The group gathered in the common area, the weight of their recent decisions hanging heavily in the air. Troy, who had been unusually quiet for days, finally spoke up, his voice trembling with fear and desperation.
Troy: (voice cracking) "I... I need to talk about something. It's my sister... I can't stop thinking about her."
The room fell silent, guilt spreading through the group like a virus. In the chaos of their own survival, they had completely forgotten about Troy's sister, who was still trapped in an apartment miles away.
Hruday: (gently) "Troy, we haven't forgotten. We'll find a way to get her back, I promise."
Michael: (nodding) "We'll figure it out, man. There's less zombie activity now. Maybe we can make a quick trip out there."
But even as they spoke, the reality of the situation weighed heavily on everyone. The journey was long, the roads were dangerous, and there were too many variables. They all knew it, but no one wanted to say it out loud.
Roy:: (trying to sound reassuring) "It's risky, sure, but we'll come up with a plan. We'll need to move fast, maybe use the church gate road, make a right, and just keep going until we reach her place. Grab her and head back."
The group fell into a tense silence as they realized the plan sounded too optimistic, almost foolish. The idea of making it to Troy's sister without attracting hordes of zombies or running into other dangers seemed increasingly unlikely.
Sophia: (forcing a smile) "We'll make it work, Troy. Don't worry."
Troy: (nodding, forcing a smile of his own) "Thanks. I really appreciate it."
But inside, Troy knew the truth. They were offering him nothing but false hope. He could see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices. The uncertainty was palpable, and it gnawed at him like a festering wound. He pretended to accept their reassurances, but in his heart, he was already planning something else.
---
The next morning, the group set out to rescue survivors from the doctor's dorm nearby. The dormitory was just behind their compound, surrounded by wide gardens and tall trees, giving it a deceptively peaceful appearance. They decided to approach from the west side, using the apartment compound's higher ground to their advantage.
Hruday led the group as they jumped over the compound wall and made their way toward the dorm. The area was eerily quiet, with only a few zombies wandering aimlessly among the trees. They moved cautiously, sticking to the shadows and keeping their weapons ready.
Hruday: (whispering) "Alright, stick together. We'll bait the zombies away from the dorm first, then we'll move in and get the survivors out."
The group nodded in agreement, splitting up to lure the zombies away while the others prepared to enter the dorm. It was a well-coordinated effort, with each member playing their part to keep the undead distracted.
Meanwhile, Troy stayed back, pretending to keep watch near the car. His mind raced as he watched the others disappear into the dorm. This was his chance. He knew the risks and knew the others would be furious, but he had to try.
Troy: (muttering to himself) "I'm sorry, guys. I have to do this."
With everyone preoccupied, Troy quietly grabbed the car keys and slipped into the driver's seat, grabbing some supplies. His hands trembled as he started the engine; the sound was almost deafening in the silence. He took a deep breath. "God, I hope I know enough to reach there," he thought, and he drove off.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Troy turned left, heading straight toward the hospital and bus stand. He took a sharp left, narrowly avoiding other cars and zombies. He crushed some zombies under the tires, heading toward the church gate road as fast as he could. Beside him, he saw the college grounds, and in the mirror, zombies were running, baring their vicious, fang-like teeth. His heart skipped a beat when he saw zombies ahead of him.
Determined to crush them, Troy sped down the road. But as zombies began to appear in greater numbers, drawn by the noise, panic set in. His heart pounded as he swerved to avoid them, his vision narrowing with fear.
As he reached the turn toward the church, a group of zombies suddenly stumbled into the road. Troy yanked the wheel to avoid them, but it was too late. The car skidded out of control, slamming into a tree with a sickening crunch.
The impact was jarring, the world spinning around him as the car came to a halt. Dazed and injured, Troy struggled to focus, the sound of zombies closing in from all sides filling his ears. He knew he was trapped.
Back at the dorm, the group had successfully cleared the area and was leading the survivors out when they heard the car engine revving in the distance.
Hruday: (realizing) "Troy, damn it!"
They rushed toward the sound, their hearts sinking as they saw the car speeding up. Hruday quickly ran toward Roy's father's newly modified van with a sliding door. They hopped in; the van only had two seats; the rest had been removed. They followed the trail of zombies leading to the crashed car near the church's second main gate. Hruday, Michael, and Roy sprinted ahead, pushing through the growing horde to reach Troy.
Michael: (shouting) "Troy! You fucking idiot!"
They fought their way to the car, fending off zombies with makeshift weapons. Hruday reached the driver's side, wrenching the door open to find Troy slumped over the wheel, blood trickling down his forehead.
Hruday: (desperately) "Come on, man, stand up!"
They pulled Troy out of the wreckage, but the situation was dire. Zombies were closing in from all sides, and their escape route was rapidly disappearing.
Roy:: (panicking) "We're going to get surrounded! We need to move!"
Hruday's eyes were bloodshot as he scanned the area, his mind overclocking. He grabbed a bat and ran, delivering a jumping shot to a zombie's head. For the first time, he saw blood sprouting like a volcano from the zombie's cracked skull. He quickly composed himself and smashed everything in his way, aiming at the zombies' heads to ensure they wouldn't get back up.
Roy and Michael joined him, while Mark ran toward the church gate to open it. He climbed up to avoid the zombies and prepared to close the gate as soon as the van got in.
Hruday: (grimly) "We're not leaving him behind. We have to make it back to the church gate. Move, now!"
They half-carried and half-dragged Troy to the van, fighting their way back toward the church gate. The van sped through, crushing zombies in its path. When the van got stuck, they opened the windows and used pushers and emergency fire extinguishers to plow through the remaining zombies. It was a frantic, desperate struggle, with the group pushing themselves to the limit to keep the zombies at bay.
They finally made it back to the church gate. Mark couldn't close the gate, so Hruday used the van to block the entrance, then ran outside to fend off the remaining zombies still chasing them. Once inside, the rest of the group barricaded the gate, but they had lost two cars and drawn a massive horde of zombies to their location.
As they secured the area, the tension exploded.
Survivor 1: (angry) "What the hell were you thinking, Troy? You almost got us all killed!"
Survivor 2: (furious) "We lost two cars because of you! Do you even care about anyone but yourself?"
Scout Leader: (coldly) "This is exactly what happens when we let emotions drive our decisions. We're lucky to be alive right now, but we can't keep going like this. Today, this was a disaster. We should've been more careful."
Hruday, struggling to catch his breath, couldn't muster a response. He thought, Yeah, he lured the zombies away, but that wasn't a good argument at all. The weight of the situation was crushing, and the blame was already beginning to spread like wildfire.
Sophia: (stepping in) "Enough. We all know this was a mistake, but yelling at each other isn't going to fix anything. We need to regroup, secure the area, and then figure out our next move."
The group slowly calmed down, the anger and frustration simmering just below the surface. But the damage was done. Trust was eroding, and the cracks in their unity were becoming more and more apparent.
As they carried Troy inside, Hruday couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning of something much worse than the argument that was going to happen.