The Sleepers: Quarantined New York

CHAPTER7

“Put your gun down!” a voice said. Harsh, sharp, and icy.

Jack hesitated, but there was no escaping the cold reality lurking behind him. He slowly lowered his gun. Turning around, he found himself facing a man with a stern gaze. In his right hand was a pistol, in his left a baseball bat with nails hammered into it. He was patient, but in his eyes was that cold, deadly attention reserved only for survivors.

Jack, his voice trembling, cautiously asked: “Who… are you?”

A faint, soulless smile appeared on the man’s lips. “I’m just here,” he said. “Like you… but not like you. Put your gun down. If you don’t really want to taste the violence of this, behave yourself.”

Jack took a step back, holding his breath. Just then, the sound came from afar. Growls.

It rose from among the trees, from the shadows. Ten, maybe fifteen… Their eyes were empty, their mouths open, just like the thing he had just shot. Slowly, silently, but resolutely, they were approaching the gas station, towards them. Jack's eyes widened in horror, his heart pounding. The man, however, looked at Jack with an air of normalcy, as if nothing had changed, as if he experienced this situation every day. He simply waited.

The approach of the dead and the heavy silence enveloped Jack and the mysterious man in front of the gas station. Jack was breathless, terrified; the man's gruesome normalcy summarized the true horror of the area.

The growls from among the trees intensified. Jack's eyes widened. His fingers gripped the gun's handle tightly. But Adam… he didn't rush. He just glanced briefly at the approaching dead, as if it were an ordinary occurrence.

Jack whispered:

—They're coming…

Adam let out a slight sigh. He answered in a calm voice:

—Yes. They're coming.

The dead slowly began to emerge from among the trees. Stumbling… crawling… with empty eyes. Jack was about to raise his gun; but Adam raised his hand:

—Don't.

Jack stopped, astonished. —What do you mean, don't?! The man didn't even blink. He spoke very calmly:

— Noise = more dead. A moment of silence. Jack's breathing quickened as the growls drew closer. The man gestured behind him with his head:

— Follow me. Then he turned around. Without running, without panicking, he began to walk, just with quick but controlled steps. Jack froze for a few seconds. The approaching dead behind him… Ahead of him, a man who feared nothing. He made a choice. Jack also began to walk. They crossed over the dry grass. The wind was blowing gently. The growls began to fade behind them. Jack was still alert; he looked back occasionally. The dead were following them… but slowly. As the man continued walking, he spoke:

— If you run, you'll make noise. If you make noise, the herd will come. Jack frowned. — A herd…? The man glanced briefly:

— You haven't seen one yet, have you? Silence. Only footsteps. After a while, the man pointed ahead with his hand. On the horizon, a structure barely visible through the trees appeared: an old farm. Its roof was half-ruined… but it was still standing. Jack narrowed his eyes:

— Is that it? The man nodded:

— A few hundred meters. I'm not alone there. Jack turned his gaze to him:

— Who's there? The man smiled slightly, but was still mysterious:

— Those who want to live. Jack swallowed. The growls from behind were still audible, but now they were further away. Jack looked at the farm again, then at the man. For the first time, he lowered his weapon slightly. The two continued walking together. As if the camera were following from behind, the two men were moving towards the unknown in the middle of the empty world. The trees began to thin out. The farm was now more clearly visible: an old wooden house, with a half-ruined barn next to it. It was surrounded by haphazardly stretched wires and planks. But the most important thing was the history. Jack felt it immediately. The man didn't stop. He walked straight to the entrance. As he approached the door, a CLICK was heard. Jack froze instantly. The man stopped and slightly raised his eyes. There was a silhouette in the corner of the roof. A rifle barrel was pointed at Jack. "Put that down," Adam said calmly.