Dean exhaled slowly, his cigarette burning down to its final embers. He flicked the ash away, staring at the message from Marcus.
"Dean… tell me you're joking."
"It's real, isn't it?"
"I'm sorry for not believing you."
"Please… my parents, my sister, and I are trapped in our apartment. The streets are swarming with those things. Can we still come to your fortress?"
Dean clenched his jaw. He had spent years preparing for this moment—alone. But Marcus was more than just an old friend. He was one of the few people Dean had trusted in the previous timeline. And now, Marcus wasn't alone; his parents and his 22-year-old younger sister, Emily, were depending on him too.
Dean cracked his knuckles and started typing.
"Send me your address. Stay quiet. Stay hidden. I'm coming."
Within seconds, Marcus responded with their location—a high-rise apartment building in the heart of the city, one of the worst possible places to be trapped. Downtown was already a war zone.
Dean knew this was going to be a high-risk extraction.
Preparing for Battle
Dean moved quickly, heading to the armory in his underground bunker. The walls were lined with rifles, shotguns, handguns, and melee weapons. He needed a loadout that could handle urban combat, tight corridors, and potential ambushes—not just from zombies, but from desperate survivors.
Weapons Selection:
Primary Weapon: M4 Carbine with an under-barrel grenade launcher for crowd control.
Secondary Weapon: Glock 19 with a silencer for quiet takedowns and extra Sig Sauer P320 because why not.
Shotgun: Benelli M4 in case things got close and ugly.
Melee: Tactical machete strapped to his back, combat knife in his boot.
Explosives: Smoke grenades, flashbangs, and two fragmentation grenades in case of overwhelming numbers.
Additional Gear:
Bulletproof vest with reinforced plating
Kevlar gloves and reinforced boots
Night-vision goggles for dark areas
A military-grade backpack loaded with medical supplies, extra ammo, rations, and water.
Satisfied with his loadout, Dean moved to the garage. He needed a vehicle that could handle a rescue mission in an infested city while carrying Marcus and his family back safely.
Vehicle Selection:
The Beast (Armored SUV): A reinforced Chevrolet Suburban, bulletproof windows, heavy plating, and run-flat tires.
Mounted weapon: A hidden M134 minigun in the roof compartment for emergencies.
Storage: Enough space for five people, weapons, and supplies.
Special features: Reinforced front bumper for ramming, additional gas tanks, and tinted windows for stealth.
Dean opened the massive garage doors and climbed into The Beast. As he revved the engine, the hum of the reinforced V8 filled the air. He had survived this apocalypse once before—now it was time to do things differently.
With a final glance at his fortress, Dean shifted into drive and sped off toward the burning city.
Time was running out for Marcus and his family.