Earlier, in the hallways...

Lily's eyes dart from side to side as she sprints down the school hallway, her breath coming in short, controlled bursts. The sound of multiple shuffling feet and guttural moans echoes from behind them. Tim's grip on her wrist is tight, almost painful, as he pulls her along. Sara stumbles beside them, her face pale and tear-streaked.

"We can't leave him behind!" Sara cries out, her voice cracking with desperation. She tries to twist out of Tim's grasp, but he only tightens his hold.

Tim's jaw clenches, his eyes fixed straight ahead. "Forget about him," he snaps, not even bothering to look back. "We need to save ourselves."

Lily remains silent. Part of her wants to agree with Sara, to turn back and help Kei. But the logical part of her brain, the part that's guided her decisions for years, knows that Tim is right. They can't risk their lives on a slim chance.

As the oldest child in a single-parent household, Lily had grown up used to making tough choices. Years of shouldering adult responsibilities had turned her into someone who often had to choose practicality over emotion. This moment in the hallway was no different than any of the other times.

They round a corner, narrowly avoiding a staggering zombie that lunges for them with decaying hands. Sara lets out a strangled yelp, but Lily pulls her out of the way just in time. The creature's fingers graze Sara's sweatshirt, leaving a smear of something dark and unpleasant.

As they sprint past rows of lockers, the sounds of their footsteps seem to draw more shuffling figures from adjoining corridors. Tim curses under his breath, picking up speed and pulling the girls along.

As they race down the hallway, Lily's eyes frantically scan ahead. Suddenly, she feels a surge of relief. Just ahead, their destination has finally come into view.

"There," Lily pants, pointing at the classroom door. Tim doesn't hesitate, yanking it open.

They tumble inside, quickly slamming the door behind them.

"Barricade it, now!" Lily yells, her voice tight with urgency. She's already shoving a heavy desk towards the entrance. Tim jumps to help, his face set in grim scowl. Sara grabs a nearby chair, adding it to their hasty defenses.

The first impact against the door makes them all flinch. Wood groans under the assault as more zombies pile up outside. Lily grunts with effort, pushing another desk into place. They can't afford to slow down – not with death knocking at their door.

For several tense minutes, they work to barricade the door. Their labored breathing intertwines with the sound of zombies pounding relentlessly on the other side, but gradually, the pounding becomes less frequent, the moans more distant. The zombies, not being able to find any way inside, seem to be slowly losing interest and shuffling away.

Lily leans against the barricade, listening intently. The hallway outside grows quieter, but she knows better than to assume they're safe. Her eyes scan the room, and she notices Sara slumped against the far wall, hugging her knees tightly against her chest.

Sara's eyes are wide and unfocused, her breathing shallow and rapid. Lily watches her for a moment, her brow furrowing. She knows she should comfort Sara, but for some reason the words just won't come out. Instead, she decides to busy herself with double-checking the barricade, and making sure every piece of furniture is securely locked in place.

Tim paces the room, his footsteps heavy and agitated. "We should've never listened to him," he mutters, kicking at a fallen pencil. "His stupid plan almost got us all killed."

Lily's eyes narrow. "It wasn't stupid," she says quietly but firmly. "It was risky, yes, but it was our best chance at getting stronger and making it out of this alive."

Tim whirls on her, his face flushed. "Oh, so you're on his side now? After he abandoned us?"

"He didn't abandon us," Sara pipes up, her voice small but defiant. "He told us to run so we'd be safe. He was trying to protect us."

Tim scoffs, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, right. More like he's trying to show off. Bet he thinks he's so tough, taking on that monster by himself."

Lily watches this exchange, her mind working overtime. She bites her lower lip, suspecting that Tim's anger probably stems from fear, from feeling powerless in this situation. But she also knows that letting those kinds of emotions run wild won't help them survive.

"Arguing won't change anything," she says, her tone level. "We need to focus on what to do next."

Sara looks up, her bottom lip quivering. "We're going to wait for Kei, right? He'll come back for us."

Tim opens his mouth, likely to say something harsh, but Lily shoots him a warning look. He closes it with an audible click, turning away with a huff.

