The plan is simple. Dangerous, sure—but it makes sense.
We move fast, sticking to shadows as we make our way to the control room. A few zombies wander the hallways, but they haven't detected us.
We take care of them quickly and quietly—Amrit's reflexes, Jay's precision, and my swings with the iron rod all in sync, like we've done it a hundred times. We haven't. But training pays off.
Once inside the control room, we lock the door behind us. Jay fiddles with the audio system and plays a loop of pre-recorded announcements and crowd noise through the loudspeakers installed on the far side of the sports field. Then we wait. Five minutes.
When we finally crack open the door and peer into the hallway, it is empty. Silent. Eerie.
"Worked," Jay whispers.
The plan has drawn them away.
We make our way to the classroom, expecting chaos, maybe blood. But instead, it is... empty.
"They should be here," Amrit mutters.
I'm about to speak when a voice calls out softly, "Over here!"
It is Purnima.
We rush to the windows—and there they are.
All of the girls from our class are clinging to the rain shed above the windows, having climbed up to avoid the zombies. It is a smart move, and seeing them alive sparks the first flicker of relief in my chest.
One by one, we help them down, adrenaline slowly starting to subside.
And just like that... the speaker cuts off.
The sound dies so suddenly it leaves a ringing silence in its place. My stomach drops.
"Shit," Jay whispers. "Something must've unplugged the system. Maybe a zombie tripped over the wire."
It doesn't matter how. It has happened.
Now, with all the girls huddled around us, the scent of warm bodies is like a flare in the dark.
We have to move. Now.
We sprint through the halls. It doesn't take long for the groans to start up again—first distant, then louder. Shadows move behind us.
From the rooftop of the hostel, Aditya and Gaurav see us. Without hesitation, they bolt down and rush out to meet us, cutting off the zombies just long enough for the rest of us to get everyone inside.
There is no time for hesitation. We slam the gates shut, reinforce them with everything we can, and collapse against the wall, panting.
Some of us have scratches. Nothing deep. Still, we don't take chances—we clean the wounds, drain blood where necessary, and pour disinfectant like it is holy water.
For now, we are safe.
---
Jay, of course, can't wait. The moment we settle, he is already pacing like a professor waiting for a lecture hall to quiet down.
"We need one more guy," he says.
He means Snehil.
Technically, Snehil has been with us the entire time. Sort of. He's slept through the chaos—bunked his class, locked himself in the hostel room, and missed every damn thing.
Amrit storms into his room and dumps a full bucket of water over his head.
Snehil bolts upright, sputtering. "What the hell—?!"
"You missed the apocalypse," Amrit deadpans.
Snehil blinks. "Wait, what?"
We catch him up on everything. His only response? "How the hell did I miss all the fun?"
Jay rolls his eyes. "You'll have plenty of chances to 'have fun,' trust me. But right now, you're delaying the meeting. And we're having it. Now."
Snehil grins. "She joining us too?"
Jay's face stiffens. "She doesn't seem interested in joining. Also... Samarth's here. So let's not make it awkward."
Snehil shrugs, but doesn't argue.
---
The meeting begins with Jay's usual seriousness.
"So," he says, "do we discuss surviving here first, or start planning how to leave?"
Aditya leans back, arms folded. "I'll skip my vote. You guys decide."
Typical.
I raise my hand. "Protocol says to wait three days. During that time, we're supposed to signal for help—maybe a chopper will spot it. If we survive those three days, then we move to the second escape protocol."
Jay nods. "Alright. Three days it is. Survive first. Escape second."
Amrit speaks next. "Water won't be an issue, not yet. Electricity's out, but we've trained for worse. We'll manage."
"Food," Aditya adds, almost as an afterthought. But his voice is serious.
It surprises all of us. It is the first time he's voluntarily added something to the discussion.
Purnima joins in. "And water will become an issue if we don't secure access to the other hostel buildings. Once ours runs dry, we'll need to move."
"There's only one way to make that happen," Snehil says. "Clear the path. And block it off so they don't come crawling back in."
"But we'll face way more than the eleven or twelve we ran into during the rescue," Amrit reminds us. "That was nothing. This is different."
Purnima looks thoughtful. "If we had the neutralizing drugs—the ones that freeze their motor functions temporarily—we could clear paths without fighting all of them."
I turn to her. "Can you make them? If you had the right materials?"
She nods. "Yes. But only if I can get access to those materials. I'll need proper lab components."
I look around the table. Everyone is waiting. We have water for now, no food supply, no reinforcements, and an entire school crawling with undead.
"Well," I say, exhaling. "Then we know our goals."
Secure food.
Gather lab supplies.
Create the neutralizing drugs.
Survive three days.