HUNGER

FINN'S POV

Oh God, we are done for! I'd prefer being torn about by a lion, than a damn zombie!

Karl raised a single finger to his lips, signaling for me to shut up.

I didn't dare move a muscle. I stood completely frozen on the carpet, my breath caught tight in my chest.

Scratch. Scratch.

Long, jagged nails dragged down the thin wood of our dorm door, followed by a wet, guttural snarling sound.

I can't believe this is actually happening, I thought, my heart hammering like a trapped bird against my ribs. Witnessing a damn zombie attack in real life was definitely not on my list for this semester.

Karl shook his head slowly, keeping his eyes glued to the door handle. I glared back at him, my fists clenched so tight my knuckles turned white.

Don't you dare make a sound, you bastard, I cursed in my head, glaring at the back of his hoodie. You won't be the fucking reason I die today.

Suddenly, a sharp, high-pitched scream rang out from somewhere down the hallway.

My eyes went wide as saucers. Karl’s head snapped toward the door, his jaw tightening.

Right outside, the heavy, wet dragging footsteps immediately turned away, sprinting down the corridor toward the sound. The snarling faded as the screams were abruptly cut short into a horrific, gurgling crunch.

Both of us finally let out a long, shuddering breath at the exact same time.

"What... what was that scream?" I whispered, my voice shaking so badly I had to clasp both hands over my mouth. "That... that was..."

"That was probably someone being torn apart," Karl finished flatly, his voice dead quiet.

The graphic image hit me like a physical punch to the gut. Hot, sour bile immediately rose up my throat.

"Ugh!"

I bolted straight into the bathroom, dropping to my knees in front of the toilet and throwing up everything in my stomach. The dry-heaving racked my whole body, tears pricking the corners of my eyes as I squeezed the porcelain bowl for dear life.

A second later, I felt a gentle weight on my back. Karl had followed me in, kneeling beside me and lightly patting my spine. He began rubbing small, slow circles on my exposed back where my shirt had ridden up from bending over.

A sudden, strange wave of heat flushed through my chest, burning all the way up to my ears. His touch was... slightly ticklish. And bizarrely, intoxicatingly arousing.

My mind instantly betrayed me, flashing straight back to the night before, the masked dancer in the red light, kneeling between my legs, taking my dick deep into his warm throat.

I gasped, my breath hitching as panic spiked in my chest for an entirely different reason. I quickly slapped the toilet handle, flushed it, and scrambled up to the sink.

I splashed freezing water onto my face, turned around, and aggressively shrugged out of Karl’s reach.

"Don't fucking touch me!" I barked, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

Karl raised his hands in a calm, silent surrender, his face unreadable. He didn't argue. He just turned on his heel and walked out of the restroom, closing the door halfway behind him.

I leaned over the sink, breathing heavily as I splashed another handful of icy water onto my burning cheeks.

What the hell is wrong with me? I scolded myself, staring at my reflection in the dripping mirror. We are literally in a matter of life and death right now, and I'm standing here thinking about a damn blowjob that shouldn't have even happened in the first place?! Way to die, Finn.

I shook my head, trying to clear the image, but then the wet snarling from earlier echoed in my brain again.

I stared into the dark glass of the mirror, my mind involuntarily trying to picture what those things actually looked like up close. Rotten skin, black blood, hollow eyes staring right back at me...

A heavy, ice-cold wave of goosebumps erupted across my arms and neck.

"Nope. Nope, nope, nope," I muttered aloud, backing away from the mirror. "I'd better not know what one looks like."

I bolted out of the bathroom, needing to get out of the dark space.

Karl was sitting on the edge of his bed in the main room. His head was hanging low, big drops of sweat trickling down his pale forehead and dripping onto his grey sweatpants.

I frowned, stopping in my tracks. The room wasn't hot at all—if anything, the cool morning air was freezing through the window cracks. There was basically no heat in the dorms right now.

Why the hell is he sweating like that? I thought, watching his shoulders heave with shallow breaths. Then I shook my head, hardening my face. Whatever. He's not a damn kid. I don't give a fuck.

Just as I turned toward my own bed, a loud, violent rumble echoed through the quiet room.

Grumbleee...

I froze, slowly staring down at my own stomach in complete betrayal.

Karl’s head instantly snapped up, his dark, sweat-sheened eyes locking directly onto mine.

I stared back at him, my heart dropping straight into my boots. Oh no. No, no, no, no.

Panic surged through my veins as I looked around our tiny, barricaded room. There was no fridge, no kitchen, and no way out into the hallway without getting eaten alive.

There's no escaping death, I thought, my throat going bone dry. I'm done for. We're going to starve in here.

I swallowed hard, looking at Karl with wide, desperate eyes.

"What..." I choked out, my voice cracking in the quiet room. "How... how the hell do we eat?"