Chapter 78
"The Ladder to Survival"
The nineteen survivors continued standing on the rooftop, desperately waving their hands towards the helicopters and shouting for help.
Their voices were filled with urgency, while their expressions reflected the growing terror of people who knew they were running out of time.
No matter how loudly they screamed, the soldiers still seemed unable to understand their situation.
Just then, Hasnain stepped forward.
His patience had finally run out.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted in his naturally deep and exceptionally powerful voice.
"YOU IDIOTS! RESCUE US ALREADY! ALL THE ZOMBIES ARE HEADING TOWARDS THE ROOFTOP BECAUSE OF YOU!"
His voice was so loud that, remarkably, it managed to fight its way through the deafening roar of the helicopter blades and engines.
The soldiers aboard the aircraft finally heard him.
They immediately turned their attention towards the rooftop, realising that the situation was far more serious than they had initially assumed.
One of the officers quickly grabbed his walkie-talkie and brought it close to his mouth.
"We've examined the survivors, and none of them appear to be infected. Requesting permission to begin the rescue operation. Over."
He waited for a response.
But nothing came.
Only a faint crackling sound could be heard from the communication device.
Meanwhile, the situation below was becoming increasingly terrifying.
The zombies had almost reached the rooftop.
The soldiers looked down and witnessed a horrifying sight.
An enormous mass of zombies was climbing over one another, pushing and scrambling upwards as they advanced towards the rooftop.
There were so many of them that, from a distance, their overlapping bodies resembled a moving sea of creatures.
It was an overwhelming sight.
The zombies were getting closer with every passing second.
Soon, they would reach the rooftop.
And after that, the helicopters hovering above would be their next target.
The soldiers immediately realised that they could no longer afford to waste time.
The officer quickly raised his walkie-talkie again.
"COMMANDER! WE NEED PERMISSION TO BEGIN THE RESCUE! OVER!"
Still, there was no response.
Unfortunately, the situation inside the Army Headquarters was far worse than anyone aboard the helicopters could imagine.
Their commander was lying lifeless on the floor.
Several zombies wearing military uniforms had surrounded his body, leaving him beyond help.
His blood-covered hand still rested near the walkie-talkie.
And from that very device, the desperate voice of the officer continued echoing.
"PLEASE, GIVE US PERMISSION TO RESCUE THEM..."
This time, the officer was so terrified by what he was witnessing that he didn't even remember to say Over.
But no one was there to answer him.
Only silence followed.
Back above the school, barely five minutes had passed since the helicopters had arrived.
The officer looked down once more.
The zombies were approaching rapidly, and the survivors were still trapped on the rooftop.
He couldn't wait any longer.
Realising that there was no time left to seek further instructions, he made the decision himself.
Grabbing his walkie-talkie, he immediately contacted the personnel aboard the second helicopter.
"START THE RESCUE OPERATION! OVER!"
The order was immediately understood.
Within seconds, the helicopter positioned behind the rooftop began lowering a long ladder towards the building.
It was constructed from strong ropes and sturdy wooden rungs, forming a narrow ladder that swayed beneath the aircraft.
The moment the survivors saw it descending, all nineteen of them instinctively turned towards it.
For the first time in several minutes, they finally had a chance to escape.
Without wasting another second, they rushed towards the ladder.
Miss Selena and Mr. Smith, however, remained focused on their responsibilities.
Even in such a terrifying situation, neither of them forgot that they were responsible for the students.
Instead of rushing towards the ladder themselves, they immediately took their positions on either side.
Miss Selena stood on the right, her face filled with concern as she watched the frightened students approaching.
Mr. Smith positioned himself on the left.
Both teachers began helping the students climb aboard, determined to make sure that everyone got a chance to escape.
Miss Selena looked towards Leena and spoke in a firm but caring voice.
"Leena, you go first."
Leena immediately looked at the ladder.
Her eyes widened slightly as she stared at the swaying structure hanging from the helicopter.
