Hidden Inside

Sheila pulled out the makeshift spear from the infected's left eye. She extended her hand to Adrian and helped him up. "Are you okay? I'm sorry. When it ran towards me, my whole body became paralyzed, and I couldn't move. I almost got you killed." she said as worry filled her voice.

"I'm oka—" before Adrian could finish what he wanted to say, the door beside the dumpster opened. An old female infected with a bulging belly came out. Wearing a loose undershirt, showing its belly that had missing flesh. It was followed by two petite infected who wasn't even half it's size.

Adrian reacted quickly as he pulled the dumpster and used it as a blockade.

The dumpster was not that high, approximately 1.2 meters tall, allowing both sides to see each other.

When the infected finally noticed them, they ran towards them and bumped on the dumpster.

Adrian tried his best on pushing and controlling the dumpster, so it doesn't tilt to one side. The infected could only stretch their hands above, trying to reach them.

Adrian's side was getting pushed back since the infected had more pushing power and didn't care about pain or receiving injuries. Sweat started to appear on his forehead, and the pain that he felt on his hands, from pushing the dumpster, kept increasing.

The dumpster suddenly tilted a bit, and one side becomes lowered. It's left side fell onto a crevice making its right side rise.

Adrian lost control of the dumpster with the sudden change in the dumpster's center of gravity.

The fat lady tried to force her way through on the right side, but Adrian immediately used this chance to trap the old infected. She got stuck half-way and could only try to grab Adrian, who was a few feet away.

One of the petite infected managed to climb the dumpster and pounced on Sheila. A hand grabbed its feet, causing it to fell face-first on the ground followed by the sound of something breaking. When it raised its head, it's nose was bleeding and somehow looked like a pig.

"What are you waiting for! Kill it!" Adrian shouted.

Sheila watched everything that happened before her eyes. The infected coming out of the door, and Adrian using the dumpster as a barricade. Everything that happened took less than ten seconds, and it showed how the two of them were so different. Adrian managed to react in time, but she just watched everything happen.

With Adrian's shout, she finally woke up from her thoughts. She stepped on the infected's neck and stabbed its head with the coat rack. A scraping sound came from behind her, followed by a fat infected who nose-dived into the ground.

This time, she didn't need Adrian's reminder as she poked the infected's head. Due to her not being used to sudden force exertions, she missed her target and hit the nape instead.

The infected tried to stand up while its neck was still pierced, causing the skin around it to stretch. Sheila stepped on its head and pulled her weapon out. She then made another power stab towards its head, causing blood to splatter on her hands and legs.

Her heart was beating wildly as adrenaline was pumping on her blood. Everything felt like slowing down as she caught her breath. She used the back of her hand to wipe the sweat on her nose and forehead when Adrian suddenly spoke behind her.

"I know that you're a bit exhausted, but can you help me with this one?"

Both of his hands were trembling. A few droplets of sweat from his forehead had already flowed down to his chin. The last infected was currently sandwiched between the dumpster and the wall.

She looked at Adrian apologetically, and hurriedly stabbed the last infected. The force she could exert was obviously smaller after everything that happened, and it took her a few stabs before she could stab through the eye socket since the infected wasn't standing still.

A white light covered her vision, and she suddenly exclaimed. "I leveled up!", her eyes then appeared dazed as if she was reading something.

"Congratulations. Now, let's go back. I don't want to be outside right now." Adrian said, finally having the time to sheath the knife he was holding. Since everything happened so fast, he couldn't sheath his knife and was only able to hold it. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and no one got injured.

He took the lead and cautiously walked towards Sheila. When he passed by her, he couldn't help but scold her. He said, "You're weak and too eager, but you're adapting, and that's good. On our way back, we'll do it my way, quietly, okay?"

As they walked further, a bald head peaked out of the dumpster. He had savage-looking eyebrows and an oval face. He opened the cover after making sure that it was really safe, then leaped out of the dumpster. He then followed Adrian and Sheila while maintaining a certain distance, just enough for him to go unnoticed.

***

Adrian and Sheila didn't encounter any infected on their way back but was greeted by an infected standing 10 feet near the gate.

Adrian assessed the situation and concluded that it might be one of those stragglers who heard the gunshot but couldn't pinpoint where it came from.

Sheila walked forward, wanting to approach the infected but was blocked by Adrian's hand.

"This is mine," Adrian said as he pulled the knife out of its sheath. He lowered his body into a squatting position and waited for the infected to turn its body.

When its back was presented to him, he cautiously sneaked towards it. When he was two meters behind the infected, he lunged at the infected with both hands overhead holding his knife.

He heard the crunching sound of its skull breaking while the strength on the infected's body disappeared.

It made a thud as it falls down lifelessly on the floor, and Adrian's vision became filled with bright lights.