CH.7 A new goal

The rumbling of the engine had drawn every undead that could hear it, a horde of zombies now pushed and pulled on each other trying to get through the entrance and even though the stairs, the sounds of the blade were like explosions to Alen'sensitive ears, the discomfort was more than evident to his face as he gazed at the entrance of the next building over.

There was no way they could path through the door and make it to the room in one piece, entering the building itself would be a tall tale, and then surviving would be another task especially with the undead running rampant everywhere, Alen's gaze was fixated on a couple of students who had the same plan as them, and now they were struggling to outrun the undead roaming the halls.

The girls were pulled and tugged, friendships crumbled as people left each other for dead, saving their lives for the moment in exchange for someone else's life.

"You wouldn't even call that saving your life, more like prolonging it for a few minutes," Alen said as he watched the group die one after another.

"How horrible," Quinn said, clearly disturbed by the view in front of him.

"That's where we are going?"

"I...I don't, I don't wanna die, please no, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME GO THERE!" Emily cried out as her knees buckled once again and she fell to the ground.

Alen observed the scene with a cold detachment, showing no signs of sympathy or any other emotion. "How useless," he thought to himself as he turned and walked away, leaving Quinn to handle the situation on his own.

'If we don't leave with them, it will be dark soon. Then, we will have to survive the night in the cold and deal with food and water.' Alen thought.

Quinn had his hand on Emily's back as he asked, "So what's the plan?" 

Alen replied, his gaze fixed on the entrance of the neighboring building, "We need to hurry and reach the helicopter before their target does. The only problem is getting past them." 

Turning his attention back to Emily, Quinn asked, "Are you able to walk?"

"Yes, I... I can manage," Emily replied. "We need to get to the roof. These two buildings are not far from each other, and I'm sure we can find a way to get over the gap," Alen said before he took off running. He pressed his glasses onto his face so as not to lose them when running. In this world, if he lost his sight, it would be game over.

The trio raced against time to get to the roof of the building. The sound of the helicopter had drawn most of the attention of the undead, so they didn't have to worry about being loud. They ran past dead bodies, blood stains, and shattered dreams. The air was thick with the stench of decay and desperation. Every second counted, and they knew they couldn't afford to slow down.

As they ran, they could hear the sound of the helicopter getting louder. It was waiting for someone, and they hoped it was waiting for them. They reached the stairs and took them two at a time, their hearts pounding with adrenaline. They burst onto the roof, out of breath and sweating profusely.

There it was, on the other building next to them, the helicopter, blades spinning furiously. They ran towards it, shouting and waving their arms, hoping to catch the attention of the pilot. The undead were closing in, but they didn't care. They had to get to that helicopter. It was their only chance.

Alen quickly got to work, searching for a way to reach the other building. Meanwhile, Quinn and Emily barricaded the door behind them. Although they had not encountered any undead on their way up, there were plenty of corpses that could potentially turn and attack them.

As Alen and his team reached the roof, they realized that there was a problem. Alen had assumed that there would be at least an emergency stairway that they could use to cross over, but to his surprise, the roof was empty with nothing but pipes.

The blood stains on the floor suggested that a fight had taken place there, but there were no corpses in sight. Alen didn't see a single undead or human body, which made him feel uneasy. The school had always prioritized safety measures, especially given the nature of the institution, so what went wrong? It was evident that someone had reached the roof before them and engaged in a fight, but the whereabouts of the individuals involved remained a mystery.

Alen's line of thought was suddenly interrupted by a large crashing noise. The crash sounded metallic and heavy, making him think the undead had managed to get through. Quinn and Emily were still by the door, barricading it. Alen turned around to face the source of the noise, ready to fight off any undead that might come their way.

But it was the roof door of the other building. Three students came rushing in as a well-built guy crashed through the door, forcing it open. He stumbled on the ground for a bit but picked himself up again. There was no need to close the door as soon after him, two more girls came running through the door. One was a tall, slender Sunkissed girl with long and gorgeous black hair. Her skirt had been torn slightly to allow more movement, and in her hand, she held a bow and arrow.

The other girl was a red-haired young lady with a busty figure and a beauty that could rival the gods. Alen couldn't help but take a second glance at her. She had a fierce look in her eyes, and it was apparent that she could handle herself in a fight. On her hand, she had a machine that Alen couldn't make out from the distance, but whatever it was, she was using it as her weapon.

A rope was dropped from the helicopter, and Alen knew that one of the three students was the intended rescue. He frantically searched for something that could help them cross to safety. No matter what happened, he didn't want the helicopter to leave without them.

"BANG!"

"BANG, BANG!!"

Alen and his group dove for cover as the deafening sound of gunshots filled the air. Their hearts were pounding with fear as they realized that someone was armed and dangerous. Alen cautiously peeked over the edge of the rooftop guard, his hands shaking with adrenaline, hoping to get a glimpse of what was happening in the adjacent building.

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks - the soldiers in black stationed by the helicopter entrance were firing at the students who had just burst through the door. Panic and desperation set in as Alen and his group realized they were in grave danger. The soldiers weren't firing at the zombies but at the innocent students caught in the crossfire.

The situation was tense. They had already fired three bullets at one person and were now using suppressive fire to prevent the other red-haired girl and some zombies from approaching the aircraft. This gave the sunkissed girl an opportunity to run to the helicopter.