12:19 a.m. April 24, 2015
Sarah followed me out of the laundry room and I led the way through the door back towards the elevator I was going to leave in earlier.
I turned back towards her and whispered, “Probably best to keep to the stairs rather than the elevator…also, watch your back. They almost caught me off-guard earlier.” She nodded in understanding. Rather than walking further up the hallway to the elevator, we stopped ten yards back at a door on our right. I turn back, nod towards Sarah, and open the door slowly with my shoulder.
Looking on the other side of the door I see nothing, but it sounds as if a lot is happening above us. Staying on high alert, I push past the door and onto the stairs with Sarah close behind. Walking up the final steps to the first floor, I look through a rectangular window in the door and what I see makes me want to puke. Forcing it back down, I look out the window again to see ripped up pieces of what appeared to be at least twenty people strewn across the lounge. It was hard to tell the exact number because the whole lobby was littered with random body parts. The couches, carpet, and large glass windows of the dorm were stained with dark red blood and the smell of iron drifted through under the door in front of me.
“Alex, is it safe?” Sarah hesitantly asked.
“Not at all…We need to go further up…I live on third floor. Come on it’s not safe here.” Taking one last glance at the slaughter on the other side of the door, I led the way up another flight of steps. Stopping next to the second floor door, I had to rely on my hearing to comprehend what was going on due to the lack of a window pane in the door. Placing my ear on the door, I hear muffled shouts, screaming, crying, loud cracks of wood splintering, heavy breathing and growling. My face became a shade paler as fear struck me. All the noise was currently coming from this floor while the noises above sounded more confused rather than pained.
“Alex, we need to help them. Those people need us!” Sarah loudly whispered snapping me out of my fear.
“Sarah…we can’t save everyone. I’m sorry. It seems as if whatever is in the building is doing a floor by floor sweep of the dorm…” I began to shakily explain.
Tears threatened to fall from Sarah’s eyes…
“…Look, we either need to go upstairs and prepare ourselves with more people or leave the dorm and attempt to survive outside. I’m no hero. I’d rather put up a fight on the third floor or possibly even the fourth than face any unknown dangers outside. In here we have a chance to survive until help comes…but I’m not going into the second floor to throw my life away on a suicide run.” I finish explaining and the resolve to survive no matter what shined through in my eyes.
She nodded as tears fell from her eyes.
I looked at her with pity, but continued climbing the stairs up to the third floor and she followed. As we reached the third floor door, I pushed it open and was immediately met with the sight of a large group of my floor mates. Seeing my bloodstained clothing and the crying girl behind me, everyone instantly quieted down and looked at me expectantly. I swept a glance across the group and recognized many of the people on my side of the hall while the people I didn’t know must’ve come from the other half of the third floor.
“…Look…I’m sure you all have questions, but we need to go up to the fourth floor to regroup now because I’m not sure how much time we have until they finish with the second floor…” I spoke slowly but clearly.
Everyone looked at me confused and loud chatter broke out across the room all directed right at me.
“Alex, who’s blood is that!?” screamed a girl from my right.
“You’re gonna need to give a better explanation than that if you want anyone to go anywhere” spoke a tall, overweight man.
“Alex, when’d you get a sword!?” yelled my roommate from within the crowd.
And then it came out. Quietly at first, but rising in volume by the second…
“Who are they?” A short black haired girl that I didn’t recognize worriedly asked me.
A flash of fear crossed my face as I thought back to the short life and death situation I’d had mere minutes ago and how it may not be the only one I’d have to survive before this catastrophe ends. The room quieted down once more and waited for my reply.
“If anyone wants any answers, then you’ll meet me in the fourth floor lounge in less than three minutes. Also, do what’s good for you and grab anything that can be used as a weapon…” I waved my two foot sword in the air. “Get everyone up there. And I do mean everyone.” I said in a serious tone thinking about all the dead on the first floor and currently dying people on the second floor.
“But why should…” the upperclassman from the crowd once again tried to ask, but not before I could cut him off.
