The Survivors

[Lina]

Lina's eyes widened in horror as the horde of zombies breached their makeshift defenses, flooding into the room like a merciless tide. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the grotesque figures closed in, their ghastly presence overwhelming her senses.

Paralyzed with fear, Lina could only watch as chaos erupted around her. Mia's hysterical push sent her stumbling backward, her body crashing against the hard floor. Pain shot through her forehead as it collided with the unforgiving edge of a nearby table, momentarily disorienting her.

But the pain was quickly forgotten as she scrambled to her feet, her survival instincts kicking in. The sight of the advancing zombie snapped her back into reality, her heart pounding in her chest like a wild drum. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, fueling her every move.

A cacophony of crashing and screams filled the room. Mia's desperate attempt to escape had led to a disastrous chain of events. Her frenzied leap toward the window ended in tragedy as she collided with Noah, causing them both to plummet to the lower floor.

Lina's heart sank as she witnessed the tragic fall. Time seemed to stand still as the sickening sound of bones breaking echoed in the air. Mia's agonized cries intertwined with Noah's shock, a painful chorus of suffering that pierced her soul.

"Go!" Jin shouted at her, pulling the gun from his belt. "I'll buy you time."

Lina's heart raced, pounding against her chest like a captive bird desperate to break free. The weight of Jin's words hung heavy in the air, the sacrifice he was willing to make for their sake. Her eyes locked with his, searching for reassurance amidst the chaos that engulfed them.

"W-what about you?" she stammered, her voice betraying her fear. The tremor in her words mirrored the tremor in her soul as uncertainty clouded her thoughts.

Jin's eyes held a steely resolve, his voice steady despite the danger that surrounded them. "I can take care of myself," he assured her, his grip tightening around the gun he held in his hands.

Time seemed to stretch, elongated moments suspended in the air as Lina absorbed the weight of his decision. Her mind raced with conflicting emotions, torn between gratitude for his selflessness and the instinctual desire to fight alongside him.

From the very beginning, Jin was nothing but helpful despite his reputation, and Lina couldn't be even more right about him.

But she knew that they couldn't afford to dwell in indecision. Jin's act of bravery demanded swift action, demanded that they seize the opportunity he had granted them. With a determined nod, Lina tore her gaze away from Jin and focused on the task at hand.

Gunshots pierced the air, breaking the suffocating silence with explosive intensity. The first zombie fell, a hole through its decaying skull, as Jin's shots rang out with lethal precision. The sound reverberated through the room, mingling with the discord of growls and snarls that surrounded them.

Lina's senses heightened, every nerve on edge as she became acutely aware of the desperate struggle unfolding before her. The barricades of tables and chairs slowed the undead's progress, tangling their grotesque forms in a dance of desperation and futility.

Her eyes darted between Jin, fighting against the encroaching horde, and her companions, who stood frozen, paralyzed by fear. Emma's terrified whispers reverberated in her ears, the words a chilling echo of their dire predicament.

"We're going to die. We're going to die." Her eyes were wide with terror, rooted in place by the overwhelming weight of their situation.

Lina's heart clenched with a mixture of empathy and frustration. She knew they were running out of time, that every second counted. With a swift motion, she reached out and slapped Meryl across the cheek, the sharp sting a wake-up call to the unconscious woman.

She didn't know what happened, but Meryl passed out again. Good thing that she was still breathing despite her fall against the floor.

"Wake up!" Lina shouted, her voice laced with urgency. "We need to move!"

Meryl's eyes flickered open, her gaze clouded with confusion. The daze of unconsciousness clung to her like a heavy fog, but Lina's urgency cut through the haze, igniting a spark of awareness.

Together, they stumbled forward. The chaos and danger swirled around them, threatening to consume their fragile hopes. In a daze, Meryl went to the window, Lina almost pushing her to hurry.

Lina then went to Emma next. Her grip tightened around the girl's shoulders, shaking her to snap out of it. But Emma remained rooted to her spot, her eyes wide with paralyzing fear.

"We have to go!" Lina ushered, her voice tinged with desperation. She tugged at Emma's arm, her strength fueled by adrenaline and the unwavering determination to survive.

But Emma's fear held her captive, a prisoner to the uncertainty that gripped her soul. Time slipped away, the seconds ticking relentlessly as Lina grappled with the weight of a decision that could mean life or death.

"GO!"

Someone shouted at her.

Lina's eyes darted to Jin, his hand gripping a grenade, his face a mask of uncertainty. The barricade had crumbled under the relentless onslaught, the room now overrun with an overwhelming horde of undead. Time was no longer a luxury they could afford.

In that pivotal moment, with Jin's desperate command echoing in her ears, Lina felt her heart drop into the depths of her stomach.

Time seemed to slow as Lina's gaze locked with Emma's, a heavy silence hanging between them. In that fleeting moment, Lina's heart clenched with a mix of guilt and helplessness. She knew that staying any longer would mean certain death for her, but leaving Emma behind tore at her very core.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Swallowing hard, Lina took a step toward the window, her heart heavy with the weight of her decision.

Her grip tightened on the rough fabric of the curtain, her knuckles turning white as she cast a final glance back at Jin, his silhouette etched against the chaos that consumed the room. Her heart ached, torn between the urgency of her escape and the desperate desire for his survival.

