The walking dead - a dead world requiem ( TWD X CoD Crossover)

Andrew handed one makeshift shield to Private Tanner , a solidly built young man with a square jaw and close-cropped sandy blond hair. Tanner was only twenty-three but carried himself with the wary edge of someone who'd seen enough bad things in the last week to age him a decade.

The second lid went to Specialist Diego Ruiz, lean and sharp-eyed, with dark hair slicked back beneath his helmet . It seems that Diego has a habit of chewing gum, and right now his jaw worked nervously as he tightened his grip on the plastic shield.

"You two are up front. Keep them pinned, don't let them grab you. Rest of us — blades only. Quiet and clean."

Diego tapped the lid twice with his knife. "Not exactly a riot shield, but no reason to complain ."

Andrew motioning them forward.

The small clearing team, four strong, stacked up by the door. The paint was streaked with dried blood, and the brass handle was smeared with dark handprints. The faint, sour stench of death leaked from inside.

Andrew took a steadying breath, raised his knife, and gave the signal.

"Move."

Tanner pushed the door open with his shoulder, makeshift shield braced in front of him. Diego followed, moving low and tight. Andrew and the fourth soldier — Private Kyle Bennett, a wiry, dark-skinned kid barely out of basic training, bringing up the rear — slipped in after them.

The dim interior was a mess of overturned furniture and scattered debris. Somewhere deeper inside, the faint, wet shuffle of walkers moving could be heard.

Advancing inside, they encountered three walkers lingering on the ground level of the building. The two makeshift shield-bearers — Specialist Diego and Private Tanner, took position in front, raising the plastic bin lids like crude riot shields.

As the dead lunged, snarling and clawing at the makeshift barriers, the soldiers gritted their teeth against the strain. The weight and relentless pressure from the walkers threatened to shove them back, but they held firm. Andrew and Kyle moved in swiftly, driving their knives into the sides of the walkers' skulls with practiced, brutal precision.

They checked all rooms to ensure that there are no more walkers .

With the ground floor cleared, they advanced to the stairwell. The steps creaked beneath their weight as they climbed cautiously, weapons and shields ready. Halfway up, a figure lurched from the top — a walker, tumbling forward in a tangle of limbs.

The shield-bearers snapped their makeshift defenses up just in time as the corpse slammed against them with a wet thud. The force nearly knocked Diego and Tanner off balance, their boots skidding on the wood floor.

The walker writhed, guttural growls rising as it reached over the plastic lids, snapping its bloodied teeth inches from their faces. Kyle rushed forward, steadying one of the shields while Andrew stepped in and drove his knife clean through the walker's temple. The dead weight slumped instantly.

The soldiers eased apart their shields, letting the body collapse heavily to the floor below. Both men were panting now, sweat streaking their faces, but they gave curt nods, signaling they were good to press on.

Moving up to the second floor, they didn't encounter any walkers immediately. They checked the rooms one by one until they reached those from which the raiders had fired at them earlier. From one of the rooms, they could hear the guttural growl of a walker and the sound of banging. Carefully entering, they saw a raider-turned-walker clawing at what appeared to be a closet door. When the walker finally noticed them, it was already too late — a swift knife to the side of its head put it down for good.

Turning their attention to the door, they could hear someone inside. Then a voice, laced with fear, called out, "Uh… guys? Is that you out there?"

Andrew signaled for everyone to take position around the door. He sheathed his knife and raised his MP5, then gave a nod to Kyle to open it. The door swung open suddenly, earning a startled yell from the raider inside. He was unarmed.

Andrew's voice was firm and cold. "Hands up."

With no other choice, the raider begrudgingly complied, muttering curses under his breath as he raised his arms. Andrew ordered him out of the closet and onto his knees.

To restrain him, Andrew told Tanner to check for duct tape. After a short search, Tanner found a roll and quickly bound the man's hands. They left his legs free — easier to move him out of the building that way.

After securing the prisoner, they gathered up all the weapons and ammo they could find in the room and off the corpses nearby, stuffing them into a backpack they'd found lying against the wall.

They exited the building without issue and made their way back to Corporal Whitaker. Andrew handed off the prisoner to her squad, then regrouped with his team and moved toward the second building.

The second structure was much like the first. Now, with a better grasp of the tactic and rhythm of clearing tight spaces, they moved more efficiently. It took less time, and with fewer close calls, to clear it of walkers. Once the building was secured and anything useful had been gathered, they headed back outside. Andrew signaled for the convoy to move up.

As his squad approached, Corporal Whitaker stepped forward, her expression tense.

"Sir, there's something we need to talk about," she said.

Andrew raised a brow. "What is it?"

Whitaker hesitated for a moment before answering. "Some of those… walkers from the raiders we killed — they didn't have any bite marks, or anything that would explain how they turned."

Andrew went quiet, his mind working through the implications. He already knew that everyone was infected, even if one isn't bitten , if he dies, will become a walker anyway. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

"We'll talk about this somewhere secure, not out in the middle of the street," he said, his voice low.

Realizing he was right, Whitaker gave a small nod and said nothing more.

Moments later, the convoy rolled up and came to a stop near them. The only thing left to do was clear the overturned car blocking the road. With the help of a few civilians, they managed to push it off to the side, opening the path ahead.

