“You look like death, kid.”

“Huh?”

A slightly monotone voice came from behind me. Apparently, I had fallen asleep. I jolted my body upward from the desk I lay on, quickly attempting to wipe the remnants of drool from my mouth. As my eyes finally focused, I realized who the voice belonged to: my supervisor. 

“I’m so sorry, Mrs. Heath. I must’ve fallen asleep during my break, I’m really sorry.”

She stared at me. I stared back. I resisted wiping the ever-forming sweat bead from my temple. This weird silence continued for a few seconds and then-

“Hahaha! Lighten up, kid! You’re not the first to fall asleep, and damn sure won’t be the last.” Mrs. Heath’s entire demeanor changed in almost an instant. I tried my best to follow suit. 

“We sure are getting a lot of interns these days,” She remarked. I guess I had yet to attain the vibe of a fully realized doctor. 

“Wow, I’m that obvious?” I muttered.

“Only a little bit,” She smiled, “I try to familiarize myself with all the residents here. So, here’s a question I’m sure you’ve heard plenty of: tell me about yourself.”

“Dallon Cruz, ma’am. I’m a junior pre-med student and started here about a week ago.” 

“Ah, well, nice to meet you, Mr. Cruz,” she stuck a professional-looking hand out, “Sorry, it’s taken this long for us to meet.”

I grabbed her hand and shook it professionally like a normal person, “Ah, no issue here. I only wish it were while I was actually being productive.”

Mrs. Heath chuckled, “Welcome to the team, kid.” She then walked away.

As soon as Mrs. Heath turned the corner, my chest dropped. I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath. Mrs. Heath was the only one of my supervisors whom I hadn’t met. Apparently, she was out sick that week. Truly an amazing first impression. Way to go, Dallon. I let out a deep, guttural sigh before standing from my napping place. I straightened out my scrubs and resumed my shift at the hospital.

Truth be told, I really didn’t mean to fall asleep. Who knew that staying up until 6 AM trying to finish an essay when you have a 10 AM shift was a bad idea? And the reason was just as stupid: I have a paper due. Tonight. On Plato. 20k words. On Plato. Now, usually I would enjoy learning about other subjects. Broadening my horizons and whatnot. However, having this class is actively ruining my life. 20k words. In a week. About Plato. As a pre-med student. 

Why?

I mean, the man was revolutionary and all that, but what the hell did he know about open-heart surgery? Resisting the urge to sigh once more, I headed to my next station. It was my turn to organize medical files, which is exciting as it sounds. Maybe I can work on my paper when no one’s looking. 

As I contemplated how to slack off at work to make up for slacking off at school, I noticed something. It was louder than usual. Naturally, a hospital is going to be loud; death and disease aren’t exactly things people are quiet about, but even then, the sound of groaning seemed to permeate the building. It was off-putting. 

“Yo, Cruz!”

An energetic voice snapped me back to reality. I whirled my head around to see the disembodied voice’s not-so-disembodied body. As the seemingly male figure got closer, something occurred to me: I don’t know who this is. Oh boy.

“Hey, man! Been a while, hasn’t it?” said the random guy.

A shiver went up my spine. It was time to deploy my go-to strategy for familiar strangers: pretend.

“Oh…yeah, definitely. How have you been?” That wasn’t believable at all! Shit. Best option now is to hurry this up.

“I appreciate the ask, man. But if I’m being real, not great.”

Damnit.

I squirmed, hopefully not noticeably. “Wow…sorry to hear that,” I took out my phone and pretended to look at the time, “Oh, would you look at that. Unfortunately, I have to get back to work immediately. Like, now. So, I’ll catch you later!” I made the sharpest turn possible and quickly headed to the nearest exit. Well, that was my intention until yet another person appeared. Somebody I actually knew this time. It was my friend, Jamie.

“Dallon?”

“Oh, hi, Jamie,” I rubbed the back of my neck, “What brings you here?” 

