Episode 9: Escape to the Streets

BRAK!

Gathan flinched as a loud noise echoed from outside the car where he was hiding. His heart pounded wildly in his chest. He pressed his back against the seat, hands trembling as they gripped the door handle. His eyes darted around, trying to determine where the sound had come from.

In the distance, zombies shuffled forward with lifeless eyes, searching for prey. Some dragged wounded legs, while others had arms barely attached, their flesh torn like old rags.

"God... their numbers are increasing," he whispered, barely daring to make a sound.

Cold sweat trickled down his temple as he fumbled for his phone and quickly typed a message.

"Jasmine, where are you?! I can come now!"

He waited. Every passing second felt like an eternity. No response.

"Why aren't you replying, Jas?" he murmured, voice laced with worry.

Jasmine had never ignored his messages before. Something must have happened.

Meanwhile, at Jasmine's house...

The front door finally gave way with a horrific crack.

Jasmine gasped, her hands trembling as she backed against the wall. Her eyes widened as the zombies stormed in, their decayed bodies disgusting, rotting flesh peeling away from bone. The stench of decay mixed with dried blood filled the air, making her stomach churn.

"You weren't invited, assholes!" she spat before dashing toward the stairs.

Her footsteps pounded against the creaking wood. Rotten hands reached for her ankles, but she leaped up just in time, nearly tripping. Panting, she reached the rooftop and, without thinking twice, locked the stairwell door behind her.

BRAK!

The zombies below immediately slammed against the door repeatedly. Each hit made the wood groan, signaling that her barricade wouldn't last long.

Jasmine stepped back, her entire body shaking. She glanced around—the once-bustling city now resembled a massive graveyard. Black smoke billowed from various points, abandoned cars cluttered the streets, and dying sirens wailed in the distance.

"No... I can't die here," she whispered, trying to calm herself.

Her hands frantically dug into her pocket, pulling out her phone. The screen was cracked but still functional. She opened Gathan's unread message.

Her fingers trembled as she typed.

"I'm on my rooftop... they're below me..."

She was about to hit send when the sound of splintering wood came from behind her.

BRAK!

The stairwell door was starting to give way.

Nizam steadied his breathing, sweat trickling down his temple as he stared at the staggering undead in the street. The pungent stench of decay filled his nostrils, making his stomach churn. Nafisah stood beside him, her hands trembling at her sides, while Azzam was still trying to convince himself that this wasn't just a nightmare he could wake up from.

In front of them, zombies roamed aimlessly, their bodies broken and rotting. Some were missing limbs, while others had empty eyes darting wildly as if searching for fresh blood.

"We can't stay here," Nafisah whispered, her eyes frantically searching for an escape route.

"I know," Nizam replied quickly, his gaze locking onto a metal pipe lying nearby. He swallowed hard before grabbing it with trembling hands. The iron felt cold and heavy in his grip, but he knew—it was their only means of survival.

One of the nearest zombies shuffled forward with a guttural growl, its mouth torn and drooling a mixture of saliva and blood.

Nizam gulped. "Damn it…"

Without another thought, he swung the pipe with all his strength. THWACK!

A sickening crack echoed as the pipe struck the zombie's skull, sending it staggering before collapsing onto the pavement. Thick, black blood oozed from its fractured head. But the horror wasn't over—two more zombies immediately lurched toward them.

"Don't just stand there! Do something!" Nizam shouted.

Azzam remained frozen, his face pale as a ghost. "I... I can't..."

"If you don't wanna die, we have to fight!" Nafisah snapped at him before quickly grabbing a large rock from the roadside and hurling it at one of the zombies. The rock struck its shoulder, causing it to stumble slightly.

But it wasn't enough.

The zombie continued moving, its head snapping toward them with jerky, unnatural movements like a broken puppet. Nafisah's heart pounded. Her hands were slick with sweat, her breathing shallow.

"Run to the car!" she yelled.

Wasting no time, the three of them sprinted toward an abandoned car by the roadside. Nafisah reached it first, yanking at the door handle frantically. Locked!

"Damn it!" she slammed her fist against the window in frustration.

Nizam quickly peered inside. The car was empty—no sign of its owner.

"Break the window!" he ordered.

Nafisah grabbed another rock and smashed it against the window. CRASH! Glass shattered, scattering inside the car. She swiftly unlocked the door from the inside.

"Get in! Get in!"

They scrambled inside, slamming the doors shut behind them. Nafisah frantically searched the dashboard, hoping to find the key.

Nothing.

"The keys are gone!" she panicked.

Nizam pounded the steering wheel in frustration. "Damn it! We're trapped!"

Azzam whimpered, his body trembling violently. "We're gonna die here..."

Nafisah shot him a sharp glare. "Don't say that! We're not dead yet!"

Outside, the growls grew louder. Zombies swarmed around the car, their bloodstained hands clawing at the windows, leaving dark smudges on the glass.

Nizam gritted his teeth. "If we can't drive out, we have to fight our way out."

Azzam shook his head furiously. "Are you crazy?! They're everywhere!"

"If we stay here, they'll break through the windows, and we'll die like rats in a trap!" Nafisah yelled back.

Nizam's eyes darted to the front seat, then to the space beneath the dashboard. No keys in sight. But then—his gaze landed on something.

A rusted screwdriver lay on the dashboard.

He exchanged a look with Nafisah. She knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Can you hotwire it?" she asked.

Nizam took a deep breath and nodded. "I can try."

His hands moved quickly, shoving the screwdriver into the ignition and twisting it with all his strength. Nafisah and Azzam held their breath, waiting.

Click.

The engine remained dead.

Click. Click. Click.

No response.

Nizam growled in frustration. He tried again, harder this time.

VRRRROOOM!

The engine roared to life.

"YES!" Nafisah nearly cried in relief.

But their victory was short-lived.

A zombie suddenly slammed its head against the window with brutal force, creating a massive crack.

BANG!

Azzam screamed. "THEY'RE GETTING IN!"

"Hold on!" Nizam slammed his foot on the gas pedal.

The car lurched forward, plowing through the horde. THUD! THUD! Rotten bodies were thrown into the air before crashing onto the asphalt.

Nafisah gripped the dashboard tightly, her face pale. "Find a way out of the city!"

Nizam nodded, his eyes focused on the road ahead. The city he once knew had turned into hell. Buildings were on fire, screams echoed from every direction, and the streets were overrun with the dead.

But just a few hundred meters ahead, a massive overturned truck blocked the main road.

"Damn it! We can't go this way!" Nafisah shrieked.

Nizam swerved sharply to the right, veering into a narrow alleyway.

But they didn't see it coming.

At the end of the alley, something far worse awaited them.

A towering figure, much larger than any regular zombie, stood in the middle of the street. Its skin was an eerie shade of dark gray, its eyes glowed a menacing red, and its massive jaws were lined with razor-sharp teeth dripping with fresh blood.

The creature slowly turned its head toward them, letting out a deep, guttural growl that vibrated through the air.

Nizam, Nafisah, and Azzam's hearts nearly stopped.

"What... is that?" Nafisah whispered, her voice barely audible.

The creature took a step forward, its enormous claws dragging against the pavement, producing a bone-chilling scraping sound.

Then, in an instant…

It lunged straight at them.

"HOLD ON!" Nizam screamed.

And everything descended into chaos.