Katie's Pov
Katie's heart raced, As she turned away from the window. Suddenly, the school's alarm system shrieked to life, piercing the air with ear-splitting wails.
Lena clamped her hands over her ears. "What's happening?". Ryder's face turned ashen. "We've been breached! We need to move, now!". The screams and shouts grew louder, echoing through the corridors. Katie's classmates exchanged terrified glances.
Jax yelled above the din, "The infected are inside the city we all need to move now!". Marcus grabbed Katie's arm. "We have to get out of here!".
The sounds of chaos intensified – screams, gunfire, and the unsettling, guttural growls of the undead. The snarling and snapping echoed through the halls, sending chills down Katie's spine soon they all ran out the class room desperate to get outside and far away from the infected as possible.
As they fled, Katie saw a teacher, Mrs. Jenkins, trying to barricade a door. A infected burst through, its jaws wide open, and dragged her down. Katie heard Mrs. Jenkins's agonized screams, then silence as blood splattered the walls.
Nearby Alex, a classmate, stumbled, his leg bleeding profusely from a bite. "Help me!" he cried, but it was too late. He fell, screaming, as the infected closed in. Katie watched in horror as they tore into Alex's flesh, blood spraying everywhere.
The corridors became a nightmare of carnage. Bodies littered the floor, some still twitching. Katie saw a student, Emily, crawling, her intestines spilling from her torn abdomen. A infected pounced, ripping Emily's screams to silence.
Ryder herded the remaining students toward the evacuation route. "Stay together! Follow the emergency signs!" Katie's eyes welled up with tears. They were dying all her classmates, right behind her and their was nothing she could do. Blood-soaked footprints marked their path.
Another explosion shook the floor, making Katie stumble. The lights flickered. Lena screamed, "We're going to die!"
Ryder shouted, "Keep moving! We're almost at the safe zone!".Katie's heart pounded. Would they make it out alive? Why was this happening now and where was her father? These thoughts filled her mind as she was running behind Marcus, who gripped her hand tightly as he led her through the now blood and gore-stained hallways.
As they stumbled out of their school, Katie was met with a scene from hell. The city was in chaos, with flames engulfing buildings and smoke billowing into the sky. People ran wildly, screaming, as the military clashed with the infected.
Guns blazed, and explosions rocked the air. Katie saw a soldier dragged down by multiple infected, his cries cut short. Another soldier fired point-blank into a infected's head, but more kept coming.
As they stood in the courtyard looking for a safe way to escape, a tank rumbled pass, its cannon swiveling down the street. A deafening boom shook the ground as it fired, sending a shell down the street. The tank lurched forward, crushing infecteds beneath its treads.
Helicopters thundered above, their rotors whipping the air. Missiles streaked down, exploding among clusters of infected. Machine guns rattled, cutting down the infected. To the east, a skyscraper was ablaze, its windows shattering from the heat. Flames licked the sides of nearby buildings, spreading rapidly.
Suddenly, a car was flung into the air, crashing into a hovering helicopter. The chopper's rotors shattered, sending it plummeting to the ground. The impact was immense, shaking the earth beneath Katie's feet. Flames engulfed the wreckage.
As the chaos reached its peak, a monstrous, lumbering creature emerged from the smoke-filled streets. This monstrous behemoth , easily eight times the size of a man, strode forward with an unnatural gait.
Its body was twisted and distorted, bulging with grotesque, pulsing growths. Spike-like protrusions jutted from its arms and shoulders. A cavernous mouth, filled with jagged teeth, seemed to scream silently.
Lena clung to Katie, her eyes wide with terror. "What the fuck is that?". Marcus stumbled backward, his face pale. "It can't be..."
Jax pulled them toward the evacuation zone. "We need to move, now!".Ryder shouted above the din, "Stay together! We need to reach the extraction point!" He shouts, leading his surviving students away.
Soon the behemoths gaze locked onto the fleeing group. Its mouth opened, releasing a deafening roar as it began lumbering forward.
The behemoth took another step closer, its eyes fixed on the fleeing group. Suddenly, an explosion ripped through the air, striking the creature's face. Flames engulfed its head, and it recoiled, blinded.
The monsters monstrous roar shook the ground, a deafening bellow of rage and pain.
