Age of zombies

[11] The first attack

We hadn't been sitting for more than fifteen minutes when the gunshots rang out again, much louder this time. A rapid series of cracks echoed through the air, closer than before.

Everyone in the library froze, our heads snapping toward the sound.

"Shit," Kenji muttered under his breath. "It's getting closer."

I didn't respond, my eyes glued to the library's entrance. Just as the last gunshot faded, we saw a soldier stumble toward the gate outside the building. He was moving fast, his rifle up and firing at something behind him—something we couldn't see yet.

"What the fk is happening out there?" Ethan whispered, his voice shaking.

"Stay low," Raul said quietly, his body tensing. "Something's coming."

The soldier fired a few more shots before he reached the gate, backing up against the doors of the library. His breathing was heavy, panicked, as if he was fighting for his life. He fumbled with his rifle, trying to reload as he glanced nervously over his shoulder. That's when we all noticed who—no, what—he was shooting at.

People.

At first, they just looked like students—ordinary people, sprinting toward him from across the quad. But something was off. Their movements were jerky, unnatural, their heads lolling to the side as they ran. Their eyes were wide and vacant, mouths hanging open. They weren't just running at him; they were charging.

"Oh my gosh," a girl behind me whispered, her voice trembling. "What's wrong with them?"

"They look... fked up," Kenji said, staring at the scene in disbelief. "Like they're not even human anymore."

The soldier managed to reload his rifle, firing a few more shots into the oncoming horde, but it wasn't enough. One by one, the bullets hit their targets, but the people—if they were still people—kept coming. And they weren't stopping.

The soldier cursed under his breath, his hands trembling as he tried to reload again, but his fingers slipped. That's when it happened.

Out of nowhere, a figure lunged from the side, moving fast—too fast. It crashed into the soldier, knocking him off balance. Before he could react, the figure bit down on his neck, tearing into his flesh with a sickening crunch.

"Holy fk..." I whispered, my stomach twisting.

The soldier screamed, his voice high-pitched and raw with pain, as blood poured down the front of his uniform. He struggled against the figure, pushing and clawing, but it was too late. The damage was done. The figure was relentless, biting down again, ripping away chunks of flesh.

All of us were too frozen to move, too shocked to do anything but watch in horror.

The soldier's screams grew weaker, his body going limp. And then, after what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few minutes, the figure pulled away, leaving the soldier's body slumped against the library doors.

For a brief moment, there was silence. I thought it was over.

But then, the soldier moved.

At first, it was just a twitch—a small, involuntary jerk of his hand. But then his whole body shuddered, and slowly, unnaturally, he stood back up. His head lolled to the side, blood still dripping from the gaping wound in his neck, his eyes wide and vacant. He wasn't human anymore. Not really.

"WTF is going on?" Ethan whispered, his voice cracking with fear. "That... that can't be real. This isn't happening."

"Shut up," Raul hissed, his eyes locked on the soldier. "Just stay quiet."

The soldier—or whatever he had become—let out a low, guttural growl. His body swayed slightly, and then, with sudden violence, he threw himself against the library doors, slamming his head into the glass. The sound was deafening, the force of the impact shaking the doors.

Students inside the library screamed and scrambled back, huddling together in fear. Some ran deeper into the building, trying to get as far away from the entrance as possible. But most of us were too shocked to move, our eyes fixed on the creature pounding against the glass.

"He's trying to get in," Kenji whispered, his face pale. "Holy shit, he's trying to break the door down."

"Look at his eyes," Malcolm said, wincing as he stood up to get a better look. "He's gone. Whatever he was, he's not that anymore."

The creature slammed its head against the door again, harder this time, and I saw cracks starting to form in the glass. Every instinct in my body was screaming at me to run, but I couldn't move. None of us could. We were all too frozen in shock, too paralyzed by the sight of this thing that used to be human.

The students around us were losing it. I heard someone crying softly, their voice trembling. Others were murmuring, trying to figure out what the hell to do, but no one had any answers.

"We need to get out of here," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "If that thing gets in..."

Raul nodded, his face grim. "Yeah. We need to find a way out. Now."

Before we could even start moving, the creature slammed its head against the door again, harder than before. The glass splintered with a sharp crack, and several students shrieked, scrambling to get away.

"Fk, it's gonna break through," Kenji said, his voice shaking. "We need to move."

We all turned to run, but I couldn't help glancing back at the door one last time. The creature was still there, ramming its head over and over, completely mindless, completely relentless. And with each hit, the cracks in the glass grew bigger, spider-webbing out across the surface.

It wouldn't be long before the door gave way.

Q: What would you do in this situation?