In the hallway, just outside the nurse's office, a small crowd had gathered. Laughter and whispers filled the air as students stood in a loose circle, eyes wide with excitement. At the center of it all, a boy knelt on one knee before a girl. His hands trembled slightly, but his gaze never left her face.
The girl, Jesse, stood frozen. Her expression was a mix of surprise and nervous joy.
Then, in a shaky voice, the boy spoke.
"Jesse... we've known each other for a while now, and I don't know how to say this but every day I see you, I just feel so happy and complete. After my parents passed away, I was so... lost. I've never felt this way about anyone before but every moment we are together, I just wish, why can't this moment last forever? So I wanted to ask you..."
He took a deep breath, his eyes glistening with tears.
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
The group around them grew quiet. A few students blinked back tears, moved by his words. Some held their hands over their mouths, smiling softly. All eyes turned to Jesse.
She smiled through her tears, cheeks wet, lips trembling.
"I... I... would love to be your ga... girlfriend," she sobbed.
She opened her arms, ready to pull him into a warm, emotional hug but in the very next second, blood splashed across her face.
A violent blur rushed from the nurse's office, the school nurse, her white coat soaked with red, eyes bloodshot and wild. Veins crawled across her face, dark and bulging, like twisted roots.
Her mouth tore into the boy's throat.
Jesse's eyes went wide, her pupils shrinking to the size of a needle. A raw scream burst from her lips as she yanked on her hair in panic, trying to drag the nurse off him.
Students scattered in every direction, shouting in terror. Some ran without looking back. But a few stayed, driven by shock or bravery and tried to help Jesse pull the nurse away. After a struggle, they succeeded.
The boy collapsed onto the floor, blood pouring from the wound in his neck.
He opened his mouth, lips barely moving.
"R... run..."
"...away..."
The nurse, now free, twisted around and lunged at the others who had helped. Her shriek echoed down the hallway like a warning siren.
Jesse knelt frozen beside her boyfriend's body. Her mind went blank. Even as people screamed and ran around her, all she could hear was silence. Her ears rang. Her body wouldn't move.
Then, without warning, the boy on the floor stirred. He moved, not slowly but with a jolt. Blood still dripping from his neck, his body twisted up from the ground and launched toward Jesse.
His eyes were bloodshot.
His teeth bared.
Just as his jaws closed in, another student dove in and grabbed Jesse by the waist, lifting her clean off the floor. She gasped as he carried her away, running without hesitation.
In a nearby classroom, the air suddenly turned cold.
Students sitting at their desks felt an unexplainable chill crawl down their spines.
Damon stood up slowly, his brows furrowing. From the hallway, they could hear the pounding of footsteps, dozens of them, along with screams that grew louder with every second.
No one spoke. But the fear in their eyes said enough.
"What's happening?" Rian asked, his voice low and uncertain.
The tension thickened. Students at the back of the room rushed out, trying to make sense of what was going on. Aria followed them but stopped suddenly when Rian grabbed her wrist and shook his head.
That's when the classroom door slammed open.
A girl stumbled inside, falling hard onto the floor before scrambling up and slamming the door shut behind her.
"Selena!" Mirae gasped. The panic on her face was clear, Selena looked terrified.
The others turned to look at her, confused and tense.
Selena dropped to her knees, her legs shaking too hard to hold her weight.
Aria, who was closest, rushed forward to help, followed closely by Mirae and Valerie. Damon and Rian exchanged a worried glance and stepped forward.
"What is happening, Selena?" Aria asked, her voice hesitant and reluctant, eyes locked on her friend.
Selena looked back at her. Her eyes were wide with unexplainable dread, and her breath came in short bursts. Her blonde hair was disheveled, strands sticking to her damp forehead. She stood shakily, barely holding herself upright.
"We have to get out of this school. They... they are eating each other li... like zombies." Her voice trembled. "We have to go and leave this school—fast. Get everything and come." She rushed to her desk, fumbling with her bag, her hands shaking so badly she could barely grab anything.
The word eating made everyone freeze. Eyes went wide. Their breath caught in their throats.
Mirae stepped forward, her brows furrowed. "Selena, what are you saying? What's going on?"
Meanwhile, Rian and Damon moved to the door, trying to peek into the hallway through the keyhole, searching for signs of what she meant.
Selena stood still, her bag half-open, books spilling out. She didn't know what to take, what to leave, or what to do next. Her limbs stiffened as panic clouded her thoughts.
