Chapter 44 — Above the Ceiling, Beneath the Shadow of Death
Silence settled over the classroom once again.
Only the chaotic growls of the thousands of zombies gathered beyond the glass wall echoed through the room. Every time one of them slammed into the reinforced glass with full force, the entire classroom trembled. Sometimes dozens of bloodstained hands struck the glass at once, creating a chilling sound that made it seem as if death itself was knocking on the door.
Jinjin and Adam remained crouched behind the short concrete wall beneath the windows, trying to keep even their breathing as quiet as possible.
Then...
A faint sound came from above the ceiling.
Thud...
A moment later...
Thud... Thud...
It sounded as though something heavy was slowly moving across the metal ventilation shaft.
The color immediately drained from Adam's face.
Without blinking, he fixed his eyes on the square ventilation hatch mounted in the ceiling.
The very next second, he carefully rose to his feet.
With one hand, he silently gestured for Jinjin to move behind him.
For the first time, Jinjin saw something in Adam's eyes that frightened her even more than the zombies.
It wasn't fear for himself.
It was fear for her.
She instinctively stepped back.
Adam slowly approached the teacher's desk without taking his eyes off the ceiling.
Leaning against the desk was a long steel pointer—the rod teachers used to indicate points written on the blackboard.
He grabbed it firmly with both hands.
His grip tightened so hard that the bones in his fingers became visible.
His breathing grew heavier.
His heart pounded violently against his chest.
Yet his eyes never left the ventilation hatch for even a single second.
The classroom fell completely silent.
Only...
Thud...
Thud...
Thud...
The hatch continued to tremble.
Then, without warning...
It jerked upward.
Adam instantly raised the steel rod, ready to strike.
Jinjin squeezed her eyes shut in terror.
She was certain...
A zombie was about to leap into the classroom.
But...
The next moment...
A human hand appeared, gripping the edge of the hatch.
Then another.
A few seconds later, a young man carefully lowered himself through the opening and dropped into the classroom.
He was breathing heavily.
His clothes were covered in dust.
Sweat soaked his forehead.
But...
He was alive.
Completely unharmed.
Adam stared at him in stunned disbelief for a few moments before slowly lowering the steel rod.
The instant Jinjin saw the young man's face...
Her eyes widened.
"Brother...!"
She burst into tears and ran straight toward him.
Throwing her arms around him with all her strength, she sobbed,
"Brother...!"
"I thought..."
"I thought we'd never see each other again..."
Her voice broke beneath the weight of her tears.
Chen Zheyen immediately embraced his younger sister.
He gently stroked her hair.
His own eyes had become moist, yet he forced himself to remain calm.
In a soft, reassuring voice, he said,
"Everything will be alright."
"Stop crying now."
"I'm here."
Those few simple words became a lifeline for Jinjin.
For several moments, the brother and sister remained locked in each other's embrace.
Watching them, a faint smile appeared on Adam's face.
At least...
Amid this living nightmare...
One family had found each other again.
But their brief moment of peace did not last long.
CRASH!
The massive glass wall shook violently.
All three of them instinctively turned toward it.
The number of zombies outside had increased dramatically.
They were relentlessly throwing themselves against the glass, smashing it with their heads and bodies over and over again.
Without mercy.
Without stopping.
Thin cracks had already begun spreading across the surface of the glass.
Adam wasted no time.
In a firm voice, he said,
"We have to get out of here. Now."
There was such certainty in his tone that neither of them questioned him.
Chen Zheyen immediately climbed onto the teacher's desk beneath the ventilation hatch.
He pushed the hatch open and climbed inside first.
Then he reached his hand down.
Adam helped lift Jinjin while her brother pulled her upward from above.
Working together, they quickly got her safely into the ventilation shaft.
Finally...
Adam cast one last glance around the classroom.
The same classroom...
That would probably be overrun by zombies within minutes.
Then he climbed up as well.
Now the three of them were inside the narrow ventilation duct.
Darkness surrounded them.
The air felt heavy and suffocating.
The only sounds were their own breathing.
The passage was so narrow that only one person could crawl through it at a time.
Chen Zheyen led the way.
Jinjin followed behind him.
Adam crawled at the rear.
Supporting themselves with their elbows and knees, they slowly made their way forward through the cramped metal tunnel.
Each movement produced a faint metallic creak that echoed through the duct.
After crawling for what felt like an eternity, they reached another section of the ventilation system that was slightly higher than the previous one.
Chen Zheyen carefully climbed upward.
Jinjin followed.
Adam came up after them.
Now they were moving through another ventilation passage running above the third floor of the building.
For a brief moment...
Everything became quiet again.
But the silence lasted only seconds.
Suddenly...
BANG!
BANG!
BANG!
The metal ventilation panel beneath them began shaking violently.
All three froze instantly.
The color drained from their faces.
Without saying a word, they exchanged terrified glances.
None of them spoke.
Yet the very same question echoed through each of their minds.
Had the zombies below... sensed that they were there?