The night was lit up with a roar that could wake the dead, sending a bunch of birds into a frenzy like they lost their minds.
That bone-chilling sound sliced through the girls' dorm like a horror movie soundtrack, making Ava shiver like she was standing in a snowstorm.
"Man, did the zombies chow down on Zane already?" Ava thought, feeling a cold rush like someone dumped a bucket of ice water on her.
Just then, a buff dude threw out another idea: "Hold up, maybe not. I caught the sound of a car earlier; maybe your roomie rolled up and bumped into some of those walkers." He said it with a smirk.
Another guy joined in, "Seems like your boy's got a serious case of hero syndrome, coming to check on you even now."
Ava and these two jocks were tight, being on the university basketball team together, and Ava rocked the cheerleading squad. But one dude wasn't buying the romance, snorting, "Love? More like he's just whipped. Bet he comes back empty-handed."
Ava rolled her eyes at the trash talk and fretted, "What now? Zane's dropping the ball, can't even snag us some grub."
Suddenly, one of the guys perked up, his ears twitching. He grabbed a metal pipe and whispered, "Hold up, I hear something in the hall. Someone's coming up!"
The room went dead silent, everyone straining to hear. Sure enough, footsteps and low growls echoed closer.
"Looks like your knight in shining armor made it!" another guy joked, eyes lighting up with a mix of hope and hunger.
"Game plan, everyone!" They grabbed their pipes and took positions by the door, ready to jump Zane for any supplies he brought. From the get-go, they never planned to let him walk out.
In this eat-or-be-eaten world, every mouth to feed was a mouth too many. Zane was just another liability...
Knock, knock, knock! The knocks were chill, not rushed, just steady. Ava peeked and saw Zane's pale, handsome face.
"Get in, quick!" Flustered but fast, she swung the door open. Once Zane was in, she slammed it shut, like she was locking out the whole apocalypse.
Out of the shadows, three dudes with pipes circled Zane, eyes glued to his bag, hungry for whatever he might have brought.
"Where's the food? Spill it, where'd you stash it?" one demanded, ready to rumble. They were puzzled to see his hands empty, not sticking to the script.
Zane just scanned the room, his look finally landing on Ava. She met his gaze, defiant, no sign of guilt.
"I played you, sure, but no time for sorry now. It's every person for themselves," Ava's voice was as cold as the wind outside.
Zane stayed quiet, just eyeing her. The guys, though, were losing their cool, ready to throw down.
"Come on, talk! Where's the grub?"
"Hand it over, or it's lights out for you!"
"End of the world, man, no one's gonna miss one more gone!"
Their desperation was turning them wild, almost like they were the zombies.
"Where's the food? Talk or you're done!" In a rage, one guy swung his pipe at Zane's face with all his might, the metal slicing the air like a guillotine.
But Zane just raised his hand and with a 'bang', snagged the pipe mid-swing, gripping it tight while the dude tried yanking it back. This boss move left the other two slack-jawed, rushing in to help.
Then, Zane dropped a bombshell—he actually talked. After a few days of evolving, he had picked up some speech again. It was rough and robotic, but clear enough.
"You guys are the menu," he growled, his voice sending shivers around the room. Everyone's jaw dropped, realizing the nightmare truth.
Zane was a zombie!
"Holy smokes!" One guy freaked so hard he launched his pipe into the air, backing up and shaking like a leaf.
But Zane, chill as ever, flicked his wrist and—wham!—the pipe speared right through the dude's head, exit stage back. "Splat!" It was like a scene from a slasher film.
Ava and the remaining guys went white as sheets, scared stiff, yelling, "Book it!" They scrambled for the door, tripping over their own feet.
But as they tried to bolt, they smacked into something huge. It was a zombie hulk, towering and terrifying.
"Roar—" The beast's roar almost burst their eardrums. One punch, and one guy's head popped like a balloon at a birthday party, gore flying.
Blood splattered Ava's face, nearly knocking her out. Just as she thought she was a goner, she heard a creepy giggle by her ear. Turning, she nearly lost it—there was Zoe, casually cleaning her nails right in Ava's grill.
"Ahh!" Ava shrieked, on the edge of losing it. Then, big boss Zane strolled out, with Jake and Zoe flanking him like loyal dogs, proud of their bloody mess.
And there was Nathan, squatting by a body, messing with its veins, doing something nasty.
This horror show had Ava and the last standing guy white as ghosts, quaking in their boots. They finally pieced it together—Zane was the king of these zombies!
"Please, don't off me! I messed up... I'm sorry! Sob, sob, sob!" The guy was on his knees, bawling.
Ava snapped to and started pleading too: "Zane, didn't you always dig me the most? Sob, sob, sob—I'm your girl, don't do me in, I'll do anything, sob, sob!"
"Alright," Zane said coldly as he walked up to her, blade in hand. "I think I'd like to see your heart."