Chapter:32
Mr. Smith and the three students standing behind him froze in terror as they stared at the massive horde of zombies gathered outside two classrooms a short distance away.
The entire fourth-floor hallway echoed with the horrifying growls of the infected, mixed with the faint voices of lectures still playing from abandoned classrooms, creating an eerie contrast between the world that once existed and the nightmare it had become.
Taking a deep breath, Mr. Smith once again fulfilled his responsibility as a teacher. He silently gestured for the three students behind him to move forward.
Without wasting a second, they carefully followed him toward the staircase.
Right behind Mr. Smith was John. One of his feet was covered by a dark blue shoe, while the other wore nothing but a black sock. He had lost his left shoe earlier when he had fallen down the stairs, but there was no time to worry about it now.
Behind John walked Jackson, firmly holding Mary's right hand as they quietly descended toward the third floor.
They reached the third floor safely and continued moving in complete silence, making sure not to produce the slightest sound.
Only a handful of zombies wandered aimlessly across the third floor, staggering from side to side without purpose. Using their distraction to their advantage, the four survivors quietly made their way toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
Moments later, they arrived there safely.
As they cautiously headed toward the broadcast room, two blood-soaked zombies suddenly stumbled out of a nearby classroom.
The infected slowly shuffled past the entrance of the broadcast room.
Seeing the opportunity, the four survivors immediately sprinted toward the door.
However...
The door was locked.
Panic flashed across John's face.
He began pounding desperately against the door.
"Open up! Please! Open the door!"
The loud banging instantly caught the attention of the two zombies, who slowly turned their heads toward the group before beginning to stagger in their direction.
---
Inside the broadcast room, Miss Selena, Yaram, and Lena stood in complete silence, anxiously waiting for survivors from the upper floors.
The sudden knocking shattered the silence.
Fear immediately spread across all three of their faces.
With trembling hands, Miss Selena slowly approached the door and spoke in a shaky voice.
"W-W-Who... who's there?"
Outside, John stood beside Mary while Mr. Smith and Jackson struggled against the two approaching zombies.
The moment John heard Miss Selena's voice, hope returned to his eyes.
"It's us!" he shouted desperately. "Please... open the door! Hurry!"
Hearing John's voice, a wave of relief and compassion rushed through Miss Selena's heart.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the single sofa blocking the entrance and tried to drag it away.
Yaram quickly stepped forward and nervously stopped her.
"What if... one of them has been infected?"
Miss Selena glared at him, her eyes filled with determination.
"I don't care what happens. They're here because we told them to come. If anything happens to them, it'll be our responsibility."
Yaram stared silently into her determined eyes for several long seconds.
Finally...
Without another word...
He nodded and helped her move the heavy sofa away from the door.
---
Outside, John and Mary continued pounding on the door with all their strength.
The repeated banging echoed throughout the floor.
It was enough to attract even more zombies.
From the third floor, countless infected began moving toward the second-floor staircase.
Slowly...
The sound of footsteps echoed through the stairwell.
Then another.
Then hundreds more.
It sounded as though an entire army was climbing upward.
The growling became louder...
Closer...
More terrifying with every passing second.
Mr. Smith and Jackson had just managed to overpower the two zombies using their golf clubs when they instinctively looked toward the staircase.
What they saw made the blood drain from their faces.
A gigantic horde of zombies came flooding through the narrow stairway.
There were so many of them that they began crashing into one another, piling up as they forced themselves toward the second floor.
Within seconds, a mountain of writhing bodies formed on the staircase.
It was a horrifying sight.
One after another, the infected tumbled from the grotesque pile before scrambling back to their feet.
Then...
Like starving predators that had finally found fresh prey...
They charged straight toward Mr. Smith and Jackson.