A tank lumbered into view, its cannon trained on the behemoth. The tank's tread squealed as it gained momentum, closing in for the kill. " Take cover!" Ryder yelled, pulling the students back.
The tank fired, its cannon booming. A shell slammed into the behemoth's chest, ripping flesh and bone apart. The creature stumbled, its roar faltering.
But it refused to fall.
With a twisted, unnatural strength, the behemoth pushed forward, its massive body resisting the tank's assault. Jax grabbed Katie's arm. "We need to move, now!" Lena stumbled, her eyes fixed on the battle. "It's not going to stop, is it?". Marcus pulled her along. "Keep moving!"
Ryder shouted, " let's go that tank is trying to slow it down enough so we can get away" and in response the tank fired again, and again, pounding the behemoth with high-explosive shells. Each impact ripped flesh from its bones, yet it kept coming.
As they fled, Katie glanced back. The behemoth's face was a charred, burned mess, its eyes glowing with an unnatural hunger.
" Follow me!" Ryder shouted, guiding the students away from the battle. "We need to reach the evacuation zone, now!"
The group sprinted through the smoke-filled streets, dodging debris and panicked civilians. They weaved between abandoned cars and buildings, trying to put distance between themselves and the behemoth.
Lena stumbled, her eyes fixed on the chaos. "Where are we going?". Ryder replied, "The extraction point is nearby. We'll get you to safety!".Jax supported Lena, helping her keep pace. "Stay focused, we're almost there!"
Marcus glanced back, his face pale. "That thing is relentless!". Katie pushed on, her heart pounding. Would they make it out alive?. Suddenly, Ryder halted, pointing to a nearby alley. "In here! Move!". They dashed into the alley, momentarily safe from all the chaos.
As they fled through the alley, the sounds of battle intensified. Explosions shook the ground, and gunfire echoed off the walls.
Ryder halted, listening. "We need to keep moving The extraction point is two blocks away."
Suddenly, a infected lunged from the shadows of an empty building, its jaws wide open. Ryder swiftly drew his pistol, firing point-blank. The infected crumpled, but more emerged.
" Take cover!" Ryder yelled, shielding the group. Bullets whizzed past, striking nearby buildings. The students huddled together, terrified. Lena screamed as a infected grabbed her arm. Ryder swiftly dispatched it, his gun firing true. Jax helped Lena up. "Keep moving!"
Marcus stumbled, his eyes fixed on the carnage. "This can't be happening...".Katie pulled him along. "We have to keep going!"
Ryder led the charge, pistol blazing. He took down infected after infected, clearing a path. As they turned a corner, they saw a fallen soldier, who had seemingly been overrun by infected. Ryder rushed to his side, retrieving his rifle.
"Take this!" Ryder shouted, handing the rifle to Jax. "Cover our six!". Jax nodded, shouldering the rifle. The group pushed forward, facing unrelenting horrors. Bodies littered the streets, some still twitching. Flames engulfed nearby buildings.
A helicopter thundered above, its searchlight sweeping the chaos. Ryder shouted, "Extraction point ahead! Move!"
But as they approached, a massive explosion rocked the ground, sending them stumbling. The blast sent Katie tumbling to the ground. She scrambled up, dazed, as Ryder pulled her forward.
"Keep moving!" Ryder yelled, his voice barely audible over the chaos. The extraction point, a large military transport, lay ahead. Soldiers secured the perimeter, fighting off hordes of infected, so the citizens could have a chance of escaping.
As they approached, a soilder fired a shoulder launched manpad into an incoming group of infected. As they almost made it to the soldiers. Lena stumbled, her leg injured and bleeding badly. "I can't..."
Ryder swept her up, carrying her towards the extraction point. Katie and Marcus followed, Jax covering their rear. As more imfected closed in, relentless. But thankfully, they had made it beyond the barrier.
But as they began making their way with the other injured civilians, three heavily armed soldiers approached their group. " Katie Reigns?" One of them asked.
" Yes that's me" she said as she helped to support an injured Lena. The soldier who asked her for her name nodded.
"We need you to come with us" he said. Katie glanced at her friend's and then back at the soldiers. "May I ask why?" She asked.
Their faces remained impassive as they gazed back at her.
" Your father would like a word with you".