It was a stupid question; people rarely come to hospitals on good occasions. I just didn’t know what to say. I’ve known Jamie since high school. We even go to the same college. We were close at some point, but eventually, we just kinda stopped hanging out. I’ve heard that stuff like this is pretty common in college, but it doesn’t make it any less awkward.

“Oh, uh,” Jamie cleared his throat, “Boris and I were just visiting a friend of ours. Flu season seems to be hitting everyone harder than usual, haha.” We were silent for a few seconds. It felt like the groans of the hospital grew louder. Jamie’s eyes darted around, something he did when he was searching for something to talk about. He cleared his throat.

“Wow, how rude of me. I didn’t even ask if you remembered Boris.” He walked over to the stranger, whose name was apparently Boris, and pointed at him. “He was the guy who did the keg stand at that party a few months back and crashed into a scooter. It was hilarious.”

“Aw, shucks, Jamie. You don’t have to gloat about my feats to the man! Plus, he was there.” Was he blushing?

Jamie playfully slapped the side of Boris’s head, “C’mon, I’ve never seen anyone fly across a table like you!” They laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world. I didn’t think it was possible to third wheel at your own job.  

Even worse, I do remember Boris now. Last time I saw him, he was wearing the brightest, most neon-green jacket ever conceived by man, adorned with the gaudiest jewelry you could find at a 7/11. It’s a bit hard to focus on someone when they’re actively trying to blind you. Anyhow, he and Jamie were like that even then. I tried not to pay much attention to it.

Jamie wiped the tears from his eyes and focused back on me, “Anyway, what’re you doing later this week? There’s this party-” 

“Sorry, I can’t,” I blurted out. “I have a lot of stuff to do this week, so I’ll be pretty busy.”

Jamie stared at me a bit. I looked down. 

“Yeah, I figured,” his tone shifted from his previous excitement. Jamie sighed, clearly a bit put down by my answer, “Well, it was nice to see you anyway, Dallon. Maybe next time we see each other, you’ll have stopped letting the weight of the world crush your adolescence.”

My head shot back up, “What’s that supposed to-”

BAM!

“OUT OF THE WAY, EVERYONE!”

The double doors at the end of the hallway suddenly flew open. Several doctors, alongside some civilians, rushed in with two gurneys. Almost instantly, the semi-crowded hallway scurried around to make way for the convulsing patients. The halls, once only filled with dull groaning, became bursting with yelling, crying, and all sorts of confusion. At first, I thought maybe it was a dual myocardial infarction or a double seizure, which would still be odd. Then the gurney rushed past me, and I caught a glimpse of what lay there.

Two girls lay on the gurneys. Well, “lay” is a strong word. From what I saw, they were damn near jumping from the beds. It looked as if they were strapped down. The violent convulsing wasn’t it either. Those girls were pale– and not in the iron deficiency way– their skin was gray, with the only thing of color on them being bloodshot eyes and dark blue veins. The doctors seemed panicked, and I couldn’t blame them. Weird shit like that makes me question why I want to be a doctor. Nevertheless, I’m sure it’ll be handled.

With the commotion traveling farther down the hall, I scanned the remaining scene for Jamie and that Boris guy. Nowhere. Whatever.

With a sigh and a shrug, I tried my best to regain my last bit of motivation. Alright! Time to work on my paper! Oh, and those files too, I guess. 

*******

I’ve spent the last 2 hours working in the computer room. Well, I’ve spent the last hour in the computer room. Somewhere along the way, I managed to fall asleep. Who would’ve thought that switching back and forth between old Greek philosophy and terminal patients with kidney stones would be boring? I did manage to finish a good portion of my essay, though. Now all that’s left is to get through this shift, go home, and finish the most tedious assignment of my life. So what if my eyebags feel like boulders and my body like lead? As long as I get an A, my quality of life can suffer a bit.

“Yeah!” I threw a triumphant fist in the air.

The room was silent.

Sigh, I see why people drink. My stomach growled. 

A long stretch and a back crack later, I was at the vending machine. The hallway lights flickered alongside the quiet hum of the vending machine. 

