Borderlands: Apex Predator

Waking up for the ninth time, Maxwell gave up on sleeping, his uniform was soaked with sweat and his hand unconsciously went to his neck. It turned out that he could no longer sleep without protecting his neck and collarbone with his hand, which for some reason was the part that zombies most liked to bite.

Getting up, Maxwell walks past the sleeping Benjamin, the poor man was holding the P2016 tightly even though he was asleep, his brow furrowed and covered in sweat.

"It's not easy for anyone hmm, I'm going to get us out of here alive, one way or another."

Moving forward, his footsteps made the wood of the floor creak, but he didn't worry about the wood breaking, because even if he fell to the second floor, there were no zombies inside the town. Looking outside, Maxwell realized that it was dusk and that they should start their tasks.

Maxwell checked his ECHO, he had enough food for a week, but his water canteen was reaching critical levels. He licked his cracked lips and couldn't resist taking a sip.

Feeling refreshed, he sits down on the floor and begins to clean his Data Knife and his kunai.

[Blade Mastery lv.6>7]

'Can cleaning my knives also upgrade my skills?' Maxwell felt relieved with every increase, even the smallest, in his skills, which meant an increase in the percentage of getting off the island alive. His knife skills have proved very useful in situations where using firearms is unfeasible.

Knives don't run out of ammunition, they are as lethal as a firearm when used well. In addition, they are light and small, which allows you to make several consecutive blows without getting tired, and they are not difficult to maintain.

*Bam* *bam*

"Hmm?!" Maxwell stood up when he heard a muffled noise, it sounded like something hitting a wall. Jumping down from the second floor, Maxwell makes his way to where the noise was coming from, his now clean Data Knife held firmly in his hand.

Taking advantage of the fact that the houses are made of wooden planks, Maxwell makes a hole in the wall with his knife and looks through the hole, he is surprised to see a familiar robotic figure.

"A claptrap unit, I'd forgotten there was one in Jakobs Cove." Maxwell mutters.

"ARGHH! A ZOMBIE THAT OPENS DOORS!" The claptrap screams in terror as it suddenly sees the door open.

Immediately feeling regret when he heard the robot's annoying screams, Maxwell finally understood why Jack had chosen to destroy the entire Claptrap production line. These robots were supposed to be used in domestic and business services, but to make them with such a high-pitched voice and clumsy programming, for heaven's sake.

He'd be doing the galaxy a favor and selling Titanfall MRVN when he gets his corporation established. Marvins were clearly better than claptraps and were quiet and cute with their emotes.

"I'm not a zombie. Now, you can choose between collaborating and saving us time, or I'll need to use less... pleasant methods to get what I want." He punctuates his words with his fingers deftly twirling his Data Knife.

"Oh, you mean you're not a zombie? Wow, that changes everything! But, look, I'm programmed to obey human beings, so I guess I'll have to cooperate... But, you could be a very convincing zombie, you know? Haha ha please don't kill me."

"Nah, too easy. I'm still going to make someone play Russian roulette with a Wingman." Maxwell looked somewhat disappointed. He's becoming more open to the use of violence, or as a certain psychopath once said; I'm tuning in to humanity.

"Anyway, let's get down to business. How can I get off this island without going by sea?"

"There are tunnels that lead to the mainland, and there's also a Fast Travel station if you follow the path behind the city. Those are the only ways off the island unless you have a ship."

"Fast Travel... Is it operational?"

"I'm not sure, my job is just to look after this residential area, well, it was."

"Hmm, I'll have to check, that's the easiest and safest way out of here." Maxwell mutters to himself, cheering up as he sees a light at the end of the tunnel. 

With a possible way off the island, taking care of the side missions was now best. Returning his focus to the claptrap, Maxwell asks. "What is Dr. Ned's current location? I just want to talk to him."

"How do you know about Dr. Ned? That information about his employment on the island is restricted."

*Ziiiiiii*

Without saying a word Maxwell scrapes the tip of his Data Knife across the chassis of the claptrap, sparks flying from the friction caused.

"I've sent the coordinates to your ECHO."

"That's better, but I need to make sure you don't warn my target about my presence."

"Wait! What are you going t-"

Like a blur, Maxwell's knife comes into contact with the unsuspecting claptrap who didn't expect to suffer any aggression.

2%

69%

100%

"Go to Fast Travel and check on the situation, and also check which locations he can take. Send the information to my ECHO." Removing his Data Knife, Maxwell orders.

