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“You gonna live?” The figure asked, the two red glowing orbs it had for eyes radiating in the darkness of the forest.
The Dude had only just escaped his encounter at the truck stop, and he had to admit, those cops had managed to get a few good shots off at him, but they still weren’t able to stop him from putting the infected bastards out of their misery. His arm and his leg hurt like a bitch though.
“Yeah, this is nothing.” the Dude shakily replied, running his bloodied hand through his greasy black hair.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” The figure said, an unusual warmth in its distorted and disjointed voice. “We can’t stop now, the madness is probably spreading as we speak.”
“Shit, you’re right. We gotta hurry before this madness gets out of hand.” the Dude’s breaths were labored and rough, having to run through the brambles and trees of the woods while sporting several gunshot wounds wasn’t an easy task for him. He felt like his legs were about to crumble underneath him.
“Somebody, please help!” A voice screamed from the depths of the woods.
The Dude and the figure both perked up like dogs picking up a scent. Despite his legs feeling like they were on fire, the Dude bolted towards the source of the screaming, clutching his MP5K machine gun.
“Please, there’s a maniac on the loose!” The stranger pleaded into the darkness of the woods.
When the Dude saw the source of the voice, his face lit up with joy. It was a human! A human who looked sane! That must mean there are people out there who haven’t been infected yet!
“Don’t worry civilian! I’m friendly! The Dude called out. The stranger looked up, he was dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, although he looked a little roughed up. He must’ve ran through the woods to escape those infected as well.
“Oh, thank god! Mister, please help me!” He looked like he was on the verge of a panic attack. He must’ve been hiding in here.
“Everything’s gonna be okay, sir.” The Dude reassured the panicking man. “You need to get somewhere safe, got that?”
“But I don’t know where is safe!” The man choked out, damn near tears.
The Dude racked his brain for a moment, then remembered, his old home wasn’t too far from here. This guy could probably just hole up there and wait for help to arrive.
“You know the neighborhood that leads up to the truck stop? Go to the last house down the road. I’ve already dealt with all of the infected there.”
The man shot the Dude a confused glare, which turned into one of horror when he took a good look at his outfit. The bloodstains, the bullet holes, the bloused combat boots caked in mud, and the trench coat. The man sprang to his feet and began running. Leaving the Dude and the figure alone and confused.
“He probably thinks those infected people are still human.” The figure reassured the Dude. “C’mon, let’s get moving, see if we can find you some first aid.”
The Dude looked back to where the man had been hiding, shrugged, and followed the figure. He had a lot of work to do in Paradise.