The screams of the elder echoed in the dilapidated building and carried on into the streets. Carl and Janice were the first to act and rushed towards the struggling man. They bent over to reach the man on the floor and while Janice tried to pull the husband away, Carl was desperately trying to pry open the hands of the biting woman to release her former lover.

During the time they were pushing and pulling, Chris and the clerk merely stared at the grisly scene, abject terror portrayed on their faces while Jane kept alternating between cursing and screaming out loud.

Danny on the other hand, quickly reached his backpack. Getting down on one knee, Danny opened the zipper and pulled out the hammer he had previously kept hidden inside. Afterwards, Danny lifted his gaze from the backpack and realized that Janice had managed to pull the man free from the now flailing woman.

Carl and Janice dragged the man trough the floor and away from the menace. The woman kept roaring and trying to dislodge herself from under the debris. Luckily, she couldn’t move around, otherwise Danny thought the situation would be much worse.

That didn’t help the old man though. While being dragged through the floor, he left a trail of blood that spilled from the gaping wound in his neck, showing the massive blood loss the man was suffering every second.

The man could barely even make a sound. Only gurgling sounds came from his bloodied mouth, which probably meant that the man wouldn’t make it.

Danny didn’t know if the man would suffocate to death or pass away due to the blood loss, and Danny also didn’t know which case would be preferable. The man was clearly unluckier than the woman, having to suffer longer until he drew his last breath.

Despite Danny’s inner thoughts, taking in the situation took merely a moment, and within a few seconds he was already rushing towards the raving woman.

There was no hesitation both in his mind and actions. Danny swiftly raised his arms while holding the hammer’s handle with both hands and delivered a crushing blow towards her head, while cautiously avoiding her grasp.

Although Danny didn’t put his whole strength into the blow – since he didn’t want to lose accuracy – the might of the attack was still powerful enough to smash her skull and completely disfigure the woman.

It had to be said that during the past years Danny put the effort to keep in shape every single day, not missing his schedule training even once, therefore, even without putting his full strength to use, the strike was still stronger than what one could expect from a youth his age.

The results were immediate. While blood, brain matter and whatever else splatted around her former unblemished face, the woman’s body shuddered once before ceasing any kind of movement again.

Danny cautiously stepped back and observed the body warily, waiting to see if the woman would start stirring again. Though his actions were fast and decisive, he couldn’t be too sure if they would be effective.

All this time that Danny had been preparing, he always assumed, from the limited information he had, that he would be facing demons and creatures alike. From what he gathered in between his own speculations and Tutu’s words; Danny felt that was the most likely scenario.

When the ground started shaking, Danny felt surprised but not overly so. Many things could cause an earthquake after all, and who knew what the underlying reason was? Maybe the ground really was cracking open and demons were creeping out from the depths of the earth like many myths foretold.

However, when faced with what Danny could only think of as a zombie, he was completely caught by surprise. Never in his wildest dreams he had considered having to face this kind of monstrosity.

For Danny, zombies were creatures derived from the realm of fiction. In the hours and days of time spent deducing what kinds of misfortune he might be faced with, not even a single second was expended considering the likelihood of such absurd nonsense.

Even so, here it was. That same nonsense was now lying on the ground half-buried and with a smashed face, proving that one can never truly predict the future.

Maybe there was an explanation that was more in line with what Danny thought as demonic than zombies. Maybe the woman got possessed or something like that, although Danny felt it was unlikely. Whatever the reason was, he wouldn’t be able to find out in the short term.

All knowledge Danny had over zombies originated from tv shows and fictional literature. In the clash between reality and fiction, what could Danny do other than act upon the meager assumptions such stories led him to believe?

Aim to destroy the head, any other body part will not bring the thing down. Be careful with their bite, it might be infectious. Those were the main considerations going through his mind.

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It was with those uncertain pieces of information that Danny tried to re-kill the woman. Although his heart was full of misgivings, Danny acted decisively and swiftly smashed the thing’s head.

He had long learned from his disputes with the demon that hesitation was worse than any action, no matter if it was wrong or right. If you do not make a choice when you could, a choice would be made for you.

As Danny saw that the corpse kept still, he released the breath that had been stuck in his lungs in relief. Whether he had to truly destroy the head to put an end to the corpse remained to be seen. Danny would have to find out more about this new menace as he went, verifying information along the way whenever possible. Meanwhile, crushing the head seemed to work just fine.

Danny turned around and saw Chris and Jane looking his way stupefied. They felt a mix of awe, confusion and even a little bit of fear as well. The complete disregard towards danger and human life Danny showed was stunning after all.

