Inside, shadows shifted. Students.
"Someone's knocking!" a voice whispered inside.
"Don't open it!" another hissed. "Might be Z's."
"They're human. You want to leave them out there to die?"
"Who the fuck cares? I'm not risking it."
"Shut up, Brent," a girl muttered. She stepped forward, peeking through the glass. Her eyes widened. "They're students. They're alive."
"Alive now," Brent sneered, "until they turn."
The girl ignored him. "Are you bitten?" she asked through the glass.
"No. We're good. Open the damn window," Xender whispered harshly.
After a tense beat, she slid it open. Xender helped pull the first girl through.
"Two at a time. Move fast."
"I'm going in first," Lili said, pushing past.
"Wait your damn turn," another girl barked.
"No wasting time. Inside, now!" Xender ordered.
One by one, they slipped through. The group inside shifted nervously, watching the windows like every second would doom them.
Finally, only Xender and Lili's friend were left outside.
A growl echoed from the shadows. A Z lurched into the light, eyes fixed on them. The girl screamed, panicking.
"It's coming, it's coming!"
"Shut the fuck up and climb!" Xender snarled, shoving her up and through. Her shoes scraped the frame as she scrambled inside.
The Z charged.
Xender didn't have time to climb. He turned, fists up, heart pounding.
"Holy shit! Close the damn windows!" Brent barked, panic in his voice.
"Wait, he'll make it!" Lucy shot back.
"They'll get inside! We'll all die!" Lili snapped, her voice trembling but selfish as ever.
"Seriously, Lili? He hasn't even been bitten!" her friend argued.
Outside, Xender faced the oncoming Z alone. It lunged at him with terrifying speed. He sidestepped, sneaker connecting with its chest, slamming it against the wall. It staggered, then launched again. Another dodge, another vicious kick.
What the fuck do I do? Kill it? With what? His thoughts raced, chest heaving.
Inside the lab, half the survivors couldn't even watch, hiding under tables. The rest were frozen in horror. Lili didn't care if Xender lived or died, her wide eyes were fixed only on her own survival.
Lucy's gaze darted across the lab. Surgical trays. Scalpels. Scissors. Curettes. She snatched a scalpel, shoved open the window, and hurled it outside.
"Close that window, bitch!" Brent shouted, furious.
Xender caught the scalpel just as the Z lunged again. He shoved it hard against the wall, raised the blade, and plunged it deep into its chest. Then nothing. No reaction at all. He stabbed again. And again. The blade stuck in bone.
"The hell—?" he growled.
The Z roared, pinning him to the ground, snapping its jaws inches from his throat. Xender locked his arms around its neck, straining, every muscle shaking. But it didn't choke. Didn't falter. He twisted hard, snapping its neck with a crack.
And still it snarled, head lolling backwards grotesquely as its jaws gnashed at the air.
"What the fuck is that?!" someone whispered from inside.
"It's not dying!" another cried.
"He broke its neck—it's still moving!"
Lucy's face drained of color. That's no human anymore…
Xender's fury ignited. A growl tore from his throat as he slammed the Z to the ground. Again and again, he smashed its skull against the concrete, blood splattering across his engineering coat, painting it red. Finally, he stomped down with all his weight, its skull gave way with a wet crunch.
Silence. The body twitched, then stilled.
But more Z's were spilling from the corner, drawn by the noise.
"We're not letting him in! He's covered in blood!" Brent shouted.
Lucy ignored him, forcing the window open. Xender hauled himself through just as the Z's rounded the corner.
Brent raised his hand to slap Lucy. "You fucking idiot—"
Xender didn't hesitate. He slammed a boot into Brent's chest, sending him crashing back into a desk.
Lili shrank away, disgust on her face as she eyed the blood dripping from him. She wouldn't even stand near him.
Lucy stepped forward, breath shaky. "You okay?"
Lili's friend echoed her. "Xender?"
He wiped blood from his eyes, chest still heaving.
"Yeah. I'm good."
"You killed him," a girl whispered, eyes wide.
"Him?" Lucy shot back.
"You mean that thing? You all saw, it wasn't human anymore."
"Look at them. Look outside." Lili's friend pointed at the Z's pounding on the walls, snarling.
"Man, you might be infected. Stay the fuck away from us," Brent barked at Xender.
Xender turned toward Lili, almost asking if she was okay, then stopped. The look on her face said it all. She wasn't worried about him. She was avoiding him, as if he was already one of the monsters.
The fuck? She should be the one asking if I'm good. His jaw clenched.
The others kept babbling, panicked voices circling around him, spitting words like blood, infection, danger. Xender tuned them out. His thoughts were sharper, heavier.
What the hell did I risk my life for? If I'd just thought about myself, I wouldn't have had to fight that Z. And what was wrong with it? It didn't die until I crushed its skull…
Silent, he walked to the lab sink. The room hushed as he stripped off his blood-soaked coat, leaving only a dark vest. The harsh light cut across his torso, revealing the carved lines of his abs for a brief moment. Lucy and Lili's friend exchanged a glance but said nothing.
Xender washed the blood off his hands and face, let the water run over him, then drank deep. The cold hit his throat like steel. He tossed the ruined coat aside and sat alone in a corner, headphones hanging loose around his neck.
"Dude, why the hell would you wash that shit in the sinks?" another guy snapped. "You probably left infection there."
"Yeah—we need clean water," Brent added, glaring.
Lucy and Lili's friend ignored them, crossing the room to Xender. "No bites?" Lucy asked.
"None." His voice was flat.
There were twenty-two students crammed in the lab now. Too many. Too loud. Too scared.
"Do you think we'll get help?" one asked.
"Maybe…" another answered, hollow.
"We should be worrying about that psycho," Brent said, pointing at Xender. "He killed that Z. What if he changes? We should tie him up."
Others murmured in agreement.
Xender lifted his eyes, sharp and cold. "It's been five minutes. No bites. No twitching. You want to tie me? Do it when I start turning."
Lucy opened her mouth to defend him, but Xender stopped her with a look.
Lili was already standing close beside Brent, clinging to him like she'd known him forever. The betrayal stung, but Xender swallowed it down.
"Dude," one of the students asked, "you're engineering. How the hell did you even get here?"
"Does it matter?" Xender muttered. "I just found myself here."
Then silence. His thoughts cut through it like a knife.
This is fucked. No one's coming. If I keep playing nice, I'll end up dead. Period.
Hours dragged on. The growls outside never stopped. No sirens. No voices. No sign of the world beyond the walls.
By morning, only dread remained.Lili, now completely sure that Xender wasn't infected, made her move. The first thing she did was walk up to him with a fake smile plastered across her face.
This fool... he can't resist my beauty. He's always been a complete simp for me, she thought smugly.
Her friend Cindy and Lucy exchanged looks, both surprised by the sudden change. Not long ago, Lili didn't even care whether Xender lived or died.
"Xender, babe… are you okay?" she asked sweetly.
Xender glared at her. "You're asking me now? Go back to that bastard you've been clinging to."
Brent bristled. "Hey, who the hell are you calling a bastard?"
Xender didn't even respond—he just gave him a death stare, a cold look sharp enough to make Brent back off without another word.
Lili tried to keep her act going. "Love, I was scared yesterday… I thought you'd turn too."
Xender didn't care. He'd already seen through her. This bitch has always used me… but no more.
Lucy sighed. "Guys, keep it down…"
"You and I are done," Xender said flatly. "Don't ever expect me to lift a finger for you again."