The main streets of the Candy Kingdom were clustered with terrified citizens. Within minutes, several explosions went off and pillars of smoke billowed across the horizon. All of the evacuation routes were crowded as people fled from the zombies. As a result, some rushed over to the rooftops while others locked themselves in isolation.

As the chaos progressed, some of the crooks and low lives took advantage of the situation and looted as many goods as they could possibly carry. Liquor stores were ransacked, supermarkets were raided, and even tenements were robbed. With law enforcement spread thin, there was no one left to maintain order. All that mattered to everyone was their own survival. In short, the goo monsters made the city a playground for all the lawbreakers and psychopaths.

A fleet of helicopters flew high above the towering buildings to quell the riot. The pilots and passengers watched idly as they saw the atrocities the goo monsters were committing. They gripped their weapons tightly and straightened their collars. The only sounds that were heard were the rotor blades spinning and the shallow breathing from the passengers. No words were said, everyone knew that once they touched down it was time to go to war. The only exception however, was that their war was going to be fought on their own soil, against their former friends and family.

"This is Foxtrot Two, we'll be approaching the drop zone ETA thirty seconds," the leading pilot said.

"Roger that, maintaining formation," a wingman responded.

The troops inside tensed their shoulders as they approached their destination. Despite the brief wait, time slowed for them as they contemplated in their own thoughts. What was waiting for them? How will everything work out? Will the mission go smoothly?

Their thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the pilots started to hover over the drop zone. A green light was lit inside each chopper that signaled the troops to deploy. Then, two ropes were casted from both sides of the aircrafts. "All units, rock and roll!," a squad member ordered. One by one, each soldier slid down the ropes onto the rooftop buildings at the downtown district.

The task force consisted of 25 men as they assembled into a huddle. "Listen up, this is a search and rescue operation. There are dozens of civvies down there that will not be able to make it out on their own without our help. Gather as many of them as you can and engage the enemy only if you have no other choice," the leader ordered.

"Yes sir," the men complied.

"I need one group of five stationed here to provide overwatch and secure the evac site. The other 4, I need one half to move east and the other to move west. We're on a tight schedule here so let's move out!"


Down at the streets, the goo monsters devoured everyone on sight. They didn't discriminate as they chased after the young and old as well as the rich and poor. With fear impeding their judgement, some people became unfortunate victims as they cornered themselves in alleyways and cramped spaces. The only thing they could do from that moment was pray for a swift death, only to be met with an agonizing one as their flesh was being mauled away.

As the last remnants of bystanders cleared a particular intersection, a large convoy of trucks and civic cruisers drove past them with sirens blaring. Red and blue lights lit the walls of the surrounding buildings as they assembled into a blockade. Once the ground vehicles screeched to a halt, local authorities and tactical groups quickly assembled into defensive positions. Given the circumstances, all of them were armed specifically with ranged weapons. Some had explosive crossbows while the others were armed with automatic crossbows.

"Command, all units are awaiting orders over," an officer radioed.

"Copy that, you are clear to engage."

The officer nodded and looked overhead. He saw the undead mob shuffling their way towards his men from the gloomy distance. Not wasting anytime, the leader motioned his team to open fire.

A volley of arrows met their target as the firefight commenced. The monsters flinched and jerked in response as they were being harmed. They were generally shot in the upper torso of the body such as the chest and stomach. Some collapsed on the ground eventually as they withstood too much incoming fire, only to slowly get up and continue advancing.

Dozens of limbs flew high into the air as the zombies were picked off with explosives. They suffered casualties, but the outcome remained the same. More reinforcements gathered at the blockade in overwhelming numbers. Worse, the zombies who were blown in half continued to crawl with their arms. The counter attack was quickly becoming a losing battle.

The flashing lights and blaring sirens continued to attract more enemies as the guards made their stand. Despite the undead approaching within closing distance, the men stood their ground, hoping to push them back at the last moment. Sadly, this wasn't the case as the monsters lunged at them and tackled their victims to the ground.

"D-don't give up," an officer ordered. Despite trying to remain calm, his hands trembled and his eyes widened in horror. Then he looked down at his left ankle to discover a zombie was clutching it and began chewing it. The officer shrieked as he tried to wiggle himself free, only to be bit simultaneously at his neck from another monster. In seconds, the victim fell on his back lifelessly and the sound of munching followed afterward.

