"Five... Four... Three... Two... O-"
Just when they were about out of time, the survivors still hiding in the convenience store stepped out from behind the cover, which concealed them from Zane's line of sight. All the while yelling at the armed gunman, hoping he would not fire on them when they did so.
"Wait! We're coming out. Please don't shoot!"
Zane, of course, kept his rifle aimed in their general direction. Though his finger was not on the trigger, instead it rested on the magwell of the M4 Carbine's lower receiver. In a single second, or potentially in an even shorter span of time, he could easily pull the trigger from the position he had it in.
Yet his finger was not in danger of accidentally pulling the trigger, resulting in a potential negligent discharge. This was what it meant to have proper trigger discipline, something those who had no familiarity with firearms other than in TV and video games were completely lacking in.
It truly showed those who knew how to properly handle a weapon, from those who didn't. Of course, these civilians didn't recognize this, and were instead scared shitless, as Zane kept his muzzle pointed in their general direction.
There was not the slightest bit of remorse in his voice, even though he had just killed a father of a young girl. Instead, he barked commands at the survivors.
"Alright, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to toss you my empty bags, and you motherfuckers are going to fill it up. Food, water, medical supplies, alcohol, tobacco. I want whatever you can get your hands on, filled up in that bag. If I see even a single seal being broken, I will shoot every one of you, understood?"
"Show me the goods. Once I'm certain that they are still sealed and have not been tampered with in any way, I'm going to walk out of here. If any of you attempt to follow me, or target me in any way, I will make good on my previous promise. Do you understand?"
The survivors were quick to nod their heads in a hurry, as they silently opened up the bags and revealed that none of the goods that Zane had requested were tampered with or sabotaged in any way. After confirming this, Zane ordered them to pack the bags once more, where he added them to his person.
Though he was carrying a lot of weight, Zane knew there was not much further he had to go in order to return to his current base of operations, thus he walked out of the store, leaving the survivors in a state of bewilderment, and confusion.
They had no idea how they were going to survive now. Obviously, they could not hold the position they were previously hidden in without a firearm. It was only a matter of time before someone more vicious than Zane came and killed them all.
And Zane had not bothered telling these wretches about the safe zone. He felt no obligation to help them, and in all honesty, considered them dead already. Thus, the path forward for these people was to walk blindly through the city, hoping that neither the living nor the dead preyed upon them.
Ultimately, that was exactly the fate that was reserved for those incapable of protecting themselves, and Zane did not give it a second thought.
Instead, he returned safely to the school campus, where he secured the school gate, sealing it off from any additional Walkers who may wish to wander into the area, before returning to the second building, where he barricaded the door with the steel bars he had previously installed during the hours of the previous day.
Once Zane had done all of this, he returned to the classroom he kept as his personal quarters, and laid down his equipment, locking the door behind him as he fell into a deep sleep.