Shadows within

The orange glow of the evening sky spilled through the cracks in the boarded windows, casting long shadows across the storage room. The muffled groans outside had faded, replaced by the occasional scrape of undead feet shuffling across the pavement. Inside, the group sat in uneasy silence, their nerves fraying with every passing second.

Luke stood by the barricade, his eyes scanning the darkening campus outside. His thoughts, however, were locked on Akin and his group, seated in the corner. The unease in his chest had only grown since Bayo's arrival.

Bayo lay on a makeshift bed of torn-up jackets and cushions. His pale, sweat-soaked face twitched as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Jeff crouched beside him, carefully cleaning a jagged wound on his arm.

"He's burning up," Jeff said, glancing at Luke. "But he's alive. For now."

"Alive and infected," Collins muttered, pacing the room. He tightened his grip on the metal pipe he carried. "We're sitting ducks if he turns in here."

"He's not like them," Favour snapped, his voice shaking. He clutched his book tightly, as if its pages could offer some kind of explanation. "If he were, he'd be attacking us by now."

"Or he's just biding his time," Collins countered.

"Enough," Luke said, his tone firm. "We're not killing him, Collins. Not unless we have no other choice."

Collins scoffed but said nothing more.

Mira walked over, her gaze flicking between Luke and Akin. "What's the plan?" she asked quietly.

Luke sighed. "First, we need answers. Starting with him." He nodded toward Akin.

Akin had been watching the exchange silently, his expression unreadable. When Luke approached, he didn't flinch.

"How long are you going to keep staring, Luke?" Akin asked, his voice calm but edged with irritation.

"Until you tell me the truth," Luke replied. "You knew this was coming, didn't you?"

Akin leaned back against the wall, folding his arms. "What makes you think that?"

"You were here before the attack started. While everyone else was caught off guard, you and your friends were already locked in one of the safest spots on campus."

"Maybe we're just smarter than you," Charles, one of Akin's friends, chimed in with a smirk.

"Or maybe you're hiding something," Luke shot back. "And if you are, it's going to get us all killed."

"Luke," Mira said softly, placing a hand on his arm. "This isn't the time."

Luke shook her off. "It's exactly the time."

Akin's expression darkened. "I don't owe you an explanation, Luke. We're all trying to survive here. How we got here doesn't matter."

"It matters to me," Luke said.

Before the argument could escalate further, a weak voice broke the tension.

"They're... different," Bayo whispered, his eyes fluttering open.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"What do you mean?" Favour asked, kneeling beside him.

Bayo's breaths came in shallow gasps. "Some of them... they don't attack right away. They watch... like they're waiting for something."

"Waiting for what?" Jeff asked.

"I don't know," Bayo admitted. "But it's like they're... smarter. And the ones that bit me—they weren't like the others."

The room fell silent. The implications of Bayo's words hung heavy in the air.

"Smarter infected?" Mira whispered, her face pale. "That's not possible."

"Wtf. We are so dead" Justin murmured

"Maybe it is," Favour said, his voice trembling. "If the virus is mutating, it could explain why Bayo hasn't turned yet. Maybe he's fighting it."

"Or maybe he's changing into something worse," Collins said darkly.

"Um guys quiet" Sarah's meek voice came out weakly

Before anyone could respond, a loud crash echoed from the hallway outside.

"Something's out there," Justin whispered, gripping a chair leg.

Luke motioned for everyone to stay quiet as he crept toward the door. Peering through the gap in the barricade, he saw a small group of students shuffling awkwardly outside. Fresh blood over their clothes. Luke motioned for everyone to be quiet while he mouthed "Zombies". Everyone nodded in understanding and tried to stay quiet.

Luke relaxed after they shuffled off but couldn't shake the feeling that the real danger wasn't just outside. Whatever secrets Akin was keeping, and whatever was going on with Bayo, could tear the group apart faster than the infected ever could.