Party Crashers

Still day 3 after the outbreak

Cody's friends stood frozen in terror as they watched their friend collapse to the ground. Klein's heart was racing as he watched Cody's body convulse and writhe in agony.

"We have to get out of here," he whispered to the others. "We can't stay here with him."

Tears streamed down Cody's face as he lay unconscious on the ground. The group huddled together, unsure of what to do next.

"He's going to turn," one of the group members said, their voice shaking with fear. "We can't risk being around him when he does."

The others nodded in agreement, but their eyes betrayed a sense of guilt and unease. They knew what they were doing was cruel, but they felt like they had no choice.

As they debated what to do, they heard the distant sound of approaching footsteps. The group tensed up, unsure of whether the newcomers were friend or foe.

***

Meanwhile in another part of the city

"Come on, we need to find shelter before the sun sets!" Lucas shouted to his group of survivors as they trekked through the barren wasteland of the city. The group had been wandering for hours, searching for a safe place to rest for the night.

The sun was starting to dip below the horizon, casting an orange glow across the deserted streets. Lucas knew that they needed to find shelter soon before the darkness brought out the dangers of the night. They stumbled upon a subway entrance and quickly made their way down the stairs. Inside, they found a platform with several benches and a vending machine. It wasn't the most ideal shelter, but it was better than nothing.

"Have any of you ever heard of the Citadel of Hope?" Lucas asked his group as they settled into the subway shelter. "It's rumored to be a safe haven for survivors, with walls as high as the eye can see and enough supplies to last for years."

"Yeah, I've heard about it," another member named Luna said. "But it's supposed to be like a thousand miles away or something. It's not like we're going to stumble upon it."

"I know it's far, but it's still out there," Lucas said optimistically. "And it's a symbol of hope. Something to fight for, to keep us going."

"I guess it's something to hold onto," Luna said, sounding more convinced.

As they settled in for the night, they heard a loud clanking noise coming from the vending machine. "What the hell, Zack?" Lucas grumbled. "Do you have to make so much noise?" "Just trying to get us some snacks," Zack replied with a grin.

Suddenly, they heard shuffling footsteps in the distance. They all froze, listening intently.

"Uh oh, sounds like we have some party crashers," Lucas joked, trying to lighten the tense mood.

The group grabbed their weapons, ready to defend themselves against the zombies that were sure to come their way.

As the shuffling footsteps grew more distant, the group of survivors breathed a sigh of relief. "What do you think that was?" Luna asked, her voice hushed. "It sounded like they were running away from something."

"Yeah, and zombies usually don't run away from their prey," Chad added, his eyes scanning the darkness around them. "There must be someone else out here."

The group quickly gathered their weapons and supplies, ready to investigate the source of the commotion. They ran through the dimly lit subway tunnels, their footsteps echoing off the damp walls.

As the group cautiously approached the source of the noise, they heard the sounds growing more and more distant. "It's getting even further away", Chad observed.

"Maybe it's another group of survivors," Luna suggested hopefully.

After a while, the group found an unconscious figure on the floor. "Who is he?" Zack asked, his eyes wide with confusion.

But then they noticed the dead zombie, and they all backed up a little. Lucas was the only one who didn't back up. He approached the unconscious boy and began investigating his body. "Looks like he's one of us," Lucas said grimly.

Lucas knelt next to the motionless body, examining him closely. He noticed a small ID card poking out of Cody's pocket and pulled it out.

"His name is Cody," Lucas said, showing the card to the others. "Does anyone know him?" The group shook their heads in unison, none of them recognizing Cody's face.

"We have to help him," Luna said, her voice filled with concern. "We can't just leave him here to turn."

"We can leave him here", said Zack, "But when Lucas's assumption is correct and Cody is one of us, then it would be a pity to let him die out here alone. If he isn't dead already. He could be very useful for our group".

Chad stepped forward, a determined look on his face. "I'll try to heal him," he said, his voice shaky with uncertainty.

Chad's healing powers were relatively new, and he had never tried to heal someone who was on the brink of turning. He wasn't sure if his powers were strong enough to save Cody, but he knew he had to try.

Chad knelt next to Cody and placed his hands on his chest, concentrating hard. He could feel the heat emanating from Cody's body, a sure sign that the virus was taking hold.

Chad closed his eyes and focused all his energy on healing Cody. He felt a surge of power coursing through him, and he knew that his healing powers were working.

After several long minutes, Cody's body began to twitch and convulse. The group watched in horror as Cody's eyes opened, revealing a pair of soulless, glowing orbs.

"He's turning!" Luna cried out, backing away from Cody's thrashing form.

But Chad refused to give up. He continued to pour all his energy into healing Cody, ignoring the terror that was spreading through the group.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Cody's body went still. His eyes lost their otherworldly glow, and he let out a deep, shuddering breath.

Chad collapsed on the ground, exhausted but relieved. He had done it - he had saved someone from turning.

The group huddled around Cody, unsure of what to do next. They knew that they couldn't stay in one place for too long, but they couldn't leave Cody behind either.

"What do we do now?" Zack asked, breaking the tense silence.

"We have to try and wake him up," Lucas said firmly, kneeling next to Cody's unconscious body. He placed his hand on Cody's chest and felt his heart beating faintly.

The group gathered around, watching with bated breath as Lucas tried to wake Cody up. They shook him gently, called out his name, and even tried splashing water on his face. But Cody remained unresponsive.

"Maybe we should just leave him," Zack said, his voice filled with desperation. "Maybe Chad didn't heal him."

Lucas shook his head. "No, we're not leaving him. We're taking him with us ".

Zack and Luna lifted Cody's unconscious body, and the group started to make their way back to their temporary campsite next to the vending machine. Chad trailed behind, his movements sluggish and labored. Looking back at him. Lucas followed closely behind them. They walked in silence, occasionally glancing back at Cody to make sure he was still breathing.

"Hey, Chad, are you okay?" Zack asked.

Chad shook his head. "I'm exhausted. Healing that guy took a lot out of me," he said, his voice strained.

"We can take a break once we get back to our previous hideout", Luna chimed in, looking over her shoulder as she walked. "I'm sure everyone could use some rest."

As they arrive at their previous campsite, Lucas takes a few minutes with his powers to create a wall of thorns around their perimeter. The thorns grew rapidly, entwining with each other until they formed a dense and impenetrable barrier. "Now we should be safe from the dangers out there", said Lucas.

Zack approached the vending machine. "I'll have to finish what I started", he said while picking up a rock from the ground. He started to smash the vending machine with rock, to get the delicious snacks, which were still in there.

Zack continued to hit the vending machine while the rest of the group watched. Pling. Zack hit the vending machine again. Pling. The rock scratched the plastic glass of the vending machine again. Pling. Suddenly, a disturbing scream rang out from Cody's direction. "KLEIN YOU PIECE OF SHI-".