Chapter 33 –The Flood of the Undead
Jackson and Mr. Smith had managed to overpower the two zombies with surprising ease, using their golf clubs as makeshift weapons. Just as they caught their breath, both of them instinctively looked toward the staircase a short distance ahead—the same narrow stairway they had used only moments earlier to descend from the fourth floor to the second.
What they saw next froze the blood in their veins.
An enormous horde of zombies began flooding up the staircase.
There were so many of them that the narrow passage could no longer contain the swarm. The undead crashed into one another, stumbling and climbing over fallen bodies in a desperate attempt to reach the top. Within seconds, the staircase had transformed into a horrifying mountain of writhing corpses, with zombies piling over each other in a grotesque heap.
It was a scene straight out of a nightmare.
The unstable pile suddenly collapsed. One zombie after another tumbled down before scrambling back onto its feet with terrifying speed. Like starving predators that had finally spotted fresh prey, they let out chilling growls and charged directly toward Mr. Smith and Jackson.
For a brief moment, both men forgot how to breathe.
Their hearts pounded violently against their chests, and raw fear spread across their faces.
Anyone would have been paralyzed after seeing those monsters.
Their bodies were drenched in dried blood that had darkened over time. Large chunks of flesh were missing from their arms, shoulders, and torsos. Some had faces ripped open beyond recognition, exposing rotten flesh beneath. Their lifeless, ghostly white eyes stared ahead without a hint of humanity, making them appear even more horrifying.
Reality hit them like lightning.
Without wasting another second, Jackson and Mr. Smith spun around and sprinted toward the broadcast room with every ounce of strength they had left.
---
At that very moment, Ms. Selena finally managed to unlock the broadcast room door.
The instant it opened, John rushed inside without hesitation.
Mary, however, remained standing at the doorway.
With tears already filling her eyes, she stared at Jackson, who was desperately running toward them.
"Hurry!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
But the moment Mary's eyes caught sight of the massive horde chasing behind Jackson and Mr. Smith, her entire body froze.
Fear completely consumed her.
She stood motionless, unable to think, unable to move, as if every muscle in her body had stopped responding.
Seeing Mary's terrified state, Ms. Selena immediately grabbed her arm and forcefully pulled her inside.
"Pull yourself together!" she shouted firmly. "They'll make it!"
The moment she had opened the door, Ms. Selena had already seen Jackson and Mr. Smith racing toward them.
She quickly signaled Lena.
Understanding instantly, Lena hurried over and stood beside Mary to comfort her, while Ms. Selena and Yaram positioned themselves beside the doorway, anxiously watching Jackson and Mr. Smith close the remaining distance.
Only a few seconds later—
The two men burst into the broadcast room.
But the zombies reached the entrance almost at the same time.
A deafening bang echoed through the room as dozens of undead bodies slammed against the door.
Everyone immediately threw themselves against it, desperately trying to force it shut.
Yaram, Jackson, and Mr. Smith leaned all their weight against the heavy door, struggling to push it closed while the zombie horde outside continued smashing into it with relentless force.
The pressure kept increasing.
The door trembled violently under the impact.
Mr. Smith repeatedly reached for the lock, but every violent shove from outside caused his hands to slip away before he could secure it.
---
Suddenly, Ms. Selena's eyes landed on a nearby sofa.
"Mary! Help me!" she shouted.
The moment everyone understood what she intended, John, Mary, and Lena rushed forward together.
With all the strength they could gather, they pushed the heavy sofa across the room.
It slid rapidly over the floor before crashing hard against the door with a loud thud.
The extra support gave Mr. Smith the precious second he needed.
Click.
He finally managed to lock the door.
John, whose heavy body had already been exhausted from all the running, collapsed onto the sofa the moment it stopped moving. His chest rose and fell violently as he struggled to catch his breath.
Meanwhile, Yaram and Jackson stepped away from the doorway, their legs trembling with exhaustion.
Everyone stood silently, gasping for air.
Jackson's and Mr. Smith's clothes were completely soaked with sweat.
Tiny droplets rolled down their foreheads, slipped through their hair, and dripped onto the floor as they fought to steady their breathing.
For several long moments...
No one spoke.
The only sounds inside the broadcast room were the heavy breathing of the survivors and the terrifying pounding of countless zombies still hammering against the door from outside.
---
Finally, Ms. Selena let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"I'm... so relieved to see all of you alive."
Hearing her voice, Mr. Smith slowly lifted his eyes toward her.
The moment he looked at Ms. Selena...
He simply stared.
For a few awkward seconds, he completely forgot about everything around him.
Jackson and Yaram exchanged amused glances before smiling knowingly.
Only when Ms. Selena cleared her throat did Mr. Smith suddenly snap back to reality.
"W-What? Ah... y-yes!" he stammered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "We're... we're very happy to see you too."
The room immediately filled with soft laughter.
Even in the middle of a nightmare, that brief moment of embarrassment eased the overwhelming tension.
Ms. Selena smiled faintly before quickly returning to the matter at hand.
"Alright," she said in a serious tone.
"Now tell me everything."
"I need every detail about the route you used to get here."