“Goddamnit!” my voice echoed through the empty hallway. The stupid machine jammed. Impulsively, I kicked it.

Whack!

“OW!” Pain recoiled through my foot. The vending machine stood still, my snack still stuck within it. It felt like the machine was mocking me. With my pride damaged and my stomach empty, I leaned against the wall next to the stingy vending machine. 

What’s up with today? 

Just as I was about to resign myself back to the computer area, a loud THUD resounded from the top floor. Now that I think about it, it was weirdly quiet in here. 

Where did everyone go?

I quickly reached into my pocket. Nothing. I rummaged in my other pocket—also nothing. I must’ve left my phone in the computer area. Great. Luckily, there was an analogue clock on the wall across from me. From what I could tell, it was only 2 P.M., which made everything make even less sense. 

“What the hell is going on…”

*******

The halls remained quiet the entire trek back. It was almost as if the hospital had been abandoned, rendering me its only company. I felt the chill of goosebumps against my skin. At least, I’d have the comfort of my phone soon. I finally reached my destination. 

The previously well-lit computer room was now rendered dim, the only light source being my unoccupied monitor. In its darkness, I could see two indistinct figures. There was a sort of gurgling noise coming from them. I crept into the room. 

“…Hello…?” I said, slightly hushed. The figures went stiff. I received no response. I continued into the room, desperately feeling the nearby wall for the light switch.

“I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one here. Well, maybe not see, haha,” the figures remained unresponsive. They didn’t even respond to my awkward chuckle. Maybe they were patients?

“Did you wander here or-”, my hand finally found the light switch, “Ah, hold on.”

I flipped the switch. I really wish I hadn’t. It had to be sleep deprivation or too many monster movies– anything but what the light revealed.

If my eyes truly weren’t deceiving me, then what stood before me was a man eating another man– no, a thing eating a man.

The man was pinned against the wall, lifeless. A chunk of his neck was missing, with the blood of his missing part seeping into his clothes and the wall. His skin had yet to go pale, meaning he died only a few minutes ago. However, the thing in front of the man looked ghastly. It had pale skin, bulging veins, and bony limbs. Its clothes were tattered. Did the man try to fight back?

The creature quickly pivoted its body toward me. Its features were sunken and gray, the only color being the red stains on its mouth and fingertips.

It stared at me intently. I stared back. What the hell else could I do? Terror flooded my senses. I took a deep breath.

Ok, it’s ok…and if it’s not ok, then move your ass!

My attempt at regaining my rationality was shoddy at best, but it worked enough. Carefully, I tried to retreat into the hallway.

One step, two, three

Fuck.

The thing lunged in my direction. It sprinted, its limbs flailing. I imagine it’d be drooling if it could.

Well, I had a good run. At least I don’t have to worry about my GPA anymore.

As I readied myself for the sweet embrace of death, I closed my eyes.

“DUCK!”

With no hesitation, I dropped my body to the ground. A glance up revealed a semi-large object flying over my head. It was a chair.

As the creature leaped into the air, its body collided with the flying chair. It seemed confused (if that was something it was capable of being).

I scrambled onto my feet, sprinting out of the computer room and slamming the door shut. 

What was that? Are there more? Did everyone else…no, there’s no way. The whole situation felt like a B-tier horror movie. I think I’m lightheaded. And nauseous.

“Sir, are you alright? Oh dear, I think he’s hyperventilating.” A muffled voice came from somewhere. I’m not exactly sure who it belonged to. My vision blurred. Another voice appeared. It sounded deeper. I couldn’t quite make out what it was saying. Everything was hazy. Blurry silhouettes grabbed my shoulders.

“…Take…with us.” 

I felt the floor disappear beneath my feet. I think I was moving now. Words lazily escaped my mouth.

“My assignment…” Everything went black.

*******

“AHHH!”

I awoke on the cold floor of what I assume is the staff lounge. Sweat trickled down my temple. On the other side of the room stood three figures, one of which came into the light.

