Chapter 22: Encounter with a Group

The minty smell of Trent's breath was too much, and it made him more annoyed.

"Seriously, Trent? Can you back off a bit?" Caius snapped, irritation bubbling up.

Trent smirked, undeterred. "What's wrong? Getting shy?"

Caius felt his heart race—not from fear, but from the tension. They were so close that one wrong move could make their lips crash together. The thought only fueled his annoyance.

"If you don't move away," Caius threatened, lowering his voice, "I swear I'll push you out there and let that Zombie have you as a snack. You'd make a perfect bait."

Trent's grin faltered for a moment, but he quickly masked it with a laugh. "Come on, you wouldn't really do that."

"I might," Caius said coldly, locking eyes with him. "Keep it up, and I'll leave you behind."

Trent raised his hands in mock surrender, a smirk still playing on his lips. "Alright, alright. I'll back off. But you're no fun at all."

Caius glared at him, his voice steady. " We need to get out of here before that thing finds us."

"Fine, fine," Trent said, finally giving him some space. "But remember, if I'm bait, I'm taking you with me."

Caius and Trent were on high alert when they suddenly heard screams echoing down the hallway. Both of them exchanged glances before cautiously peeking around the corner.

They spotted a group of students being attacked by the Mutant zombie, its long tongue whipping out as it grabbed one of them, dragging them closer.

"Looks like there are more of us here," Trent muttered.

"We need to get out of here while it's distracted."

"Don't you want to help them?" Trent asked, his brow furrowing.

Caius hesitated, recalling the memories of his body been bullied, the times he had called for help, only to be ignored. "Why would I?" he replied, his voice cold. "No one helped me when I needed it."

Trent looked taken aback. Caius kept his eyes on the scene unfolding before them, his heart pounding. "Besides," he said quietly, "we can't match that thing. It's a mutant and Rank B. We'd be dead in seconds."

Trent let out a shaky breath. "Well, I guess we have no choice but to run again."

Caius turned away from the horror and motioned for Trent to follow him. They moved quickly and quietly,

As they ran, the sounds of screams and growls faded behind them, but Caius couldn't shake the feeling of guilt settling in his chest and thought, 'Why are you feeling guilty? When you need them they just watch and laughed at you.'

Caius can't understand his body, They never been nice to him yet his feeling guilty.

Later on, As Caius and Trent made their way through the cafeteria, they had to carefully step around the bodies littering the floor and their heads missing.

Caius muttered under his breath, "Looks like the mutant zombie really did eat their heads."

Trent grimaced but couldn't resist a joke. "I guess that's one way to lose your head in a crisis."

"Not the time, Trent,"

The scene inside was chaotic, but they quickly moved to the pantry area where they could gather supplies.

"Looks like a scavenger hunt," Trent said, grinning as he opened a cabinet and found a few cans of food. "I hope they have something good in here, like beans or soup!"

Caius rolled his eyes, trying to focus on the task. "Just grab what you can."

"Come on, lighten up!" Trent replied, tossing a couple of cans into his backpack. "What if we find a gourmet meal hidden in this mess? Can you imagine?"

"I doubt we'll find five-star dining in a zombie-infested cafeteria," Caius shot back.

"Hey, a guy can dream!" Trent said, pulling out a can of chili. "This is a classic. You know what they say: 'When in doubt, eat chili.'"

"Who says that?" Caius asked, shaking his head as he rummaged through another shelf.

"Me, obviously," Trent replied, his voice teasing. "I'm the authority on survival snacks. Remember, survival is all about keeping your spirits high!"

"Right, because a can of chili will do that," Caius muttered, grabbing a few more cans and stuffing them into his bag.

"Okay, how about this?" Trent said, holding up a can of peaches triumphantly. "Sweet and juicy! That'll cheer us up during a zombie apocalypse."

"You're ridiculous. Let's just hurry up before Zombies found us."

"At least we'll have snacks!"

With their bags finally filled, they exchanged glances. "Alright, let's get out of here," Caius said, already moving toward the exit.

"Lead the way, Mr. Serious," Trent said, following close behind. "And don't forget the chili!"

Caius and Trent stepped out into the hallway, the morning light filtering through broken windows, Caius frowned and tried to push trent back.

"Let's go back inside, I don't feel good about this. It's too quiet"

Before they could move, a sudden chill ran down his neck. He froze as he felt the cold steel of a knife pressed against his skin.

"Don't move," a voice sneered behind him.

Caius turned his head slightly and saw a rough-looking guy, a knife glinting in the light.

"Well, well. Looks like luck is on your side surviving till now, Pretty boy" the guy said, glancing at Trent with a smirk. "Is he your new boyfriend?"

"No...What do you want?" Caius demanded, trying to keep his voice steady.

The guy chuckled, gesturing to two others who stepped forward, grabbing Caius by the arms. "We're just here for a little chat and maybe some food. Seems you two have gathered quite a haul."

Trent stepped forward, ready to defend them. "You don't want to do this, man. We can work something out."

Before Trent could say more, one of the thugs punched him hard in the face, sending him staggering back. "Shut up!" he growled

Caius struggled against the grip of the other two guy, glaring at the knife-wielding thug. He look familiar but he can't remember when.

"You can get the food just let us go"

"Take them with us," The guy holding the knife smirked and slowly licked the blade, his eyes never leaving Caius. "A little play wouldn't hurt, right?" he said with a twisted grin, his tone mocking.