DEGREES OF DEATH

Part 9 – Day 2 of Survival

DEGREES OF DEATH

When they reached the front of the campus building, Daniel slowed to a stop and signaled Xavier to crouch. Running blindly now would only get them killed.

“Quick, we need to get to the classroom as fast as possible, but don’t let them see us.” Daniel whispered, his eyes sweeping the area with sharp vigilance.

He glanced back at Xavier, who was clearly struggling. “Hold the bag, Vier. Get your bat ready to knock anything away if it comes close, but do it quietly.” Daniel hissed, his stare pressing down on every word.

Daniel took the lead, slipping between the shadows cast by the pillars along the outer corridor. Across the field, several undead figures still wandered aimlessly, their movements stiff and broken.

“Don’t provoke them. They don’t know we’re here yet.” Daniel muttered to himself, trying to suppress the frantic pounding in his chest.

Behind him, Xavier’s breathing was heavy and uneven. “The bag ... it’s really heavy, Niel,” he complained softly. His face was flushed, sweat streaming down his temples.

“Hold on. The stairs are just ahead.” Daniel replied without turning back, his focus locked forward.

They took a sharp turn toward the stairwell. Unfortunately, the moment Daniel reached the upper floor, he stopped short. Three zombies stood frozen at the far end of the hallway, blocking their path.

Daniel stiffened, one hand pressing against Xavier’s chest. “Quiet. Not a sound,” he whispered. He gestured for them to slowly back toward the nearest classroom door.

But disaster struck at the threshold. Xavier’s fingers, slick with sweat, failed to hold on.

CLANG!

The baseball bat slipped from his grasp and slammed against the tiled floor, the sharp sound echoing through the silent corridor.

Daniel froze. It felt as if his blood had stopped flowing as he watched all three undead heads snap toward them at once. Without warning, hungry growls merged into the thunder of rushing footsteps charging straight at them.

“We’re done for.” Xavier muttered as cans rattled loudly inside his bag.

Daniel drew a breath that burned like fire in his throat and shot a glance at Xavier, whose face had gone deathly pale. The three figures lurched forward in unison. Daniel tightened his grip on his bat until his knuckles turned white. He refused to die in this suffocating hallway. Before fear could fully paralyze them, Daniel grabbed Xavier by the shoulder, yanking him back into reality.

“Not yet, Vier. Fight.” Daniel shouted, his voice strained.

At that moment, one of them lunged.

“Get away from me, you ugly bastard,” Xavier yelled as he swung his bat, knocking the creature’s reach aside. He shoved it with his full weight, then drove a solid kick into its chest, sending the zombie crashing backward.

Daniel did not waste the opening. His focus snapped to the second zombie, which was already crawling toward Xavier’s bag. With a single explosive motion, Daniel brought the end of his bat down hard against the creature’s temple.

CRACK!

The dry sound of breaking bone echoed through the hallway, the impact vibrating sharply through Daniel’s palms. He did not wait for it to collapse completely. Before the rest could react to the noise, Daniel grabbed the collar of Xavier’s jacket.

“Get to the classroom now, before they bring the others.” Daniel shouted as he dragged Xavier roughly through the last doorway.

When they reached Classroom 2-B, Daniel had no time for subtlety. He slammed his fist against the door in the agreed emergency pattern. Knock knock knock. Knock. Knock knock.

But as the footsteps behind them grew closer, Daniel lost patience and began pounding on the door with all his strength.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

“Open up. Open the door,” Daniel shouted hoarsely. Adrenaline drove his heartbeat into his ears, drowning out everything except the harsh scraping of furniture from inside.

The door cracked open, revealing Bianca’s eyes. “Get in, now.”

Without waiting for an invitation, Daniel and Xavier stumbled inside.

The moment their feet crossed the threshold, Bianca and Chania slammed the door shut and locked it tight. On the other side of the room, Kimberly moved quickly, helping shove a heavy bookshelf back into place against the door, forming a barricade between them and the death waiting in the corridor.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Violent vibrations rippled through the handle and hinges. Something outside had started slamming itself into the wooden door.

“They’re outside. There are so many of them,” Bianca whispered, peeking through a gap in the classroom curtain.

Daniel collapsed onto the floor, his chest heaving. “Just leave it. Eat first. You need your strength.”

Daniel set his bag down as Xavier crawled over, his hands still shaking as he pulled off his backpack. He opened both zippers. Bottles of mineral water, wheat crackers, torn loaves of bread, chocolate bars, and canned corned beef spilled across the classroom floor.

“Eat, all of you. No one skips.” Chania said as she immediately grabbed a small bottle of water and drank.

The five of them gathered in a circle on the floor, right in the middle of the room, as if the pile of food were a campfire in the middle of a storm. Bianca tore open the bread packaging and divided it evenly into five portions.

“This tastes better than the most expensive pizza I’ve ever had,” Bianca muttered after taking a big bite.

“Here, chocolate for energy.” Xavier said, holding out a bar to Kimberly. “Eat, Kim. Don’t overthink it. We’ll find a way out.”

Kimberly accepted it, chewing slowly, her expression drained. “Thank you, Xavier. Thank you, Daniel.”

“Mhm.” Daniel replied, gulping down water. The cold liquid felt like it was dousing flames in his lungs. “We survived this morning, but they know we’re here now. Hear that?”

They all fell silent. Behind the barricaded door, the growling did not stop. Instead, the sound of fingernails scraping against wood grew more intense, as if the creatures were trying to dig their way inside.

“Niel, what if the door breaks?” Chania asked anxiously.

“The bookshelf will hold for a while. Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here,” Daniel said, turning his gaze toward the back window. “Through the window, I think. Toward the lab.”

Daniel leaned back, his eyes cutting sharply toward the wooden door behind him. Then, suddenly, silence fell. The pounding and scratching vanished.

Moments later, the classroom door shook violently.

Daniel and Xavier stiffened. Daniel frowned and stood, peering through a small gap in the window curtain.

“Open up. Please. They’re right behind me,” a man’s voice screamed, thick with desperation.

Daniel looked at Xavier, then at Alex beside him. Doubt flickered in their eyes.

“One person, Niel. It’s just one voice. Poor guy. Open it quickly, then close it again,” Xavier whispered.

“He’s still human. Just open it.” Alex added.

They finally slid the bookshelf aside just a few inches. A hand shot through in panic, followed by the body of a man in a gray hoodie who collapsed onto the classroom floor. Daniel, Alex, and Xavier immediately slammed the door shut again and reinforced the barricade with all their strength. Outside, the scratching sounds returned as the zombies lost the prey that had just slipped away.

The man’s breathing was erratic as he sat on the floor. His face was pale, cold sweat soaking his forehead. “Thank you ... thank you so much. I came from the building next door. My name is Satria.”

“You alone?” Daniel asked coldly, his eyes never leaving the man’s movements.

“Yes ... the others ... they didn’t make it,” Satria said, struggling to sit upright. His gaze immediately locked onto the pile of bread and water bottles in the center of the room. “Could I ... have a little? I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon.”

Chania moved to grab a bottle of water, but she stopped.

Kimberly, who had been silent in the corner, stared at Satria sharply.

“Wait,” Kimberly said. “Your jacket. Your left sleeve is torn.”