Zombie apocalypse:whispers from the dark

Surrounded

Zach, Anastasia, and Mei stood on the rooftop, their eyes scanning the chaos below. As the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the schoolyard, a commotion near the front gates caught their attention.

There, amidst the gathering swarm of infected, were two figures—one tall, the other significantly smaller—backing into a corner, surrounded.

Zach’s sharp blue eyes narrowed as he focused on the pair. The taller one was a guy, around 6'2", with jet-black hair and intense black eyes, standing defensively in front of the shorter figure beside him. The girl, only about 5 feet tall, had long black hair that flowed down her back, and her wide brown eyes flashed with fear as the zombies closed in.

Anastasia gasped, clutching the edge of the rooftop railing. “That’s Yeong Do and Aradhya!”

Zach’s mind raced, recognizing them from school—Yeong Do, the quiet but fiercely determined guy from his physics class, and Aradhya Gupta, a girl known for her sharp intellect despite her small frame. Both had somehow found themselves in the middle of a nightmare, outnumbered and without a way out.

“We have to help them,” Mei said, her voice trembling but resolute as she looked to her older sister.

Zach’s gaze flicked back and forth, taking in the scene. The zombies had formed a tight circle around the pair, but Yeong Do was fighting them off with sheer determination, using a metal pipe he must’ve grabbed from somewhere. Aradhya stayed close behind him, clutching a large book as if it were her only weapon, though fear had frozen her in place.

“They’re not going to make it if we don’t do something,” Anastasia said, her green eyes locking onto Zach’s.

Zach clenched his jaw. He knew she was right, but the risk was monumental. If they went down there without a plan, they could all end up as zombie food. He scanned the rooftop, looking for anything that could give them an edge.

“There!” Mei pointed to the maintenance shed at the far corner of the roof. “We can find something in there to distract the zombies.”

Zach nodded, quickly moving toward the shed. He yanked the door open, his heart racing as he searched through the scattered tools and supplies. His hand landed on a stack of old flares—likely used for emergencies during fire drills.

“This could work,” Zach muttered, grabbing a few of the flares and tossing one to Anastasia. “We’ll use these to draw the zombies away from them. Once we get their attention, we make a run for it.”

Anastasia caught the flare, her green eyes steady. “What about Yeong Do and Aradhya?”

“We’ll need to get their attention,” Zach said, already running through the plan in his mind. “If we can clear a path for them, we can all make a break for the school’s back exit.”

Mei stepped up beside them, her heterochromatic eyes focused on the group below. “I’ll shout to them, get their attention. You guys throw the flares.”

Zach hesitated for a moment, but there was no time to argue. “Alright, let’s do it.”

The three of them rushed to the edge of the roof. Below, Yeong Do swung the pipe with every ounce of strength he had left, the zombies getting closer with each strike. Aradhya stood behind him, her eyes wide with terror.

“Hey!” Mei shouted, her voice loud and clear, cutting through the chaos. “Up here!”

Yeong Do’s head snapped up, his black eyes widening as he spotted the trio on the roof. Aradhya followed his gaze, her brown eyes filled with desperate hope.

“Get ready to run!” Zach called down, lighting his flare and tossing it into the horde of zombies. Anastasia did the same, the bright red flames hissing as they landed in the crowd of infected.

The zombies immediately turned their attention to the flares, the bright lights and heat drawing them away from Yeong Do and Aradhya. For a moment, it worked—the creatures lurched toward the flares, giving the two trapped students a small window to escape.

“Now!” Zach yelled.

Yeong Do didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Aradhya’s hand, pulling her with him as they darted through the narrow gap the flares had created. They ran toward the side of the school, their feet pounding against the ground as they sprinted for safety.

From above, Zach, Anastasia, and Mei watched as Yeong Do and Aradhya dodged the stragglers, making their way to a side door that had been left open in the chaos. They disappeared into the building just as the last of the zombies realized their original prey had fled.

Zach exhaled in relief, tossing the last flare to distract the remaining infected. “Let’s get down there.”

They moved quickly, making their way back through the building and down to the side entrance where Yeong Do and Aradhya had vanished. When they found the two, they were huddled in a dimly lit hallway, breathing heavily but safe for the moment.

Yeong Do looked up as they approached, his black eyes sharp but grateful. “You saved our lives.”

Zach nodded. “We couldn’t just leave you out there.”

Aradhya, still shaken, managed a weak smile. “I—I thought we were done for. Thank you.”

Anastasia stepped forward, resting a hand on Aradhya’s shoulder. “We’re all in this together now. We need to stick close if we want to survive.”

The group stood there for a moment, catching their breath, the weight of their situation sinking in. They were all strangers in the normal world, just students navigating the everyday challenges of school life. But now, in this new reality, they were bound by the fight for survival.

Zach glanced at the group, his blue eyes settling on Anastasia for a brief second before turning back to the others. “We need a plan. Staying in one place isn’t an option.”

Anastasia nodded. “We should find somewhere secure for the night. Then figure out our next steps.”

Yeong Do, still holding the pipe he’d used to fend off the zombies, straightened up. “There’s a janitor’s closet near the science wing. It’s got metal doors. Might be secure enough to hold up for a while.”

Aradhya’s brown eyes flickered with uncertainty, but she didn’t argue. “Let’s go. I don’t want to stay out here any longer than we have to.”

With that, the group moved as one, heading deeper into the school, their hearts pounding as they made their way through the darkened halls. They were strangers once—but now, in the face of a world gone mad, they were becoming something more. A team. A family.

And as they disappeared into the shadows, the growing connection between Zach and Anastasia simmered just beneath the surface, waiting for its moment to bloom amidst the danger.