“You’d best quiet down now, son. Don’t want them things to hear us in here.” The man approached me. He extended a hand toward me; I reluctantly took it.

The man had a strong grip. I can say this because it felt more like he was trying to carry me rather than help me up. 

“There ya go,” he smiled, “You look a lot better than how Bette and I found you.”

“Bette?” I replied, still a bit hazy.

“Ah, silly me. Where are my manners? I guess it’s easy to forget in the apocalypse, haha.” The man gestured to one of the other figures, “I’m Bill. This here is my wife, Bette.” 

Bette approached her husband’s side, “Howdy! Sorry about the distance earlier, didn’t know if I’d have to hurt ya or not.” Both of them were unnaturally gleeful. 

Bette continued, “We’re still not sure how all this ‘zombie’ stuff works. Didn’t wanna take too much of a chance in case you were turning.”

“Oh, well, thanks for not killing me, I guess.” My thanks came out a tad sarcastic, but it was genuine. Luckily, Bette and Bill didn’t take it like that. 

“Aw, don’t sweat it, kid. Lucky for you, we’d already picked up that other young man by the time we found you. Plus, and I mean no disrespect, you looked kinda sad.”

“Bill!”

“What? It’s true! He was just standing there, basically inviting the damn thing to dinner!”

“Yes, but that’s something ya say later down the line, not when the poor man just woke up,” she lightly hit him on the shoulder, “We’ve been over this.” 

Ego slightly bruised, I chimed in, “Who threw the chair?” It had been a question lingering in my mind since I woke up. Sure, there are more pressing things to get to, but I’m sure they’ll come up later.

“Oh, the chair! That would be lil ‘ole me. The whole situation was real impromptu, if ya know what I mean. A certain someone insisted that I leave our hunting gear at home because ‘what use is that in the city?’”

“Well, how was I supposed to know–” 

Bette continued, “Anyhow, there was a chair out in the hall. I honestly didn’t even know if it was actually gonna hit the ugly bastard, guess fate has a way of looking out for us all.” She beamed.

Bill put an arm around Bette’s shoulder, “She doesn’t look it, but my Bette’s pretty darn strong. Second only to myself, of course.” He turned his head toward Bette, then back toward me, “Here’s a quick tip for ya, bear meat tastes the best after you’ve gone toe-to-toe with it.” He winked. Whatever that means. But he wasn’t wrong, about the looks thing, I mean. Bette was about 5’4 from what I could tell and dressed like a 50s housewife, though I assume she looks a bit different when she’s fighting bears or something. Her hair was light brown and pulled back in a bun. Bill, however, was a giant man. Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration; I just feel dainty in comparison to him. He was probably around 6’2 and on the wider side of the spectrum. He had graying brunette hair and a scraggly beard. He also donned overalls and a checkered shirt. I’m guessing they’re both in their mid-50s.

I cleared my throat and finally asked what should’ve been my first question: “What happened here?”

“Pardon?” Bill said quizzically.

“What happened to the hospital? I mean, I fell asleep for an hour, and now monsters are apparently running the place. Where did everyone go? Does anyone on the outside know what’s happening here?” The words came out a lot quicker than I thought they would. It was as if floodgates had opened.

“Ah, sorry to say, but we don’t really know either,” said Bill.

“Yeah, we originally came here for a routine check-up. Our nurse said she’d be right back, and the next thing we know, she’s being mauled outside the door. Nice lady too, what a shame. As for everyone else, most people either went to the top or bottom floors. Maybe the outbreak started somewhere in the middle?” Explained Bette.

“As for the outside,” Bill pulled a notepad from his pocket, “We were able to swipe one of the less broken phones off of the poor folk out there. I got in contact with my cousin, Vinny. He said the outside ain’t as bad as here, but it’s getting there. Fortunately for us, Vinny’s in his van, told us he’d be willing to take us and whoever we pick up away from this place.” Bill glanced at the notepad, “He said around 10 P.M.”

“What time is it now?”

“Well, you were out cold for a while, kid. Maybe around 6:30?”

