The survivors crept through a dimly lit hallway lined with empty panel rooms, each door slightly ajar as if the building itself had been abandoned in a hurry. Posters advertising upcoming anime seasons and special guest speakers hung on the walls, now covered in dust and grime. Under normal circumstances, this hallway would have been bustling with eager fans waiting in line for their favorite events. Now, it felt like a tomb.

Eddie led the way, his hammer at the ready as he carefully peeked into each room. “We should stop and regroup. Figure out our next move before we end up in another ambush.”

Taylor nodded, glancing around. “Agreed. If we’re going to make it out of here, we need a plan. Something…smarter.”

Max gestured to one of the panel rooms on the left, which looked mostly untouched. “Let’s head in there. We can at least have some shelter while we figure things out.”

The group filed into the room, shutting the door quietly behind them. Rows of empty chairs faced a stage where a table with microphones sat under flickering fluorescent lights. It felt eerie, like the ghosts of the convention still lingered in the air.

As they settled in, Taylor and Amy took the opportunity to assess their dwindling supplies. Each survivor was carrying some sort of makeshift weapon, but they were all showing signs of wear. Food and water were running low, and each person bore fresh cuts and bruises from their encounters.

Meeting New Allies

While they took a quick break, they heard a faint shuffling sound from the far side of the room. Everyone froze, weapons at the ready, until a small group of survivors emerged from behind the stage curtains. The newcomers looked just as battered and desperate as they did, but the relief on their faces was evident.

The first to step forward was a woman in her mid-20s with dark hair tied back in a messy bun, dressed in a casual cosplay of Bulma from Dragon Ball. She raised her hands slightly in a gesture of peace. “Thank god. I thought we were the last ones left.”

Taylor lowered his staff slightly. “We’re all just trying to survive here. I’m Taylor, and this is my sister, Amy. We’re… well, we’re all trying to find a way out.”

The woman nodded. “I’m Sarah. And this is Carlos and Jenna.” She gestured to the two people behind her. Carlos was a stocky man in his 30s, wearing a scruffy cosplay of Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, while Jenna was a young woman, barely out of her teens, dressed as Hinata from Naruto, her long black hair tied back.

Amy greeted them with a tired smile. “The more, the better. Maybe we can figure out a way to make it out of here.”

Sarah’s face turned grim. “We tried finding an exit earlier, but…these things are everywhere. They seem to know where we’re going before we even do.”

Taylor’s expression hardened. “We think they’re controlled by a hive mind. They aren’t just wandering; they’re actively trying to trap us.”

Carlos shuddered, gripping a heavy wrench he’d picked up as a weapon. “Hive mind or not, we can’t stay here forever. We’re going to run out of supplies—and hope.”

Formulating a Strategy

The group huddled together, sharing what they knew about the different zombie types. Taylor explained how the shriekers seemed to summon other zombies, while the crawlers targeted their legs to trip them. They agreed that the brute zombies were the most dangerous, capable of smashing through walls and breaking through their defenses with brute force.

“We need a way to distract them,” Jenna suggested, her voice barely above a whisper. “If we can lure them to one side of the convention, maybe we’ll have a chance to make a run for it in the opposite direction.”

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Max nodded, considering the idea. “That might work. But we’d have to make a lot of noise to get their attention.”

Carlos adjusted his grip on his wrench, a glint of determination in his eyes. “I’ll volunteer to make the distraction, but someone needs to stay with me for backup.”

Taylor shook his head. “It’s too risky. If anything goes wrong, you’d be cornered with no way out.”

Before they could settle on a plan, a loud crash echoed through the hallway outside. The group tensed, clutching their weapons as the sound grew louder. Heavy footsteps shook the floor, and the survivors’ hearts dropped as they recognized the telltale stomping of a brute zombie approaching.

The Ambush Begins

The door to the panel room burst open with a deafening crash, splintering under the brute’s force. The hulking figure filled the doorway, dressed in a cosplay of an armored warrior, its helmet dented and smeared with blood. The brute let out a low, menacing growl as it locked onto the group.

