Cold air instantly pierced Daniel’s skin as Xavier slid the back window latch of Classroom 2-B.The aluminum frame creaked very softly. Xavier held his breath. He turned his head toward the hallway outside the classroom to ensure no creatures had heard them. The atmosphere remained quiet. Only the sound of Alex’s snoring and the steady breathing of the other group members could be heard from within the dark room."Are you sure about this plan, Boss?" Xavier whispered near Daniel’s ear. "Your right arm is completely destroyed. Going down that water pipe is suicide.""I still have one left hand and a pair of legs that function perfectly," Daniel replied, his tone flat. "Our success ratio depends on silence, not on a test of physical strength.""I can go alone. You stay here

  BANG! The sound exploded like a bomb in the silence of dawn.The rusty iron shelf of the convenience store slammed into the floor tiles with full force. Hundreds of grocery items were thrown into the air. Fragments of glass jars bounced wildly. That wave of noise did not stop inside the room. The mechanical sound shot out through the gap of the half-open glass door.The echo of the collision hit the wet asphalt of the street outside.A carton of instant noodles slipped from Xavier’s arms. It fell with a thud near his feet. Xavier froze in place. His face lost all its color. His mouth hung open, staring at the chaos at the tips of his boots."Damn it." Xavier’s voice shook violently. "I

Daniel gripped the mechanical alarm clock tightly. His left index finger pinned down the alarm trigger to keep the metal spring from releasing."You are going to throw a clock that small?" Xavier narrowed his eyes in doubt. "The sound won't be loud enough to overpower their growling downstairs.""This device is made of solid brass," Daniel explained as he walked toward the shattered glass of the balcony window. "Inside the clock's mechanism is a pair of twin bells. If the spring is fully wound, the striking sound will reach over ninety decibels. That piercing noise will echo perfectly between the walls of the empty shophouses.""And you are sure your throw will reach the shophouse next door?""I have to make it reach."Daniel stood at the edge of the convenience store's second-floor balcony. The afternoon wind brushed against his face, carrying the lingering traces of fog. Below him, dozens of the blind monsters stood motionless on the asphalt and behind the shattered glass doors of t

 "Please... open the door. I'm a student here..."The hoarse voice slipped through the gap beneath the wooden door of Classroom 2-B. It sounded incredibly fragile, every word trembling with fear and the bite of the night cold.Xavier froze instantly. A piece of corned beef slipped from his plastic spoon.Alex tightened his grip on his pipe wrench, the muscles in his forearms tensing. Chania and Bianca exchanged wide-eyed stares from the corner of the room.In the darkest corner, Daniel forced his eyes open. Although a raging fever burned through his body, his survival instincts instantly took