Walking Dead Walmart
-The Juggernaut -
BOOM!!
The Receiving doors exploded off their hinges.
A cloud of dust rolled across the warehouse floor.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Then...
THUD...
A massive boot stepped through the smoke.
THUD...
Another.
Standing nearly ten feet tall was the largest infected Breddy had ever seen.
It wore torn riot armor reinforced with twisted forklift steel, broken chains wrapped around its chest, and a shattered Walmart hard hat hung from one shoulder.
One of its arms was grotesquely oversized, ending in a fist that looked like it could crush concrete.
Its glowing eyes slowly swept across the room...
...until they stopped on Breddy.
The monster growled.
Not like a zombie.
Like an animal protecting its territory.
Tyler whispered,
"...That's impossible."
Mason gripped his fire axe tighter.
"I've heard it..."
"...but I've never seen it."
Raven quietly drew another magazine from her vest.
"So that's what was making all that noise."
The creature roared.
The warehouse shook.
Every regular zombie immediately backed away.
Almost...
...like they feared it.
Breddy stepped forward.
"Everyone."
"Fall back."
Tyler frowned.
"What about you?"
Breddy slowly reached over his shoulder...
...and drew the massive claymore.
The blade reflected the warehouse lights.
SHIIIING...
Raven smiled.
"I was hoping you'd do that."
---
The Juggernaut charged.
Each step cracked the concrete floor.
Breddy sprinted forward instead of away.
At the last second...
He rolled beneath the monster's swing.
BOOM!!
Its fist smashed into a steel shelf, sending camping gear flying everywhere.
Breddy came up behind it.
The claymore flashed.
SHHHNK!!
A deep cut opened across the creature's back.
Black blood splattered the floor.
The Juggernaut barely reacted.
Instead...
It spun around and punched a forklift.
The forklift flipped onto its side.
"Move!" Raven shouted.
She fired three rapid shots.
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The bullets struck the creature's helmet.
It barely flinched.
"It doesn't care about headshots!"
Breddy circled it, watching carefully.
"It's wearing armor..."
"We have to expose something softer."
The Juggernaut ripped a steel pipe from the wall.
Then swung it like a baseball bat.
Everyone dove for cover.
The pipe crushed shelves full of toolboxes.
Tyler looked terrified.
"How do we kill that?!"
Breddy smiled.
"We don't."
"We outsmart it."
---
The monster charged again.
This time...
Breddy ran straight toward the Garden Center entrance.
The Juggernaut followed, smashing through displays without slowing down.
Raven caught on immediately.
"Oh..."
"I know what he's doing."
She sprinted after him.
Breddy reached a towering display of fifty-pound bags of concrete mix stacked on high shelves.
He looked back.
The Juggernaut was only a few feet away.
"NOW!"
Raven fired at the metal support beam.
BANG!
BANG!
The weakened support snapped.
The entire display collapsed.
Hundreds of pounds of concrete bags crashed onto the Juggernaut.
BOOOOM!!
Dust filled the air.
Silence.
Then...
A huge hand burst through the pile.
The monster was still alive.
Tyler's jaw dropped.
"No way..."
The Juggernaut slowly pushed the debris aside and stood back up.
Bruised.
Bleeding.
Angrier than ever.
Breddy tightened his grip on the claymore.
He looked at Raven.
"I've got one more idea."
Raven grinned.
"I trust you."
For just a second...
Their eyes met.
Then they turned back toward the monster.
Behind them, Mason shouted,
"Breddy!"
The emergency loading dock is opening!"
A heavy rolling door began lifting on its own.
Bright daylight poured into the warehouse.
Escape...
...was finally possible.
But the Juggernaut stood between them and freedom.
Breddy rested the claymore on his shoulder.
"Then let's finish this."
- The Final Swing -
The loading dock door continued to rise.
Sunlight poured into the warehouse.
Freedom was only thirty feet away.
The Juggernaut stood directly between the survivors and the exit.
It beat its massive fist against its armored chest.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The sound echoed through the entire Walmart.
Breddy rested the claymore across his shoulder.
"Everyone..."
"Get ready to run."
Tyler looked confused.
"What about you?"
"I'm buying you time."
Raven stepped beside him.
"Then you're not doing it alone."
She locked another magazine into her pistol.
The two exchanged a quick nod.
No more words were needed.
---
The Juggernaut charged.
Breddy charged too.
The giant monster swung its steel-covered arm.
Breddy slid underneath it, sparks flying as the fist scraped across the concrete.
He rolled to his feet and slashed with the claymore.
SHHHNK!
The blade sliced across the creature's knee.
The Juggernaut staggered.
Raven seized the moment.
BANG!
She fired into the exposed joint.
BANG!
Another shot.
The monster roared in pain.
"Keep moving!" Breddy shouted.
Mason grabbed Tyler by the shoulder.
"We're going!"
The two survivors sprinted toward the loading dock with backpacks full of food, ammunition, and medical supplies.
---
The Juggernaut ripped a steel support beam from the wall.
It swung the beam like a baseball bat.
Breddy barely ducked.
The beam smashed through an aisle of lawn mowers.
Engines, boxes, and metal parts exploded across the floor.
Raven laughed despite the danger.
"You really know how to pick exciting dates."
Breddy smirked.
"So... this is a date now?"
She fired another shot.
"If we survive..."
"...maybe."
Before Breddy could answer—
The Juggernaut grabbed him.
Its enormous hand wrapped around his tactical vest and lifted him off the ground.
Raven's smile disappeared.
"Breddy!"
The monster slammed him against a shelf.
The impact knocked the wind out of him.
His claymore clattered across the floor.
The Juggernaut raised its giant fist.
One punch would end it.
Then—
CRACK!
A fire axe buried itself in the creature's shoulder.
Mason had come back.
"I said..."
"No one gets left behind!"
The Juggernaut turned toward Mason.
That was all the opening Breddy needed.
He rolled across the floor, grabbed the claymore, and sprinted.
With every ounce of strength he had...
He leaped.
The blade flashed through the air.
SHHHHHNK!
The claymore sliced through the damaged armor around the Juggernaut's neck.
The monster stumbled.
Raven fired one final round.
BANG!
The bullet struck the exact cut Breddy had opened.
The Juggernaut froze.
For a heartbeat...
Nothing happened.
Then the giant collapsed.
BOOOOOOM!!
The warehouse shook as the monster hit the floor.
Silence.
The remaining zombies hesitated...
...then began wandering aimlessly again, as if they had lost whatever had been driving them.
Tyler stared at the fallen giant.
"You... actually killed it."
Breddy rested the tip of the claymore on the concrete and caught his breath.
"It wasn't just me."
He looked at Raven.
She smiled.
"We make a pretty good team."
She stepped closer and brushed some dust off the front of his custom Walmart tactical vest.
"You know..."
"I was right."
Breddy raised an eyebrow.
"About what?"
She smiled.
"You wear this vest better than anyone ever could."
Breddy laughed.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You should."
For a moment, the chaos faded.
Then...
A distant helicopter flew overhead.
Everyone looked up.
Painted on its side was a symbol none of them recognized—
A black raven inside a white shield.
Raven's smile vanished instantly.
She quietly whispered,
"...They found me."
Breddy looked at her.
"You know them?"
Raven didn't answer.
She simply stared at the helicopter as it disappeared beyond the clouds.
For the first time since they met...
She looked afraid....