"Selena, we are talking to you," Valerie added, her voice steady but sharp.
Selena slumped into the chair at her desk. She buried her face into her arms, her voice muffled. "I don't know... I don't know what to do. What is even happening?"
Valerie and Mirae exchanged a look, both trying to piece everything together.
At the back, Aria was frantically trying to reach the police on her phone. Her fingers trembled as she pressed the call button over and over again.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the rising panic.
"Dale! What's wrong with you?! Talk!" a boy yelled. He stood over his friend, who was sitting on the floor with his arms wrapped around his head, growling low like an animal.
Selena's head jerked up. Her eyes went wide with terror.
"He... he's a zombie!" she screamed. "Damon! Let's throw him out, fast! Come!"
But Damon didn't move. He stared, frozen in place. Around them, the others looked on with fear and confusion, not sure who to believe.
The boy beside Dale, his friend snapped.
"Stupid b*tch," he snarled, glaring at Selena. "If you say one more wor-"
"Corry, look behind!!" Damon shouted, cutting him off.
Corry turned, and what he saw made him stumble backward in shock. Dale was staring at him now, his eyes bloodshot and glassy, his face twisted, veins like black roots crawling under his skin.
"Dale..." he whispered, voice hollow.
Selena didn't wait. She grabbed Valerie's wrist tightly and ran to the door, fumbling to open it.
"We have to run!"
Everyone moved at once, instinct kicking in.
Behind them, Dale lunged at Corry with an animalistic growl.
"What the f*ck!" Damon shouted as he stumbled back, then turned and broke into a sprint.
Selena yanked the door open and bolted down the hallway, dragging Valerie behind her. Mirae followed, her body frozen with panic, unable to fight against the momentum of the moment.
Rian stood at the door, his eyes flicking to Aria. She hadn't moved, her whole body was trembling, frozen in place as she watched Dale tear into Corry.
"Aria!" Rian yelled.
She didn't answer. He rushed over, grabbed her wrist, and ran, pulling her with him as the door slammed behind them.
As they reached the stairs, ready to go down.
They stopped.
Selena, Valerie, and Mirae were already racing toward them, sweat running down their faces, eyes filled with horror. Behind them,
A dozen zombies.
They were chasing full speed.
Aria and Rian turned without thinking and ran toward the other staircase. But halfway there, more zombies appeared, blocking the path.
Ambushed.
"Upstairs!" Rian shouted, signaling to the others.
Everyone turned around. Valerie, Selena, and Mirae followed them, breath ragged, feet pounding the floor. Damon stayed near the door, shouting and waving them toward the stairwell as the infected closed in.
The upper floor wasn't fully overrun, just a few zombies loitered the hall, but the noise had already caught their attention. They turned and started running toward Aria and Rian.
Aria grabbed a nearby door and tried to force it open. She slammed her shoulder into it once, then again, until it finally gave way.
"In here!" she shouted.
She stepped inside, leaving the door open just a little, waiting for the others.
Rian pushed her gently further in. "Stay in. I'll get them."
He stood outside, heart racing so fast it felt like it would explode.
And then,
He saw them.
Mirae. Valerie. Selena. And Damon, trailing just behind them.
His chest eased just a little. Soon, Mirae, Valerie, and Selena made it to the room, as Damon bought them just enough time to do so.
"Faster, Damon! Fast, run fast!!" Rian yelled, holding the door and waving his arms.
Damon's body was soaked in sweat, heart pounding harder than ever. He glanced back. The zombies were closing in from behind, fast. And now, more were coming from the hallway ahead.
He was about to be trapped, zombies on both sides.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, trying to force more speed into his steps.
But just as he neared the door, he stumbled.
His foot caught on the edge of a tile, and he fell hard, crashing against the ground.
"Damon…" Mirae's voice cracked as she whispered his name. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Get up, fast!" Rian shouted, stepping halfway out of the room, gripping a chair in both hands.
"Chairs, give me more chairs!" he yelled.
The girls moved without hesitation, dragging chairs toward the doorway.
Rian hurled the first one.
It hit a zombie square in the chest, knocking it back. He threw another. Then a third.
A few zombies tripped and fell, buying just a few seconds.
Seeing the path clearing, Damon pushed himself off the floor, strength flooding back into his limbs as hope lit up in his chest.
He sprinted.
