03 - Reunited

It felt like an hour had passed when I opened my eyes again.

I remembered the news: chaos, burning houses, loud sirens, and city-wide power outages. That boy on the school grounds who was bitten, died, and then rose again as if nothing happened. And the teacher who almost attacked me did the same thing—dying and then coming back alive—with dead eyes and torn skin, reeking of decay.

They rose despite their mutilations, as if they felt no pain. They became wild, aggressive monsters, rising from death.

I gathered my knees to my chest as I gripped the doorknob tightly in case they would open the door.

“That was pretty brave,” a voice said. Mark approached, casting a shadow over me. He sat beside me and pried my fingers from the doorknob, placing my hands on my knees.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice trembling.

He sighed, his deep hazel-green eyes watching those who sat in front of us. None of them had said a word, shock obvious on their faces. His slightly bearded chin showed under the faint light as he pressed his head against the wall.

I waited for his answer, but there was only silence. I tucked my hands beneath my legs, clasping them together.

I started wondering why I stayed by the door, as moans on the other side reached my ears. We were vastly outnumbered, and soon we’d be among them—with the same injuries, and soaked in blood, faces melting to decay. My eyes glanced at the other door at my far right, wishing I had longer arms to reach it to guard its knob as well.

My back pressed hard against the door, my knees drawn up until my hands felt the warmth of my own skin beneath them.

It had been ten minutes of silence, not making a single move, and I could barely remember the smell of fresh air except the stench of sweat, panting, decay, and tears. I could hear my own breathing and feel my own sweat oozing down my face.

A slight flicker of contraction began in my stomach, making me want to vomit.

Still crouching on the floor, I clasped my hands together on my knees to stop them from shaking. But it didn’t work.

I needed a plan.

My guts were telling me to get out of here.

Their footsteps sang behind the only wall separating us, cringing in my ears. Hair on my skin stood. Raindrops began to drip down the window panes, slow and oddly ordinary. While stealing glances at the other students, I reckoned most of them were seniors like me. Graduation day was arriving a week prior, so the school was busy the entire time. And the sole reason for being here was the rehearsal for the walk. And because of it, we all ended up in the worst situation ever, where we had no way out except to jump right to our deaths.

“What are they?” I asked Mark in a low voice, terrified the monsters might hear me.

He shrugged, his frown returning. “I don’t know, really. But there had been news about it. I didn’t think it’d get worse until it finally came to us. Andrew watched a live stream of it. I thought it was for content.”

My hands trembled more intensely than before, seeking refuge under my knee folds. My eyes darted to the faces of the students. I found a small face with lots of hair among them.

“Someone’s gotta attend to her,” he muttered. I trailed his sight, and he was looking at Lenore in front of me. Her disheveled, chocolate-brown hair got all the way to her face, dampened with sweat. Her eyes were wide with terror as she met mine, shaking. Tears were at bay. “You saved her, Mari,” Mark added, placing his heavy hand on my shoulder. He looked like he was about to smile, but was holding it back.

I forced a grin, trying to keep it off my mind. They barely had her. “Should I go to her?” I asked.

He shrugged again and limply gestured for me to make the move.

For a second, I glanced at the door behind me, hoping it wouldn’t just unlock by itself. I crawled toward Lenore and sat beside her, not knowing what to do. Instead, I put a hand around her awkwardly, trying to comfort her.

I watched as Andrew sat with Josh next to him; both had their eyes on the tiled floor. Josh wiped his sweat on the forehead with his horse-patterned handkerchief while Andrew rubbed his temples as if a headache had lingered in.

“Fate is such a good player,” Mark suddenly said. I followed his trail of sight once more as I grew curious about what he had meant. “Who would have thought we’d be in the same room again?”

I knitted my eyebrows and squinted to get a clear sight of the people he was looking at. It took me a while to recognize them.

Nathalie and Isaac. Nathalie consoled Gwen, who was crying in her arms. And Isaac, her brother, had his peering eyes on Mark before they drifted toward me as he spoke to her. I used to hang out with them. Nathalie and I used to be so close a long time ago. That changed when she parted ways with Mark.

Words became scarce, and our shared moments faded like echoes of a distant past. Her sudden decision left me wondering what I had done wrong to be treated like a stranger all of a sudden. Recalling it, I grew tempted to talk with Mark about it, but I guess it wasn’t the right time. Not when I saw how deeply he was staring at her. He missed her. He missed all the things they used to do and the places they used to go. And whatever rendezvous they did without my knowing.

“At least we’re together to the end,” Mark said gently with a pained smile before shifting his eyes back to me. “Just like we promised. To the end, right?”

I didn’t respond. But I agreed to every word. Just like we had promised.

I continued speculating on the three. How did they get here? Why weren’t they in their own room? Had she ever thought of me?

