashed into the gunfire.
Several creatures fell.
Many kept coming.
---
Breddy rushed forward.
His black Walmart AP tactical vest was already stained from old battles.
His scar reminded him every movement came with pain.
He ignored it.
A creature lunged.
He ducked beneath its claws.
BOOM!
His shotgun blasted it across the room.
Another jumped from the ceiling.
Raven dropped it before it reached him.
"I got your back!"
Breddy smiled.
"I know."
---
Mason laughed as he emptied his assault rifle into the horde.
"Who's next?!"
A creature charged him.
He slammed it with the butt of his rifle before kicking another into a laboratory window.
Tyler covered Mason from the left.
"Little help over here!"
"I'm working on it!"
Mason tossed him a spare magazine.
"Try aiming this time."
Tyler laughed.
"I only miss the ugly ones."
"Then why are they all still chasing you?"
The two burst into laughter while continuing to fight.
---
Behind them...
The rescued Walmart Team Leads quickly organized the frightened associates.
One former Coach shouted,
"Sporting Goods!"
"Help carry ammunition!"
"Produce!"
"Move the injured!"
"Asset Protection!"
"Secure the exits!"
Breddy smiled.
Even after everything...
They still worked together like one team.
---
Suddenly...
The laboratory shook violently.
The floor cracked.
A massive steel blast door at the far end of Omega Sector slowly began to rise.
Dust poured from the ceiling.
The computer announced,
«"WARNING..."»
«"SECONDARY CONTAINMENT FAILURE."»
Colonel Graves looked toward the opening.
"What now?"
From the darkness beyond the door...
Heavy footsteps echoed.
THUD...
THUD...
THUD...
Whatever was coming...
It was much larger than the creatures they had already fought.
Breddy slowly reloaded his shotgun.
Raven stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
She glanced at him and smiled.
"Ready?"
Breddy chambered a shell.
"Together."
She nodded.
"Together."
The shadow stepped into the red emergency light...
But before anyone could see its face...
– The Guardian
The footsteps grew louder.
THUD...
THUD...
THUD...
Every survivor stood frozen.
Even the blue-eyed creatures stopped moving.
They slowly backed away from the massive blast door.
Raven frowned.
"...They're scared."
Breddy tightened his grip on his shotgun.
"That's not a good sign."
---
The giant shadow finally stepped into the red emergency lights.
Gasps echoed throughout Omega Sector.
It wasn't a zombie.
It wasn't one of the blue-eyed creatures.
It was a towering armored bio-weapon, nearly ten feet tall.
Its body was covered in reinforced metal plating fused to flesh.
A shattered riot shield was welded to one arm.
Its other arm ended in a massive steel blade.
Its glowing red eyes slowly scanned the room.
Across its armored chest were faded white letters.
G-01
Colonel Graves' face turned pale.
"...Guardian One."
Raven looked at him.
"You know what that thing is?"
Graves nodded.
"It was built to protect Omega Sector..."
"...and eliminate anyone who entered."
---
Without warning...
Guardian One charged.
BOOM!
The floor cracked beneath its weight.
A Black Shield soldier opened fire.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The bullets bounced harmlessly off its armor.
The Guardian swung its blade.
One strike smashed through concrete, sending soldiers diving for cover.
"Fall back!" Graves shouted.
---
Breddy stepped forward instead.
"No."
Raven grabbed his arm.
"Breddy!"
He looked at the monster.
"If we keep retreating..."
"It'll reach the associates."
He couldn't let that happen.
---
Guardian One roared and rushed him.
At the last second, Breddy rolled beneath its swing.
The steel blade carved through a laboratory pillar.
Concrete rained down.
Raven fired repeatedly at the joints in its armor.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The Guardian stumbled for the first time.
"It has weak points!" she shouted.
---
Tyler and Mason immediately understood.
"Hit the joints!"
Mason unloaded his rifle into the Guardian's knee.
Tyler fired at its shoulder.
The giant staggered backward.
"Now we're talking!" Mason yelled.
---
The Walmart associates quickly joined in.
A former Sporting Goods associate handed out spare ammunition.
An Asset Protection associate helped move wounded soldiers to safety.
A Team Lead organized everyone behind cover.
Even after years trapped underground...
They worked together.
Like one big Walmart family.
Breddy couldn't help but smile.
---
Guardian One roared again.
Its red eyes suddenly locked onto the rescued associates.
It ignored everyone else.
It started marching straight toward them.
"No!"
Breddy sprinted after it.
