Sia: "First things first—did anyone eat this?"
(Her eyes narrow seriously as she looks at everyone.)
Arjun: "No. I didn't."
Lily shakes her head.
Sia: "Neither did I."
(All eyes turn to Ahmad.)
Ahmad: "No… no, I didn't."
Sia: "Good. Because if even one person is infected, all of us are in danger."
(Ahmad looks down, clearly terrified. He squeezes his eyes shut, guilt flickering across his face.)
Sia: "Look."
(She points at the map photo.)
"This is the meeting room. The doors will be thick, probably sound-proof, and it should have a router too. It's the safest place near us."
Arjun: "Then let's go."
Lily suddenly wrote: "What about that zombie who mutated? What if there are more mutated zombies out there?"
She showed it to Arjun and Sia. As they read it, both of them froze, questioning everything they had done till now.
Sia: "Yes… what if there are more?"
Arjun: "But if we wait, all of them will mutate. And then hiding won't work anymore. We won't even be able to breathe without getting caught. Fighting will be impossible."
Meanwhile, Ahmad—standing a little away from them—glanced at the time again.
Ahmad: "9:30…"
He trembled as he whispered it, then forced himself to turn back to them.
Ahmad: "Let's go. Fast. Arjun is right."
Sia: "And what about the mutated ones?"
Ahmad: "They may know how to use weapons… but I'm sure they aren't smart enough to reload them."
Sia, Lily, and Arjun exchanged glances, only half believing Ahmad's words but having nothing better to hope for.
Ahmad: "It's now or never…"
Sia: "…Fine."
She agreed without thinking too much.
Ahmad: "You… you're agreeing with me?"
He sounded surprised, almost confused.
Sia took a breath.
Sia: "You were right earlier. I didn't know that death itself could open our dorm doors after some time… If we're going to die anyway, then I'll at least try… try my best."
Arjun: "Okay. Then I'll come too."
He hesitated, but stepped forward.
Lily nodded immediately, giving a small but determined smile.
Arjun hesitated at the door. Letting out a shaky breath, he grabbed the doorknob and slowly opened it. The corridor outside was almost empty. They stepped out quickly and rushed toward the staircase. The meeting hall was on the second floor, but they were completely exposed—every door on all four sides had been broken open.
Suddenly—BANG!
A bullet hit the wall just an inch from Lily. Everyone crouched down in fear except Lily. She turned around, but Sia immediately grabbed her hand, trying to pull her down. Lily wasn't scared—she couldn't hear the gunshot.
A gun-wielding zombie stood at the end of the hall, already taking aim at Sia. Lily pulled out her gun and fired. Her shot hit the zombie's arm, but the noise attracted more zombies who began rushing toward the building.
Arjun, Ahmad, and Sia sprinted toward the stairs. Sia pulled Lily with her, but Lily, now in shooting range, stopped resisting and fired again—this time hitting the zombie in the chest.
Behind them, another zombie lifted a table, ready to strike Lily from behind. She sensed movement and turned, but before anything could happen—
Bang!
Arjun fired, swallowing hard, but his hands were no longer trembling.
Arjun: "Go up and open the door! Check if it's safe—we're coming!"
Sia: "Please… keep Lily safe."
Arjun: "Trust me. Go!"
Sia and Ahmad ran up the spiral stairs. A few zombies tried to follow but slipped and fell. Sia and Ahmad shoved some away and hit others as they reached the second floor. The meeting room door—a heavy metal door—was locked.
Sia spotted an ID card lying on the floor. She picked it up, wiped the blood off the photo, and held it against the face-scanner. A red light blinked—declined.
She cleaned it again and tried once more, while Ahmad backed up and began kicking the door.
Sia: "It won't open like that!"
Ahmad: "I'm trying my way!"
Meanwhile downstairs, Arjun and Lily were slowly backing toward the stairs. Lily's gun clicked—empty. Ahmad threw his bag down, and Lily quickly reloaded. More zombies pushed inside.