The movement of the infected provided him with some hope as he turned towards the bodies and lined them up so he could begin cutting them into smaller pieces.

Shlett! His blade cut through flesh once again, detaching the lower arm from the elbow, this time the blood splattering on his face. He ignored the feeling of warmth, raised his arm like a machine, and continued cutting the bodies with the precision and care of a butcher.

The upper arm from the shoulder. The foot from the ankle. The head from the torso. By the time he had finished the unrewarding job, the apartment was a murderer's fantasy. Two piles of body parts strewn across the floor, sitting in warm pools of blood that oozed ceaselessly from them.

Levi had no doubts that if Ricky had seen the room, the contents of his stomach would eject in seconds, and he would never look at him the same.

Finishing with the difficult part, Levi moved towards the hallway window. He broke the glass from the hallway window before returning to the apartment and began throwing body parts from the window.

The assorted limbs flew into the raving horde, whose eyes glimmered at the rain of body parts. The Infected pounced towards the parts closest, shoving each other as they scrambled to gnaw on the tender flesh or lap up the blood droplets on the road.

The diversion managed to disperse the majority away from the entrance. The body parts wouldn't last long, though, with so many feasting, giving Levi a small window to escape while they were distracted.

Levi grabbed his sword and ran from the apartment, closing the blood-filled apartment behind him.

"Ricky! Grab the kid and get up here! We've got to go now. We don't have much time!" shouted Levi. He didn't wait for Ricky to respond as he reared his head from the broken window to look down at the pathway, where a few infected remained.

He hauled himself out of the window and held the ledge, the infected beneath reaching up at him. He placed his feet against the wall and pushed off, aiming for the mound of infected piled up behind them.

The crash of his landing was muffled under the squelch of the bodies beneath, making him grimace. But he couldn't dwell on it as he unsheathed his katana and swung his blade like a hurricane beheading the infected that ambled towards him. He kicked the headless bodies and used them to push back the infected.

With the infected behind slowed, his katana could prong forward and pierce the skulls of the infected with ease. His rapid stabs taking out several infected in quick succession. The path becoming infected free within a short time.

Levi now had to wait and see if Ricky had heard him. If Ricky wasn't quick enough, he would have no qualms abandoning him. Though now that he thought about it, as long as he escaped, the horde could be baited away. So it wasn't all doom and gloom if he hadn't heard.

But the worry came to nothing. Ricky's determined face soon peered from the window, looking out in shock at Levi standing below amongst the corpses.

He turned his gaze from Levi to the infected nearby, distracted a short distance away. They appeared to be eating. His face turned pale as he looked down at the bloody footprints draping from the apartment door–its steel handle smeared with a bloody handmark.

However, this wasn't the time for playing detective. He didn't want to know what had happened, at least for now. They had to leave first.

"Ricky, chuck the kid first. I'll catch him," said Levi, Ricky cringing at the volume. Which made him glance up with caution at the infected feasting behind.

Ricky nodded at Levi's words and went to grab the kid, who took a step back. But Ricky didn't have time to coddle a child and snatched his shirt, dragging him out the window.

The kid was about to scream, stopping mid-action as he met Levi's chilling gaze below. His throat turned dry, as no sound would leave.

Ricky lowered the trembling kid, who'd gone silent, dropping him after checking Levi was below. And let out a sigh as he saw Levi catch the kid and place him on the floor. Levi giving the child a shushing gesture, which the kid copied and meekly nodded.

Now it was Ricky's turn, and he gave the drop a look of reluctance. But one look at the infected busy eating was enough to spur Ricky into action. Angling himself through the window, shouting, "Fuck," when a shard of glass cut his hand.

But he suppressed his scream and ignored the pain. Lowering himself over the edge, he looked down at the three-metre drop. He hesitated before he braced himself and let go.

His feet landed on the corpses below, his legs almost buckling before he felt his foot give way--bending almost horizontal to the floor. Making him jolt upwards in pain, gritting his teeth as he attempted to put pressure on his foot. The sight made Levi's face turn dark.

"I'm fine," Ricky said, trying to walk like he was uninjured. But the way he was putting more weight on his right leg told Levi he wasn't.

"If you say so... Keep close; I'll lead the way," Levi said, moving forward as he slashed the infected meandering near the path. Levi cut them down and continued killing the ones that got attracted. Most were still distracted, but Levi could see the infected would soon devour the body parts. And more were starting to wander towards them.

The way he had thrown the body parts, most had gathered to one side, giving them a clear path to escape. But Ricky's limping shuffle slowed them down somewhat–though he powered through with the adrenaline.

And so, all Levi could do was keep moving forward, taking out any infected that got close--hoping Ricky could keep up. But as the body parts were reduced to mere bones, the bulk of the horde followed in pursuit.

