My Sniper System in a Zombie Apocalypse World-Chapter 43: Borrowed Guns

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Borrowed Guns
Hiromi suddenly shifted on her feet, rubbing her legs together. She leaned close to Elena and whispered, her face red. "Sister, I... I need to pee."
Elena blinked, then smiled. "Don’t worry. I happen to bring a bottle with me."
"Sister..." Hiromi groaned.
"I’m kidding, I’m kidding," Elena chuckled. Then she looked at Jaxon. "The girls need to use the restroom. Me too."
Jaxon nodded. "It should be safe to move the furniture for now. I haven’t heard any infected nearby."
Together, they pushed the furniture aside, moving it one piece at a time. The top floor had restrooms, so they took turns, keeping quiet and watching the hallway.
....
Half an hour later, Jaxon looked around at the group. They were still tired, but not as worn out as they had been the night before. "Everyone ready? I’ll open the door now."
Right on cue, Burgors’ stomach growled loudly.
"Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head. "Last night really drained me."
"We still have food in the car. We’ll eat once we get there."
"Thanks."
Jaxon gripped the door handle, then glanced at Elena. "I’ll take the front. Can you cover our back?"
"Okay. But I’ll take your sister with me." She looked at Natasha.
Natasha nodded. Cindy and Isabel moved to the front as well, taking position just behind Jaxon.
The group steadied their breathing, weapons ready, as Jaxon slowly turned the handle.
They moved slowly down the stairs. What greeted them below was a scene of death. Bodies lay everywhere, some were hanging over railings, others piled in corners. Black blood was smeared across the walls and steps, and the twisted shapes of the infected looked grotesque and broken.
Burgors followed closely behind, eyes scanning the horror. Then one of the bodies twitched.
"Ack!" He yelped loudly, the sound echoing through the room. It startled everyone, and they all turned to look at him.
"What are you doing?" Elena whispered sharply.
"I... I-Its fingers moved," Burgors whispered, pale with fear.
"It’s dead. Lower your voice next time."
"Sorry," Burgors muttered, trying to calm himself.
They continued downward, passing body after body. The smell was almost unbearable, thick and rotten, almost enough to make them gag. And the few corpses that still stared with empty, open eyes made it worse.
Still, the trip down was far calmer than the night before. They ran into only a few infected, and Jaxon put them down quickly without trouble.
Finally, they reached the parking lot. The group allowed themselves a short break, digging into the canned food Jaxon’s team had brought.
Everyone ate quietly, shoveling the food into their mouths faster than usual. It was almost as if they feared the infected might return at any moment, ready to pounce.
As soon as they finished, everyone rushed into their cars. Burgors was about to close the door when Jaxon suddenly appeared in front of him.
"What? Want to ride with us?"
"Here, take this," Jaxon tossed him an M16.
Burgors fumbled but managed to catch it. "Whoa! Heavy!"
Elena glared at him from the front seat. "Seriously? You’re only bringing these out now?"
"We were rushing that night. I forgot to grab them from the car," he shrugged. He couldn’t really tell them that he had enough coins now, which he used to purchase suppressors and equip them.
He then held another M16 toward Elena. "How about you? Do you want this one?"
"Thanks, but I prefer my bow."
Jaxon nodded and turned to the back. "Haris," he called, making Haris step out of the car. "Here, you hold this."
Haris awkwardly took the weapon in his hands. "I... I don’t know how to use it."
"You don’t need to fire unless you really have to. Just use it to protect yourself."
"Thank you, Jaxon," Haris said with a nod before getting back.
As Jaxon returned to the car and climbed into the back seat with his family, Natasha glanced at him through the mirror.
"Are you sure they can be trusted?" she asked quietly. "Giving them guns and even spending those coins."
"I’m only lending them," Jaxon said as he settled in. "It’s better to use the weapons than just let them sit in the car." He paused, then added, "We can’t keep fighting alone. It won’t be enough."
Last night had taught him a hard lesson. No matter how strong he became, he could not cover everything by himself. He needed people who could hold the front while he fought from behind. That was how his DMR was meant to be used. It was heavy and not made for constant movement. His strength let him carry it, but it did not change its limits.
More than that, he could never let his family stand at the front. If someone had to take that role, it had to be others.
Natasha watched the road for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. I trust you."
She started the engine, and the car rolled forward.
Behind them, Burgors’ vehicle followed closely. Jaxon leaned forward and pointed through the windshield, guiding them along the path he had already cleared, leading them away from danger and deeper into the silent streets.
They drove for a quarter of an hour straight without encountering any infected, but then, the roars came again. The engines of their vans were far too loud for such a quiet place, and attracting attention was unavoidable.
"They’re here," Cindy whispered, eyes wide as figures burst from the corners of buildings and alleys.
Jaxon lowered his window and raised his rifle. ’This is different from last night. Letting yourselves out in the open, you’re dead.’
The infected roared and charged. The chase had begun.
Jaxon squeezed the trigger. His bullets tore through the nearest two, punching clean holes in their heads. They crumpled to the ground.
One infected paused, staring down at the bodies of the fallen. Its eyes glowed with rage, and it let out a blood-curdling roar before sprinting toward Jaxon.
Bang. The bullet struck its skull before it could reach him. The force carried on, hitting the ones behind it, double, triple, QUADRA KILL... P-PENT... no, only quadra.