"We should wait for now," Lily decides, her voice leaving no room for argument. "But we need to be prepared for... for anything."

She moves to the teacher's desk, rifling through drawers. Her movements are precise, and methodical. She pulls out a box of chalk and a few other odds and ends.

Tim's brow furrows, his voice tinged with confusion "What are you doing?"

Lily turns to Tim, her expression calm. "We should at least take inventory of what we have. Maybe there's something useful here."

Tim watches her for a moment, then grudgingly nods. "I'll check our backpacks," he mutters, moving towards their discarded bags. "Not that we'll likely find anything useful besides books and homework."

Sara stands up on shaky legs. "What can I do?" she asks, her voice small but determined.

Lily pauses, considering. "Help me search the room," she decides. "Look for anything that could be useful - first aid supplies, tools, anything."

Sara nods, her chin set with newfound purpose as she begins to examine the classroom cabinets.

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As she works, Lily can't help but think about home, about her father and younger siblings. Are they safe? Is what's happening in here also happening on the outside as well? The questions gnaw at her, but she pushes them aside. Right now, she needs to concentrate on the now, on keeping herself and her friends alive.

After a while, from outside, comes a sudden noise that sounds like rapid footsteps, too quick and purposeful to be a zombie's shamble.

Tim's head snaps up. "Did you hear that?"

Sara nods, her eyes wide. "It sounded like... like someone running."

Lily holds up a hand for silence, straining her ears. The footsteps are getting closer, accompanied by heavy breathing. Her heart races. Could it be...?

"It might be Kei," she whispers, hope and fear warring in her voice.

Tim shakes his head. "Or not. How do we know it's really him?"

Lily's mind races. "We need to be sure." She starts moving towards the barricaded door. "Tim, help me move some of this. We'll open it just a crack."

As they work to clear a small opening, Lily feels a mix of emotions swirling inside her. Relief at the possibility of Kei's return, but also a nagging worry. If Kei made it back, what about the Elite Zombie Boss? Is it still out there, hunting them?

She pushes the thoughts aside, focusing on the task at hand. Questions can wait. For now, they need to find out if it's really Kei or not.

The sound of footsteps stops right outside their door. Lily holds her breath, her hand hovering near the small opening they've made. This is it. The moment of truth.

Cautiously, she calls out in a hushed voice, "Kei? Is that you?"

***

Now…

My heart is still racing slightly as I run through the school hallways. The adrenaline that has kept me going is starting to wear off, leaving me feeling wiped out but also pretty proud of myself for somehow making it out alive. I might not have my trusty trash can anymore, but with my newfound speed, the slow, stumbling zombies I pass along the way don't scare me out as much as before.

As I head towards the classroom where I'd last seen the others, I can't get over how different my body feels now. It feels like I am lighter than air, able to turn on a dime without losing momentum. The once-terrifying hallways now almost feel... normal, like they did before this whole mess started.

I easily dodge a group of zombies, their clumsy movements looking almost comical. My mind briefly wanders to the Elite Zombie Boss I'd narrowly escaped from. The thought of its grotesque form and unsettling intelligence sends shivers down my spine, but the urgency to reunite with my companions quickly pushes it aside.

I skid to a stop in front of the classroom they promised to wait for me at.

It is dead quiet, but something tells me they’re inside.

Just as I'm about to knock, the door opens a crack, and Lily's voice comes out, cautious and hopeful. "Kei? Is that you?"

I feel a wave of relief wash over me. "Yeah, it's me," I respond, keeping my voice low. "I made it back."

There's a brief pause, then I hear the sound of furniture being moved. The door opens wider, and I peek inside. The sight that greets me makes me break into a small smile. There, emerging from behind a makeshift barricade, are Lily, Sara, and Tim. Their faces are a mix of shock and relief as I walk in.

"Kei!" Sara shouts, her eyes wide as she scrambles to her feet. "You made it back! We were so worried that the Elite Zombie Boss got you!" Her voice trembles slightly, betraying how worried she'd been.

