The Broken Sanctuary    

[Jin]

The room erupted in chaos when Olivia's desperate attack caught everyone off guard. The group recoiled, their instincts kicking in as they scrambled to evade the advancing threat. Shouts and cries mixed with the scuffling of feet, painting a chaotic symphony of terror.

Charlotte's eyes widened in sheer horror as Olivia's distorted form closed in on her, teeth bared, and bloodshot eyes filled with a ravenous hunger. The chair slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor as panic surged through her veins.

In a desperate attempt to save her life, Charlotte fought back with every ounce of strength she could muster. She flailed and thrashed, attempting to push Olivia away, but her grip was relentless. Fingernails scraped against Charlotte's flesh, leaving trails of blood in their wake.

"Emma! Help me!" Charlotte screamed at Emma, but the latter was shaking behind the boys, too scared to even take a single step.

Jin was quick to regain his wits, and in a swift motion, his leg shot out, connecting with precision against Olivia's stomach. The impact of the kick sent hurling her contorted body backward with surprising momentum.

Olivia's form arched in mid-air, her limbs flailing before crashing heavily onto the unforgiving floor. The sound of the impact reverberated through the room.

Olivia sprawled on the ground; her movements momentarily stilled, and the room fell into a brief, eerie silence. The collective breaths of the group hung suspended, the tension still palpable in the air. Their wide eyes fixated upon Olivia.

Jin caught his breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly with exertion. He quickly grabbed the tape by the table and hurriedly went to Olivia.

He skidded to a stop when his eyes fell upon Olivia's grotesque and horrifying visage, a shiver of revulsion coursed through his body.

The sight before him was a testament to the depths of horror they had been forced to confront in this now nightmarish world.

But despite the surge of fear that threatened to grip him, Jin's spirit remained unyielding.

He got to admit that he was scared, but he had long ago overcome his fears. He just tried not to think too much about it and took a step forward. The soon this was over the better.

His hand trembled slightly as he reached for the roll of tape, his fingers fumbling momentarily before securing a firm grip on it. The weight of the tape felt oddly heavy on his fingertip.

Cautiously, Jin crouched down beside Olivia, his gaze fixed upon her contorted and deteriorating features. The beauty she once had was melting together with her skin. Her eyes were closed like she had lost consciousness, and this was his chance to tie her so she couldn't attack anyone.

The stench of decay hung heavy in the air, mingling with the faint scent of blood and sweat. Despite the repulsion and fear that threatened to overwhelm him, he refused to avert his eyes.

Jin's hands moved with a mix of urgency and caution as he reached out to secure Olivia's writhing limbs. The tape, once a simple tool, now held a weighty significance as he sought to neutralize the threat she posed. His heart raced in his chest, and his mind focused on the task at hand, determined not to let fear or doubt hinder his actions.

But just as his fingers brushed against Olivia's arm, her eyes snapped open, revealing a feral glint that sent a jolt of terror through his veins. In that split second, he felt the surge of primal instinct take hold, the fight-or-flight response urging him to recoil and retreat.

The room erupted in a cacophony of gasps and startled cries as the group retreated in shock. Panic rippled through their veins, threatening to immobilize them in place.

Before Jin could react, Lina sprang into action. She seized a nearby chair and swung it downward with all her might, the solid frame crashing onto Olivia's neck and trapping her head beneath the chair's spindle. The impact resounded with a sickening thud, stifling Olivia's frenzied attack and leaving her immobilized.

"I'll hold her like this," she panted, surprise evident on her face like she didn't know what she had just done.

Jin's heart was in his throat. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and shot a grateful look at Lina before resuming the task of binding Olivia's limbs.

He owed her again.

Olivia's muffled growls and the scraping of the chair against the floor filled the room, a chilling reminder of the volatile nature of their existence.

Jin's hands trembled slightly, his movements hastened by the urgency of their circumstances. Beads of sweat formed on his brow, his muscles tense with the effort of maintaining control amidst the fear that threatened to overtake his being.

The room seemed to hang in suspended animation as the group watched Jin's focused movements. The sound of tape being stretched and secured mingled with the rapid rise and fall of their collective breaths.

Lina, her grip unwavering on the chair, maintained her position, ensuring that Olivia remained restrained beneath its weight. Her eyes darted between Jin's progress and the surrounding room, ever vigilant for any signs of additional threats that might seek to disrupt their fragile sense of security.

"You guys go now," Lina said to the others.

It was only when the others seemed to wake up from the trance and noticed that the splintered door was going to break at any moment.

Jin could only hope that the sound of pounding and breaking mixed with the zombie's howls was overshadowed by the other's sound in the night, so the undead loitering in the field wouldn't notice them as they climbed down.

"C-Charlotte should go down first."

Jin heard Emma say, and he couldn't help but raise his head to know what was going on now.

"Why her?" Noah asked. "It should be me . . . ," he stated before he realized what he said and quickly explained, "j-just so to check that it's safe down there."

Jin knew that Noah only wanted to get away from this room before the door could give way at any moment.

