The Multigenre Mashup Smackdown Collection

Part 1:1 Survival Tactics

There was no sign of life in the once bustling Kansas City. All that remained were abandoned buildings that people had once inhabited. The only other telltale signs of life were a few cars that still had their engines running from the escape attempts by many.

Other than that, it was a complete ghost city with not even the sound of a cricket.

The two groups of men who moved through the empty streets made sure to observe everything. They were aware of every single object around them, keeping an eye out for any sign of movement.

"Find whatever we'll need and be quick about it. We have to get back to the safehouse before the sun goes down." Their leader told them in a low whisper.

They made sure to be quiet and to observe everything as they went through each and every building and store. They were lucky to find a couple of necessities as they searched diligently: from food packets to crates of water bottles and sanitary items.

Each of the ten men made sure to collect as much as they could carry without being slowed down. Whilst it was necessary that they collected all they needed from that particular area, it was important they did not carry more than they could manage. A large load would slow any soldier down and that would not be good when the sun went down and the dead came out to hunt.

Some of the buildings they went to were dark and it was in these that the soldiers took care to proceed with caution. By now every last person left alive knew the dead could not come out in the sunlight. They also knew better than to venture into dark abandoned buildings that could shield the dead from the glaring sun.

"Spread out. Two minutes sharp then meet back outside." Captain Luke Adams told his men in a low whisper as he began to lead his small squad of five towards one of the abandoned grocery stores.

He carefully picked the lock on the chain that bound the door handles. Carefully handing the chain to one of his men, he took care to open the door to avoid making any screeching sounds. They were to be as quiet as possible so as not to attract a herd of the dead.

After a ten second pause to assess if they had attracted any unwanted attention, the captain motioned for his men to quickly go through the store and pack up the necessities.

It was a miracle how the store had remained untouched as the world had fallen apart. That was also what made him uneasy. It meant the people who had lived in this area hadn't gotten the time to flee. If they had, they had decided to leave everything behind.

There was a high probability that there was a nest very nearby. As quickly as he could, he chucked tinned foods, sanitary items and other non perishables into his bag. They needed to get as much as they could if they wanted to avoid coming back here anytime soon.

Raiding one spot for items was bound to attract a herd and that is why the crews tended to travel far and rotate these spots.

As they prepared to leave, however, the loud echo of a falling metal object from below them in what they could assume was the basement.

"I'm guessing it wasn't one of you guys dumb enough to do that." Captain Adams said to his crew.

"No, captain. It came from underneath us. There's probably a basement." One of his men replied. "There's someone down there."

"Could be rats." Another pointed out.

"Are you stupid? Did you see any rats around here?" The first one asked him in annoyance.

"We could flip a coin to see who is going down there." Another chirped in and his suggestion started an argument immediately.

"Pipe down already!" The captain rebuked them in a harsh whisper. "Hand me my machete and UV torch. Dan you're coming with me. The rest of you secure the floor and get ready to leave."

His men handed him the items he requested and moved to immediately carry out his order. Together with his subordinate Dan, the captain began to carefully descend into the dark basement.

He had seen the blueprints of the store and knew basically how everything was structured but even then he was uneasy. The basement had been used as the store's underground storage facility and as such could provide the perfect hiding spot.

Captain Adams made sure to bathe all the creepy dark corners he encounters with a flash of UV light to avoid any nasty surprises. He knew that in the tightly crammed space they were  disadvantaged.

He paused in his steps and turned to his partner whom he saw was already sweating buckets. Damn cowards all of them. These kids spent the last two years training for this exact moment and when the time came for them to step out into the open death zone and fight they cowered in fright.

It was as if they forgot the hellhole the rest of the world had become.

Having given Dan a sharp look of disapproval, he continued to scan his surroundings.

Oh what he would give to be with his dear wife once again. He was too old for the front lines. All he should have been doing at this point in his life was taking his dear wife Rose on picnics.

There was this particular lake that they used to frequent since their teenage years. On the edge of the lake grew these beautiful red lilies that Rose loved so much. Every time they had gone to their spot, he had made sure to take her to see the lilies after which they would go to the oak tree on whose branch they had carved their initials. They would place both of their palms on the bark and renew their wedding vows, promising to love each other forever.

The memory was both beautiful and painful for him, because it was by that same spot on the day of the eclipse about a year ago that he had lost his beloved Rose.

Before he had known what was happening they had been attacked and his dear wife infected. Even though he had managed to escape without a scratch, he had lost his heart when he had had to put her down.

After that, he had returned to the front lines after his short fours year retirement only this time fighting undead creatures that had once been regular civilians.

He wasn't going to lie, this was the hardest war he had fought but like a true soldier, he had buried his feelings and concentrated on his survival and that of the few people he was tasked with protecting.

He shook his head of these thoughts. He needed to finish this mission and not get distracted by sentimental thoughts.

Having double checked his surroundings, he was almost ready to call off the search and return upstairs when a small figure appeared from the dark.

He raised his rifle just as Dan did the same but had to stop the man from shooting when he was met by the frightened eyes of a small boy looking back at him.

"Hold your fire!" He hissed at Dan and , ignoring his partner's look of bewilderment.

He focused on the young boy, whose crystal blue eyes regarded him with fear. The kid could not have been older than three years old. He was dirty and his clothes were ragged. His blond hair had grime, giving it a dirty brown color.

"It's okay, kid, we won't hurt you." Captain Adams said as he put his gun down as beckoned for him to come closer.

The poor thing only retreated further, afraid to approach the men.

"Captain, what are you doing? He could be infected." Dan hissed in disapproval.

"Look at him, Dan. The poor thing is frightened. Lord knows what he's seen." The captain said as he gently approached the boy.

It took some coaxing but the boy finally ran into his arms, silently shedding tears. He did his best to comfort the child but he knew that it would take a long time before the trauma faded.

As they exited the building Captain Adams could see the confused looks on the faces of his subordinates but he wasn't about to explain his decision to them. Atleast not yet.

Looking up, he signaled to the two soldiers seated on the rooftop of one of the buildings that he had on look out. It was time to head back to camp and he was counting on each of them to keep their eyes open.

They still had some sun. If they walked fast enough they would make it to the safety of the fortified base before the dead came out to hunt.