The courtyard was a mess of chaos and confusion. Students ran in every direction, their faces filled with fear and panic as the reality of the zombie outbreak set in. The sunrays, casting shadows across the school grounds.
Diya, Sasha, Aurora, and Kaya huddled together near the edge of the courtyard, their breaths coming in ragged gasps as they tried to process what was happening. They had just escaped the cafeteria, but the nightmare was far from over.
"We can't stay out here," Diya said, her voice steady despite the turmoil around them. She scanned the area, her sharp eyes searching for any sign of a safer location. "We need to find shelter, somewhere we can regroup and figure out our next move."
Aurora nodded, her hand gripping a piece of metal she had picked up during their escape. "What about the old storage building? It's usually locked, but we might be able to break in."
Kaya, still trembling from the near-death experience in the cafeteria, clung to Diya's arm. "Is it really safe there? What if more of those... things are inside?"
"We don't have much choice," Sasha interjected, her voice filled with determination. "We need to get off the open grounds. Staying out here is suicide."
Diya, Sasha, Aurora, and Kaya sprinted across the open space, their breaths coming in desperate gasps. Behind them, the relentless growls and shuffling footsteps of zombies closed in, growing louder with each passing second.
"Keep moving!" Diya shouted, her voice cutting through the panic. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the horde gaining on them. There was no time to hesitate.
Sasha, running beside Diya, struggled to keep pace, her face pale with fear. "They're getting closer!" she cried, her eyes wide as she spotted more of the infected emerging from the shadows.
Aurora gripped Kaya's arm, practically dragging her along as they ran. Kaya was stumbling, her legs threatening to give out. "Don't stop, Kaya! We're almost there!" Aurora urged, though she knew they were far from safe.
Ahead, the storage building loomed, an old structure on the outskirts of the courtyard. It wasn't much, but it was their only hope of escape. Diya's mind raced as she calculated the distance—just a little farther, and they might have a chance.
The zombies, with their decaying faces and lifeless eyes, were closing in fast. One of them, a girl who had once been a classmate, lunged forward with a guttural snarl, her bloodied hands reaching out for Aurora.
"Watch out!" Sasha yelled, and Aurora turned just in time to dodge the attack. The zombie's claws grazed her arm, but she managed to avoid a fatal bite. Diya didn't waste a second—she swung her crowbar with all her strength, smashing it into the zombie's skull. The creature crushed to the ground, but more were right behind it.
"We're not going to make it!" Kaya's voice was trembling as she stumbled again, her exhaustion catching up with her.
"Yes, we are!" Diya shot back "Just a few more steps!"
The group moved quickly but cautiously across the courtyard, avoiding the clusters of students who were either fighting for their lives or succumbing to the outbreak. The screams and moans of the infected filled the air, a horrifying symphony of their collapsing world.
As they approached the storage building, Diya motioned for the others to stay back while she checked the door. With a desperate try, Diya and Sasha managed to break the door open. They tumbled inside, pulling the others with them, and slammed the door shut just as the first of the zombies reached them. The door shuddered under the impact as the undead threw themselves against it, but it held—for now.
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Stay Alive
Horror"and suddenly life was not about living, it was about surviving." . . (New chapters every saturday...)
