6. We will die

They waited until Joseph could get out of the room. When August saw that he was already okay, their companions went down one by one. Carla, Leo, and he went out of the room.

“Let’s be quiet as much as we can,” Carla instructed.

The two of them nodded. They walked slowly. August saw the zombies scattered on the first floor. The first floor was big enough, but because the zombies were crawling inside, it wouldn’t fit them. Some went to the rooms. There were a few that were already going to the second floor. Carla and Leo were at the back, while August pursued, using knives against the zombies nearing them.

“Now!” Carla shouted.

The zombies looked at them. They growled and started to walk toward them. August immediately stabbed the zombie in front of him, while Carla and Leo were now shooting the zombies. The place was filled with growling, and zombies wanted to eat them.

“It’s happening! We need to move faster!” said the woman again.

Because of her scream, some zombies heard them and started to go to them.

“Shit! They're coming!” Jude said.

“Move faster!” Joseph ordered. He was already on the ground, helping them climb the ladder. There were four people already out and running to the safe place they thought it was. “Don’t go there!” he said. But the three went the other way instead of going to the building. Joseph cursed in his mind. “Move faster!”

“Let me go first!” said the woman. She pushed the man who was currently coming down from the window. Because of what she did, the man fell down, and his back went first. He screamed in pain.

“What did you do?!” Joseph exclaimed.

But the woman did not answer him. She went down faster than she could. Joseph couldn’t stop her anymore when she climbed the ladder. He went to the man and helped him stand up.

“Can you move?” he asked.

“Joseph! They are coming!” Jude said. He was still inside. He could hear the gunshots and shouts from outside. Beside him was Nicka, who didn't know what to do.

Joseph looked behind him when he heard the ladder fall. His eyes widened when he saw that the ladder was already on the other side of the wall. The woman was now running away from them, and the zombies were nearing them.

“D-Don’t leave me, please!” the man begged.

Nicka looked at the guns. She got one and gave it to Joseph. “Get a gun!” she said. She also got a gun for her and started shooting the zombies that were nearing Joseph.

“Climb now!” said Joseph.

Then the man forced himself to stand up. But his back was aching that much and he couldn’t move. He cried and was in pain while touching his back. He looked at the zombies and realized that he couldn’t do anything anymore.

“G-Give me a gun!” he said.

“What?” Joseph looked at him. “Stand up now! We can’t hold them that long!”

“Give me a gun and climb back!”

Nicka looked at the man. She could understand what he meant. But she knew that it would be risky. “S-Should we get him?”

The man heard it and looked at her. “No! Stay there! Give me the gun!”

“Give him one,” said Jude.

Nicka took the pistol and gave it to the man. He forced himself to sit down and started firing at the zombies. “Climb now!”

Joseph stopped and looked at the man. “No!” He helped him stand up but the man just screamed in pain. So, he sat down again. “I can’t leave you here!”

“Climb now or we will both die!”

“Joseph!” called Jude.

Joseph grunted. He doesn’t want them to leave him. But more zombies were going to their position. He looked at the man again and saw the eagerness in his eyes. Joseph sighed and shook his head. He then stood up and climbed back up to the curtain. While Nicka and Jude continued firing at the zombies. However, as soon as Joseph successfully returns to the window, they hear the man’s screams below.

Nicka gasped, seeing the man being devoured by the zombies. She moved away from the window. She felt her knees tremble and her stomach turned upside down. She then vomits at the side of the room. But nothing was going out of her mouth because she hadn’t eaten since last night.

“Putangina! This shouldn’t happen!” Joseph exclaimed.

The three of them were devastated because their plan didn’t go right. Jude sighed and moved away from the window. “W-We’re still not done yet,” he said. But as he talked, the door suddenly opened and their three companions came in.

“Close the door now!” Carla said.

August and Leo closed the door and locked it. They then pulled the cabinet near them and blocked it behind the door. They also took the table to add more weight. Then three of them pointed their guns at the door. They were all gasping in the air as they waited for the zombies. Not long ago, the zombies started pounding on the door.

“Let’s go now—” Carla stopped when she saw the three were still in the room. “Why are you still here?”

Nicka’s eyes became hot. “H-He was eaten.”

“Huh?” August looked out the window and saw that the zombies were feasting. His eyes widened when he realized that he was with them earlier. “What happened?”

“That woman.” Joseph clenched his fists and shook his head.

Carla sighed. She looked at the door. “We can’t stay here for long. There are still a lot of zombies coming.”

“The door won’t hold long.” Leo went to the door.

Nicka started to cry. “W-We will die! We are going to die now!”

“No!” August exclaimed. He blinked and saw that more zombies were coming from the entrance. He won’t allow himself to die. He needed to go back to his parents and siblings. If he only knew that this was going to happen. He shouldn’t let himself drown in alcohol and went back to his family when his mother called him. He shouldn’t be here.

They were all already feeling depressed because of their situation, when they suddenly heard a scream from outside. Joseph stood up and looked out the window because he recognized the voice.

“It was her.”

Then they suddenly heard a loud explosion from afar. Carla asked them to stay quiet.

August then blinked and saw that some zombies were going out of the building. Even the zombies that were pounding at the door suddenly stopped. He looked down and saw that the zombies eating their companion were walking away too.

“What was that?”