DEGREES OF DEATH

Chapter 2: A Single Second of Doubt

 

Shards of glass exploded into the air like a rain of lethal crystals, their sharp edges catching the pale light of the corridor’s neon bulbs. Blood-drenched bodies spilled into the second-floor hallway.

They trampled one another. They shoved and clawed. Not a single whimper of pain escaped them as thick shards of glass pierced their bare soles.

"Run, Daniel! Run, damn it!" Xavier screamed directly into his ear.

"Don't turn around, Xavier," Daniel said, his voice dropping to a chill. His jaw set. "Keep facing forward. Fall back slowly."

"Are you insane? They're in our hallway!"

"If you turn around, you create a blind spot behind you." Daniel stepped backward with measured, precise strides, his eyes scanning the advancing threats. "Keep your balance. Maintain our retreat formation."

"To hell with the formation! We're going to get eaten alive!"

"Control your panic. Loud, scraping footsteps will only draw them faster."

Daniel continued to lead their retreat, forcing raw logic to suppress his fear. This was an outbreak. Maintaining a safe distance was the most basic safety protocol. They only needed to reach the northern end of the hall and find a classroom they could lock from the inside.

Suddenly, Daniel’s retreat came to an abrupt halt as his back collided heavily with someone.

"Oh, careful." A soft female voice came from behind him.

Daniel turned his head. Standing there was Becca, an upperclassman, clutching a thick stack of manila folders to her chest. Her face was a picture of pure confusion.

"Daniel? Why are you walking backward like that?" she asked.

The folders in her hands were slightly crumpled, and several sheets of white paper fluttered to the tiled floor.

"Becca, don't ask questions." Daniel spun around fully, locking his eyes onto hers. "Turn around right now. Follow me to the western stairs."

"My thesis drafts fell, Daniel." Becca knelt down. "Help me pick them up. My advisor is waiting in his office."

"Leave the papers." Daniel dropped to one knee and grabbed her wrist. "Your life is worth more than a few sheets of paper."

"You're acting so strange today." Becca gently pulled her hand from his grip and neatly retrieved a page. "What is even going on at the end of the hall? Why is there so much noise?"

A piercing shriek cut her off.

The heavy-set student who had been weeping on the floor was now submerged beneath a pile of thrashing bodies. The sound of tearing flesh echoed clearly through the hall, like wet cloth being ripped apart. Fresh blood sprayed across the white corridor walls.

The papers slipped from Becca's hand. Her eyes widened, her lips trembling violently.

"Oh, my God. What are they doing to him?" her voice cracked into a terrified whisper, her face instantly draining of color.

"Close your eyes." Daniel reached out, trying to grab her by the shoulder. "Focus on my voice. Get up and walk to the western stairs right now."

"They... they’re eating his neck, Daniel." Becca stepped back on trembling legs, ignoring his outstretched hand. Shock had completely paralyzed her motor functions.

"Move, man! They're starting to run at us!" Xavier grabbed the collar of Daniel’s jacket, tugging hard.

Daniel brushed Xavier’s hand off. He took another step forward to grab Becca by force. Logic dictated he needed to get this witness to safety. They required more information about which areas of the campus were already compromised.

From the feeding frenzy over the heavy-set student, a shadow suddenly detached itself.

A student in a torn flannel shirt lunged toward them. His face was a mangled ruin, his lower jaw dislocated and bleeding heavily. His eyes were entirely bloodshot from ruptured capillaries.

The creature didn't target Daniel. Its blood-red gaze was locked onto Becca, who stood frozen in the middle of the hallway.

"Becca, watch out!" Daniel shouted.

Daniel prepared to spring forward, his calf muscles tensing to intercept the threat.

But in the fraction of a second before he moved, his brain did what it always did. It calculated. It was a bad habit from his old life, one he had not yet unlearned.

Target speed is five meters per second. Collision distance is three meters. Success rate of interception is below twenty percent. High risk of pathogen contamination through blood contact. If I step forward, I get infected.

Daniel’s body reacted to the logical conclusion. His motor nerves vetoed his protective instinct.

He froze.

His hand hung uselessly in the air. He stood rigid, watching the danger close in, his mind caught in a split-second deadlock between saving another human and prioritizing his own survival.

It was only a single second. A single second of doubt born from the arrogance of his old-world logic.

That second drew the line between life and death.

The creature in the flannel shirt leaped past Daniel's left shoulder. The metallic stench of rust hit Daniel's nose as the body rushed through the air.

There was a heavy impact.

The creature slammed into Becca with full force, sending her crashing backward. Her head struck the tiled floor with a sickening crack.

"No," Daniel whispered, the breath catching in his throat.

The creature immediately mounted her. Becca thrashed in panic, striking the student's mangled face with what little strength she had left.

"Daniel! Help me!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her face. Her left hand reached toward him, fingers clawing at the empty air.

Daniel snapped out of his mental paralysis. His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white, and he took a step forward to kick the creature off her.

Too late.

The bloody jaw clamped deep into the right side of Becca's neck. The sound of a ruptured artery echoed in the narrow hallway. Bright red blood sprayed out like a leaking hose, staining a nearby metal locker.

A few warm droplets splashed across Daniel's left cheek.

Daniel stopped. His pulse hammered against his throat.

Becca’s eyes remained locked on his. The terror in them slowly began to fade. Her outstretched hand fell limp against the floor, and her whimpers of pain dissolved into a wet, choking gurgle.

"Damn it! Get up! Run, Daniel!" Xavier grabbed Daniel again, pulling him back with absolute, panic-driven strength.

Daniel let himself be dragged away. His mind was blank. Reality hit him without mercy. He had killed her. Not because his hands had touched her neck, but because he had used his brain when he should have used his instincts.

Mathematical calculations of risk and distance meant nothing here. In this new world, a single second of doubt was a death sentence for someone else. A deep, bitter regret burned in his chest like acid.

"I miscalculated," Daniel whispered, his lips pale. "I let her die, Xavier."

"You couldn't have done anything! You're not a superhero! We have to survive first!"

Xavier kept pulling him by the arm. They retreated around the corner of the corridor, heading toward the row of empty classrooms.

The creature in the flannel shirt was still busy tearing at Becca's neck. Behind it, the rest of the mob began to notice the sound of tearing flesh. Dozens of tilted heads turned toward her lifeless body.

Daniel stood rigid at the corner of the turn. He refused to look away from her. He stared at the blood on her face, wanting to burn this fatal mistake into his memory. He swore he would never hesitate again. Fear had to be eradicated.

The flannel-shirted creature suddenly raised its head from Becca's neck, sniffing the damp air of the corridor. It scrambled away, pursuing the screams of other students at the northern end of the hall.

Becca’s body lay still, blood pooling around her long hair. Her chest no longer rose or fell. She was clinically dead.

Daniel turned on his heel, preparing to run.

A loud, snapping sound of shifting bone echoed from the pool of blood.

Daniel held his breath and looked back around the corner.

Becca’s slender fingers began to twitch in jerky, erratic movements. Her body convulsed violently. Slowly, her head lifted from the floor, her torn neck exposing the gruesome tissue beneath.

Her eyelids snapped open.

Her once-gentle eyes were now entirely white, black veins spreading rapidly across her corneas. She stared directly at Daniel, letting out an unnatural growl that did not belong to a human voice.