“6:30-”, I lowered my voice, “6:30?! You let me sleep for 4 hours in the apocalypse?!”

“W-well, we didn’t know what your condition was! If we would’ve woke ya up and you started pouncing on people, we all would’ve been dead! You were sweating all weird, too!” Bette exclaimed. 

A vital part of this discussion that’s not being mentioned is that I was never infected. 

“Ok, fine. So that leaves us a bit over 3 hours then?”

“We can’t go. Not until he’s back.”

Suddenly, the ominous third figure that had been sitting in the far corner of the room spoke up. It was a voice I recognized.

“I told you when you first found me that he was out there. I can’t just abandon him!”

“Jamie?”

Jamie shot up, “Dallon? I didn’t even realize it was you.” He rushed over to where I stood with Bette and Bill and squeezed the life out of me. Bones popped in places that I didn’t even think possible.

Jamie seemed completely different from how he was a few hours ago. His neat, black hair was now tousled and unkempt. His usually pretty tan skin was paler. His eyes looked like misery itself. His clothes had small tears in them; clearly, he’d been in the thick of this mess.

“God, I thought those things might’ve gotten you, too.” Jamie let out a small chuckle before releasing me from his hold. “We looked for you, you know?”

“What do you mean by ‘we’? Bette and Bill?” I asked.

“No, I met them later. After I…After I got separated from Boris. We were in the lobby when a bunch of those things came and ripped through everyone.” Jamie was latched onto my shoulder; His grip tightened, “Everything happened so fast. We managed to stay together for a while before we got attacked. I haven’t seen him since. That’s why we can’t leave. Not until I find him.” His gaze was fixed on the floor. He was practically shaking.

Another silence took hold of the room, this one much heavier. I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? I’m sure Jamie knows that I’m glad he’s not some nameless corpse, but what he was saying was risky. 

“I-”, just as I decided to speak up, someone else cut me off. It was Bill.

“Look, son. I know you wanna help your friend, and that’s commendable and all, but I can’t wager our lives on a possibility. 3 hours ain’t as long as you think, especially with the undead crawling around.”

“I’m not gonna just leave him here! If it were you and Bette, you’d be singing a different tune,” barked Jamie.

“Now that’s–”

“Thank you both for taking me in, and I hope that you make it out of here safely, but I’m going to find him. Even if I have to go alone.” Jamie’s conviction resounded through the lounge.

“I’ll go with you.” Jamie looked back at me. I continued, “I don’t really think this is a good idea either, if I’m being honest. But, I don’t think I could live with myself if I let you go out there alone.” I said.

Besides, all I’ve done so far is be rescued by others. Might as well help someone else.

Bette jumped in, “Are you sure that’s safe? I mean, you were passed out on the floor not too long ago. I would hate to see what’d happen if another one of those creatures gets at ya.” 

“Not all of them are fast,” Jamie asserted, “We’d just have to avoid the jumpers, that’s all.”

Jumpers???? Oh god. 

“Well, I suppose we can’t stop y’all. If you make it, meet us out by the parking lot at 12. We’ll try to make Vinny hold off, but no guarantees.” Bette turned and opened one of the lounge cabinets. She walked over to me and placed a butter knife in my hand. “It ain’t much, but it’s better than nothin’.” 

I guess she’s not wrong. 

With everything seemingly set, Jamie and I headed off to find Boris.

*******

Bette was right; The middle floors were practically empty. 

Jamie and I crept through the halls, weary of each potential monster ready to pounce on us. The bodies here were sparse, but present. Most of the bodies we encountered seemed to have quick deaths; the others weren’t so lucky.

“Do you know which way he went?”

“Huh?”

“Boris, I mean. Which way did he go?”

“Uh, down I think? Sorry I–”

“You’re fine.”

Jamie had been antsy the entire walk, only occasionally lifting his head to change direction. I’d like to think that he’s just retracing his steps, but I know it’s more than that. What we were doing was impulsive as all hell and–

“Dallon!” Jamie abruptly grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me to the side.

“What the heck, man!”, I whispered-yelled.