After a moment of hesitation, she shook her head.
"I... I don't want to go first," she replied nervously.
Her voice trembled with fear.
She knew they had to escape, but the thought of climbing a ladder suspended high above the ground was frightening enough to make her hesitate.
Mr. Smith's expression tightened.
He was already running out of patience, and the situation left no room for hesitation.
"If you want to save your life, then get on that ladder! Hurry up! We don't have time!"
His stern words made Leena lower her gaze.
Just then, Jacob stepped forward.
"I'll go first. Leena, you climb after me."
He spoke calmly, trying to reassure her.
Jacob had noticed how frightened the younger survivors were. Even though they had already faced countless dangers inside the school, climbing a ladder hanging beneath a helicopter was an entirely different challenge.
He understood that they were still young and that their fear was perfectly natural.
As someone older, he wanted to show them through his own actions that fear shouldn't always prevent a person from moving forward.
Sometimes, someone simply had to take the first step.
Without saying anything further, Jacob approached the ladder and firmly grasped its sides.
He placed one foot on the first wooden rung and began climbing.
The ladder swayed slightly beneath his weight, but he maintained his grip and continued upwards.
Slowly, he made his way towards the helicopter.
The two soldiers waiting near its open doorway leaned forward and reached out to him.
Once Jacob was close enough, they grabbed his arms and pulled him safely inside.
One of them helped him settle into a seat.
Seeing Jacob successfully reach the helicopter gave Leena a little courage.
She took a hesitant step towards the ladder.
After taking a deep breath, she finally placed her hands on its sides and began climbing.
At first, she managed to move upwards.
But as she reached the middle of the ladder, the fear suddenly overwhelmed her.
The height beneath her seemed terrifying.
The swaying movements made her increasingly nervous, and her feet began trembling against the wooden rungs.
She couldn't bring herself to move any further.
Her fear became so intense that she instinctively closed her eyes, hoping to gather enough courage to continue.
Just then, Yaram, who had been watching her from the rooftop, could no longer remain where he was.
Seeing Leena struggling on the ladder, he immediately stepped forward and began climbing after her.
He carefully made his way upwards until he reached her.
"Leena, be brave. I'm right here with you."
His voice was gentle and reassuring.
The moment Leena heard him, she slowly opened her eyes.
She turned her head slightly towards him.
Seeing Yaram standing just behind her, her courage gradually returned.
She tightened her grip on the ladder and continued climbing.
This time, she didn't stop.
With Yaram accompanying her, Leena finally reached the helicopter.
The soldiers immediately helped her inside.
Yaram followed shortly afterwards, and the two of them settled into seats beside each other.
One by one, the others continued climbing.
Mary, Jackson, and John also made their way up the ladder and were safely pulled inside the helicopter.
Once everyone aboard had been secured, the soldiers began pulling the ladder back up.
The long rope-and-wooden structure gradually disappeared towards the aircraft.
And then, at last, the helicopter began moving away from the school.
The survivors sat silently inside.
None of them seemed particularly interested in speaking.
Instead, they looked through the open doorway and down towards their companions who were still standing on the rooftop.
With every passing second, the helicopter carried them farther away from the school.
The horrifying building that had once been their place of learning was now nothing more than a distant reminder of everything they had endured.
Mary, John, and Leena still had tears in their eyes.
But those tears weren't simply tears of happiness.
Nor were they entirely tears of pain.
They were tears born from the overwhelming fear they had been carrying for so many days.
Fear that had followed them through every corridor.
Fear that had accompanied them through every desperate escape.
Fear that had made even the thought of tomorrow seem uncertain.
And now, even though they were finally leaving that nightmare behind, their hearts were still struggling to believe that they had survived.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, they were moving away from the place where death had been waiting around every corner.
Yet their minds remained trapped in the memories of everything they had witnessed.
They were alive.
But the nightmare they had experienced would not disappear so easily.