I burst out into the open air, feeling the cold of the night brushing against my body.
I didn't look back at Queen Lucy's Hospital, not only because of who I left behind but also because of what lay ahead of me.
Zombies walked the streets in all directions.
Not all of them were heading towards me, but enough were.
In my enthusiasm to escape the hospital, I seemed to have made a lot of noise.
I counted roughly ten zombies walking across the stone road towards me. Their arms outstretched and jaws open, desperate to devour.
I looked to my right, and then to my left. The streets stretched out far on both sides, but I knew that my destination was to the left.
If I continued down that road and took a few twists and turns, I would eventually end up at our block of apartments, known as Springfield Estate.
And that's exactly what I did.
Before the zombies could get close, I burst into a sprint, travelling left. My speed allowed me to leave the zombies in my dust, but that didn't stop the ones ahead of me from trying to grab a bite.
But the zombies were slow, and the streets wide. Using simple evasive tactics, I was able to slither my way through the gaps in their defences. The creatures often tripped over themselves, and one another, which only made my job easier.
As I ran, I passed a store named 'Benny's Burgers'. What was once a vibrant hang-out spot for me and my friends had now been overrun by the undead.
Has everything I loved really been taken away from me?
I continued running past it, pushing the memories away. I had a goal and didn't need any other distractions.
After reaching the end of the road, I turned right. This street seemed to be emptier, which meant good news, but I still didn't dare to slow down.
I continued sprinting until my bare feet began to bleed. Only one zombie managed to grab hold of me, but I shoved it to the ground before its mangled teeth could get near me.
Everything seemed to be going well, and sooner or later, I would reach Springfield Estate. I expected to see its apartments in the next few minutes.
But my plans were suddenly cut short, as I turned onto a new road.
It was a familiar road, as it was home to Chestnut Academy, the only academic institution for all genders and ages in Lenton.
I had planned to sprint past it. After all, its gates were locked. And the brick walls surrounding the large structure were high. There was no reason for me to try to get in at the moment, and it would be hard to even if I could, with the zombies banging against the gates.
But there was something different about this street.
Not the walkers. There were still many of those, just with their attention turned elsewhere.
No... it was a sound.
A sound that sent chills through my bones.
Since waking from my coma, I heard all sorts of animalistic growls coming from the undead. However, what I heard as I dodged through the hurd of undead, was a sound unlike any other.
A wet, maniacal growl, filled with bass. It seemed to vibrate the very floor beneath my feet.
I swivelled my head as I ran, not daring to slow down. However, I was given no other choice.
Ahead of me, I found the source of the noise.
In the shadows of a nearby wall ahead of me, two glowing red dots glared menacingly. The dots danced through the darkness, swiftly moving side to side in fluid, graceful movements, however, they always remained close to the ground.
Instinctively, I took a step backwards. I should've been killed then and there by another zombie, but their attentions still seemed to be drawn towards Chestnut Academy.
Not the owner of the red eyes though. They remained trained on me, before finally emerging from the darkness.
I was met with the worst sight I had seen in my life.
The undead man before me moved on all fours like an animal, but even then, I could see that its height was far greater than mine. Its legs and arms were lanky, and it wore no clothes to cover its dark, grey skin.
Beneath the red eyes was a white teeth smile, which spread from one mangled ear to another. Its nails were sharp like claws, though one of its hands was missing from a gruesome wound.
In a swift motion, the creature danced to the side with a simple push of its legs.
I stepped backwards again, fearful.
What... what is that?
My reality had been again in an instant. In my head, I had expected all zombies to be the same.
Slow. Weak. Dumb.
I had told myself that this was what I was up against, but now... this thing in front of me.
"RRrrragh!"
Its wide mouth opened once again, letting out a fearsome screech that seemed to frighten even the weaker zombies nearby.
The creature took a swift step towards me, still keeping its distance, yet now much closer than before.
All I could do was continue to back away whilst lifting my guard. At that moment, my mind was blank.
The beast took another leap forward, closing the distance further.
Calm down Frost... calm down.
If I continued to back up, I would bump into the hurd of zombies trying to enter the academy. I could hear the groans getting louder behind me.
There was no other choice.
I had to fight or outrun it.
So I stopped retreating. Noticing my decision, the zombie's smile grew wider. Its jaws opened, and from it's sharp teeth dripped putrid saliva.
My stomach churned, threatening to vomit up nothing, but I held my ground.
Relaxing my shoulders, and widening my stance, I stood ready.
And then, the beast pounced.
Its speed was incredible. Faster than any living creature I had seen before.
It was aimed at my head with its lanky arms reaching towards me and its jaw wide open.
Instinctively, I dashed to the side and tried to step out of the way. I planned to use its own momentum to throw it past me.
One of my hands landed on its arm, and the other smothered its face. I felt my fingers dig into the soft flesh of its eyes as I threw the zombie.
It flew past me as I stumbled to the side, but in a mere instant, it had already landed on its feet and pivoted to face me again.
Its knees were bent, and its hand was on the floor for extra acceleration.
It leapt again.
Just in time, I managed to turn towards it and through a clumsy left hook. With my enhanced power, my fist crunched into the zombie's neck, forcing it to make another guttural noise as it stumbled to the side.
However, my attack had done practically nothing. My clumsiness was preventing me from fighting correctly.
Not only that, but I had to remain constantly aware of the nearby zombies, as well as the wound on my hip that grew ever more painful.
As I stared down the beast, I wondered to myself.
Is this it? Is this how I—
BANG
Suddenly, blood flew from the zombie's head, as it fell to the side, and onto its shoulder.
My ears rung from the sound of a gunshot, but there was no time to process the pain.
My life had been saved. The beast seemed to be wounded beyond movement. I looked over and found it twitching viciously.
"Finish it off!" I heard a voice come from above.
A man wearing a black bandana over his mouth, and red jacket sat atop the wall of the academy. He was currently working at reloading his pistol.
A survivor!
"Fucking finish it off!" The man shouted again in anger, as he fumbled his magazine. "Kill that thing, and we'll let you in."
We'll let you in...
I tossed the words through my mind.
That means there are others in the academy. Armed with weaponry.
Without hesitation, I ran towards the beast and leapt into the air. With my new strength, I reached heights that I couldn't have before my coma.
With both feet, I landed all my weight on the beasts head. It had already been weakened by the gunshot, so I drove right through it with a sickening squelch.
It was like jumping on a rotten watermelon. The blood splattered all over me like paint.
Not wishing to waste time, I glanced over at the man on the wall, who was silently cheering to himself. He pulled a rope from over his shoulder, and swung it down to the ground.
"Quickly, before the other biters try to get you. We need to keep someone with your strength alive!"