"Don't die," she whispered, her voice barely audible amidst the cacophony of screams and gunshots. Her words hung in the air like a fervent prayer, a plea to a higher power to safeguard the life of the one who had selflessly offered himself as a sacrificial shield.

Jin's eyes met hers. A silent understanding passed between them. Lina knew that his fate now rested solely on his own courage and skill, and she could only hope that his martial prowess would keep him alive.

With a final nod, Lina tore her gaze away from him and focused on the treacherous descent ahead. The makeshift curtain rope offered a slender lifeline, swaying in the night breeze like a fragile thread connecting her to an uncertain future.

Summoning every ounce of strength and agility, Lina began her descent, her palms burning from the friction as she slid down the coarse fabric. The world around her blurred into a whirlwind of fear and adrenaline, and her senses heightened as she fought against the relentless pull of gravity.

"Meryl, Lina, hurry!" Leon's voice pulled Lina's attention from her descent, and she looked at the guys below.

Leon was signaling them about the zombies on the field that were running in their direction. They must have been attracted to the gunshot from before.

Lina quickly climbed down. Each floor passed by in a blur, the urgency of her escape propelling her forward. She dared not look back, fearing that the sight of pursuing zombies would shatter her resolve. Her focus narrowed to the task at hand, her mind a fortress against the encroaching despair.

"Hurry! They're almost upon us!"

The undead ran relentlessly that a few dozens were almost upon them.

We're not going to make it! Lina despaired.

BoOOoMm!

The deafening explosion reverberated through the air, causing Lina's ears to ring and her body to instinctively brace against the shockwave. The ground quivered below her, its trembling testament to the force that had been unleashed. Dust and debris danced flickered away, obscuring her vision and filling her lungs with a gritty haze.

As the chaos settled and the particles of dirt began to settle, Lina blinked away the lingering disorientation, her eyes scanning the scene before her.

The undead that had been closing in on their location now lay scattered in a grotesque tableau of shattered limbs and decimated flesh.

But amidst the fading echoes of the explosion, another sound pierced through the air — an agonizing scream that sent a chilling shiver down Lina's spine.

Emma!

The realization hit her like a punch to the gut, igniting a surge of urgency within her.

Looking over, Jin was near the window, shooting and fighting the undead that thought of going anywhere near him. It was no brainer that he was the one responsible for throwing a grenade onto the field to stop the approaching zombies from getting them.

How many times must she owed him?

Lina bit her lip. It was only a matter of time before Jin . . .

"Hurry!" Jin's voice echoed in her ears.

Lina gritted her teeth, and when the ground neared, she hastily jumped from the rope and landed on her feet. As her feet finally touched solid ground, a surge of relief and exhaustion flooded through her.

But she almost hurled forward when she saw Noah's disfigured neck while Mia was sitting, back on the wall with bone jutting out from her legs. She was crying now; gone was her silence and pride as she begged everyone not to leave her.

When she moved, Lina almost stumbled, her legs trembling beneath the weight of her fatigue and at what she saw, but she refused to succumb to the weariness and fear that threatened to engulf her.

"We have to go!" Leon screamed at her.

"But Jin!" Lina refused to run from her spot. Not until Jin was safely there with them. She owned their life to him. They couldn't just abandon him now!

She only noticed that it was only Leon, George, and Meryl with her. "Where are the others?"

"They've already run away when the undead heard the gunshots and ran this way," George explained quickly. "If you don't want to die, we have to run as well!"

"We have to go to the bus and the cafeteria and get the keys," Meryl hastily said.

"What?" George's face crumpled.

"We can't just aimlessly run in here. The school is littered with undead," said Meryl. "We need to get out and go north."

The approaching undead flickered their attention to the field, and Lina's eyes widened when she saw a group almost twenty meters from them.

"Let's regroup in the bus!" Meryl hastily ordered and was about to run when Mia's voice rang in their ears.

"D-don't leave me! Help me!" Mia shouted at them.

"W-what should we do?" George asked, unsure.

"We can't just leave her there," Leon uttered, but there was a hesitation on his face.

Meryl was colder. "She's already dead at this point. You can carry her if you want, but she would only slow us down." And she ran towards the parking lot without glancing back. It was near the entrance, around a hundred meters, and if they were fast, they could reach it within five minutes of running.

"Meryl, you bitch!" Mia's face warped in anger.

George stared one last time at Mia and ran while the latter begged and pleaded.

"D-don't leave me! Please!"

Leon turned his back and uttered a weak "I'm sorry . . ." before he ran away too.

But then he skidded to a stop and shouted at Lina, "What are you doing? Let's go!"

Lina firmly shook her head and brought out the knife that Jin had given her. "Jin is still up there."

Her eyes were sharp at the approaching zombies that were only less than twenty meters from them.

Leon's expression was a mixture of fear and hesitation. It was clear on his face that he didn't know what to do.

Finally, he grabbed a long handle dustpan made of thin metal that was lying around on the ground and went to her side.

The heavy-duty dustbin was used by the janitors to clean the pavement of leaves, and Lina was glad that it was near them at the moment.

At least, Leon was armed . . . somewhat.

----

A/N

We're going primum by 30 chapters 🙏

Since each chapter is around 2k words, that's 60 chapters if broken into 1k words and I usually locked around those parts.

Please continue to support the story. The evolution, techno-fantasy, and game elements would take time, until then enjoy the ride.

CHEERS! 🥂