DEGREES OF DEATH

Part 4 – No Signal

DEGREES OF DEATH

Xavier wiped the cold sweat from his temple, his hands still clutching the laptop bag tightly. “We’re safe. But what about you, Niel?” His eyes swept over Daniel’s body, searching for wounds or any lingering mark from the death that had nearly dragged him away moments ago.

Daniel only gave a short nod in response. He rose slowly, even though the joints in his legs still felt stiff after brushing so close to the edge. He deliberately turned his back on them for a moment, steadying his breathing so it would not sound as unsteady as it felt.

The silence grew heavy instead.

Daniel could feel the weight of their stares, a mix of relief and deep concern. They watched his back as if they were looking at someone who had just crawled out of a grave to make sure they were still alive.

He finally let his body sag, leaning his back against the cold, damp concrete wall. His eyes closed briefly as the adrenaline drained away, leaving behind the relentless thud of his heartbeat pounding in his chest. The smell of dust and burnt rubber inside the warehouse pressed against his lungs.

“I’m fine.”

“Are we… trapped?” Bianca whispered. Her voice trembled, nearly swallowed by the darkness.

Daniel opened his eyes and glanced at her. His gaze remained sharp, though exhaustion carved faint lines across his face. He did not answer right away. He knew his words would shape her resolve. “Not yet,” he murmured. His voice was low and steady, deliberately pushing back the doubt creeping through the room.

He extended a hand, signaling for Chania’s phone. With fingers that were still slightly stiff, Daniel studied the cracked screen, reopening the digital map of the campus. The blue glow illuminated his face, smeared with dust and sweat.

“We just need a new strategy.” Daniel said, scrubbing a hand roughly over his face as he forced his thoughts into order. “Sitting here does nothing but bait them. We can’t stay put until they realize we’re hiding here.”

“Vier, your phone,” Daniel ordered, quiet but firm. “Call anyone. The police, the military, your parents. We need to know whether this madness is only happening on campus, or if the whole city has already fallen apart.”

Xavier reached into his pocket. The bright screen lit up his pale face, carving deep shadows beneath his eyes. He stared at it for several long seconds before his shoulders slumped.

“Damn it .…” Xavier muttered, his voice catching.

“What?” Daniel asked.

“Niel … there’s no signal. Completely dead. No Service.” Xavier held up the screen, the empty bars mocking them. “Try Chania’s.”

Daniel immediately checked the phone in his hand. His eyes scanned the top corner of the screen, searching for even the smallest sign of hope.

There was nothing. He released a harsh breath that burned his throat and let his head tap lightly against the concrete wall, a brief gesture of frustration he tried to conceal.

“The signal’s gone.” Daniel said flatly. His voice was low and cold. “We really can’t use our phones right now.”

The words hung heavily in the air.

Somewhere below them, beyond the concrete walls of the warehouse, the mass continued to growl. The sound of claws scraping against metal and wet, hungry breaths drifted upward, relentless, as if patiently waiting for their prey to fall.

Xavier, Chania, and Bianca exchanged looks in the dim light, their faces rigid with fear. But when their eyes returned to Daniel, sitting upright with his jaw clenched tight, a fragile sense of calm spread between them. Daniel did not look like someone who was giving up, and that alone was enough to keep them from breaking apart.

Suddenly, a sharp creak of wood cut through the silence from the far corner of the dark room.

Daniel reacted instantly. He shot to his feet, gripping the baseball bat at his side, body coiled and ready to strike. Xavier raised his dented metal tray, setting his stance. Their eyes locked onto a large equipment cabinet in the corner.

The door swung open slowly. Two men emerged from behind a chaotic pile of balls and tangled nets. “Wait… it’s us,” one of them whispered hoarsely.

Daniel lowered his weapon slightly, but his eyes stayed alert. Alex and Noah, his teammates from the basketball club. Both looked disheveled, clothes smeared with dust, faces slick with cold sweat. They must have been hiding there long enough to hear every plan Daniel had spoken aloud.

Daniel did not lower the bat completely. He stepped closer, letting the faint light from Chania’s phone illuminate their faces. “Alex? Noah?”

“We thought you were one of … them.” Noah whispered, wiping sweat from his brow.

Daniel studied Alex’s labored breathing. “How long have you been in there?” he asked.

“Since the first chaos on the court,” Alex replied.

Daniel exhaled sharply. His sharp gaze shifted to the way Alex stood, slightly hunched. “Anyone hurt?” Daniel asked, his voice heavier now, probing.

Noah shook his head quickly, but Alex hesitated before lifting his chin. “Just a bruise from getting slammed into a door. We’re clean, Niel. I swear.”

Daniel held Alex’s gaze for several seconds, searching for deception. In this world, doubt could mean death for all of them. “Good,” Daniel said at last, though he still kept a careful step of distance.

He tightened his grip on the aluminum baseball bat, feeling its solid weight in his palm. He made a short practice swing, the whistle of metal slicing through the stale air of the warehouse. His eyes then swept over the metal baskets filled with basketballs and the stacks of athletic equipment in the dim corner.

A plan began to take shape in his mind, cold and uncompromising.

“You’re thinking the same thing, right?” Daniel murmured without turning. His voice was low, almost a growl, carrying an authority that silenced everyone.

He tossed spare wooden bats toward Noah and Alex, who caught them quickly. Then Daniel moved to the archery equipment rack and pulled out a sturdy black recurve bow. He glanced at Bianca.

“Can you still aim properly?” Daniel asked sharply.

Bianca nodded faintly, her fingers curling into fists. “I can. But… I’ve never aimed at something alive.”

“Now you will,” Daniel said, handing her the bow. “You’re our eyes. Take down anything that blocks our path before it gets close enough to smell us. Understood?”

Daniel turned to Xavier, who was still clutching the metal tray, breathing hard. The tray was dented in several places, but its wide surface could still take a hit. “Keep holding that,” Daniel ordered curtly. “It’s the only thing standing between your chest and them.”

His gaze then dropped to Chania, who was leaning against a locker. He froze when he noticed the red stain spreading across her knee.

“Your knee,” Daniel murmured, his eyes narrowing. “Are you alright?”