We stood back-to-back, surrounded by the undead horde. Nick's rifle cracked out precise shots, taking out zombies with each bullet. I held down the trigger on my machine gun, laying down a wall of suppressive fire that kept the zombies at bay. Danielle's shotgun boomed, blowing zombies off their feet with each blast.
The horde was relentless, pouring in from all sides. We'd been fighting for what felt like hours, and I knew we couldn't keep this up much longer. Our ammo was finite, and the zombies seemed endless.
"Danielle, I think I have an idea," I yelled over the din of battle. "Remember the truck we abandoned earlier? If we can make it to it, I think I can fix it and get it running."
Danielle's eyes locked onto mine, a glimmer of hope in them. "Let's do it!" She shouted back.
Nick's rifle fired steadily, taking out zombies with precision. "What's going on?" He shouted over the gun fire, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
"We're going to try to make a break for the truck," I yelled back. "It's a few blocks away, in the parking garage
Nick nodded, his rifle firing again. "Let's move, we can't stay here."
As we fought our way through the horde, the zombies seemed to grow thicker, their numbers seemingly endless. We pushed forward, our guns firing in unison, but I could feel our energy waning. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, we saw the parking garage in the distance.
"Almost there!" I yelled, my machine gun firing in short bursts.
As we drew closer, I noticed something was off. Some of the zombies were... different. They were bigger, stronger, and their movements more aggressive.
"Danielle, look out!" I shouted, as one of the larger zombies lunged at her.
Danielle's shotgun boomed, striking the zombie with a blast of buckshot. It stumbled back, giving us some space. Nick's rifle fired, taking out another zombie that was getting too close.
I realized with a jolt of concern that the virus might be evolving. These new zombies were a bit more formidable than the others, but we could still take them down with coordinated effort.
"We need to get to the truck, now!" I yelled, my machine gun firing in long bursts to keep the zombies at bay.
We fought our way to the truck, taking out the new zombies with a bit more effort than usual. But we managed to hold our own, and finally we reached the truck.
Danielle and Nick stood guard, firing at the zombies that were closing in on us. I worked feverishly to get the truck started, cranking the engine over and over. The started whirred and whined, but the engine itself seemed reluctant to catch. I could see the worry in Danielle's and Nick's eyes as they continued to lay down suppressive fire.
As I cranked the engine, it would sputter and cough, blowing out clouds of smoke that billowed out of the exhaust pipe. The smell of diesel fuel and smoke filled the air. I gritted my teeth, pumping the gas pedal to try and get the engine to turn over.
But it just wouldn't catch. I was getting frustrated, my mind clouded by stress and exhaustion. Why wouldn't it start? And the it hit me - I'd forgotten that it was a diesel engine. Diesels don't like the cold, and this one was stone-cold. No wonder it was taking so long to start.
I let out a curse under my breath, feeling a mix of relief and embarrassment. Of course, it was a diesel. How could I have forgotten that? I kept cranking, determined to get it started.
Finally after what felt a like an eternity, the engine roared to life, coughing and sputtering as it warmed up. I let out a sigh of relief as the truck's engine smoothed out, the smoke from the exhaust pipe dissipating as it warmed up.
"Let's get out of here!" I yelled, putting the truck in gear.
We piled into the truck, and I floored it, speeding out of the parking garage as fast as I could. The tires screeched as we took the turns, the zombies outside the garage scattering as we burst out into the daylight. I didn't hesitate, hitting the gas and speeding away from the garage as fast as the truck would take us.