“Look,” Jamie pointed ahead. I followed his finger to see that the nearby stairwell was swarmed with zombies. 

“Oh, crap. How are we supposed to get past that?” 

“Maybe we can wait it out?”

“And what if they don’t move? We have to get to the van in time.”

“We will, Dallon. We have time, we can afford to wait a bit.”

 As he said that, Jamie sat down on the floor. I would’ve too, except I realized where we were. There, right across from us, stood a monster-less computer lab. My phone was still in there. I glanced down at Jamie; he seemed perfectly comfortable. 

“I’ll be right back.”

“What?”

Without another word, I booked it to the computer room. The only thing in my way now was the life-saving chair that Bette threw earlier. I quickly tiptoed around it, then power walked to the desk my phone lay on. I turned my phone to silent mode and booked it back to the hallway. I sat next to Jamie, trying my best to stop my chest from heaving. Jamie stared at me. 

“What?” I asked, slightly out of breath.

“What do you mean by ‘what’? What the hell was that?” His whisper-yelling sounded slightly irritated.

“Oh, sorry. My phone was in there, you see, and I really need to finish this paper by tonight.”

Jamie stared at me in silence. His expression was as if he wanted to hurt me.

“What?” 

“Just… let’s just wait here, alright?” Jamie turned his head toward the corner.

I’m pretty sure we already went over this, but I nodded anyway. I began tapping away on my phone.

*******

“Finally!” I shouted quietly. I was finally finished with that godforsaken assignment. The only downside was that the hospital no longer had any signal, most likely due to the rampaging monsters.

Jamie had been in the same position since we sat down. The zombies had also been in the same position since we sat down. Maybe it was time to call it quits.

“Jamie,” I nudged him a bit, “they haven’t moved a single inch since we’ve been here.” 

“Just give it time.” 

“We’ve given it enough time. It’s been too long.” 

The irritation returned to Jamie’s face, “So what do you suppose we do, Dallon? Since my plan is sooo inadequate for you.”

“I didn’t say that. I’m just saying we should try something different.”

“Whatever. If you have a plan, then do it.”

I don’t have the energy to question his snark right now. Moving in front of him, I pulled the butter knife from my pocket.

“I’m going to throw this, and if they move, we move. Alright?”

Jamie nodded. With a hope and a prayer, I threw the butter knife as hard and far as I could.

CLANG! 

As soon as the butter knife hit the floor, the horde of zombies rushed to the noise. I grabbed Jamie by the hand and sprinted to the stairwell. 

We descended the stairs, pausing only when we lost breath. We stopped at the entrance to the second floor. 

“I…I can’t believe that actually worked,” I exhaled, trying to catch my breath. “…Thought at least one of them would catch us, hah.”

Jamie smiled and started to speak, but before he could, his expression immediately twisted in horror. His breath became heavy.

“What’s wrong?” Jamie was staring ahead of us. I turned around and saw the source of his terror. 

Before us lay the Boris, his body rendered immobile. He had a deep gash on the right side of his body and slumped against the wall. 

Jamie was hyperventilating. His body swayed back and forth erratically. I reached out to touch him.

SLAP

“No…why is this happening? He was fine. He was alive. He was…” His breath became more erratic. I grabbed him.

“I’m sorry, Jay, but there’s nothing we can do. We have to go!”

Jamie pushed me off of him, “You have some nerve, you know.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Of course, you’re ready to move on. The only thing you give a damn about is school. Boris never flaked on me in favor of extra credit. He was actually there!”

“Jamie, I never…Yeah, I care about school, but that doesn’t mean–”

“You care about school?! Dallon, you’re practically in love with it. It wasn’t as bad when we were in high school, but it seems like it’s your life force now.” Tears formed in his eyes, “Now, one of the few people who seemed to actually care about me is dead, and you’re telling me to move on!”

“I’m not saying to move on, I’m saying that we’re on a time crunch–”

“For the escape or for your stupid essay?”

“Wait, what?”

