The room was still.
No one breathed.
Zara stared at the door like it might explode.
"What… was that?" Ava whispered.
"A guy," Liam said, stepping forward slowly. "Said we're not the only survivors."
"Yeah, and creepy much?" Ryan muttered. "Who knocks and sounds that calm after all that?"
Zara took a shaky breath. "What if he's telling the truth?"
"What if he's not?" one of the other students said. "He could be infected. Luring us out."
They all turned to Liam, waiting.
He hesitated… then walked to the door and spoke through it.
"Who are you?"
A beat of silence.
Then the voice replied, still calm.
"Name's Mason. I was in the gym when everything started. Made it to the chemistry block, found two others. We're alive. And smart. And fast."
Zara frowned. "Then why come here?"
Mason replied, "Because the second wave is coming. You think what's out there now is bad? Wait 'til sunset."
Something about the way he said it made her stomach twist.
Ava leaned toward Zara. "He sounds hot. Psychotic. But hot."
Zara rolled her eyes. "Focus."
Liam stared at the handle. "We can't open the door just yet. If he's lying…"
Mason's voice cut through again, sharper now.
"You don't have to trust me. But if you wait too long, you'll wish you had. Half your school's already crawling. I saw someone from your class get dragged out by her neck."
Zara's blood ran cold.
"Who?" she asked before she could stop herself.
"Didn't catch her name. Tall girl. Ponytail. Screamed until her voice gave out."
Ryan made a choking sound. "That sounds like…"
"Jessica," Zara whispered.
Liam turned to the group. "We have two options. We stay here and pray the doors hold. Or we take a risk — and meet the other survivors."
A long silence.
Then Ava said, "I vote risk. I'm not dying in a janitor's closet with this many BO smells."
Zara looked at Liam.
He looked back.
Then unlocked the door.
Slowly.
Cautiously.
And there he stood.
Mason.
Tall. Sharp jaw. Dirt and dried blood on his hoodie. Baseball bat slung across his back. Eyes like someone who'd seen too much — and didn't flinch anymore.
Behind him were two others. A girl with bandaged hands. And a boy limping slightly.
"I told you," Mason said. "You're not alone."
Then his eyes flicked to something behind Zara.
He lifted his bat — fast.
"MOVE!"
Zara spun around—
And saw it.
Crawling from the corner of the storage room—
A zombified student.
Eyes black. Jaw broken. Crawling straight for Ava.
Zara froze.
The thing crawling toward them looked nothing like the boy it used to be.
His school uniform was ripped. His skin pale and stretched. His mouth hung open at a wrong angle — like something had torn through it and never healed.
Ava screamed. Backed into the wall.
Mason moved first.
His bat swung with terrifying speed.
CRACK.
The zombie's head slammed into the floor.
It twitched. Once. Twice.
Then stopped.
Silence.
Zara's heart thudded against her ribs. "H-How did you know that thing was in here?"
Mason didn't answer immediately.
He looked down at the corpse, then up at them.
"I heard the breathing," he said coolly. "One extra person inside. Too low to be standing."
Ryan stepped back, eyes wide. "Dude's got freak hearing."
Liam narrowed his eyes. "Or you've done this before."
Mason didn't flinch. "Long enough to know you either learn fast — or die."
They sealed the door again. Blocked it with chairs. Mason's group rested in the corner.
Zara checked her watch. 4:17 PM.
She stared at the small black numbers like they were counting down to something.
Because in a way… they were.
💬 POV: Natalie (The Girl with the Phone)
Natalie sat near the broken piano in the corner, her hoodie pulled up over her head.
She looked around — everyone distracted — then reached into her backpack.
Pulled out her phone.
Still on 14%. No charger.
She turned it on.
20+ missed calls from "MOM."
3 messages. 2 voicemails.
One from thirty minutes ago.
She tapped play.
"Natalie, baby, I don't know what's going on. The news… they're saying people are going crazy, attacking others. It's not just your school. It's everywhere. Stay where you are. Don't trust anyone you don't know. I'm trying to get there. I love you."
Her hands shook.
She opened Snapchat.
A video had just been posted.
She tapped on it.
It was grainy, but clear enough — a girl in a shopping mall, screaming as someone chased her down. Not someone.
Something.
The phone slipped from Natalie's fingers.
She looked up at the others. All still talking. All still making plans.
This wasn't just the school.
It was the world,and it wasn't getting any better.
Back to Zara's POV
Zara sat next to Liam. Her mind was spinning.
"Mason," she asked softly, "you said there's a second wave coming… how do you know?"
He leaned back against the wall, wiping blood from the grip of his bat.
"Because the first one hit around noon," he said. "And I heard the same thing happen at my cousin's school. Then again near the station. Same exact timing."
"What are you saying?" Liam asked.
Mason looked up at them.
"I think it's spreading in pulses. Zones. Like something's controlling it."
A chill ran down Zara's spine.
Ava muttered, "Oh my god… we're in a movie."
Mason didn't laugh.
"I wish we were."
Suddenly, Natalie stood up.
Pale. Phone in hand.
"Guys…"
They all turned to her.
"You need to see this."