The gate slammed shut behind them, the clang echoing like a funeral bell.
The world outside the school felt heavier, darker, even under the pale daylight. The stench of smoke and decay clung to the air, thick enough to choke. Every direction screamed of death—cars overturned and splintered like toys, buildings cracked and gutted, some still burning from fires no one was left to put out.
And in the open streets, the undead roamed.
They were everywhere—shambling in slow circles, wandering in packs, crawling from beneath wreckage with broken bones and dangling jaws. Their groans vibrated through the air, a chorus of unending hunger. One paused and lifted its head, nostrils flaring, eyes milky but sharp with intent.
It growled low in its throat, then let out a guttural shriek.
All at once, dozens of heads snapped in their direction.
The horde surged forward.
"Run!" Sasha screamed, shoving Lexi aside as she bolted.
Kelvin sprinted ahead, dragging Tori by the wrist, Lisa stumbling behind them. Lexi fell back, her breathing ragged, her eyes darting in terror. Her hands shook as she ran—but her mind calculated, swift and precise.
The zombies moved faster than anyone expected, their hunger fueling them. Their clawed hands raked the air, their teeth clacked with animal urgency. One lunged from under a car, catching Lisa's ankle. She shrieked, kicking wildly until Kelvin wrenched her free. Blood smeared her shoe.
"Don't stop!" Sasha roared, barreling forward.
Lexi lagged behind just enough to look like the weakest link. Her hair stuck to her tear-streaked face, her voice cracked as she whimpered, "Help me!"
That was when Tori turned, her eyes wild with desperation. She shoved at Lexi, hard.
"Take her! Take her instead!" Tori screamed at the snarling dead that closed in.
Lexi stumbled, almost fell, but twisted her body with uncanny precision. Her shoulder clipped a rusted car, slowing her enough to slide past the outstretched arms. Tori, off-balance from the shove, tripped on a fallen stop sign and went sprawling.
The zombies pounced.
"NO! No, no, no!" Tori shrieked, kicking as a dozen mouths gnashed inches from her skin. Kelvin dragged her up, roaring with effort. A claw raked across her back, leaving a bloody smear as she scrambled free, sobbing hysterically.
Lexi scrambled after them, crying, her voice cracking. "I almost died! Why would you—why would you push me?"
But inside, her pulse stayed steady. Not yet, Tori. But soon.
They ducked into an alley, barricading the entrance with dumpsters. Their chests heaved, sweat pouring down their faces.
The moans outside never stopped. The dead scraped at the metal walls, their hunger vibrating through the air.
Sasha turned on Lexi, her face twisted with fury. "You're dead weight. You don't fight, you don't help, you just cry and slow us down!"
"I-I'm sorry," Lexi stammered, curling in on herself, shaking violently. "I'm trying—please, I'm trying."
"Bullshit." Sasha's eyes narrowed, calculating. "You always come out untouched. Everyone else gets torn apart, but not you. You think I don't notice?"
Kelvin's gaze flicked to Lexi, sharp, searching. He said nothing, but his grip on his bloodied arm tightened.
Lisa hugged her knees, rocking. "She's… she's cursed. A jinx. The dead want us, not her."
Lexi looked up, eyes wide and wet. Her voice trembled. "I'm just lucky. I don't know why…"
Inside, she watched Sasha's clenched fists, Kelvin's narrowed eyes, Lisa's twitching hands. She read the fear carved into their faces like open books. They'll try again. They won't stop until they feed me to the dead. And they'll think it's their idea, not mine.
The horde found them again at dusk.
The first screech echoed from the rooftops, and suddenly the alley was alive with clawing hands, snapping jaws. Dozens poured in from both ends, their hunger relentless, their bodies smashing against dumpsters until the metal bent inward.
"Move! Move!" Kelvin bellowed, shoving Lisa forward.
Sasha grabbed Lexi by the arm, dragging her toward the street. At the last second, she shoved her hard into the path of a lunging zombie.
Lexi stumbled, shrieked—and ducked just as the creature's jaws snapped shut inches from her throat. Its momentum carried it forward into Sasha instead.
Sasha screamed, shoving it back, blood spraying from a gash in her shoulder.
Kelvin dragged her away, roaring in fury, as Lexi collapsed behind them, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Why does this always happen?!" Lisa cried, clawing at her hair. "She's cursed, she's—she's—"
Another zombie lunged, tackling Lisa to the ground. Kelvin yanked her up, but not before its teeth snapped at her face, scraping her cheek.
Lexi staggered after them, looking broken, terrified, her voice cracking with sobs. "We have to keep moving—we'll die if we stop!"
And still, not a single scratch marred her skin.
By the time they stumbled into the ruined bookstore, Sasha's arm was shredded, Lisa's face streaked with blood, Kelvin's wound oozed down his arm. Only Lexi was clean, pale, trembling.
They barricaded the doors with shelves, collapsing in exhaustion.
Sasha sat against the wall, pale and sweating. Her eyes burned into Lexi. "You're not human," she hissed. "You're a curse. The dead don't want you—they want us."
Kelvin's gaze lingered on Lexi too long, suspicion gnawing at him. Lisa sobbed into her knees, whispering, "We're gonna die, we're all gonna die."
Lexi sat apart, her hands shaking, tears streaking down her cheeks. "I don't want this. I don't want any of this."
Her voice cracked, fragile.
But inside, her thoughts whispered calm and cold:
You're right, Sasha. The dead don't want me. They want pawns. And you're playing exactly where I put you on the board.
Outside, the hunger of the dead roared into the night.