Rian launched one more chair at a zombie coming from the side and shouted, "Come on!!"
Damon ran harder than he ever had in his life. He reached the door and crashed into the room, breath ragged and limbs shaking.
The second Damon crossed the threshold, Rian slammed the door shut behind him, pressing his body against it.
"Quiet," he whispered urgently, looking at the others. "Everyone stay quiet."
Rian pressed his back firmly against the door, his arms shaking from the effort. Outside, the zombies slammed into the wood again and again, their fists thudding like hammers. The door creaked under the pressure, and everyone inside held their breath.
Sweat poured down their faces. The room felt too small, the air thick with heat and panic. Damon lay on the floor, chest rising and falling in heavy gasps, arms spread out as he tried to catch his breath.
Selena and Valerie sat near the wall, desperately trying to get a signal on their phones. Each time they tried calling the police or anyone they knew, it ended the same, no answer. No connection. Just silence. Their frustration grew by the second.
Meanwhile, the others stayed quiet, sitting wherever they could, too afraid to speak or move. The only sounds were the pounding of hearts and the soft clink of a vibrating phone.
After nearly ten minutes, the noise outside started to fade.
The banging stopped.
Rian slowly leaned toward the door and peeked through the keyhole. He held his breath, eyes scanning the hallway.
Empty.
The zombies had scattered.
With a long sigh, Rian slid down against the door and sat on the floor. His arms dropped to his sides as he let his head fall back, exhausted.
"What the actual hell was that..." he muttered, his voice low and tired.
Aria, still pale, walked over and sat beside him. She leaned gently on his shoulder, her body trembling just a little.
Across the room, Selena groaned and dropped her phone to the ground, her face twisted in frustration.
Damon sat up slightly, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Selena, what happened in the hallway?" he asked, his voice a little steadier now.
Everyone turned toward her, eyes locked on her face, waiting.
"I don't know," she groaned, shaking her head.
"I was just walking to class, and then there were people running. Some students were... biting and eating each other like zombies. I was scared and ran to the class. You know what happened after."
Rian opened his mouth to ask something, but Valerie spoke first, her voice soft but sharp.
"Did you see Jude anywhere?"
She looked at Selena with a strange, quiet expression. Her lips trembled, and she blinked fast like she was holding back tears.
Selena saw the look in her eyes and softened her voice.
"No, Val. I didn't see him anywhere in the crowd."
"Please say the truth," Valerie said, her tone breaking slightly. "If he was here, he would've come for me already. Did you really not see him anywhere?"
Selena slowly shook her head. "I'm not lying, Val. Why don't you try calling him?"
She spoke gently, trying to calm her.
"I tried," Valerie murmured, eyes downcast. "But the call won't go through…"
"He's probably safe," Mirae added quietly. "You don't have to worry. Didn't you say he was in the club room? He's probably there... we'll go and check there soon."
But even as she spoke, her words felt hollow, like she was trying to convince herself just as much as Valerie.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
Valerie leaned gently against Mirae, her head resting on her shoulder, eyes distant. Mirae sat still, arms loosely around her, offering quiet comfort. Across from them, Damon stared at his phone with a serious expression, thumb hovering over the screen but not moving.
"It's ringing!" Selena suddenly blurted out, gripping her phone tightly against her ear.
Her voice broke the silence like a crack of thunder. Everyone flinched at the sudden shout but their expressions quickly softened, the corners of their lips lifting ever so slightly.
For the first time in what felt like hours, there was hope.
Selena's eyes lit up, her hand covering her mouth as if she couldn't believe it. But just as fast as the excitement came, it disappeared.
Her smile faded.
Her shoulders dropped.
And slowly, she pulled the phone from her ear.
It was over.
She didn't have to say a word, everyone could see it in her face. She stared at the ground, eyes unfocused, the phone slipping from her hand again.
The tiny bit of hope they'd clung to vanished like smoke.
Across the room, Damon sat completely still until his eyes suddenly widened. He straightened up so fast it startled the others.
His gaze was frozen on his phone. His chest stopped moving. His pupils shrank, tiny as needles, and his skin went pale like he'd seen something impossible.
"No way…" he muttered under his breath.
Everyone turned to him, eyes sharp and alert.
"There's no way…" he repeated, his voice quieter this time, barely a whisper. His whole body was still, as if even breathing might break the moment.
His phone screen glowed in the dim room.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing..