8 [8] First blood

The moment the door creaked open, I could sense the chilling silence on the other side. My grip tightened around the baseball bat, the cold metal now feeling warm against my skin. James stood next to me, his trophy held high and a determined gleam in his eyes.

As I peeked out of the door, I saw the two zombies standing aimlessly near the stairs. Their grotesque forms were barely recognizable as the people they once were. One was the soldier, his uniform now torn and bloodied, while the other was my classmate, her features twisted in an expression of constant hunger.

Taking a deep breath, I nudged James, signalling him to be ready. He gave a curt nod, and together we stepped out of the room. Our movements were slow and calculated, each step taken with deliberate caution. The hallway seemed eerily long, the flickering lights casting long shadows that danced ominously against the walls.

As we neared the zombies, they turned towards us, their dull eyes suddenly coming alive at the sight of us. A guttural growl escaped from the soldier as he stumbled towards us, his movements awkward yet terrifying.

Without wasting a moment, I swung my bat, the metal connecting with the soldier's head with a sickening crunch. The force of the impact knocked him back, his body crumbling to the floor with a heavy thud. James swiftly moved towards the other zombie, his trophy swinging down on her head. She crumpled down, just as the soldier did.

We stood there for a moment, our chests heaving as we looked at the lifeless forms on the ground. It was a horrifying sight, but it was also our first victory against this apocalypse.

"Strike!" me and James high fived each other.

But just as we were about to turn and leave, I hesitated.

I wanted to be a hero when I was a kid, and this seemed like the chance.

"Wait, I need to warn the others as well." I said, my voice resolute.

"Dafuq you talking about man? We need to get our asses out of here right now!"

"I know. So give me your lighter man."

"What the hell? What do you need my lighter for man?"

"Just give it to me."

With a confused look, James reluctantly gave me his lighter.

Once I got my hands on his lighter, I lighted it up.

10 seconds later, a deafening fire alarm sound came on.

I watched as the alarm echoed through the halls, the piercing sound instantly pulling students from their rooms. Their faces bore the confusion and fear that had been our constant companions since the lockdown began.

"Fire! There's a fire in the building!" I shouted, waving my arms to add to the urgency. James stood by my side, his eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of the walking dead.

As the students began pouring out of their rooms, the atmosphere turned from confused panic to ordered chaos. Each one grabbed their necessities, some even helping their neighbors. It was a sight that warmed my heart despite the circumstances.

"Head towards the science building!" I instructed, pointing towards the relative safety of our planned escape route. "And whatever you do, don't engage with the soldiers!"

That seemed to cause a stir amongst them, but they followed the instructions nonetheless. I suppose the sight of James and I, armed and clearly on edge, was enough to convince them that this was not a drill.

We guided them through the hallways, the alarm providing a morbid soundtrack to our escape. The sight of the fallen soldier and the infected girl had been cleared, probably by the others of their kind. It was a grim reminder of what was at stake.

As we neared the entrance, we held our breaths.

If there were more of those...Zombies are out there, we would be leading the students straight into their arms.

I tightened my grip on my bat, ready to defend our group at all costs.

To our relief, the coast seemed clear. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding and led the way, the crowd of students following closely. We hurried across the campus, towards the science building. The chilly night air was a sharp contrast to the stifling fear inside the dorms.

Once we reached the science building, I allowed myself a moment of relief. But there was no time to rest. We still had to navigate the tunnels, and who knew what awaited us down there?

"Everyone stick together," I instructed, looking back at the crowd. There were close to a hundred of us, all desperate and scared. "We're going to make it out of here."

Q: What will be your weapon of choice in a zombie apocalypse if you had no gun?