For all they knew, the woman could very much be saved after all. In such a confusing and real situation, who could act so ruthlessly? In the end, zombies were fictious beings in everyone’s view, not only Danny’s. It was hard to adapt to those circumstances. If not for the previous earthquake and very clear signs of destruction, most would think they were caught on a prank show or something of the sort.

Janice and Carl were also aware of his actions but they gave no evidence of their inner feelings about it. As soon as the old woman stopped moving, they stopped watching their surroundings and tried their best to help the wounded man.

Now that the threat was gone, they could wholeheartedly put their attention and efforts into trying to save the elder. Not that their dedication would make a difference though.

Anyone could see that the old man was a hopeless case despite their efforts. Even if there was an ambulance parked outside and he received professional treatment as soon as he was separated from his dead wife’s teeth, he most likely wouldn’t make it. The wound’s location was too critical, and the blood loss too fast.

Even though that was the case, both his classmates still tried to help him to the best of their abilities. Their conscience wouldn’t allow to give up on the old man without even trying. In a way, it could be said that they were treating the man for themselves, to maintain their own clear conscience and sense of morality.

The clerk only stood close by, staring at their actions dumbfounded and afraid, as he watched the only acquaintance he had left in the room dying while wondering how everything could go to shit so fast.

Danny kept the bloodied hammer in his right hand as he approached the duo kneeling on the ground. Jane and Chris soon followed. Now that the coffee shop fell into silence – only disturbed by the dying man’s choking sounds – they become painfully aware of the screams and unhuman roaring sounds coming from the distance.

If the present situation was any indication of the state of things outside the wrecked room, then they were facing a very grim near future.

All of them stood in silence as the man drew his last breath a few seconds later. His tearful and indignant gaze never leaving the unmoving form of his wife – even as he slowly lost the ability to see – darkness slowly settling in.

Janice and Carl removed their hands covered in blood from the man’s wound.

Even through the cloth they found somewhere during the commotion to stanch the bleeding, blood still seeped and drenched their hands.

“You have to get away from him, what happened with his wife might happen to him as well. You already did your best”. Danny said, while keeping his sight locked on the old man’s motionless form.

Janice looked towards Danny and opened her mouth to speak up, but when she saw that Carl had gotten up and was distancing himself from the corpse, she closed her mouth and grit her teeth while doing the same.

Danny could understand her feelings. The man had just died and not even two seconds had passed before Danny broke the silence. It really was very disrespectful and insensitive on his part, however, Danny did it anyway without any delay.

Now was not the time to be sympathetic. They were all at risk at the moment and no one really saw when the woman had first died. Would the man revive like a zombie as well? How long would it take if so? Seconds? Minutes? Danny didn’t want to take the chance of getting caught unprepared.

Very soon Carl returned to Danny’s side and nodded at him showing his stance and support on the matter, before attentively looking at the corpse lying on the floor. Carl was holding a piece of metal pipe that he found on the floor and seemed to have broken from somewhere.

Janice also returned afterwards holding a wooden table leg with both hands. No one else approached afterwards. Jane, Chris and the clerk stood a few meters away waiting apprehensively.

Danny didn’t think less of them because of it. People were different and had all kinds of varied inclinations, dispositions and abilities. It was better if they stood away and didn’t try to help with fighting if they were not confident in their skills, as a mistake could very much cost someone’s life, and not only theirs at that. A mishap on their part might endanger Carl, Janice or even Danny’s life.

Danny gripped the handle of the hammer firmly with both hands and stood prepared, undisturbed by the uncomfortable quietude that had settled around the room, with a readied overhead swing in position and aiming at the corpse’s head with an unflinching gaze.

At this time his experience with hardships showed itself. While Janice on his left and Carl on his right kept stirring and mumbling, clenching and relaxing their muscles as the seconds flew by, stressing themselves out in the tense atmosphere, Danny simply stood still, like a drawn bow waiting to unleash its power, unmoved by the tension.

They didn’t have to wait long though. After a few minutes, Danny caught a glimpse of movement and, almost as if on reflex, smashed downwards with his hammer, pulverizing the poor man’s head.

Carl and Janice barely had time to think before the problem was already solved. The breath that they had not realized they were holding was released at the same time. The situation would be humorous – as numerous sighs escaped around the room simultaneously – if not for the knowledge that they were not out of the woods yet, as the situation outside was still dangerous and unclear. No one had the presence of mind to laugh at the moment.