Chapter 18: What a bitch

The door was rattling violently as five people—three boys and two girls—pressed their bodies against it, struggling to keep the low-level zombies from bursting in. The wooden frame creaked under the pressure, and sweat dripped from their faces as they desperately pushed back.

"Hold it! Don't let them through!" one of the boys shouted, his voice strained as he braced his shoulder against the door.

"We're trying!" one of the girls screamed back, panic in her eyes as the door shook again. The zombies on the other side were aggresively trying to get in..

"Help us, Serena! Don't just stand there!" the other girl yelled, glancing back at the girl who was casually leaning against the wall, seemingly unfazed by the chaos around her.

Serena rolled her eyes. "Oh-uh no way. You people are so dumb, it's easy. Just do this."

With a sigh, Serena pushed herself off the wall and approached the group. She grabbed one of the boys by the arm and yanked him back from the door. "Out of the way."

"What are you doing?!" the boy yelled, stumbling as he was pulled aside. The door, now with less resistance, burst open with a loud crash. The zombies pushed through, their dead eyes locking on the group.

"Serena, what the hell!" one of the boys shouted, panic spreading among them.

But Serena didn't flinch. With a swift motion, she shoved the boy she had pulled aside straight into the zombies. His eyes widened in shock and fear as he was thrown into their grasp.

"No! Help me!" the boy screamed, his voice filled with terror as the zombies grabbed him, dragging him into their midst.

While the zombies were distracted by their new prey, Serena slammed the door shut and quickly locked it again. She dusted off her hands, smirking as if nothing had happened.

"There, problem solved," she said calmly, turning to face the others.

The remaining group stood in stunned silence, their mouths open in disbelief.

"You... you just threw him to the zombies!" one of the girls finally shouted, her voice shaking with a mix of anger and horror.

Serena shrugged, "Well, we needed a distraction, didn't we?" She crossed her arms, looking at them with a cold smile. "You're welcome."

The muffled cries of the boy echoed from the other side of the door, sending a chill down their spines.

The group was still in shock from what Serena did. The boy's screams were fading away, replaced by the heavy thumping of zombies against the door. The remaining four stared at each other, unsure of what to do next.

One of the boys finally broke the silence. "We need to get out of here. This door won't hold much longer."

Serena rolled her eyes again. "You're all too soft. If you want to survive, you have to make tough choices."

"We can't just throw people to the zombies!" one of the girls snapped, her voice trembling with anger. "That's not a choice, that's murder!"

Serena sighed. "Oh, relax. He wouldn't have made it anyway."

The door rattled violently again, and cracks started to form around the edges. One of the boys looked around the room, desperate to find something—anything—that could help them escape.

"There!" he pointed to a window near the back of the room. "We can get out through there!"

Without waiting for a response, he rushed over and tried to pry it open. It was old and rusted, but with a few hard pulls, it squeaked open just enough for someone to squeeze through.

"Hurry up!" one of the girls urged, glancing nervously at the door. "The zombies are going to break through any second!"

One by one, they scrambled through the window, the sound of the door splintering behind them urging them on. Serena was the last to climb through, her expression still as calm and bitchy as ever.

Once outside, they found themselves in an alleyway. The sun was beginning to set, casting long shadows across the street. They could hear the distant groans of more zombies, but for now, they had a moment to catch their breath.

"We can't keep running like this," one of the boys panted, leaning against the wall. "We need a plan."

Serena shrugged, looking bored. "You all need to toughen up. If you don't, you're just going to end up like him," she said, nodding her head back towards the building they had just escaped from.

One of the girls glared at her, but said nothing. She knew Serena was right, as much as she hated to admit it.

"We'll figure something out," one of the boys said, standing up straight. "We just have to stay alive until we find a safe place."

Serena smirked. "Good luck with that."

The group exchanged uneasy glances, they hurried down the narrow alleyway, the sound of groaning zombies growing louder behind them.

Suddenly, a scream pierced through the noise. Tom, one of the boys, had been caught by a zombie. Lila tried to rush back to save him, her eyes wide with panic. "No! Tom! We have to help him!"

Marcus grabbed Lila's arm and pulled her away urgently. "It's too late, Lila! We have to keep moving!"

Lila struggled against Marcus's grip. "But we can't just leave him! He's still alive!"

Serena, her tone cold and indifferent, added, "Let him go. There's nothing we can do now."

Tom's cries faded as he was overpowered. The group watched in horror as he was taken down.

Jack's face hardened. "We have to keep moving. We can't afford to lose anyone else."

Lila's shoulders slumped in defeat, tears streaming down her face. "Fine. But I'll never forget this."

One of the boys, Jack, wiped the sweat from his forehead and glanced at the others. "We need to find a secure place and regroup."

"Regroup?" one of the girls, Lila, snapped, clearly on edge. "There's no one else, Jack! It's just us, and we barely made it out of there alive!"