“We’re out of time!” Eddie shouted, raising his hammer as the brute lumbered toward them. “Get ready to fight!”

As if the brute’s entrance had been a signal, a group of crawlers scuttled in behind it, moving low to the ground as they crept along the edges of the room, their eyes fixed hungrily on the survivors. The ambush had been perfectly timed, trapping them with both brute strength and swift, agile attackers.

Taylor swung his staff, aiming low to fend off the crawlers before they could reach his legs. One of the creatures darted forward, latching onto his ankle and nearly tripping him, but Amy was quick to react, bringing her iron rod down hard on its head, forcing it to release its grip.

“Stay close!” Amy shouted, moving to protect her brother as more crawlers closed in. “Don’t let them pull you down!”

A Desperate Fight for Survival

The survivors spread out, each one struggling to fend off the brute and the swarm of crawlers. Eddie swung his hammer at the brute’s legs, aiming for the knees in an attempt to destabilize it, but the creature barely flinched, swatting at him with a massive arm that sent him stumbling backward.

Carlos and Max worked together, attacking the crawlers from both sides, but the creatures moved with unsettling speed, dodging and weaving around their strikes. One of the crawlers lunged at Jenna, grabbing onto her leg and pulling her down. She cried out, struggling to shake it off as it dug its claws into her ankle.

Hiro was at her side in an instant, swinging his baton down on the crawler and knocking it off of her. He helped Jenna to her feet, keeping a wary eye on the brute as it advanced. “We need to bring that thing down, or we’re all done for!”

Taylor glanced around, desperately searching for anything that could give them an advantage. His eyes landed on the stage, where several large, heavy speakers were still mounted. An idea struck him, and he shouted to the others. “If we can lure it onto the stage, maybe we can drop those speakers on it!”

Sarah nodded, understanding his plan immediately. “Everyone, head toward the stage! Draw the brute up there!”

The Trap is Set

The survivors began moving toward the stage, baiting the brute with loud shouts and clanging weapons. The creature followed, its heavy steps shaking the floor as it clambered onto the platform, unaware of the trap being set. The crawlers, more focused on tripping the survivors than following the brute, stayed behind, giving the group a few precious seconds.

Taylor and Amy positioned themselves near the stage controls, ready to drop the speakers once the brute was directly beneath them. As the creature took its final steps onto the stage, Taylor gave the signal.

“Now!”

Amy pulled the lever, releasing the speakers from their mounts. With a thunderous crash, the heavy equipment plummeted onto the brute, crushing it under their weight. The creature let out a final, guttural groan before collapsing, its massive form pinned beneath the speakers.

The survivors barely had time to catch their breath before the remaining crawlers scuttled forward, enraged and relentless. But with the brute taken care of, the group fought with renewed vigor, focusing their attacks and quickly dispatching the remaining crawlers.

A Grim Realization

As the last crawler fell, the survivors slumped to the floor, their bodies aching from the intense fight. The panel room was littered with debris and fallen zombies, and the once-organized space now resembled a battlefield.

Max looked around, his face pale with exhaustion. “We can’t keep doing this. Every time we think we’ve got a plan, they find a way to corner us.”

Sarah nodded, her expression grim. “If these things really are controlled by a hive mind, then it’s adapting to us, learning how we operate.”

Taylor clenched his fists, the weight of their situation pressing down on him. “We’re not just fighting zombies. We’re fighting something with a mind of its own, something that can outmaneuver us.”

Carlos looked at the battered group, determination shining through his exhaustion. “Then we’ll have to be smarter. If this thing is watching us, we’ll have to start thinking one step ahead.”

With a renewed sense of urgency, the survivors gathered their supplies and prepared to leave the panel room. Their hope of finding a straightforward exit was fading, but they refused to give up. As long as they were together, they would continue to fight, determined to make it out of the convention center alive.