Isaac approached us, each step causing an itch in my chest. His eyes met mine, but I looked away, everywhere but his eyes. Sweat began to form on my forehead. I retracted my arm around Lenore and gripped my hands together. I wanted to walk away, but I couldn’t leave her alone.

Then my gaze shifted to the girl I once knew. I swore Nathalie had her eyes on me before I could look. I couldn’t tell if she had, or…… if I just wanted her to. I hated being unsure.

“What do we do?” Isaac asked. He stood with his arms crossed. His voice was laced with hesitation. I glanced at him, just enough to see the tension in his jaw and the way his fingers drummed restlessly on his biceps. He was trying to look composed, but the subtle shift of his weight from one foot to the other betrayed his nervousness. He glared at Mark, his former best friend, but his eyes flickered back to me, staring longer than they should have.

Air seemed to be stuck in my throat. I shifted away again.

Mark didn’t say anything. He just stared at Isaac, his jaw clenched and his hands clasped together firmly on his knees. The silence stretched on, uncomfortable and heavy. He scratched the back of his neck. I could tell he was just as uncomfortable as I was.

Isaac opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, clearly struggling to find the right words. Then he took a deep breath and said, “Mark, I…I just want to talk.”

Mark’s eyes narrowed. “Talk about what?” he asked.

Isaac flinched. He uncrossed his arms and shoved his hands into his pockets. His shoulders were hunched slightly.

I could feel my pulse quickening, so I began picking at a loose thread on my sleeve, desperately trying to focus on anything other than the elephant in the room. My heart pounded in my ears, and I was sure the monsters outside could hear it too.

I felt Isaac’s eyes on me again, but this time I met them without looking away. There was a flicker of something in his gaze—a greeting, maybe, or something else entirely. “Those things outside,” he told Mark, his voice softer, almost pleading. “We gotta do something not to get stuck here.”

Mark let out a laugh, shaking his head. “And what do you propose, Zac? Walk out there and let those things rip us apart? Real genius plan,” he scoffed. He leaned back and sighed deeply. “Look around. We’re surrounded. There’s nowhere to go. This is it. We’re stuck. And if you think running out there is going to change anything, then you’re even more clueless than I am.”

Isaac’s face turned grim. “Mark, we can’t just sit here and wait to die.”

Mark’s hands turned into fists. “Maybe some of us don’t see any other option,” he said, his voice low.

“Our friends are out there!” Isaac shouted and pointed to the door. I flinched. It was so loud I was worried the monsters heard him and went wild trying to break the doors. He crouched, looked Mark in the eye, and said, “Not everyone made it here. We have to go look for them.” His voice now was low.

“You see what these crazy sickos do to you?” Mark said, his posture straightened. “If anyone’s not here, then it’s best to assume they’re gone.”

“You don’t understand. Do you even care?”

“Your friends are gone!” Mark’s words thundered, jolting me on my position, louder than Isaac earlier. The vibration of his voice traversed through my spine. “They’ve already turned into… whatever those things are, okay? There’s no way they could have gotten away.”

“We can’t fight them either, can we?” Andrew added, standing up from the floor. “There are too many of them. They’re too wild, and they can’t easily die. You should know that if you pay attention to the details in zombie movies. But the difference is,” he breathed sharply, “this is real.”

“So, we’re just giving up?” Gwen chimed in, tears at bay. Her arms were crossed against her chest. Nathalie stood beside her, frowning. “My brother is still out there. Ivan. Remember him?”

Mark sighed, closing his eyes. “Then you already know what that means.”

“Ivan is brave, but he’s not fearless,” Gwen batted. “He could have made it through. He could be hiding somewhere, but that doesn’t mean he’s safe. And he won’t stay still until he knows I’m alive.”

Mark stood up and replied, “No, you don’t get it! These sickos run! They’re fast. There’s no way any of you can outrun them, okay? You’re already safe here! Why’d you risk it for some pipe dream?!”

He paused, slowly spinning around as he looked at each one of us. “It’s best to just… It’s best to think that we’re the last ones left.”

He looked as if he were tearing up, sweeping his face with his hand, and turned away.

“I get that you don’t care,” Isaac said, frustrated. “But you should at least try to be helpful at times like this.”

Mark turned back to him with crunched eyebrows. He gritted his teeth. “What did you say?”

“I’m saying I haven’t forgotten what you did. I haven’t forgotten the very reason for this mess.”

What mess? Their broken friendship? This apocalypse? I asked within.

“Now’s not the time, Isaac,” Nathalie spoke, biting her nails. She would do that when she was anxious.

I felt a bit lost. I didn’t know what he meant by Mark being the reason for whatever mess it was.

“I didn’t do it,” Mark said and looked at everyone again. “You wanna get out? Go. No one’s gonna stop you.”

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. We’d seen what they could do. Just like zombies, they would eat anyone they saw. I could still hear the screams echoing in my head and see the bloodstains on the walls. The room fell silent again, everyone exchanging uncertain glances. I felt hopeless.