Raven matched his pace.
The two attacked together.
Breddy blasted the Guardian's damaged knee with his shotgun.
At the same moment, Raven slid beneath its shield and drove her combat knife into an exposed hydraulic joint.
The Guardian staggered.
For the first time...
It dropped to one knee.
Everyone stared.
"It can bleed..." Tyler whispered.
---
Suddenly, every computer screen in Omega Sector came to life.
A distorted face appeared on every monitor.
An old man in a torn white lab coat.
His eyes were cold.
His smile was unsettling.
"Impressive."
The room fell silent.
Breddy's heart sank.
"...Dr. Victor Kane."
The scientist slowly clapped.
"I've been watching all of you."
His eyes shifted to Breddy.
"The Walmart associate..."
"...You've exceeded every expectation."
Breddy raised his shotgun.
"You started all of this."
Kane smiled wider.
"No."
"I perfected it."
The screens suddenly filled with static.
His final words echoed throughout the laboratory.
«"Welcome to the real experiment."»
Every blast door in Omega Sector slammed shut.
The lights went completely dark.
Only Guardian One's glowing red eyes remained visible in the darkness.
- Fight in the Dark
Darkness-
The entire Omega Sector lost power.
The only lights remaining were the glowing red eyes of Guardian One.
And the blue eyes of the creatures hiding in the shadows.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Then—
BOOM!
Guardian One charged.
"Scatter!" Colonel Graves shouted.
The giant steel blade crashed into the floor, sending chunks of concrete flying in every direction.
Breddy rolled behind a laboratory table.
His flashlight flickered to life.
Its beam barely cut through the darkness.
"Raven!"
"I'm here!"
Her voice came from somewhere to his left.
He found her standing behind a shattered cryogenic pod.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
"Still breathing."
"You?"
"I've had worse Mondays."
She laughed.
"You always compare everything to Walmart."
"It builds character."
Across the room...
Mason fired his assault rifle into the darkness.
"I can't hit what I can't see!"
Tyler tossed him a flashlight.
"Try using your eyes first!"
"I was getting there!"
The two continued joking, even while fighting for their lives.
The blue-eyed creatures attacked again.
One dropped from the ceiling toward a frightened Walmart associate.
Before it could strike—
BANG!
Breddy's shotgun blasted it across the room.
He grabbed the terrified associate.
"Stay behind me."
The man nodded.
"T-thank you..."
"What department?"
The man blinked.
"...Electronics."
Breddy smiled.
"Then help me keep everyone's flashlights working."
The associate nodded immediately.
"I can do that."
All around the laboratory...
The rescued Walmart associates began helping.
Former Maintenance associates cleared blocked hallways.
Sporting Goods associates distributed spare ammunition.
Asset Protection associates watched the team's blind spots.
Former Team Leads organized frightened civilians into evacuation groups.
Even after years trapped underground...
They still worked together.
Guardian One let out a deafening roar.
Its red eyes locked onto Breddy.
"There he is."
The giant charged again.
Breddy sprinted toward it instead of away.
"What are you doing?!" Raven shouted.
"Buying time!"
Guardian One swung its enormous blade.
Breddy slid underneath the attack.
The blade sliced through a steel support column instead.
The ceiling groaned.
Dust poured down.
Raven immediately understood his plan.
"The columns!"
She opened fire.
Her bullets struck another damaged support beam.
Guardian One turned toward her.
Exactly as Breddy had hoped.
"It's looking at me now!" Raven shouted.
"Perfect!"
Breddy climbed onto a fallen cryogenic pod and jumped onto Guardian One's back.
He drove Raven's combat knife into a gap between the armored plates.
The Guardian roared in pain.
It reached back, trying to grab him.
"Breddy!"
Mason emptied an entire magazine into the Guardian's arm.
"Get off my coworker!"
The giant staggered.
Breddy jumped free just as the damaged support columns finally gave way.
CRAAAAASH!!
A massive section of the laboratory ceiling collapsed.
Guardian One disappeared beneath tons of concrete and steel.
Silence.
Dust filled the air.
Tyler slowly lowered his shotgun.
"...Did we win?"
Before anyone could answer...
A metal hand burst through the rubble.
Guardian One slowly pulled itself free.
Its armor was cracked.
One glowing red eye had gone dark.
But it was still alive.
Breddy sighed.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Then, every monitor in the laboratory flickered back on.
Dr. Victor Kane appeared once again.
He smiled as he watched Guardian One stand.
