The apartment was silent except for the occasional creaks of the old building. Outside, the storm had passed, leaving behind a damp, rotting city. The neon lights in the distance flickered erratically, struggling to hold on to whatever power was left.
Naira sat by the window, gripping the crowbar in his hands. His mind replayed everything—Maya's warning about the infection, the chase in the parking lot, the weight of every step they had taken to get here.
Kiran sat beside him, sipping from a bottle of water they found in the kitchen. "So, what's the plan, fearless leader?" she asked, a tired smirk on her face.
"First, we check the whole building," Naira said. "Make sure we're not sharing this place with anything… unwanted."
Maya nodded. "And after that?"
"We fortify."
With weapons in hand, the three of them moved carefully through the dimly lit hallways. The apartment complex was five stories tall, each floor containing about ten units. Their goal was simple—check every room, secure the exits, and find anything useful.
The first few apartments were empty. Some had signs of struggle—overturned furniture, bloodstains, and half-eaten meals left on tables—but no bodies.
Then they found the first one.
The door to room 306 was ajar, a low shuffling sound coming from inside.
Naira motioned for silence. He gripped the crowbar tighter and pushed the door open slowly. The smell hit them first—a sickly mixture of decay and dried blood.
A man stood near the bed, his back turned to them, his body swaying slightly. His skin was pale, patches of it torn, revealing raw flesh underneath.
Maya covered her mouth.
Naira stepped forward. One clean strike. That's all it would take.
He raised the crowbar and brought it down with force. The crack of bone echoed in the small room as the zombie collapsed. Naira struck again—once, twice—until it stopped moving.
Kiran let out a slow breath. "That was… brutal."
Naira wiped the blood off his weapon. "It's the only way."
They continued clearing rooms, finding small supplies—bottled water, canned food, a few knives. Each find was a small victory.
Then, as they reached the fourth floor, disaster struck.
Maya tried to open one of the doors, but it was locked. She knocked lightly, testing if someone was inside.
The response wasn't a voice. It was a low, guttural growl.
Then, a loud bang as something slammed against the door.
"Shit—step back!" Naira hissed.
The door burst open, and a zombie lunged forward. Maya barely dodged in time as it crashed into the hallway, screeching and clawing.
Naira swung his crowbar, knocking it down. But before he could finish it off, another one appeared from inside the room.
Then another.
And another.
Kiran grabbed Maya's arm and ran. "Go! Go! Go!"
Naira smashed the first one's head, but the others were already stumbling out. Too many.
They bolted down the hallway, slamming doors shut behind them.
The infected crashed into the doors, their growls growing louder.
But the worst was yet to come.
From outside the building, a distant screech echoed through the empty streets. Then another.
Then… dozens.
Maya's eyes widened. "They heard it."
The sound of the breaking door had attracted a horde.
They sprinted back to their safe room on the third floor, slamming the door behind them.
Outside, the noise grew louder. The infected from the street were coming.
Naira rushed to the window. His stomach dropped.
Zombies poured into the street, dozens of them stumbling over abandoned cars, their hollow eyes locked onto the building.
Maya's voice trembled. "We're trapped."
Naira turned. "No, we're not. We just have to make sure they can't get in."
They moved fast.
1. Barricade the stairwells. They shoved everything they could find—tables, bookshelves, cabinets—against the entrance to the upper floors. The goal was simple: Keep the zombies contained downstairs.
2. Secure the windows. They tore down doors and nailed them against the windows on the lower floors. Anything to block the sight and muffle their presence.
3. Prepare weapons. They gathered knives, pipes, anything sharp. Kiran even fashioned a makeshift spear from a mop handle and a kitchen knife.
Then, the pounding began.
Fists slamming against the front doors.
Glass shattering.
The infected were trying to break in.
Kiran swallowed hard. "How long do you think the doors will hold?"
Naira adjusted his grip on the crowbar. "Long enough."
The First Breach
The first barricade collapsed within the hour.
A loud crash echoed through the halls as the front door snapped off its hinges.
Shadows poured inside.
"Get upstairs!" Naira yelled.
They rushed up to the third floor, where their final barricade stood.
Naira and Kiran stood at the stairs, weapons ready. "We fight if we have to," Naira said.
The first infected reached the blockade. It clawed and slammed against the furniture. Then another joined. And another.
Then… silence.
The zombies stopped.
Maya's breathing was shaky. "Why did they stop?"
Then, they heard it.
A new sound.
Something heavier.
A deep, guttural growl.
Naira's heart pounded. "That… doesn't sound like the others."
Then, the barricade shook violently, as if something huge had slammed into it.
Kiran whispered, "What the hell is that?"
They weren't dealing with just normal infected anymore.
Something worse had arrived.