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You stare at the metal-and-wood contraption and visualize it rising up the front of the library. Two long strips of wood are encased in three sets of metal bars, which provide support for whomever uses the rig. Ropes extend from all four corners and attach to the ceiling. The gears look solid and the pulley system secure enough to hold the weight. Your only concern is the noise it might make. Suspended in the air, the rig will be out of reach should any zombies be drawn to the sound. You turn to Woody. "We're going to use that to ascend to the second floor," you say in a hushed voice.

"On that?" he asks as he scratches his chin through his thick beard. "You really think that's the best way?"

"If we do it right, we can fashion it to rise through the air and never cross paths with a single zombie."

Woody's eyes dart around the library, and he seems to be considering the path the two of you are about to take. "Yer right. Let's do it."

You rush across the room and inspect the bookshelf against the wall, its top-most point flush with the suspended platform. Thick ropes coil around a side post, which holds the rig in place.

You step up to the bookcase and climb up the shelves, eyeing the suspended platform hanging against the wall. As you approach the top, your foot slides on a loose piece of wood, but you reach out and grab the bottom of the suspended platform before losing your balance. Drawing the platform closer, you leap to grab the middle bar. You hang in midair and pull yourself up the side of the suspended platform.

Finally ready to use the suspended platform's pulley system to ascend the library, you examine the rig as Woody climbs the bookcase to join you on the platform. Examining the controls, you quickly figure out the mechanics of the moving parts. You flip a release lever, and the suspended platform drops an inch with a short jolt.

All four ropes supporting the platform tighten, and you turn the main winch and feel the platform rise. As it moves through the air, the pulleys emit a high-pitched whistle. Grunts and growls call out across the library, but no zombies react to the device's movements. You pick up speed and spin the winch in even rotations, and inch by inch, the rig climbs toward the second floor. Suspended over the library, the platform provides a perfect overhead view, and the heads of student zombies appear in book aisles and study aisles. They moan and twitch and roam, but none look up to the wood-and-metal contraption rising toward the balcony.

Long minutes pass, and the suspended platform reaches the balcony railing. You hop over the ornate metal railing and hear the guttural bellows of the undead bellow. Glancing down, you see the zombies still roaming the library's first floor.

"That was a smart idea, after all," Woody says as he climbs out.

Scanning the balcony, you spot a few students huddling near a table, their faces splattered in blood as they feast upon the body of a classmate. You look past them and head for the double doors leading out of the library's upper level. As you pass an open office, you stop inside to look for food or other supplies. You can make out vague shapes in the room but see no people, living or dead. Stacks of books surround a simple desk, and wall-to-wall bookcases line the room. You spend a few minutes scavenging. On the desk is a brown-bag lunch with a sandwich, apple, and pudding pack. A water cooler stands in the corner of the room, and you can easily fill empty bottles of water. Under the desk is a box of candy bars with pamphlets asking for donations to the school band's candy fundraiser, as well as a case of soda. An Android phone sits in the middle of the table, the screen glowing with life. Among the stacks of texts is a botany book, which might be useful for identifying edible plants. You almost miss a pair of glasses on a shelf. You know there must be more in this room, so you tear apart the bookcases, careful not to make too much noise. Your efforts pay off as you find five cigarettes stashed in a hollowed-out book, and on the highest part of a bookshelf rests a pack of batteries.

You spend a few minutes packing up supplies to take.