"Excellent..."
He looked directly at Breddy through the camera.
"You've damaged my guardian."
"Now..."
"Let's see how well you survive..."
"...Phase Two."
The lights shifted from red...
To deep blue.
A loud mechanical voice echoed through Omega Sector.
"Phase Two Activated."
"Experimental Hunter Units Released."
Steel cages all around the laboratory unlocked at once.
From the darkness...
Dozens of pairs of glowing blue eyes slowly opened.
Raven raised her rifle.
Breddy pumped another shell into his shotgun.
Mason grinned despite the danger.
"Looks like..."
"...the party just started."
– Hunter Units -
Blue emergency lights flooded Omega Sector.
The laboratory no longer looked abandoned.
It looked alive.
A cold mechanical voice echoed through every hallway.
«"PHASE TWO ACTIVATED."»
«"HUNTER UNITS RELEASED."»
Metal cages unlocked one after another.
CLANG...
CLANG...
CLANG...
Pairs of glowing blue eyes slowly opened in the darkness.
One...
Five...
Ten...
Then dozens.
Breddy slowly chambered another shell into his shotgun.
"...This is bad."
Raven stood beside him.
"No."
She stared into the darkness.
"It's worse."
---
Without warning...
The first Hunter Unit exploded from the shadows.
It moved so fast it looked like a blur.
It tackled a Black Shield soldier into the wall.
Before it could strike again—
BANG!
Breddy's shotgun blasted it across the room.
The creature rolled to its feet almost instantly.
It wasn't a zombie.
It wasn't even trying to bite anyone.
It studied them.
Learning.
Waiting.
---
Colonel Graves raised his rifle.
"Open fire!"
The laboratory erupted with gunfire.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
Some Hunter Units fell.
Others dodged the bullets completely.
One sprinted across the ceiling before dropping behind Tyler.
"Behind you!"
Mason yelled.
Tyler spun around just in time to block its claws with his rifle.
Mason rushed forward and slammed the creature with the butt of his shotgun.
"Nobody messes with my team!"
The Hunter crashed into a laboratory console.
---
Guardian One emerged from the rubble again.
Its cracked armor sparked with electricity.
One glowing eye flickered.
The giant raised its massive blade.
It roared.
The Hunter Units immediately stopped attacking.
Every one of them looked toward Guardian One.
Then...
They attacked together.
A coordinated assault.
"They're taking orders!" Raven shouted.
"They're military experiments," Breddy replied.
"They're trained."
---
The rescued Walmart associates quickly moved the frightened civilians behind reinforced blast shields.
Former Team Leads shouted instructions.
"Garden Center!"
"Help move the wounded!"
"Maintenance!"
"Barricade that hallway!"
"Asset Protection!"
"Watch the rear entrance!"
Breddy smiled despite the chaos.
"Still acting like one big store."
Raven glanced at him.
"You really love Walmart."
"It taught people how to work together."
---
A Hunter Unit lunged at Raven.
She fired twice.
BANG!
BANG!
The creature dodged both shots.
Before it could reach her...
Breddy stepped between them.
He caught its wrist.
Using his MMA training, he twisted the creature's arm and slammed it over his shoulder.
The Hunter crashed headfirst into the floor.
Before it could recover...
Raven buried her combat knife into its chest.
The creature stopped moving.
She smiled.
"Nice throw."
Breddy grinned.
"Nice finish."
They bumped fists.
Then immediately turned to face the next wave.
---
Suddenly...
Every monitor in the laboratory lit up.
Dr. Victor Kane appeared once more.
He slowly applauded.
"Remarkable."
His eyes focused on Breddy.
"A simple Walmart associate..."
"...leading soldiers."
"...leading civilians."
"...leading survivors."
He smiled.
"I underestimated you."
Breddy aimed his shotgun at the monitor.
"You ruined millions of lives."
Kane's smile faded.
"No..."
"I evolved them."
Before Breddy could respond—
The laboratory shook violently.
A hidden blast door behind Guardian One slowly opened.
Colonel Graves looked at the map in disbelief.
"...Impossible."
Raven frowned.
"What is it?"
Graves lowered the map.
"That..."
"...isn't on any blueprint."
Cold air rushed from the newly opened tunnel.
Somewhere deep below...
A faint voice echoed through the darkness.
«"Breddy..."»
Everyone froze.
Breddy's eyes widened.
"...Ethan?"
The voice came again.
Weak.
But unmistakable.
«"I'm down here..."»
