"No way!" All four guys in Dorm 708 shook their heads in unison. Like hell they were going out thereâzombies eat people. If you can hole up and survive, why risk your neck?
"Letâs just stay put and wait for rescue," said a bespectacled, bookish-looking guy. "As long as we keep quiet and out of sight, the zombies wonât find us."
"And what if rescue doesnât come for days?" Sean frowned.
"No big deal. Weâve still got plenty of food in here. We can hold out for a while," said another guy with a mop of curly hair.
At that, Ethanâs eyes lit up.
Theyâd scavenged through room after room and barely scraped together a few bags of chips and candy. None of them had eaten their fill in days. And now these guys were sitting on a stash big enough to last?
"Mind if we come in for a bit?" Ethan said with a friendly smile. "Standing out here in the hallâs just asking to draw zombies."
"Ahâyeah, yeah, come in, quick!"
The moment they heard "draw zombies," the guys inside panicked and scrambled to let them in.
Ethan led the group into the dorm, and the sight that greeted them was enough to make their mouths water: a table piled high with snacksâchips, cakes, bottles of Coke and Sprite. Chris and the others stared like theyâd just walked into heaven.
"Someone have a birthday last night?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah, it was mine," said the curly-haired guy, grinning. "They bought a ton of stuff to celebrate."
"Well thenâhappy birthday!" Ethan said, already making his way to the table like he belonged there. He grabbed a snack and started eating without hesitation.
"Happy birthday!"
"Happy birthday!" Chris and the others echoed, following Ethanâs lead. They crowded around the table and tore into the food like wolves.
"Th-thanks..." Curly muttered, still stunned.
"Wait, hold upâwhat the hell? Theyâre eating all our stuff! What are we supposed to eat later?" the guy with glasses suddenly snapped, panic rising in his voice.
"Shit, shut up!" one of the others hissed, realizing too late what was happening. They all rushed forward to stop the feeding frenzy.
But by the time they got there, most of the food was already goneâdevoured or stuffed into pockets by the starving newcomers.
"Are you guys bandits or what?!" Curly shouted, furious.
"Bandits? Come on, weâre just celebrating your birthday," Ethan said, mouth full, a Coke in one hand and a bun in the other.
"My birthdayâs over! I donât need your celebrationâgive us back our food!" Curlyâs curls practically stood on end with rage.
The other three glared daggers at them too. These guys had no shame.
"Come on, itâs already in our stomachs. You want us to puke it back up?" Ethan said with a grin. "But hey, Iâm not taking your stuff for free."
He walked over to the bunk beds, grabbed the metal frames from two of them, and yanked them off like they were made of cardboard. He tossed the steel tubes to the stunned residents.
"In the apocalypse, this kind of thingâs worth more than food. Might just save your life."
They caught the makeshift weapons, too shocked to speak. Ethanâs strength had clearly rattled them.
Then, without missing a beat, Ethan stuffed two bags of roasted peanuts into his pockets and led his crew out the door.
"If youâre not planning to fight zombies, then lock the door tight. Good luck waiting for rescue."
Only after they were gone did the guys in the dorm dare to speak.
"Goddamn bandits! They just ate through daysâ worth of foodâhow the hell are we supposed to wait for rescue now?!"
"Exactly! Theyâve cut off our only way out!"
Out in the hallway, Ethan and the others were lounging against the wall, sipping soda and munching on cake like they were at a picnic.
"Man, this hits the spot."
"Ethan, donât you think that was a little much?" Sean asked, frowning.
"Too much?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "You really think rescueâs coming?"
"Well..."
"Even if it is, it wonât be for at least ten days, maybe more. You think theyâve got enough food to last that long?"
"No."
"Exactly. We took their food, sureâbut I gave them weapons. And in this world, weapons are worth more than snacks. Theyâve got a better shot now."
"Yeah... youâre right," Sean nodded, clearly convinced.
After that, they cleared out the zombies in the next two dorms and headed deeper into the building.
It took them over half an hour to sweep through the ten dorm rooms on the right side. They cleared out the zombies, rummaged through every drawer and closet, and managed to scavenge a modest haulâsome snacks, bottled water, a few clean changes of clothes, and basic toiletries.
Each of them slung a backpack over their shoulders, stuffing it with whatever they could carry.
The backpacks, of course, were looted too.
Not a single survivor in those ten rooms. That said a lot about their odds.
There were nearly fifty people living on the seventh floor. In the end, only the four guys from Room 708 and the three from Seanâs group were still breathing. The rest had either turned or been torn apart.
Less than a ten percent survival rate. The number sat heavy on everyoneâs chest.
Then again, dorms were densely packed. Other parts of campus mightâve fared better.
By the time they finished clearing the floor, the sun was already dipping low. They decided to hole up for the night in one of the intact rooms and figure out their next move in the morning.
For now, they had enough food and water to get by. Hunger wasnât an immediate concern.
They picked two dorms with unbroken doors. Seanâs group took one; Ethan and Chris took the other.
After a quick tidy-up, Ethan and Chris collapsed onto the beds. The day had wrung them out, body and soul.
Ethan pulled out a charging cable heâd scavenged and plugged in his phone. Then he lay back, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
"Ethan," Chris said quietly, "do you think weâll actually survive this apocalypse?"
"We will," Ethan said, firm and sure.
Chris nodded, though his eyes were clouded with doubt.
He used to think the end of the world would be thrillingâlike in the movies. But now that he was living it, he knew better. The constant, gnawing fear of death was nothing like the silver screen.
"Donât overthink it," Ethan said. "Just focus on the next step. Speaking of which, youâre coming with me to the sixth floor in a bit."
Chris blinked. "Why? Weâre safe here, arenât we?"
"When we were clearing out the zombies earlier, I activated my ability and scanned the sixth floor. Caught a glimpse of something in the hallwayâa mutated zombie."
Chris sat up straighter. "A mutated one? Like the kind that almost wiped out our whole group?"
"Exactly."
"Isnât that insanely dangerous? Why would we go near it?"
Ethan turned his head toward him. "You ever wonder why my strength suddenly shot through the roof?"
Chrisâs eyes widened. "Wait... you mean it was that crystal?"
Ethan nodded. "Yeah. After I absorbed it, my physical abilities got a massive boost."
Chris let out a low whistle. "So those crystals... they might be the key to surviving all this."
"Exactly. And we need to get our hands on more of them before anyone else figures it out."
"You think those crystals only come from mutated zombies?" Chris asked.
"Seems like it. Weâve killed plenty of regular ones and only found a crystal once. That tells me mutated zombies are rareâand when you find one, you donât let it go."
Chris nodded slowly. "Alright. Should we bring Sean and the others?"
Ethan shook his head. "No. Weâre just allies right now. As long as thereâs no conflict of interest, things are fine. But the second something valuableâs on the line? Thatâs when problems start. Iâm not sharing this."
"Got it. So when do we head down?"
"Rest a bit, then we move. Quietly. No need to wake the others."
"Alright."
...