"It's because she's bitten," Emma declared with tears in her eyes.

Jin's stopped in the middle of tying the tape on Olivia's feet and frowned at the drama happening in front of him.

They have NO time for this!

"I'm not bitten," Charlotte defended and showed her wounds. "I was only scratched!"

Jin felt a heavy tension shifting in the air, and he knew by everyone's stares that no one wanted to take Charlotte's side.

They were scared, as they should be.

Charlotte's eyes searched for someone to defend her, and when she found no one, her eyes narrowed at Emma and hissed, voice full of venom. "Emma, you bitch!"

And that was the end of their friendship. Jin thought and went back to tying Olivia's feet.

"Enough of this," Meryl said. "We don't have time to point fingers here. Charlotte, you go first. Do this so the rest of us can have a piece of mind while climbing down. The boys will follow next."

Charlotte no longer commented, and Jin saw a glimmer of hate pointed at Emma in her eyes when he stood to his feet after securing Olivia on the floor.

Jin and Lina stepped back, his gaze fixed upon the bound figure of Olivia. She writhed and twisted, a grotesque sight of desperation and relentless hunger.

"What are we going to do with her?" Leon asked no one. He was already beside Jin, eyes strained on Olivia, expression a mixture of pity and fear.

"Leave her there," Jin replied decisively.

Leon sighed. "That's harsh."

"Unless you want to carry her with you?" Jin said.

"She's already one of them," Lina finished.

Leon clamped his lips tight and didn't utter anymore.

"Wait . . . why are the boys going next?" Lily argued when Charlotte went down the window via the makeshift curtains that were tied securely on a column.

"Because they're faster at climbing down," Meryl explained.

She had a point. Jin thought. They definitely didn't want to find themselves sandwiched almost ten meters above the ground while there were zombies on their backs.

George grabbed Noah by the shoulder when he was about to step outside after Charlotte. "Noah, you go last,"

"Huh. Why?" Noah questioned with a frown.

"Cause everyone knows that you're the slowest amongst us here," Ethan told him and went ahead and grabbed the curtain to go next.

Noah could do nothing but brood over at the side.

"Hurry up, you guys!" Lily urged eyes on Olivia and at the door.

"Not so loud," hushed George and peeked outside. "Those things might hear us."

The zombies in the field were still minding their own business of sniffing and keeping a lookout for any nearby prey.

They still hadn't noticed them.

"Hurry it down there," Ben ordered, voice laced with irritation and fear.

The moon casted a pale glow over the desolate field, where a group of zombies mindlessly roamed, their decaying bodies emitting low growls and moans. Unbeknownst to them, a small band of survivors perched on the windowsill of a three-story room, their gazes fixed on the dangerous descent that awaited them.

Charlotte was struggling, beads of perspiration glistening on her forehead as she navigated the makeshift curtain rope that they had fashioned for their escape. Her fingers clung desperately to the fraying fabric, her body trembling with exertion and fear. The rope groaned under her weight, threatening to give way at any moment.

Ethan, his impatience simmering beneath the surface, hissed in frustration. "It's not my fault," he muttered, his gaze darting between the zombies in the field and Charlotte. "Charlotte is too slow. We don't have much time."

"Come on, Charlotte, you can do it!" Leon urged, his voice laced with urgency.

Jin looked over at zombies on their trail clawing at the splintering wood of the door, their relentless determination evident in the splintered fragments that scattered on the ground. The discordance of their efforts blended with the distant moans of the zombies in the field, creating a nerve-wracking symphony of danger.

When Charlotte finally landed on the ground below, it was only when the line in the rope went faster. Leon and George climbed down like monkeys gliding on trees.

Jin's heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing with the weight of impending doom. He watched as Noah hesitated at the precipice, his gaze shifting between the safety of the room above and the gnashing horde below. Anxiety tightened its grip around Jin's chest, threatening to suffocate him with its icy tendrils.

"Hurry up," Lily spat like she was next in line.

It was his turn after Noah, but the guy looked like he was hesitating. If only all of them could climb down, but he feared the makeshift curtain would rip from their weight. Only two to three people could climb down at the same time.

As Noah took a deep breath and began his descent, the tension in the air was palpable. The rope strained under his weight, swaying precariously like a pendulum. Jin's eyes darted from Noah to the splintering door, where the relentless undead clawed and scraped, their fervor unabated.

A crack split the air, resonating through the room with bone-chilling finality. The barricade of makeshift chairs and tables trembled under the assault, a feeble barrier against the tide of ravenous undead. Fear gripped Jin's throat, constricting his voice as he uttered words he never thought he would say.

"We're not gonna make it," he whispered, his voice laden with fear. Despair threatened to consume him, a black cloud descending upon his spirit. He felt the weight of the world pressing down upon his shoulders, a burden too heavy to bear.

The realization settled within him like a cold, hard truth. Their meager defenses were crumbling, and time was running out. The chorus of snarls and growls reverberated through the room, a relentless reminder of the horrors that lurked just beyond their fragile sanctuary.

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A/N

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