Claptrap doesn't argue back and follows orders, leaving Maxwell's presence and heading for his goal.

"Aaah, how hard it is to be me, having to take matters into my own hands tsk." Maxwell asks as he sees the claptrap move away, he believes that the zombies wouldn't attack the robot because it is made of iron.

"Kill Dr. Ned and collect the virus data. Who will pay me more, Altas or Jakobs?" He would leave that for later, for now, he had to go and call Benjamin. He made his way to the house, stopping by the second-floor window.

Without a second thought, Maxwell took a step backward, his muscles tensing. With one swift movement, he leaped towards the window, his hand reaching out to grasp the sill. His fingers closed around the frame and, with a strong tug, he stood up, his body propelling itself through the open window.

Approaching the still-sleeping figure, Maxwell crouches down.

"Hey, Ben. Wake up," Maxwell nudged him gently, shaking him awake.

"AHH NO NO! Uh?!" Bishop woke up startled, almost shooting Maxwell as he thought some zombie had broken into the house.

"Calm down, it's me, Maxwell, don't go into shell shock now buddy." Maxwell raises his hands. "We need to move. Rook's body is on the beach, and he's not going to be dug up by himself... I think." 

Benjamin blinked, with a confused expression, before realizing it. "Right, let's go," he replied, pushing himself off the ground.

"Will we need to follow the same route as the forest?" Asked Benjamin as he climbed down the window using the ropes, he wasn't a monster like Maxwell.

"Nah, I've got another idea." Maxwell said as he approached the gate, which was still full of zombies that hadn't given up on eating them. The gate looked slightly crooked, it seemed that it wasn't smart to trust it so much. 

"Give me my P2016."

"What are you going to do?"

"Strategize." Maxwell takes his pistol back and removes the silencer. Aiming at the zombies at the gate, he doesn't hesitate at any moment.

*Bang* *bang* *bang* *bang* *bang* *bang*

"What the fuck Max, what are you doing?!?!" Benjamin felt his heart sink as he heard the crack of gunfire, had Maxwell lost his mind? He was practically drawing the attention of every zombie on the island, the gate was strong, but it couldn't withstand a huge horde.

Benjamin tries to take the P2016 back, but Maxwell doesn't even try to stop him, he's already done what he wants. Moving forward, he opens the city gates and steps back to check the turrets. With dead eyes, Benjamin followed him.

With everything ready, Maxwell sat down a few meters away from the gate, waiting for the guests, who didn't take long, even though they were slowly walking.

*BRRRRRRRRRR*

The turrets began to fire a hail of bullets, the deafening sound echoing in the twilight. The first victims were the zombie runners, who advanced at speed but were quickly shot down. The bullets were of such a strong caliber that they pierced two or three zombies, causing them to fall one after the other without offering any resistance.

"MAHHAHAHAHA!!!" Maxwell burst out laughing as he saw the effectiveness of the turrets in action, feeling all the frustration and tension built up over more than 48 hours disperse. This wasn't a game, there was blood and corpses that could move at any moment, and being in a state of constant alert drained every drop of sanity Maxwell had, he was even on alert against the damn sound of mosquitoes. So you could imagine how he felt when he saw his greatest threat piling up in front of the gate, forming a grotesque barricade.

Then the slower zombies, former Jakobs workers, began to appear. Their movements were dragged and clumsy, each step a visible effort. They wore worn and dirty work clothes, now covered in mud and dried blood. The turrets made no distinction, and the bullets continued to fly, piercing the rotting bodies of the zombified workers.

Maxwell stood up, feeling the adrenaline rush through his veins. It was time to go to the beach, the path was probably much safer. "Come on, Ben, we need to go now," he said, addressing Benjamin who was still stunned by the scene of destruction.

Benjamin nodded, although he was still visibly shaken, a smile unconsciously growing on his face. "You really don't do things by halves, do you?" he muttered, following Maxwell. 

Seeing the zombie-free entrance, Maxwell and Benjamin ran towards the beach. The sound of turrets echoed in the distance occasionally, a clear reminder that some zombies were still arriving late. Arriving at the beach, Rook's body lay exactly where Maxwell had left it, half-buried in the sand, the sea probably having washed away much of the sand.

Working together, they quickly dug up Rook's body and started going through his belongings, looking for anything that might be useful for their escape from the zombie-infested island.