The rest of the authorities soon met similar fates as they tried to shove away the undead.

Meanwhile, the task force that deployed from the rooftops cautiously made their way down to ground level. Two groups were sent to the nearby office buildings while the other two searched the residential homes. While the local guards were engaging in a live firefight, the rescue teams were met with no signs of life or undead life for that matter. A nerve-wracking silence enveloped the area as the men darted their eyes for anything suspicious.

Suddenly, a nearby wooden fence collapsed as hundreds of undead poured through moments later. The teams investigating the neighborhood began to shoot their crossbows in response, but nothing was working.

"I could have sworn this place was clear just a second ago," shouted a soldier.

"Doesn't matter, take them down," ordered another.

"There's too many of them! I'm out!" One trooper deserted from his squad and tried to make a break for one of the nearby houses. He sprinted with his shoulders forward and his crossbow tucked as he shoved past the surrounding mob. As he approached the doorway, one monster leaped from behind and tackled him to the ground. Before the soldier had a chance to recover, he was bit on the neck. He cried and screamed in agony as more zombies joined the pile and chewed on the rest of his body.

In a last ditch effort, the remaining troops assembled into a circle formation with their backs facing each other. Slowly but surely, the crowd of goo monsters closed in until the fighting stopped altogether.

The other two rescue teams on the other hand were running and shooting in the cubicles of a complex building. The lights flickered off seconds ago and a rush of zombies forced them into one of the narrow hallways.

"Get to the elevator, it's our only chance," ordered a trooper.

The group sprinted towards the closest one within reach and briskly slapped the button to call it.

"Sir, we've got a problem. The lift's about 20 floors away from here," yelled one member.

The squad leader grunted in frustration, "We don't have that much time. Find the stairs to roof!"

Everyone darted their eyes frantically to search for the said area and discovered it was on the other side from their location.

"I-I'm afraid that's not gonna happen," one said nervously.

As if on cue, the pursing undead blocked their next escape route and deliberately slowed themselves for the kill.

"These guys are messing with us!"

"Keep it together!"

The zombies leered at them hungrily as they watched their prey show expressions of anxiety and desperation.

"Just 10 more seconds," one member said as he pressed the lift button repeatedly. To everyone's relief, the elevator dinged and the group quickly back-peddled inside. The zombies dashed towards them at the last second but were too late and growled in disappointment.

"That was close, so much for rescuin'. We need to get out of here."

The squad leader looked at his subordinate and reluctantly agreed, "For now, at least. We'll need more help before we can go out there again."

A ding was heard as the elevator arrived at the rooftop. The group held their breath as the doors slowly parted open. Unfortunately, what they encountered on the other side were more zombies who recently turned from the outbreak.

"Close the doors!," the squad leader shouted.

"The lift's not responding! I-I'm sorry sir," a member cried.

"No! It can't end like this. We've made it so far it can't be! Argh, get off me- Ahhhh!"


One hour ago, the city was loud with chaos: men were barking orders, weapons were being discharged, and bystanders were screaming their lungs out. But now, all that was heard were the collective groans the undead uttered. The response teams were defeated as their corpses lied on the streets in pools of blood. Zombies moved around aimlessly at this point and shuffled towards anything that was either loud or bright.

A former victim sat next to one of the civic cruisers as he ate his meal. Suddenly, his concentration was interrupted when the radio inside the vehicle began to emit static.

"This is Root Beer Guy, reporting as dispatch. Does anyone read, over?"

The zombie, James tried to ignore it at first by continuing to eat a severed arm, only to be drawn closer into the transmission. He staggered towards the electronic device and raised a shaky hand. Once he grasped the responder, he looked at it curiously and flinched in surprise when the transmission went off again.

"This is Root Beer Guy calling any units in the downtown district. Does anybody read?"

After James recomposed himself, his eyes found the talk button on the device and responded in a raspy voice, "S-send... More.. Cops!"

"Affirmative, sending reinforcements at your location. Hang in there!"

The zombified pastry smiled grotesquely to himself and continued to feast on the severed arm in peace.