The man Jason had shot on the rooftop wasn't completely dead at first. After falling to the ground, he screamed in agony, but his voice grew weaker and weaker as blood soaked his chest.
Jason's shotgun had been merciless. There were too many wounds, and with his perfect accuracy, even if the man wasn't dead immediately, he wouldn't survive more than a few minutes.
"How are you? Are you seriously hurt?" Jason asked, quickly turning to check Rick's wound.
Fortunately, the bullet hadn't fully struck Rick's shoulder—it had merely grazed the flesh.
"It's just a scratch," Rick grinned through the pain. "Damn bastard. I got lucky... otherwise I'd be a goner right now."
"What do we do now? There's probably more of them outside. We can't just walk out," Glenn said, panicking as he paced around the room.
Jason felt dizzy just watching him. He grabbed a nearby object and tossed it at Glenn. "Sit down and shut up. Don't panic. You're only making things worse."
Only Henry stayed quiet, squatting silently in the corner, though fear was clearly written all over his face—after all, he had just covered his ears and bolted during the shooting.
Jason crept cautiously to the window, staying hidden in the blind spot. He saw that the man he had shot was motionless now. Dead.
But that was only part of the problem. Jason didn't know how many enemies were still out there.
From what he had seen earlier, there were at least two others. The first figure he spotted wasn't the same as the man he shot. Clearly, these attackers were prepared and working together.
Scanning the surroundings, Jason noted the most likely hiding spots: an alley directly ahead at the nine o'clock position, and another at roughly the two o'clock direction. Both were perfect places to conceal someone.
"Don't risk it," Rick urged. He could tell Jason was itching to make a move, but stepping outside blindly was too dangerous.
"It's alright. I know what I'm doing," Jason said calmly. He wouldn't gamble with his life recklessly.
From what he had seen, their attackers weren't skilled marksmen. The earlier shot had only hit Rick's shoulder, suggesting the sniper wasn't highly trained—just some ordinary scavengers with guns, likely trying to rob them.
Silence settled over the house. Rick's bleeding had slowed, and he joined Jason by the window.
"I checked the house," Rick said. "There's no back door… but there is a skylight upstairs. Maybe we can use it?"
"Skylight?" Jason's eyes lit up.
If their attackers were focused on the house's main exits, no one would be watching the rooftops. Moving from above might give them a chance to turn the tables.
Jason hurried upstairs with the others .At the skylight, he had Henry lift him up. He opened it slowly and climbed out with careful, deliberate movements.
The structure of the skylight worked perfectly as cover. From the ground, the enemies couldn't see what was behind it.
Hiding there, Jason peered down and spotted two men armed with guns, keeping watch .Another man was sneaking toward their police car, clearly hoping to loot it.
Jason whispered down to Henry, "Tell Rick to move when they hear my shots. There are three enemies total."
Henry nodded and ran to pass the message.
Meanwhile, Jason quietly readied his rifle. Aiming through the scope, he locked onto the man approaching their car. With a cold smile, he muttered, "I'll give you a one-way ticket."
Bang!
The gunshot echoed sharply through the empty town. The man near the car collapsed immediately.
Startled, the other two enemies spun around at once, staring at their fallen companion.