The doorknob twisted slowly.
Not fast. Not frantic.
Controlled.
Liam gripped the metal pipe he'd found earlier, heart pounding so hard it echoed in his ears. Ava stood frozen behind a desk, holding a glass beaker like a weapon. The pale girl stirred on the table, too weak to sit up.
Then —
Click.
The door eased open.
"Don't move," Liam whispered, eyes locked on the widening crack.
A hand slipped through first — human. Bloody knuckles. Then a figure stepped in.
Not a zombie.
Zara.
"ZARA?!" Ava half-yelled, half-cried, dropping the beaker as she stood up.
Zara blinked at them, just as shocked. Behind her, Ryan pushed in, panting. "We thought you were—"
"We're okay," Liam said quickly, lowering the pipe. "Well… mostly."
Mason was the last to enter, his face unreadable. He shut the door quickly behind them and bolted it.
Ryan looked over at the girl on the table. "Wait—she's the one mason brought in, right?"
"Yeah," