You kneel beside the lifeless bodies of your biological father and Nita, with Rena standing at a distance. Lara and Ginny stand by your side, you close your eyes and utter your final words of farewell to them.
"Dad, you were the worst father any child could have, yet may you rest in peace."
"Nita, I loved you more than anyone else. I always wanted to be with you, but I never imagined my mom would marry your dad. Nevertheless, I cherish the love you shared with me at the end. Thank you for that. Please rest in peace," you whispered solemnly.
After uttering your final words for both of them, you heard a sweet humming emanating from Rena. Glancing to your right, you saw her lost in her thoughts, softly singing a few lines aloud.
♪♪♪ …The start of the end… ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ …The rise of the dead… ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ …Their voices echo, stirring fear in the strong… ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ …In the shadows, what horrors lie in wait… ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ …We hide to stay alive… ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ (beautiful pleasant humming) ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ …The start of despair… ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ …Uncertain when it will end… ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ …Is death a boon in this world… ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ (A haunting hum filled with sorrow) ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ …The coward lacks… THE Will to DIE… ♪♪♪
♪♪♪ …Is this THE END OF THE BEGINNING… ♪♪♪
You, Lara, and Ginny exchanged somber glances as you observed Rena.
You spoke softly to yourself, "She poured out her pain, her fear, and everything she's experienced through that song."
Rena wiped away her tears and opened her eyes, revealing a bright smile on her face.
Ginny and Lara approached her, embracing her in a comforting hug. you talk to yourself, 'This could be the start of something new, just like she said.'
You felt a sense of relief as you watched the girls hug and share a laugh, but then a realization struck you: you hadn't even introduced yourselves, and aside from Rena, you didn't know their names.
Interrupting their moment, you asked, "Hello, what are your names?"
Lara's surprise and embarrassment were evident, prompting laughter from Ginny and Rena. Rena quipped, "You might be the first woman to propose to a boy without telling your name."
"Stop," Lara protested, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "You two don't need to laugh at me for this little oversight," she added, Rena attempting to stifle her laughter.
Watching their playful banter, you couldn't help but reflect on how easily the world could strip away moments of happiness and joy.
You thought to yourself, 'Sooner or later, we'll have to leave this place. We never know when they might attack. But for now, let's allow them a few more minutes of happiness.'
As the three girls engaged in their playful banter, you decided to interrupt and take charge of the introductions.
"Alright, let me kick off the introductions," you interjected. "I'm Sam, from Class 2B."
Lara responded to you and took the lead in introducing herself and the other girls. "I'm Lara," she began, gesturing towards her friend. "The girl with the Harry Potter glasses is Ginny, and you already know Rena; she's the world-famous idol," Lara continued with a smile. "We're all from Class 2S+."
Class 2S+ only students like celebrities, government officials who are in high power and Rich family kids will be in this class.
After Lara introduced the girls, she locked eyes with you. A brief moment of tension passed between you, a silent acknowledgment of the previous kiss. Feeling a flush of shyness, you turned your head to the left, and Lara mirrored your action.
With a playful smile, Ginny interjected, "Why don't you both talk to each other? Rena and I will give you some space."
You replied firmly, "No need, I'll say it right here."
As you met Lara's gaze, you could sense her apprehension. "I can't just forget everything and be with you," you admitted, your tone softened with empathy. "I need time. But I promise to protect you three with everything I've got."
Lara's expression softened into a cute smile. "I'll wait," she said simply.
As you observed her closely, you couldn't help but notice, "You're tall, taller than me. Are you really okay with this 5.9 guy?"
Without hesitation, Lara responded, her expression serious, "Yes."
Upon hearing her serious response, you, Rena, and Ginny burst into laughter. Lara, now trying her best to stifle the laughter, demanded, "Shut up. I said shut up."
You muttered to yourself, 'So they're happy just because I'm here, huh? Well, who knows how long that'll last. But for now, I must take them to somewhere safe.'
While the four of you were enjoying a moment of peaceful laughter, a sudden noise and voice emanated from Lara's bag.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" …noise... "Hello?"
Lara quickly opened the bag and discovered a walkie-talkie inside. "There's a walkie-talkie in here," she exclaimed, "and a robotic voice is coming from it."
You noticed something written on the backside of the walkie-talkie. "Lara, there's something written on the backside of it. Read it," you instructed.
Lara read the words aloud, her tone reflecting her confusion. "Press the big red button to talk. Who wrote this? Their handwriting is hard to understand."
She pressed the red button and spoke into the device. "Who is this?" she asked.
Anh's voice crackled through the walkie-talkie, relieved to finally make contact. "At last, someone lifted the call. I'm Anh. I told you to answer the call, Slyde. What took you so much time?"
Lara's response was sharp and assertive. "I'm not Slyde. I'm Lara."
Anh's tone softened slightly. "Whoever you are, tell all the people in the safe room not to go outside. And if anyone is outside, ask them to come in."
Anh continued, "If you hear a bell sound or any heavy sounds, don't fear. It is just part of my plan. So yeah, tell them to stay put for 30 more minutes."
Lara attempted to respond, but Anh ended the call without listening to her words.
Frustration colored Lara's voice as she muttered, "At least try to hear what we say. Let me call him back."
You stopped Lara by gently holding her hand and spoke, "He said he had a plan. I think he's on the final steps to succeed with it. Let's not disturb him now."
Rena intervened, her voice laced with concern, "But he mentioned something about a sound and instructed us to tell people in the safe room."
You nodded, acknowledging Rena's point. "Yes, he did. He also emphasized that no one should leave the safe room. After witnessing what's happening outside, I doubt anyone would dare to step out."
Ginny spoke with a low tone, her words tinged with caution. "Why don't we hide first?"
Lara inquired, "What do you mean?"
Ginny explained, "He mentioned the bell sound. If he's referring to the bell we hear at lunch, it will alert all the zombies. If we're standing in open area like this, we'll become food for them. And there's no guarantee those things won't climb stairs."
You, Rena, and Lara nodded in agreement with Ginny's assessment, acknowledging the validity of her concerns.
Lara suggested, "How about we hide in the storeroom on the 8th floor? We can be safe there as long as we remain silent."
Now, the four of you are heading to the storeroom.
The 8th floor was almost deserted, with only a few zombies scattered around, easily avoided by your group. Finally, you arrived at the storeroom located in the B-block of the 8th floor.
You carefully opened the door, checking for any signs of zombies inside. Fortunately, the room appeared to be empty. Gesturing for the girls to enter first, you followed closely behind, ensuring everyone was safely inside before closing the door behind you.
After a few minutes, the break bell sounded from all floors, jolting awake every zombie in the vicinity. Their groans echoed loudly, surpassing any previous noise heard in the washroom.
You couldn't help but vocalize your thoughts, "They sound louder than before." Just then, the sound of footsteps approached from outside the room.
Lara immediately urged action, "Someone is running outside, we need to help them." But you intervened, restraining her with a firm grip on her hand.
"No," you countered, "it might be a zombie. If it's a human, they'll shout for help."
Unconvinced, Lara argued back, "But we haven't seen a single zombie running in these two hours."
Releasing her hand, you explained, "We saw one earlier. If not for my luck, I could have been one of them."
Though still hesitant, Lara reluctantly conceded, "Okay, but he might be human."
Rena chimed in, bringing perspective, "We can't save everyone, Lara. We need to consider the risks before acting."
As Lara slowed down and settled onto the floor, her frustration evident, she replied with a single word, "Okay."
Understanding her frustration, you contemplated the implications of your decision. 'What if the footsteps belong to a human? What if I'm wrong? Still, I can't act on a whim. I might put them at risk.'
Amidst the ongoing bell sounds, you couldn't shake the nagging thoughts. "What are you planning, Anh? The voices of zombies are increasing on this floor. How many are there? We didn't even encounter ten while coming to the storeroom."
After the bell on the 8th floor stopped ringing, Ginny spoke up, her tone tinged with realization. "So, this is his plan, huh?"
Rena and Lara exchanged confused glances before simultaneously asking, "What do you mean?"
Ginny, with a shy expression, continued, "I think he plans to lure all the zombies to the ground floor. He might have realized that these zombies react to sound."
She elaborated, "Anh likely used the break bell from every floor to wake up and alert the zombies, who were scattered in classrooms and corners. Once they were drawn to the source of the sound, he intended to stop the bell of that floor and start bell of below floor, causing the zombies to move downstairs. There's a chance he's monitoring them through security cameras and will repeat the tactic until all the zombies are on the ground floor."
Lara exclaimed with a surprised expression, "That guy who helped us was really that intelligent."
You silently hoped, 'Anh, please ensure your plan is successful.'
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The scene unfolds on the sixth floor, where the occupants of the safe room are gripped with panic due to the increasing groans of zombies gathering outside. Slyde emerges as the de facto leader of the group, tasked with assessing the situation.
Addressing the room, Slyde declares, "We need to understand the situation outside. Is anyone willing to volunteer?"
The chemistry professor, who had falsely claimed knowledge of firearms, retorts, "Why don't you check yourself, leader?"
Slyde inwardly curses his luck but maintains his composure. He responds, "Well, Professor, I'm not a fighter, but a strategist. It's time to redeem yourself. Prove your worth."
All students in the room, "Yes, prove that you're useful or not, cheater. Cheater, cheater, cheater."
The chemistry professor agrees and prepares to venture outside, prompting Slyde to mutter under his breath, "A brainless idiot."
Slyde then opens the door, instructing the professor to exit. He stationed a few sturdy students nearby inside the room to guard the door.
As Slyde monitored the professor from the slight opening of the door, they could hear distant groans, although no zombies were in sight. After a few minutes, the sound of approaching footsteps caught their attention.
"I believe someone is headed our way," the professor remarked. "What's our plan?"
The moment he finished speaking and glanced to his left, he witnessed a horde of zombies charging toward him. Fear gripped him, and he yelled out in panic, "THEY'RE RUNNING... OPEN THE DOOR!"
Slyde's response was an evil laugh as he declared, "Thanks for being part of my experiment." With urgency, Slyde shouted, "They're approaching, close the door!" As he shut the door, he turned to the professor with a sinister grin, licking his lips. "Die!" he taunted.
Despite the professor's efforts to open the door, he was too late. Slyde had already locked it, sealing his fate.
He pounded on the door relentlessly until a zombie seized his face and hurled him backward. For the first time, the professor came face to face with the zombie.
The zombie wasted no time, grabbing his head and the pressure of its grip broke the professor's skull, showcasing the raw strength of these zombies. As it began to feed on him, a high-pitched sound echoed throughout the sixth floor, catching the zombie's attention.
In the main sound-proof control room on the ground floor, Anh, Hina, Trident, and three others watched in horror through the security cameras as Slyde's actions unfolded.
Anh's frustration was palpable as he lamented, "I shouldn't have trusted that manipulative cheater."
Feeling both frustrated and confused, Anh voiced their dilemma, "What should we do? The zombies are ignoring the bell sound and gathering around the chemistry professor's body."
Hina suggested, "Why don't we try an even higher-pitched sound? Like those 'Hearing Test' videos from YouTube."
Anh swiftly located the speaker switch for the sixth floor on the control panel. "I found it," he announced after switching on the speaker. "Okay, everyone on the sixth floor and every floor, I hope you can hear me. If there are any survivors, please hide inside a room. We're doing our best to lure these zombies away..."
Anh's voice trailed off as he realized the zombies were no longer responding to sound. "They don't even care about sound anymore if there's flesh in front of them" he lamented. "Please close your ears tightly with your fingers. I hope you guys are lucky."
Anh played the high-pitched hearing test video on his phone and positioned it near the microphone. As the pitch increased, the people in the main control room felt a slight discomfort. Anh anxiously thought to himself, "Please move from there."
After five tense minutes, the pitch of the sound escalated even further. Finally, the zombies reacted, writhing as if the sound itself was causing them pain. They began to gather toward the source of the noise, drawing even more zombies from the lower floors.
Anh urgently called out, "Someone, switch on the 6th-floor break bell." Hina swiftly turned on the break bell switch as Anh stopped the high-pitched sound video.
Turning to the live CCTV footage displayed on the screen, Anh clenched his fists in anger. "We're back to square one, all thanks to that snake Slyde."
Anh looked at the girls other than Hina and, with a sarcastic tone mirroring their previous words, remarked, "Oh... don't tell lies, Mr. Slyde is great, he is the best professor in college."
He then adopted a serious tone and continued, "This is his true nature; he is not someone who can be trusted, especially not at this dire time."
Anh sighed and said, "Okay, let's get back to the plan." Then, addressing Hina, he added, "Just like last time, monitor all the camera feeds and let me know when all the zombies have gathered around the bell. I'll turn it off then."
After three hours, it's 5 PM. Most of the zombies have been gathered on the ground floor, just a few feet away from the control room where Anh and the group are hiding, hoping for the success of their plan.
The final step of the plan arrives, and Anh finds himself sweating profusely. All that's left to do now is to play this high pitched sound on the phone that connected to Bluetooth speaker, hoping that no zombies will roam at the left entrance.
Anh quietly asked Hina, "Are you ready?"
Hina nodded and Anh switched off all the bells and speakers in the building and Hina took the phone from her pocket that is connected to BT speaker, which Anh and gang had thrown down from the first floor earlier, few meters away from east/right entrance. Anh then instructed her, "Play it."
The same sound used to lure the zombies on the sixth floor is now amplified threefold. Hina said in a saucy tone, "Take this 3x pitch sound. "
The volume reverberates throughout the campus, drawing all the ground floor zombies towards it. However, nearby zombies are also attracted to the deafening noise.
Unfortunately, the speaker can't keep up with the volume anymore and is blasted.
Amidst the scattered zombies outside the block, Anh and gang had to face another dangerous task: shutting the right entrance door while the zombies begin to exhibit signs of awareness, sparking fear among the group.
Anh and Hina cautiously exit the control room, and slowly walked outside of the hallways that leads to West entrance, when they saw west entrance they are utter shocked that there is not a trace of zombie in west entrance, In contrast, whole free ground floor space is marked with blood foot prints and blood.
After seeing the day and night difference, they both looked at each other and had a scared chuckle on their faces. After composing themselves, they both slowly approached the east entrance, consisting of two wide doors set into the wall, Anh instructs Hina in hushed tones, "You take the right door."
Even though they moved with utmost caution, a small zombie suddenly emerges and walking towards the door, quickly followed by several others converging toward them. Hina, sensing the imminent danger, urgently urges Anh, "Anh, shut the door!"
Reacting swiftly, they close the door as quickly as possible. The action produces a loud noise, coinciding with the sound of something breaking from a few feet away from the outside of campus.
Anh's expression shifts to one of concern and confusion as he asks, 'What was that sound?' The same breaking noise echoes once more, but preceding it this time is the anguished cry of a woman exclaiming, "FUCK this life." Anh and Hina heard the sound of footsteps moving away from the door, giving them a sense of where those zombies might be gathering.
Hina bows her head and whispers, "Thank you for giving us a second chance. Rest in peace, both of you."
Anh remarks, "Yeah, they both gave us a second chance. There's no way this door can hold back those zombies."
Out of nowhere, they hear a woman's soothing and mature voice, "Good work, both of you. Come in, and I'll tend to those wounds."
Both Hina and Anh glance at their injured hands and legs, observing blood dripping from their wounds. They exchange smiles, and Hina responds with a smile, "We're in your care, Miss Yuri."
Miss Yuri, the college nurse and first-year lab in charge, is a striking presence on the block. With her jet-black hair, piercing blue eyes, and great physique, she is known for her approachable nature and friendly demeanor. At 28 years old, she possesses a natural charm that endears her to everyone she meets. Her welcoming smile makes her a beloved figure among students and staff.
With a gentle smile, Miss Yuri addresses, "You four." She call the Trident, Lyra, Gwen and Ria. Then instructing them, "Quickly and Quietly block the door with those broken benches."
She urges, "Quickly now, we're short on time, and we don't know when they'll break through those doors."
Trident and the girls are doing their best, but it isn't enough. Miss Yuri glances at them, then turns to Anh and Hina. "Why don't we lend them a hand?" she suggests.
Hina and Anh respond in unison, "Of course, Miss."
Anh adds, "Let's help block the door."