“If you can’t wait for an explanation, then by all means you can stay on this floor and wait for the answer to come up here and rip you apart.” As I said this, I directed my hardest glare at the upperclassman for all of one second, turned on my heel and began jogging down the hall towards my room dragging Sarah along with me.
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Everyone stood frozen for a moment, but then they all burst into action. Most made a mad dash to their rooms to wake roommates or find something useful to fight with. Others completely forgot about grabbing anything and rushed through the door I came through. Others chose to exit through the doors placed at both ends of the hall and use the stairwells located there.
I reach my room and pull the door open to find my suitemates playing Madden on their Xbox 360.
“Hey Alex, what’s up with all the noise” one of them asked me without turning his face from the screen.
“Yeah, it sounds like something crazy is going on downstairs. Is there some sort of party going on?” the other asked while also keeping his focus on the game.
They each turn towards me and see my bloody clothes and sword and jumped out of their seats.
“I’ll explain upstairs in the lounge, just get up there quickly and gather everyone you can.” I urgently replied as I walked into my room. My roommate passed by me heading for his golf clubs in the corner of the room. “Oh, you may both want to grab something that you can swing and hit stuff with! Seriously, this is a really bad situation!” I shouted from my room.
My suitemates knew I wouldn’t lie to them so they went about finding weapons although reluctantly at first. I walked towards my closet and rummaged around for a couple seconds before coming out with my tennis racket.
“Here…” I said passing the racket to Sarah. “Should help you out better than that dagger since it’s got some reach to it.”
I turned towards my roommate and jokingly say, “It’s a shame that this is probably the only real action those clubs of yours will see all year.”
Laughing my jibe at his golfing skills off, he walked out of the room with his whole golf bag saying, “Shit, I needed the practice at some point.” He was followed out by my suitemates and they all turned to enter the stairs at our end of the hall.
Glancing sideways at Sarah, I motioned with my head towards the door and we walked out. Shutting the door behind me, I dropped down and placed my ear on the ground listening. I heard the same muffled screaming and more banging noises.
‘They’re probably unable to break through the doors quickly?’ I thought.
Grimacing slightly I thought back to my earlier comment to Sarah about not being a hero.
‘It’s not that I don’t want to save them…I just can’t do it alone. I’ll do my best to save as many of you as I can once I get everything situated. Just hold on’ I silently promised.
In contrast, the entire third floor was completely silent. Rushing to the stairwell, Sarah and I climbed up to the fourth floor. Once we reached the fourth floor hallway, I could see a group of about twenty people at the middle of the hall stuck outside of the lounge due to a lack of space. Thinking about the casualties below us, I knew that I had to make this quick so I dashed down the hall towards the crowd. Upon seeing my bloodstained clothing and small sword, a path was opened for me to enter the lounge. Squeezing through with Sarah, I climbed onto the nearest table while waving my sword arm up to gain attention.
Upon seeing me, the people from the third floor who knew me instantly hushed everyone around them and in moments all eyes were on me and the whole place went silent waiting for me to speak.
I take a deep breath and speak as loudly as possible, “There is a threat to our lives tonight! The noises you hear coming from below us are from an attack commanded by the ships above and although it may seem hard to believe, the attackers are monsters! Like the type you’d see in a fantasy RPG…listen, we need to choose between either barricading ourselves off up here and waiting for help or going down to the second floor to help any survivors by fighting off the monsters! Remember, those people downstairs are humans with lives of their own. We have the means to save them…it’s the humane thing to do!” As I spoke, I saw many people looking skeptical and the tall upperclassman from earlier once again looked as though he were about to cut me off.
Pointing my sword at him, I said in a deathly quiet voice, “I swear to God, if you ask me how I know any of this is real I’ll end you myself.” He quickly shut his mouth and fear rose to the forefront of his eyes.
“As everyone can see…!” I continued loudly, “...there’s a lot of blood on me because I fought some of them, killed them and saved her!” I pointed at Sarah.
“And I doubt anybody could just find this…” waving my sword in the air “…lying on the ground! Considering we all go to this school, I know that none of you are stupid. So believe me and we’ll figure out what to do next!” I finished.