We were still mid-conversation when it happened.
From across the courtyard, we heard the first scream—shaky, high-pitched, and very much real. At first, we brushed it off. Maybe another drill. The administration loved staging those, trying to simulate worst-case scenarios and sharpen our instincts.
But within seconds, it became clear—this wasn't staged.
The students who had gone to attend the secretary's speech came sprinting out of the auditorium in absolute panic. Their faces weren't acting. Their eyes were wild, and some of them were crying, pushing past each other to escape whatever was behind them.
Then we saw the teachers. And then the staff. All running.
And behind them?
Zombies.
Real ones.
It hit us like a punch to the chest. No alarm, no sirens—just raw chaos bursting into our safe zone.
We reacted immediately.
"The juniors!" Amrit shouted.
Class 11 students, like us, hadn't been invited to the assembly. They were scattered around the compound, frozen in place, unsure if what they were seeing was a drill or a nightmare.
"Get to the hostel, now!" I yelled at them. "Move!"
They didn't wait for us to repeat it.
Once they were moving, we didn't stop to think. The five of us—Aditya, Gaurav, Jay, Amrit, and I—rushed toward the auditorium. We dodged overturned chairs and discarded bags, grabbing students along the way and dragging them with us. Some were in shock. Some were limping. But we managed to pull a few back with us.
We made it to the hostel building and slammed the gate shut behind us. Jay threw the bolt. Aditya stacked two benches in front of the door. My heart was still hammering.
"How the hell did they get in?" I demanded, wiping sweat from my face.
Jay looked grim. "Not the best time to ask that, but… I've got guesses."
He took a breath. "Maybe the gate was left open when the rations came in. Could've been the delivery guy himself—infected, slipped past the scanners. Or... it could've been intentional. You know, one of those conspiracy theories people always whisper about."
I clenched my jaw but nodded. "Doesn't matter now. It's done."
That's when I noticed Aditya—his eyes locked on Gaurav.
Gaurav wasn't speaking. He looked like he was holding something in. Then he broke the silence.
"My sister...?"
Time stopped for a second.
No one had said it yet, but we all realized it at the same time: we'd left the girls of our class in the classroom.
Still inside the building.
Still trapped.
Still breathing.
And it was only a matter of time before the scent of that many people drew the horde straight to them.