POV: Marvin Cruz
Location: 2nd Floor Hallway → Underground Gymnasium, Meadow Hill Academy
The air was heavy with tension, the kind that crawled under your skin and clutched your lungs. Marvin gripped the fire axe tighter in his calloused hands, the handle slick with sweat. Around him, the muffled breaths and hurried footsteps of students filled the dim hallway, lit only by flickering emergency lights and the occasional beam from a cracked phone screen.
A bloodstained sign hung loosely on the door they'd just exited: Science Wing—Lab 3. It swung lazily, creaking like something out of a horror film. But this was no film. This was their life now.
They had dubbed the plan Operation Exodus, half-jokingly, half out of desperation. The goal was to quietly shepherd over fifty surviving students—including stragglers from other sections and even a few terrified faculty—down to the underground gymnasium. It was the sturdiest structure in Meadow Hill Academy, built to double as a storm shelter years ago, long forgotten in the humdrum of student life.
Marvin's heart thundered. His eardrums pulsed with the echo of every door creak, every distant growl. They had scouted the route earlier that afternoon, timing how long it took to traverse the inner corridors. But the school was changing. The infected were no longer wandering aimlessly. They lingered, waited. As if they remembered.
Behind him, Peter whispered a prayer under his breath, clutching a rosary he'd refused to part with since the outbreak started.
"Left staircase is clear," whispered Sky, eyes scanning ahead. She'd joined them after rescuing three underclassmen from the library, her once-glossy hair now tied into a messy knot. "But there's blood on the railings. Old, I think."
Marvin nodded. "Keep the groups tight. No phones. No lights unless I say."
Alden took up the rear with Matthew and Lucas, covering the last group. They had even managed to get Ms. Ramos and Coach Danilo to help coordinate smaller clusters. With so many students, they had to stagger the movement—five at a time, one minute apart.
"Why do I feel like we're marching to a tomb? " muttered Lucas, trying to hide his fear with sarcasm.
"Because we might be," Alden replied grimly.
POV: Sky Hernandez
Location: Main Stairwell → Locker Hallway
Sky crouched low, guiding the second group past the cracked glass trophy cases that had once held memories of victories. Now, they reflected warped images of fleeing children and blood-streaked walls.
A girl behind her sniffled, trying to suppress sobs. Sky turned. "Hey, breathe. You're okay. Just follow me."
The girl nodded.
Sky had always been the loud one, the debater, the class president wannabe. She wasn't used to silence, to hiding. But now, it was a game of inches and shadows.
They descended the staircase, boots thudding quietly on the cement. That's when they heard it—an echo. Something sharp. A snarl that reverberated like claws on linoleum.
Sky froze.
One of them was nearby. Maybe two.
She glanced around the corner of the stairwell.
Nothing.
She didn't relax.
Then—
A loud crash from the floor above. Screams. Someone had tripped. Another had screamed instinctively. A ripple of terror shot through the group.
Sky didn't wait. "Move! Third hallway now! GO! "
The infected had heard. She knew it.
She could already hear them tearing down the hallway above like freight trains fueled by rage.
POV: Marvin Cruz
Location: Underground Gymnasium–South Entrance
They had made it.
The gym's heavy blast doors were already open, Danilo Reyes and Matthew holding them with improvised wedges. Students poured in, some weeping, others too numb to process the relief.
"Second group's late," muttered Ms. Ramos, wringing her hands.
Marvin looked at his busted watch.
Too long.
He turned to Peter and nodded. "We're going back."
"No way—" Peter started, but Marvin was already moving.
POV: Sky Hernandez
Location: Basement Corridor–Locker Hallway
They were running now.
Sky's lungs screamed as she led the group through the long, narrow corridor. One of the younger boys tripped—she grabbed his hand mid-fall and yanked him up.
Then, from the far end of the hallway, a shape emerged.
An infected.
It stood eerily still, watching.
Not like the others. This one waited.
Then it screamed.
Sky shoved the kids forward. "RUN! "
Another infected leapt from the adjacent classroom. A third dropped from the stairs. They were surrounded.
And then—
A loud CRACK—the sound of a fire extinguisher being hurled into one of the infected's skulls.
Marvin.
He and Peter came charging through the smoke. "Back! To the gym! Let's go! "
They pushed forward, swinging weapons, using their bodies to shield the students. The infected clawed and shrieked, but the group surged forward in a flurry of adrenaline and blood.
When they reached the gym, the doors slammed shut behind them. Coach Danilo locked the final bolt.
Silence returned.
Marvin slumped against the wall, chest heaving.
Sky turned to him, her voice hoarse. "We lost three."
Marvin didn't respond.
But his grip on the axe tightened.
POV: Unknown
Location: Security Control Room—West Wing
A flickering screen showed the gymnasium filled with frightened students.
Another screen showed the infected gathering at the school gate.
And a third?
A voice buzzed through a broken radio line. "Confirmed—containment has failed. Meadow Hill is dark."
Then the feed cut to static.