Harem in a zombie apocalypse

[48] Choices

As we trudged along the highway, the sky slowly shifted from the obsidian black of the night to the muted gray of early dawn. Pocatello, once a small city bustling with life, was now just another ghost town marked on our worn-out map. It was an unspoken agreement among us to approach each new location with caution. However, none of us expected what lay ahead as we turned a curve.

Suddenly, the sight of a roadblock materialized before us, jarringly out of place in the deserted stretch of the highway. An assortment of abandoned vehicles, rusted and warped with time, was piled haphazardly across the road, effectively barricading our path. A sense of foreboding descended upon us as the truck ground to a halt, the idling engine the only sound breaking the eerie silence.

"Man-made," Cassidy murmured from the front seat, her gaze scrutinizing the roadblock. Even in the pale, early morning light, the signs of human intervention were unmistakable. The position of the vehicles was too deliberate, the arrangement too strategic. This was not the result of random chaos but the calculated act of survivors, like us.

A knot tightened in my stomach as I reached for the binoculars. The early morning mist had started to roll in, making visibility tricky. Still, I scanned the area. On the surface, it seemed deserted, no signs of movement, no sound, just an unsettling quiet.

But experience had taught us not to let our guards down. The world we were now a part of was fraught with uncertainties and dangers lurking in unexpected places. I turned to look at my companions, the soft morning light casting long shadows on their faces. Their expressions mirrored my concern.

"We should turn around, find another route," Hazuki suggested, her voice steady despite the underlying anxiety. She was right, of course. The risks were high, and we had a lot to lose.

"No," Ms. Yan interrupted, her gaze firm on the road ahead. "We can't keep avoiding confrontations. We need to learn to face them, navigate them."

The silence inside Endeavor was palpable as Cassidy's words hung heavy in the air. Fort Hall Reservation lay sprawled across the landscape ahead, its vast expanse dotted with the skeletal remains of buildings and the echoing silence of a forgotten past. The air outside was still, as though the very world held its breath, waiting for our decision.

The choice before us was as clear as it was difficult. If we chose to steer clear of the reservation, we'd have to navigate an additional hundred miles, a detour that would cost us precious time and resources. On the other hand, the direct route through the reservation was fraught with uncertainty and potential dangers we couldn't predict.

Cassidy's hand clenched tighter around the steering wheel, her knuckles turning white in the dim light. She was our daredevil, our risk-taker, always willing to face challenges head-on. Yet, even she seemed daunted by the decision we had to make.

Next to her, Hazuki sat with her arms crossed, deep in thought. Since joining our group, she'd shown an aptitude for practical thinking, often providing a counterbalance to Cassidy's audacious plans. Her gaze was fixed on the road ahead, a wrinkle of concern evident on her forehead.

Meanwhile, Ms. Yan, as always, remained the calm amidst our storm. Her eyes flickered between each one of us, offering silent support. In the face of uncertainty, she was our anchor, grounding us and helping us to see reason even in the direst of circumstances.

Each one of us brought something unique to the table, yet here we were, struggling to make a decision, weighed down by the burden of its potential consequences.

"Look," I finally broke the silence, "There are risks either way. If we take the detour, we'll be exhausting resources we can't afford to lose. But if we go through, we might be walking into an unknown danger. There's no easy answer here."

The others nodded, their expressions grave.

Our discussion was immediately halted as the distant groaning of the undead resonated through the otherwise still air. We all turned in unison, our eyes widening as they met the sight of a surging sea of bodies in the rearview mirror. The horde was a grotesque tapestry of once-human shapes, now distorted and disfigured in their grotesque transformation into the living dead.

The echoes of our deliberations hung heavily in the air, punctuated only by the encroaching cacophony of the undead. Our choices had been abruptly stripped down to a single course of action: forward.

Cassidy gripped the wheel tightly, her jaw set in a grim line as she gunned the engine, the Endeavor rumbling under her command. The vehicle jolted forward, metal scraping harshly against the makeshift barrier. It groaned in protest, but the Endeavor, fortified and determined, continued to push through.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Ms. Yan, reaching for the weapons we had stashed away. Her fingers deftly wrapped around the cool metal of a shotgun, the weapon an intimidating contrast to her usually calm demeanor. As the barrier began to give way under Cassidy's persistent force, she prepared herself to take on any immediate threats that might lurk behind the obstruction.

Meanwhile, Hazuki, being the least seasoned in combat, was clutching tightly to her medical kit, her knuckles white as she braced herself for the impact. She may not have been a fighter like the rest of us, but she was equally crucial to our survival. With each jolt and bump, she held on, ready to patch us up if the need arose.

With a final, ear-splitting screech, the barrier gave way, sending a shower of sparks flying as Endeavor roared into the Fort Hall Reservation. The zombies that once seemed like a distant threat were now horrifyingly close, their outstretched hands clawing at the air as we sped past them.

From the rear-view mirror, I could see the horde change direction, their mindless hunger diverting them towards our trail. But we were moving too fast, leaving them to grope at our lingering scent as we plunged deeper into the reservation.

Suddenly, the world inside the Endeavor was deafening, an uncontrolled symphony of revving engine, clanging metal, and our own heightened heartbeats. Yet, amidst the chaos, there was a shared sense of resolve, a determined set to our jaws and a steady glint in our eyes.

The choice had been taken out of our hands, the debate abruptly ended by an oncoming horde of undead.

Cassidy stepped on the gas, driving deeper into the reservation.

"Well, looks like the zombies saved us from further debate." I commented.

Q: Would you go through the reservation or around it, if the zombies didn't appear yet?