A Risky Feast

At noon, Jazmen meticulously examined glass slides under the cold microscope lenses, each slide holding a piece of the zombie puzzle. Her focus was unwavering until an unexpected growl rumbled from her stomach, shattering her concentration. She leaned back, annoyance mixing with amusement.

"Ugh... Looks like it's hard to hold on," I said, acknowledging the hunger that had gripped us both.

"Well... we need food to keep going," Jazmen admitted with a wry smile, her stomach adding an exclamation point.

"The only thing I can think of is grabbing those lunchboxes from the empty classroom where the zombies scattered earlier," I said, my resolve waning.

Jazmen's stomach agreed with a growl. "If you're gonna try it, I won't stop you because..." She pointed at her stomach, and it growled again, emphasizing the point.

Mine joined the chorus. "You know what... let's do it."

---

"Be ready to use anything as barricades if something goes wrong," I warned her to be attentive all the time.

Jazmen nodded, her eyes filled with a mix of apprehension and trust.

I reached for the doorknob, the metal feeling reassuringly cold. Slowly, I turned it, the door creaking open, revealing the ominous hallway.

Outside, silence greeted me. The classroom seemed empty, devoid of the zombies that had swarmed it earlier.

Jazmen and I exchanged tense glances, our shared apprehension palpable. We needed those lunchboxes, but the risk was real. Taking a tentative step forward, my senses on high alert, I ventured into the hallway.

The eerie silence of the hallway was broken only by the shuffling, dragging sounds of the undead. They lurched and staggered, their rotting limbs scraping against the floor. I swallowed hard, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. The classroom next door was my destination, a treacherous path through the horde of zombies.

Barefoot and with bated breath, I navigated the treacherous hallway, a sea of zombies looming ominously on all sides. Every footstep felt like a potential death knell, and I had forsaken my shoes to minimize any noise, though my heart's thunderous rhythm seemed loud enough to betray my presence.

I knew that these undead creatures possessed keen senses. At close range, they could spot me, or perhaps even hear the shallow breaths I dared to take between each cautious step. So, I maintained a calculated distance, meticulously measuring my movements, every action laden with the weight of survival.

Their relentless, four-directional shuffle only compounded the difficulty. It was like trying to thread a needle in a storm, but failure meant something far more dire than a mere prick.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally reached the classroom, less than twenty feet away. The journey had drained my courage, for even the slightest misstep could have sealed my fate. The sheer number of encroaching zombies was a force that not even a dozen people could hope to withstand.

I took a deep breath, my fingers trembling as I reached for the door handle. Slowly, I turned it, wincing at the creak that echoed down the corridor. The zombies didn't react. They were drawn to noise, and I had to be cautious.

With painstaking care, I stepped into the classroom. Empty. A sigh of relief escaped my lips, though it was short-lived. I knew they were all outside, and I had limited time. I began to scan the room, my eyes fixated on the bags strewn about.

Each step felt like an eternity, my heart racing with every move. I could hear the faint, guttural moans of the zombies just beyond the door. The stench of decay hung in the air, a constant reminder of the peril I faced.

The bags yielded no immediate results, just school supplies, notebooks, and the occasional crumpled homework assignment. I moved on, determined not to give up. It was when I reached the back of the room that I struck gold. A pile of tiffin boxes sat on a desk, their contents hidden but promising.

I seized one and cracked it open, revealing a treasure trove of food. My stomach growled in anticipation as I pulled out sandwiches, fruits, and even a thermos of soup. It was a meager supply, but it would sustain us for some days if it didn't rot away quickly.

Carefully, I collected the boxes, their weight comforting in my hands. With my precious cargo secured, I began my slow and deliberate retreat.

With the stolen lunchboxes clutched tightly in my trembling hands, I knew the return journey would be no less perilous. Leaving the relative safety of the empty classroom, I reentered the gauntlet of undead horrors that awaited in the hallway.

My footsteps were slow and deliberate, an intricate dance of survival amidst the relentless parade of zombies. I couldn't afford to make a single mistake, not with so much at stake. My heart thundered in my chest, an erratic rhythm that seemed deafening even to my own ears.

The undead creatures continued their ceaseless shuffling, making it challenging to maintain a clear path. I weaved my way through them, a desperate attempt to avoid attracting their attention. It was a delicate balance between staying hidden and making progress.

Every movement, every breath, was a calculated risk. My bare feet barely made a sound on the floor, but it was the erratic beating of my heart that posed the greatest danger. I tried to control my breathing, inhaling and exhaling slowly, silently praying that my steps would go unnoticed.

The laboratory door, my lifeline, loomed in the distance. It felt like an eternity before I finally reached it. I slipped inside with a sense of relief.

Finally, I made it back to the laboratory, my heart pounding in my chest. Sage was waiting, her eyes wide with anticipation. I handed her one of the tiffin boxes, and her face broke into a grateful smile.

"You did it," Jazmen whispered, her voice trembling with relief.

I nodded, my adrenaline still pumping. "We need to barricade this place, make it more secure."

Jazmen agreed, and we set to work, pushing desks against the door. It was a makeshift barrier, but it would buy us time if needed. With our meager feast before us, we sat down to eat, our nerves still on edge.

As we shared our first meal in this nightmarish world, Jazmen suddenly leaned in and hugged me tightly. Her curvy figure with very modest bumps in between wrapped around me. The warmth of her embrace was a stark contrast to the chilling reality outside. It was a moment of solace in a world gone mad.

"We're survivors," she said softly, her voice filled with determination.

I couldn't agree more. We had defied the odds, faced danger head-on, and emerged victorious, if only for a moment. In this world overrun by zombies, Jazmen and I had found a sliver of hope, a taste of normalcy.

But as we sat there, I couldn't help but wonder what other challenges lay ahead. Our journey had only just begun, and the road ahead was fraught with peril.