“Don’t play dumb! You spent the entirety of our time upstairs typing away on your phone. You even risked your life to get it! The world’s probably done for, and that’s still the only thing on your mind?! Is it that serious, Dallon?!” Jamie was starting to get loud.

“Quiet down, they’ll hear us,” I whispered.

“What do you care if we die?! Why don’t I get even–”

I slapped my hand over his mouth. He licked it, and it took everything in me not to let go. I took a deep breath. 

“Look, I know that I’m really busy most of the time…”

He mumbled something under my hand; I ignored it. 

“…But I wasn’t trying to make you feel unimportant. There are just a lot of things I wanna do later that require me to be like this now. I’ve been like this for so long, it’s kind of like second nature to me.”

Jamie put his hand on my arm. I finally took my hand from his mouth.

“It’s not just that, Dallon. We’ve been friends for what, 5 years? In those 5 years, I’ve done nothing but watch you turn down fun time and time again. I was able to accept that maybe you just weren’t interested in that stuff then, but when we stopped hanging out, it felt like this was all you could be. You’re my friend, man. It hurt seeing you sacrifice that.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“I–”

THUD

CLATTER

There was an odd noise coming from above us. I tilted my head to see that the horde of zombies had returned and were heading right for us. 

“We can finish this later. RUN!”

I grabbed Jamie once more and ran down the stairwell to the first floor. The floor was flooded with zombies of all kinds. The worst part was that the exit to the parking lot was on the other side.

“Shit. What do we do?” said a panicked Jamie.

“No clue.”

The zombies were getting closer and closer.

“Wait, your phone.” 

“What about it?”

“Can’t you call the front desk or something? Y’know, make a noise like you did before.”

“There’s no cell service here, I couldn’t if I wanted to.” Just then, an idea popped into my head.

“Damnit,” I said under my breath. Jamie looked at me in confusion.

With shaky hands, I turned my volume to the max, switched off silent mode, and went to the ringtone section of my settings. I clicked the first sound that came up and threw my phone across the lobby.

Within seconds, the zombies flew toward the sound. 

“C’mon!”

Jamie and I rushed to the exit. We ran as fast as the adrenaline in our systems allowed us. 

“God, where are they? Isn’t there supposed to be some van here?”

Right as I said that, the shabbiest van to ever van pulled up in front of us. 

The driver, whom I assumed was Vinny, rolled down the window.

“Lucky you! I’m assuming you’re the boys my cousin was talking about?”

In the passenger seat was Bill.

“Well, don’t just stand there! Hop on in!”

Bette opened the back of the van, inviting us into it.

“I’m glad ya made it! Where’s your friend?”

Jamie and I both looked down.

“Aw, well, that’s alright. At least y’all are safe,” she said, reassuringly.

Jamie and I climbed into the back of the van. It wasn’t long after Bette shut the doors that Vinny sped off. 

“Jamie.”

“Yeah.”

“Earlier– before we were interrupted– I just wanted to say that I’m sorry.”

Jamie looked at me, then turned his head, “Nah, don’t sweat it, man. I was just upset, that’s all.”

“No, but you were right. I really didn’t mean to cut you out like that. I guess I got too invested in one thing. I should’ve lived more.” I sighed, “Guess it doesn’t matter now, though. The world’s probably over, and so is my academic career.”

Jamie chuckled, “Well, it doesn’t have to be over. Who knows? Maybe they’ll get all this contained within a week, and you’ll get to go to as many parties as I want you to.”

“And if they don’t?”

“We’ll just start over. Make a new world. We can call it ‘Party City’.”

“What’s with you and parties? Also, I don’t think we can call it that.”

“Why not? Those barely exist anymore. Besides, you’ve been so stuck in your books that you’re probably filled to the brim with inhibition. In our new world, that won’t be a problem.”

“Sure, man.” I smiled. “I’m glad we’re alive, and all that, and I absolutely can’t wait to make a new world, but I’m kinda sad about my paper. I spent–”

“Hey, Dallon?”

“Hm?”

“Shut up.”

END.