Without hesitation, Breddy stepped toward the tunnel.
Raven grabbed his shoulder.
"If that's really him..."
"We're bringing him home."
The two looked at each other and nodded.
Side by side...
They stepped into the darkness.
Walking Dead Walmart
Chapter 45 – No Turning Back
The hidden tunnel swallowed every sound.
Breddy led the way.
His flashlight cut through the darkness.
Raven stayed close behind, rifle raised.
Colonel Graves, Tyler, Mason, Shijiki, and a squad of Black Shield soldiers followed.
Behind them...
The rescued Walmart associates remained hidden inside Omega Sector under armed protection.
---
The tunnel stretched deep beneath the mountain.
The walls were covered with claw marks.
Not small ones.
Massive.
Breddy ran his hand across the concrete.
"...Whatever made these..."
"...wasn't human."
A cold breeze swept through the passage.
Then—
"Breddy..."
The voice echoed again.
Ethan.
It sounded closer.
"I'm coming!"
Breddy shouted.
---
Suddenly—
BOOM!
The ground exploded beneath the squad.
Three Hunter Units burst through the floor.
Before anyone could react...
They attacked.
A Black Shield soldier was dragged screaming into the darkness.
Another Hunter tackled a second soldier through a concrete wall.
Chaos erupted.
"CONTACT!"
Gunfire echoed through the tunnel.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
---
Breddy rushed the nearest Hunter.
It swung first.
He ducked beneath its claws.
Using his Muay Thai training, he slammed a knee into its ribs.
The creature staggered.
He followed with an elbow strike.
Then—
BOOM!
His shotgun blasted it backward into the tunnel wall.
The Hunter collapsed.
Dead.
---
Another Hunter lunged toward Raven.
She rolled beneath it.
The creature slammed into the wall instead.
She emptied her pistol.
BANG!
BANG!
CLICK.
Out of ammo.
The Hunter smiled.
Before it could strike—
Breddy threw Raven's combat knife.
The blade buried itself in the creature's shoulder.
Raven caught the knife as it stumbled forward.
"Thanks."
She drove the blade into its throat.
The Hunter dropped.
---
"More incoming!"
Tyler shouted.
The tunnel shook.
Dozens...
Then hundreds...
Of zombies flooded in behind the Hunter Units.
Guardian One emerged through the smoke.
Its giant blade scraped across the concrete.
SCRRRAAAAPE...
Every step shook the tunnel.
Mason stared.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
---
Colonel Graves yelled,
"Fall back!"
Breddy shook his head.
"If we retreat..."
"They'll reach the associates."
He chambered another shell.
"Then we hold the line."
Raven stepped beside him.
"I'm with you."
Tyler loaded another magazine.
"So am I."
Mason smiled.
"Thought you'd never ask."
Shijiki grinned.
"Let's make them regret waking up."
---
The tunnel became a war zone.
Shotguns thundered.
Rifles roared.
Grenades exploded.
Hunter Units fell one after another.
Zombies piled across the floor.
Breddy fought like a man possessed.
He kicked one zombie into another.
Used a broken steel pipe to knock two Hunters off their feet.
Grabbed an abandoned riot shield and slammed it into Guardian One's damaged knee.
The giant roared in pain.
Raven covered him with precise rifle fire.
Every shot protected Breddy.
Every move they made felt perfectly synchronized.
Neither needed to speak.
They already knew what the other was thinking.
---
Suddenly...
Guardian One grabbed Breddy.
Its enormous metal hand crushed his tactical vest.
It lifted him into the air.
Raven's eyes widened.
"Breddy!"
She fired.
The bullets sparked harmlessly off the Guardian's armored arm.
The giant tightened its grip.
Breddy struggled to breathe.
His vision blurred.
Then...
A gunshot echoed through the tunnel.
BANG!
Guardian One released him.
Breddy crashed to the ground, gasping for air.
Standing at the far end of the tunnel...
Smoke rising from a pistol...
Was a familiar figure.
Covered in dust.
Torn lab coat.
Bloodied face.
But smiling.
Ethan.
He lowered the pistol.
"Took you long enough."
Breddy looked up and laughed despite the pain.
"I knew you were too stubborn to die."
Ethan smirked.
"Guess we're even."
Then Ethan's smile vanished.
He looked past Breddy.
His eyes widened.
"GET DOWN!"
A deafening roar shook the mountain.
From the darkness behind Guardian One...
Something enormous opened its glowing eyes.
Bigger than anything they had ever faced.
To Be Continued...