Lily joins her, a rare smile breaking through her usual demeanor. Tim follows behind, his expression unreadable. I give them a reassuring nod, still trying to catch my breath.

"Yeah, I made it," I reply, a small smirk tugging at my lips. "I almost didn't, but then I did."

We take a moment to let out nervous laughs, the tension melting away as we swap stories about what happened after we got separated. As I listen to them talk, I am slowly distracted with thoughts for our next move. We can't just camp out in this classroom forever; we have to find a way to take down the Elite Zombie Boss so we can leave.

As we talk, I keep glancing at the door, half-expecting the Elite Zombie Boss to come smashing through any second. But the hallways stay eerily quiet, the danger feeling far away for now.

"So, what's the plan now, Kei?" Tim interrupts, his jaw clenched as he crosses his arms. "We can't just hide here forever."

I look at each of their faces, taking a deep breath as I try to gather my thoughts. "I lost my main weapon, the trash can," I admit, feeling a pang of regret. "But more than that, this whole thing... It made me realize something. I don't ever want to get close to the Elite Zombie Boss again."

I see understanding in some of their eyes, and it gives me the courage to be straightforward with them and myself. "To be honest, the idea of facing that thing up close again... it scares the living daylights out of me," I confess. "I need a new way to fight it."

I pause, thinking about what I can do to fight it without getting close.

"I want to try and find a way to attack it from a distance. It'll be safer, and it'll keep me out of its reach. I'm fast enough to dodge, but I need something to hit them with from far away."

Lily, who's been listening, her brow furrowed in concentration, suddenly speaks up. "Kei, what about using the wooden chairs in here? We could snap off the chair legs and sharpen them to use as javelins."

Her suggestion catches me off guard, and I feel my eyebrows shoot up in surprise. It is so simple but also so genius. The chair legs would be light, easy to carry, and with a little work, we could turn them into decent long-range weapons.

"That's a great idea, Lily. We can use the tools in the storage closet to sharpen them. They might not be perfect, but they'll get the job done from a distance."

Sara nods, her eyes lighting up. "We can help make them," she offers, her voice eager. "That way, you can carry more with you." She turns to Tim and adds, "Right, Tim?"

Tim, his arms still crossed over his chest, grumbles, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

I am a little surprised by their willingness to help out. "Thanks, guys. With these javelins, I might actually stand a chance against the Elite Zombie Boss."

With our plan set, we head toward the storage closet inside the classroom. Inside, we find a small selection of tools — mostly stuff used for little repairs or class projects. We gather what we can use: a hand saw, some sandpaper, and a few basic tools that aren't perfect but will have to do.

Lily has already started taking apart some of the wooden chairs, the sound of wood snapping filling the classroom. Sara collects the broken chair legs, her brows furrowing slightly, as she works. Tim and I use the hand saw to cut them down to better sizes, the repetitive motion filling the room with a harsh grating sound.

The loud, rhythmic scraping makes us all wince. Exchanging worried glances, we wordlessly agree to work quieter. We try our best to keep the noise down to a minimum, constantly glancing at the barricaded door as we work, afraid of attracting the zombies in the hallways. Surprisingly, or perhaps luckily, no undead visitors come during our impromptu crafting session.

The real challenge is turning these pieces of wood into something that actually looks like javelins. Without any fancy sharpening tools, we’ll have to get creative. We take turns using the sandpaper, working hard to make a point at one end of each stick. It is a slow and tiring process, and our hands quickly start to ache from all the effort.

After hours of hard work, we have a small pile of makeshift javelins. They are pretty basic, but they are sharp enough and feel sturdy in our hands. I pick up one of the javelins, testing its balance as I eye it closely. Then, in one smooth motion, I hurl it across the room towards the chalkboard. The wooden shaft whistles through the air, making a surprisingly satisfying sound. It hits the board with a solid thunk, burying itself nearly an inch deep into the soft wood.

The room goes quiet for a moment as we all stare at the chalkboard, the javelin quivering slightly from the impact. Then, I can't help but let out a triumphant grin. "Nice," I say, feeling a rush of confidence wash over me.

This is perfect.