Age of zombies

[10] The library

Raul had his arm wrapped around Malcolm's waist, helping him limp through the campus as we made our way toward the library. Every step Malcolm took was slow and labored, his face twisted in pain, but he pushed through it. None of us said much. We were too focused on getting to safety, and the tension was thick as hell.

"Just a little further, man," Raul said quietly, his voice steady. "You're doing good."

"Yeah, sure," Malcolm muttered through gritted teeth. "I'm fking killing it."

Kenji kept glancing around nervously. "We've gotta stay low. If anyone sees us, we're screwed."

We reached the front gate of the campus and immediately ducked behind a thick patch of bushes, hiding ourselves as best we could. I peeked through the branches, watching as a group of soldiers rushed past, their boots pounding against the pavement. They were moving fast, heading in the opposite direction, toward the center of campus.

"What the hell are they in such a rush for?" Ethan whispered, crouching beside me. "Something's going down."

"Whatever it is, we don't want to be anywhere near it," I muttered, pulling back from the bush. "Let's go."

We waited until the soldiers were out of sight before creeping out from our hiding spot, staying as close to the shadows as we could. The library wasn't far now, just a few buildings away.

"Why the library?" Kenji asked quietly as we made our way across the open quad.

"It's one of the safest places on campus," I said. "Big, plenty of room, and probably less people than the dorms."

"Well, let's hope so," Malcolm muttered, wincing with each step. "I'm not in the mood to deal with a crowd."

We finally reached the library's side entrance, and I pushed open the door, leading the way inside. The moment we stepped in, though, I realized Malcolm was in for a rude awakening.

The place was packed. Easily over a thousand students were crammed inside, some sitting on the floor with their backs against the walls, others huddled in groups, talking in hushed, anxious voices. The air was thick with tension and confusion.

"Shit," Ethan whispered, looking around in disbelief. "I thought you said there wouldn't be this many people here."

"I didn't think they'd all have the same idea," I muttered, scanning the crowd. "This is bad. We can't stay here."

Kenji frowned, glancing at Raul. "What do you think? Stick around or try to find somewhere else?"

Raul shook his head. "Malcolm can't keep walking. We need to stop for a bit. If we move now, he's just going to slow us down more."

"Fk it," Malcolm groaned, lowering himself into a chair near the back. "Let's just stay here for a while. I need a break."

We all sat down, trying to blend in with the rest of the crowd. Students around us looked just as scared and confused as we were, whispering to each other, trying to piece together what the hell was going on. I could hear snippets of conversations from every direction, and none of them sounded reassuring.

"What do you think's happening?" a girl nearby asked her friend, her voice trembling.

"I don't know," her friend replied, hugging her knees to her chest. "I heard the military's trying to contain some kind of virus, but no one knows for sure."

A guy a few feet away shook his head. "My roommate said people are turning into zombies. I think it's bullshit, but... I don't know, man. Why else would they be locking us in?"

"We're fked either way," another student muttered, staring at his phone even though it wasn't working. "No internet, no power. It's just like the movies."

Kenji leaned toward me, lowering his voice. "This is turning into a goddamn nightmare. People are losing it already."

I nodded, glancing around. The fear in the room was palpable, like everyone was teetering on the edge of panic but trying to keep it together. I couldn't blame them. We were all trapped, cut off from the outside world, with no idea what was coming next.

Raul sat down next to Malcolm, wiping his forehead. "We need a plan. We can't just sit here with all these people."

"I know," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "But we're stuck. If we leave now, we risk getting spotted, and Malcolm can't move fast enough to outrun anyone."

"Look," Ethan said, leaning in closer. "Maybe we stick around for a bit, see if we can find out more. Someone in here has to know what's happening."

Malcolm groaned from his seat, resting his head back. "Great. We're just gonna sit here and hope someone has the answers."

Kenji was fidgeting, clearly uncomfortable with staying in one place for too long. "I don't like this. Being in a crowd like this makes us vulnerable. If something goes wrong—"

"I know," I cut him off. "But we don't have a choice right now. Let's just stay put and keep our eyes open."

As we sat there, trying to keep a low profile, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were running out of time. The library felt like a ticking time bomb, and all it would take was one spark—one wrong move—to send the whole place into chaos. And when that happened, I wasn't sure we'd make it out.

Q: What would you do next?