5. Doors Open

The prisoners were attacked savagely by a guard. His facial flesh was torn, bitten, and ripped apart greedily. The assailant emitted satisfied growls.

Other prisoners recoiled, panicking. Clyde and Chip stood frozen, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

Without hesitation, Jalen swung a frying pan towards the guard, now turned into a zombie. He struck the pan repeatedly, causing the zombie to stagger backwards. Then he hit again and again until the zombie's head cracked open, and its body went limp.

Jalen sank to the floor, gasping for breath. Pain radiated from his wrist, but what shook him the most was having killed someone.

"Jalen, are you okay?" Clyde asked.

As tough as Jalen was from his military training, he was still human. "I'm not okay, actually," Jalen replied.

"Are you injured?"

Jalen shook his head, exhaling tiredly. "Just open the door," he requested.

Chip peeked toward the door but didn't find their other companions there. "They left us!"

"The door is locked. The prisoners won't be able to go anywhere," Clyde replied.

Hastily, Clyde pressed several buttons with numbers and letters as indicators. From a distance, they heard screeching sounds and wheels sliding. The three nodded in unison and hurriedly left the hydraulic control room.

In the dark corridor, their footsteps were faintly audible. There were echoes of growls and shouts, the origins of which were unclear. However, they remained focused on their primary goal.

Clyde led the way through deserted corridors. However, they still had not encountered the other prisoners who had fled earlier. It needed to be made clear where they had gone.

Clyde's steps suddenly halted as they reached a corridor junction. He immediately turned off his flashlight, his breathing becoming more laboured.

"They are ahead," he whispered in panic.

Jalen cautiously looked left down the corridor. His vision was somewhat blurred due to the darkness, but he could see a group of guards tearing apart the prisoners lying on the floor.

They, who were once guards, growled lowly, making nauseating sounds of chewing and satisfaction. It made Jalen feel sick.

"Can we go straight ahead?" Jalen whispered.

"Or go back and take another route, but we can," Clyde nodded.

"Just straight. But, made no sound," Jalen said.

Carefully, Jalen ran ahead, crouching low, followed by Clyde. Jalen raised both hands, giving a signal to Chip.

Chip just nodded; he looked very anxious.

Everything was going smoothly until Chip's shoe squeaked.

It drew the attention of the zombies busy eating. They tilted their heads, sharpening their hearing, then growled and sniffed the air.

Chip curled up against the wall, leaning on it. Sweat dripped down his forehead and body. He was genuinely terrified.

The zombies walked towards the corridor junction. Jalen and Clyde couldn't just leave Chip, although they could if they wanted to. But Jalen's conscience couldn't allow Chip to be left alone.

A deafening, ear-piercing alarm sounded.

The zombies seemed to lose control, and they immediately sprinted towards the source of the sound. Miraculously, they surrounded Chip, continuing to run along the corridor, growling.

Jalen pulled Chip's limp body to his side.

"I pee on my pants," Chip whimpered.

"We must hurry," Jalen commanded.

Jalen saw the prisoners who had been devoured suddenly convulsing. The sound of bones cracking was heard, and then the prisoners' bodies began to move. With great effort, they tried to stand, sniffing around.

What Rat said about them being Revenants was true!

"Come on!" Clyde urged impatiently.

The three of them continued to run towards the guards' room without saying a word. Screams and roars could be heard in the distance. Jalen occasionally glanced back, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Until they reached the guards' room, Clyde opened the secure iron gate and the door. Once they were inside, he locked the gate and the door. Jalen looked at him in surprise.

"Why did you lock it from the inside?" Jalen asked.

"The alarm signals danger, like in the event of a fire when everyone has to evacuate," Clyde explained.

"And?" Jalen needed help understanding. "Isn't that good? Maybe the authorities will know the situation here."

"No, it triggers all the doors in Building B to open automatically."

Jalen and Chip were shocked by Clyde's words.

If all the doors were open, the prisoners behind bars would come out. But they didn't know what danger was threatening them. These prisoners would become prey.

"I had to lock us in here for now. Where would we go? If every place is exposed?" Clyde said.

"Who's the idiot who activated the evacuation alarm?" Jalen slammed the table in frustration.

Chip and Clyde were startled by Jalen's sudden angry reaction.

"What about Buildings A, C, or D? Maybe we can find a safe place there?" Chip suggested.

"I think there might be infected people there, too," Clyde replied.

Clyde searched among the array of keys hanging on the wall panels. Meanwhile, Chip opened the closet doors and grabbed spare clothes. Jalen stood silently near the doorway.

He noticed neatly lined up rifles in a corner near the wardrobe. "Where are your handcuffs?" Clyde showed the keys in his hand.

It didn't take long; the handcuffs on Jalen and Chip's wrists were now off. Jalen immediately grabbed a rifle, and so did Chip. Meanwhile, Clyde sat at one of the work desks, looking puzzled.

"Do you know what really happened, Clyde?" Jalen asked.

Clyde shook his head. "I've only been here for two months."

"Didn't you notice anything strange before?"

"When I arrived, there was a massive vaccination campaign," Clyde replied. "But no one was sick, and there was no epidemic here."

"Indeed, there wasn't. This place seemed perfectly healthy," Chip added.

"Have you been vaccinated?" Jalen redirected his attention to Chip.

"I haven't been vaccinated yet," Chip added.

"In this building, only a few prisoners have been vaccinated," Clyde said.

"What vaccine?" Jalen looked curious.

Clyde and Chip exchanged glances. "We don't know."

They heard a loud commotion from the outside corridor and exterior area. Jalen peeked out of a small window in the guard room, looking outside.

Hundreds of people were running in fear, being chased by dozens of prisoners and guards. Those infected were attacking anyone in their path. Then, those who had fallen rose and attacked other humans.

Jalen was shocked. "Oh, Lord."