As soon as the girl spotted the zombie, who was sitting beside an unconscious person, devouring raw flesh, an involuntary scream escaped her lips. That scream immediately drew the zombie's attention toward them. Its mouth was smeared with blood, a piece of raw meat still stuck between its teeth. It suddenly rose and moved toward the girl. The teacher, standing beside her, quickly placed a hand over the girl's mouth, but the zombie's focus had already shifted—the partial scream was enough to attract it.
The zombie charged toward them with alarming speed. The three of them—(the teacher and the two students) standing near the door—were utterly terrified.
"Quick! Close the door!" the teacher shouted in a commanding voice.
The three rushed to the door and tried to shut it, but unfortunately, the zombie had reached the doorway. Its hand was caught in the middle, making it difficult to close the door. The commotion attracted other zombies from the lower floor, and soon dozens gathered near the door, adding to the chaos and making it nearly impossible to shut the Broadcast Room door.
On one side, three people stood, and on the other, over fifty zombies pushed against the door, their growls echoing in the corridor. When their combined effort to close the door proved ineffective, the teacher quickly scanned the room. Her eyes landed on a hockey stick lying on the floor. She tried nudging it closer with her left foot but couldn't move it.
Raising her voice to a level the students could hear clearly, she instructed, "You two, push the door harder!"
She released the door and grabbed the hockey stick, swinging it with precision at the zombies caught in the doorway. One by one, she drove them away, allowing the two students to finally close the door with a combined effort. Against the left wall, two red single sofas rested. They dragged one close to the door to reinforce it and keep it securely shut.
After a moment of shared relief, they looked at each other and smiled, as if they had accomplished a brave feat together.
Scene Change:
The restroom with the "Gents" tag on the door was locked from the inside. Inside, Hasnain sat quietly, leaning against the walls with Sana, Efra, and the boy who had entered through the window. They sat silently, some closing their eyes in search of comfort.
Suddenly, a strange rumbling sound came from someone's stomach. Borak raised his head and said, "What was that?"
'Ghani' quickly placed a hand on his stomach, anxiety written all over his face. "Borak, move aside quickly! Emergency!" he instructed, aware of the situation.
Borak immediately complied, moving away from the door, and Ghani rushed inside the restroom.
Moments later, the unmistakable sound of flatulence echoed inside, causing everyone to grimace. Ghani stepped out, only to find everyone glaring at him while pinching their noses. Instead of feeling embarrassed, he walked to the window, opened it, and remarked, "Well, this is beyond my control," with a smile.
Borak went over to him, grabbing him by the collar.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Ghani shouted. "I'm sick, and on top of that, you're doing this!"
Borak laughed, holding him firmly, and the two sat together in a corner. Silence returned, broken only by the distant growls of zombies from below.
Soon, a similar rumbling sound came from Efra, who quickly covered herself in embarrassment. Ghani, noticing her discomfort, said gently, "Don't worry. It happens. You can go to the restroom too."
During this moment, Borak playfully kicked her leg, causing her to yelp and hide further. Afra, now smiling, explained, "I was just really hungry. I didn't have a proper breakfast today, that's all."
Suna reached into her court bag and pulled out a sandwich her mother had packed that morning. She handed it to Afra, who gratefully accepted it and began eating.
Hasnain then said seriously, "Everyone, check what food you have and place it in front of us. We don't know how long we'll be stuck here, so we need to use our supplies carefully."
Everyone nodded and emptied their pockets, placing what little they had on the floor. Ghani revealed some lollipops, candies, and jelly from his pockets.
Borak teased him, "No wonder you're so chubby from all this sugar."
Proudly, Ghani replied, "I'm not chubby. I'm healthy, understand?"
Borak smiled, and the group's tension eased, smiles spreading across their faces.
Ghani continued, "See? Thanks to all this sugar I had, now you all benefit, otherwise hunger would have gotten the better of us."
Borak pulled a small biscuit pack from his pocket along with a pen and placed it in front of everyone.
Surprised, Ghani asked, "Borak, have you been secretly studying on your own? You kept this from us?"
Borak defended himself, "No! Why would I betray my friends? Everything I do, I do equally for all of us."
Ghani playfully punched his shoulder, saying, "Let me go!"
Borak laughed, "Then what is this pen doing in my pocket?"
Borak explained that he had received it the previous day from a shopkeeper in exchange for some coins while buying books.
Ghani then asked Efra to display what she had. Embarrassed, she said, "If I had any food, my stomach wouldn't have made noises earlier, silly."
Ghani teased her in return, calling her a "gecko," which made her blush and retaliate, "You called me a gecko? You frog!"
Saim pulled out a packet of ten dates from his pocket and placed it on the floor, saying, "This is all I have."
Efra smiled warmly at him, appreciating the gesture.
Finally, Hasnain placed a letter and two small packs of bubble gum in front of everyone, completing their little collection of supplies.
.................