Once the way was clear, the injured were carefully loaded into the trucks. Andrew then called over Erik, Yumiko, and Jun-hyuk, instructing them to ride in the trucks.

"In the Humvee with me will be the prisoner and two soldiers," he added.

The three nodded and headed for the trucks while the prisoner, still bound, was loaded into the back seat of the Humvee, one soldier sitting beside him to keep watch. Another soldier took the passenger seat up front, leaving Andrew behind the wheel.

Climbing into the Humvee, Andrew handed the map to the soldier in the passenger seat. "You'll be my navigator — keep me on course to Mert County," he instructed.

With the convoy moving again, they left the site of the ambush behind. Tension hung in the air as they drove for another hour, eyes scanning the tree lines and abandoned roads for any sign of danger. Every mile felt heavier than the last.

Eventually, the convoy reached the outskirts of Mert County, pulling up in front of the Department of Public Works. As the vehicles slowed to a stop at the gate, two police officers came jogging toward them, weapons in hand .

Andrew stepped out of the Humvee and moved toward the gate, signaling for the civilians in the trucks to dismount as well.

Stopping in front of the gate, Andrew waited as the two police officers approached. When they reached him, one of them asked, "What's going on out here?"

Andrew explained that the families of soldiers under his command were supposed to be sheltering here, and that his people needed a secure place to rest. "I'll explain everything inside," he added.

The two officers exchanged a glance, silently coming to an agreement before one of them nodded and moved to open the gate.

Andrew returned to the Humvee and drove it inside, parking off to the side as the two trucks followed. Once the vehicles were stopped, Andrew stepped out and ordered the two soldiers to bring the prisoner with them.

The police officers immediately noticed the man struggling in their grasp — his hands bound with duct tape, his mouth gagged as he mumbled angrily, his posture radiating aggression.

"What's his story?" one of the officers asked.

Andrew gave a short, grim reply. " We got ambushed on the road here. He was part of it."

The two officers stood stunned for a moment, unsure of what to say. But Andrew didn't wait for a response. "We need somewhere to hold and interrogate him."

One of the officers gave a quick nod. "Follow me."

Andrew turned to the rest of his soldiers. "Get the injured inside. And you two—check if your families made it here." The soldiers quickly acknowledged the orders and moved to carry them out.

With that, Andrew fell in step behind the officer, who led him toward a small building nearby that appeared to be a storage unit .

They dragged a chair into the center of the mostly empty storage unit and roughly forced the raider down into it, his hands still bound behind his back. Once he was secured, one of the soldiers yanked off the gag.

The raider immediately launched into a stream of curses and threats.

"You sons of bitches don't know who you're messing with! I swear, when my people find you, they'll gut you like pigs! You hear me? You're dead! All of you!"

Andrew stepped closer, his expression cold and unreadable.

"Where's your base? How many of you are there? What kind of weapons do you have? Tell me everything you know."

The raider just started laughing , a cruel, crooked smile spreading across his face.

"You're a damn fool if you think I'm telling you a goddamn thing. You don't get it, do you? You ain't making it out of this. None of you are. We run this stretch now."

Andrew narrowed his eyes. "This is your last chance before we do it the hard way."

The raider leaned forward as far as the bindings would allow, eyes gleaming with defiance.

"Then bring it on, motherfucker. Let's see what you got."

Andrew gagged the raider again, then turned to the police officer. "Come outside with me," he ordered, before telling the two soldiers to guard the prisoner until he returned.

Once outside, Andrew pulled the officer aside and quietly said, "I need a charged car battery and jumper cables."

The officer's face went pale, a horrified look washing over him as he realized what Andrew intended. He hesitated, then managed to stammer, "Are you gonna—"

Andrew cut him off sharply. "It's necessary. They're a threat, and they'll be back if we give them time to regroup."

The officer swallowed hard, audibly gulping, but gave a reluctant nod. Together, they pulled a battery from one of the parked cars nearby and grabbed a set of jumper cables.

Returning to the storage unit, Andrew set the car battery and jumper cables down on a nearby folding table. The two soldiers inside exchanged uneasy glances, concern clear on their faces.

Without a word, Andrew connected one end of the cables to the battery. Holding the other ends in his gloved hands, he briefly touched the tips together — a burst of sparks crackled in the dim room.

The raider's bravado faltered for a moment, though he still forced a defiant smirk.

"You think that scares me? You ain't gettin' shit from me, soldier boy," he spat.

Andrew gave a cold, almost detached smirk in return.

"That so? Guess we'll see."

He glanced at the soldiers and the police officer. "Anyone who doesn't want to be here for this — get out."

Without hesitation, all three filed out of the room, leaving Andrew alone with the bound raider.

The raider began tugging at his restraints, a flicker of fear finally breaking through his tough-guy mask. Andrew slowly stepped forward, letting the jumper cable ends spark again, and said in a low, steady voice:

"Time to have a little chat."

Outside, the three stood in tense silence. One of the soldiers swallowed hard and muttered,

"Is he really gonna—"

He was cut off by the sudden, sharp scream that tore through the storage unit walls.