It soon became clear Ricky wasn't going to be able to outpace the infected. And at this rate, they wouldn't shake the infected, and things would become troublesome.

Levi's eyes flashed towards his gun. The kid and Ricky were both in his vision, and his finger twitched. But in the end, he turned to Ricky, who was already lagging and grasped Ricky's shirt, hauling him onto his shoulder. Grunting as he set off, avoiding the overflowing infected behind and returning to the kid in front who looked at the horde behind, terrified.

Ricky looked shocked by the gesture, "Leave me behind. Just leave me. It's better if it's just me instead of all of us," Ricky said, though, by the tightening of his grasp on Levi's shirt, he didn't mean those words–or at least his body didn't.

Levi swung his blade as he took out yet another infected, ensuring the kid could keep pace and continued almost as fast as he had without carrying Ricky. "Don't tempt me. You have to way damn near 200 pounds." Levi said, the distance between the horde increasing further as he spoke.

The gunshots had emptied the streets ahead, and most of the infected were part of the horde behind--giving them an open road ahead.

The sound of infected trailing behind was becoming fainter. The first few had only just turned the corner in pursuit. Levi saw this and thought they'd be clear within a minute or two if they kept pace.

Though he was worried by the boy beside him, the exertion clear on his face. Only fear kept his legs pumping.

Running through yet another street, the previous rows of lined terrace houses opened up. The narrow streets turned into a broad space filled with trees and giant megastructures. Winding car parks sitting before one such supermarket. Many infected blotted the boarded windows, clambering to try and get into the building.

Levi tried to move past the other group undetected. But with the chorus of groans behind becoming louder, Levi's face turned grim, trying to speed past.

What he feared came to be. As he dreaded from the boarded windows, the infected turned and began to shuffle towards them. They looked set to cut behind them, Effectively rendering all their gains in the last few minutes meaningless. The kid couldn't continue like this much longer, and he could only carry one without impeding his ability to fight.

Levi's face shifted as he predicted this outcome. And for the second time, he gave Ricky on his shoulder a deep look. His stare made Ricky's grasp tighten, his pleading eyes meeting Levi's. Making Levi falter before his gaze sharpened, and he grasped Ricky. But his hand loosened when the chortle of an engine sounded from in front.

He turned his focus forward, his eyes glowing when he saw the red hatchback screech to a halt seeing the horde moving in their direction. In the split second, the car had slowed to a halt Levi met eyes with the men inside the vehicle. The driver was a dark-skinned man with heavy features who stared in horror towards Levi.

In that second, Levi saw the driver briefly scan their small group. A look of apology on his face as he reached down towards the gearstick pulling the car into reverse. Levi clocked the movement and realised that unless they managed to get into the car, Levi would be forced into making a decision he didn't want to make.

Levi's raised his gun, pointing it at the driver and releasing three crisp shots. Bang! Bang! Bang! Spiderweb cracks formed on the windscreen as the three shots drilled through the window. Hitting the driver, making the car jolt to a stop. The men in the back stunned as they scrambled in the back.

"Any of you fucking move, and you're dead." Levi threatened, stopping the men in the car. Their faces paled as they saw Levi's gun pointing toward them.

His threat kept the two men at bay as they reached the car. Even Bryson strained his little legs to get to the car as fast as possible--the horde looming not far behind.

They reached the car, and Levi dropped Ricky to the floor, letting him get into the car himself. Bryson followed behind as he moved towards the driver's side. Where the driver slumped against his seat, blood seeping from the two holes in his chest and forehead.

Levi swung the door open and dragged the driver's body onto the road. His gun was brandished at the pale figure in the front as he lofted the small boy towards him.

"Move the fuck over," Levi ordered, a menacing chill in his tone, the threat unspoken as the gun hung in the air.

Levi saw the other man in the front hesitate for a moment but stopped when he looked forward and saw the horde not even 50 metres away. "Fucking do It! They're almost here," his scream jolting the man in the back, making his eyes look forward. His body shifted to the side in desperation. Ricky pushed the man further still as he jumped into the back.

Levi didn't wait for Ricky to close the door as he sat in the blood-soaked seat. The particles of pink matter on the headrest made him grimace as he slammed the door and stepped his foot on the gas. The car thrusting backwards, making the man in the front rock forward into the dashboard.

Levi kept his foot down on the pedal. The distance increasing between the horde before he turned hard on the steering wheel and completed a 180 turn. His hand then shifted towards the gearbox and sent the car into first. The car launching forward, leaving the infected in the dust.

The orchestra of enraged snarls faded into obscurity. The only threat now the meandering infected wandering the streets. Or perhaps the two conflicted strangers that looked at Ricky and Levi with apprehension.