System Of The Undead

Chapter 230: The Boogeyman

Sam was discovered, alive and standing before Sanders. Fear gripped him, realizing that he had stumbled upon a formidable force he never intended to encounter. Yet, there was no denying the undeniable truth that Sam’s unparalleled skill set could be of great use to him.

Sam was the most skilled killer Sanders had ever known, and the ease with which he had outsmarted the military was a testament to his strength and cunning.

Shaking off his initial shock, Sanders regained his composure as Sam allowed him to rise to his feet.

"Sam, what happened to you?" Sanders questioned, his displeasure evident. Although he wasn’t pleased with Sam killing his men, he was well aware that there was nothing he could do to change the past.

This was the harsh reality of the world they now inhabited—a world where the strong devoured the weak.

Perched atop his throne, Sam was a predator who consumed everything in his path.

However, something must have driven him to live in this desolate place, to exist like a rat in the shadows.

A single glance at him made it clear that he hadn’t been taking care of himself; it seemed as though he had given up.

The encounter they had months ago was etched into Sanders’ memory, an indelible mark that would forever haunt him.

-

- 4 months ago -

Sanders had been given a mission by the then Colonel to investigate the fallen base. Acting as the temporary Colonel for this particular assignment, Sanders took charge. It was an exceptional case, and the soldiers under his command obeyed his orders more readily, knowing he held the temporary authority.

Initially, Sanders didn’t think much of the task at hand as the soldiers assembled to assess the situation. But what they witnessed defied belief.

The carnage that lay before them was beyond comprehension. They had never imagined such destruction could occur.

Fear gripped the soldiers, a feeling they hadn’t experienced since the beginning of this apocalyptic nightmare. They had never fathomed that a base could fall to the undead.

After all, these creatures lacked intellect and were nothing more than lifeless corpses. It was inconceivable that they could overwhelm a well-equipped military base.

This realization led Sanders to a calculated assumption: the dead were not solely responsible for the chaos. There had to be something or someone else at play.

The army should have been able to handle a horde of unarmed corpses. What made this base different was that it housed soldiers who had seen real combat, individuals with experience to back up their small numbers. The puzzle pieces didn’t fit.

Their investigation led them to a room, the very same room where Sam had tortured the Doctor. Yet, that wasn’t the most intriguing discovery.

It was the walkie-talkie, with the name "Sam" clearly mentioned. This revelation allowed them to put a name to the crimes they had witnessed.

They believed that Sam had manipulated a horde of zombies to mercilessly slaughter his fellow soldiers, even though the message conveyed a different narrative. Sam’s name resonated within their ranks, though Sanders had never laid eyes on his face. They had been in the same camp when Sam had committed the horrific act, but he had been swiftly deployed to avoid the backlash that such an atrocity would bring.

Everyone believed that he would be killed when deployed to one of the worst combat zones in the world. Yet, it was because of Sam that the rebellion was crushed. Sam employed extreme methods, utilizing children and women to set up traps and turning civilians into suicide bombers, using the enemies’ strategies against them. Despite the soldiers having knowledge of these tactics, they chose to turn a blind eye, as the war had dragged on for far too long. This expedited their victory, as the terrorists could no longer disguise themselves among civilians. However, news of Sam’s tactics eventually reached his superiors, and he was withdrawn from the field.

Not long after Sam’s departure, the apocalypse began. There wasn’t a soldier who hadn’t heard the story, who didn’t know the name Sam.

And now, to think that Sam had arrived at this particular base. There was only one explanation for all of this. Sam was the key to unraveling the mystery, and instead of reporting back to base, Sanders chose to search the area for additional clues.

That’s when he stumbled upon the abandoned bunker where they had taken refuge.

Clue after clue, week after week, they eventually came across their only solid lead. They discovered a body, not that of a zombie, but rather a person who had been executed. The evidence was clear, with the man’s hands bound behind his back.

Confirmation of his suspicion prompted Sanders to return to base and call for reinforcement. However, his request was denied by the Colonel. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com

The Colonel believed that Sam wasn’t real, merely a fabrication of the military. A boogeyman. But Sanders knew better.

He realized that the Colonel didn’t possess the ability to lead them in this new world.

They were sent on yet another mission, with the Colonel joining their ranks. It was a place where the patrol had reported unusual activity, whether it be zombies or humans was unknown, but it was dangerously close to the base. Their objective was to clear the area.

There, they stumbled upon yet another body that had not turned. The person had been killed in the exact same manner as the previous body Sanders had encountered.

At that moment, the Colonel didn’t think much of it, but Sanders knew better. And then it happened. The Colonel stepped on a landmine near the body, resulting in an explosion that claimed not only his life but the lives of multiple soldiers.

This was how Sanders became the Colonel, and it was around this time that he had his first encounter with the man himself.

Colonel Sanders sent men out to scout the area, but none of them returned, leaving no traces behind. freewebnoveℓ.com

"Colonel Sanders, we have found another body," a soldier reported, and Sanders hurried to the scene. Unlike the others, this body was fresh.

They stormed into an unfamiliar place, only to find a man covered in blood, seated upon a pile of corpses, holding a dagger in his hand.

"What the...!?" Sanders muttered, realizing that this man wasn’t sitting on a heap of undead corpses, but rather the lives of humans that he had taken, all of them wearing uniforms.

"Well, hello there..." the figure greeted.

And the one who sat upon these corpses was none other than Sam.