Suddenly Lily turns around.
Her eyes widen—a pair of red eyes glow behind them in the darkness.
She freezes and points her gun.
Arjun notices Lily's reaction, then sees the glowing red eyes.
He immediately covers Ahmad's mouth and pulls him against the wall.
He grabs Lily as well, pressing her back to the blood-stained wall.
The red-eyed zombie walks closer…
Slowly…
Silently…
Sia is about to run but Ahmad grabs her hand, pulling her back.
All of them stay pinned to the wall, barely breathing.
The zombie walks right past them, growling faintly, unaware of their presence.
They stay still until it disappears into the darkness.
Arjun exhales quietly.
Arjun (under his breath): "As I thought…"
He gathers everyone closer.
Arjun: "Its vision is poor in the dark."
Ahmad: "How do you know that?"
Arjun: "Unlike the zombies upstairs, this one didn't growl, didn't rush, didn't scream. Even from far, it was calm. Slow. I suspected it couldn't see well."
Sia: "So what now?"
Arjun looks at the pipes above… then the dim lights…
Arjun: "If we can switch all the lights off…"
He looks at everyone.
They all understand instantly.
A plan is born.
Vijay points toward a door.
Vijay: "That one. That's where they kept our phones."
Arjun: "Okay… so if we manage to reach it without making noise or touching them, we're safe."
Sia: "But what about the lights?"
Arjun looks toward the switchboard—
It's right between the zombies, opposite the door.
Arjun: "For that… we'll have to take one more risk."
Ahmad: "Short circuit?"
Vijay: "What?"
Ahmad: "I thought he'd say throw water on the switchboard, break the fuse, lights go off."
Arjun gives a small, impressed smile.
Arjun: "You're getting smart."
Arjun looked at the switchboard. The zombies wandered aimlessly—dragging themselves, bumping into walls, falling, growling. He stepped back and looked at Ahmad, Sia, and Vijay.
Arjun: Sia, Vijay… you two are runners, right?
Both of them nodded.
Arjun: Good. There's something only you three can do. One of you has to go and switch off all the lights. Once the lights are out, run back before they catch you. In the dark, they won't be able to see.
Sia: Are you insane?
Vijay: I'm not that fast. I even came ninth in the first round.
Ahmad: I'll do it.
Arjun: Are you sure?
Ahmad: Of course. I came fourth. I'm better than them—I can handle it.
Sia: Better than me? (sarcastic chuckle)
Ahmad: Then tag along. (smirks)
They waited until the zombies drifted a bit farther from the switchboard. Ahmad crouched down and began slowly moving forward, careful not to make a sound. Keeping close to the wall, he stretched out his hand toward the switches.
He pressed one slowly—
A zombie growled and turned toward him.
Ahmad didn't hesitate. He slammed all the switches down at once and sprinted back to the group. The room instantly plunged into darkness. The zombies began crashing into each other, confused, stumbling around blindly.
The group crouched on the stairs, waiting for the chaotic movements to settle. When everything grew quiet, they slowly made their way toward the door, avoiding any zombie they brushed past.
Arjun twisted the knob carefully. He opened the door just enough to squeeze inside, avoiding the zombie standing right beside it. One by one, everyone slipped in, and they shut the door softly.
Just then, a zombie collided with the switchboard outside—
A few lights flickered back on.
They stepped into the dark room. Arjun reached for the switchboard and flicked the lights on.
A coach zombie standing near the teacher's cupboard snapped its head toward them.
Arjun instantly switched the lights off again.
Lily lifted her gun, ready to fire—
but the room went pitch-black, and she couldn't see anything.
They quickly moved to the opposite corner, ducking under a table. The zombie stood still, not moving at all. His ears were torn off—he couldn't hear them.
Sia (whispering): What now?
Arjun (scared): I don't know…
Vijay: We can't run out either.
Ahmad: And we can't shoot him. There are tons of zombies outside—one gunshot and we're trapped in here.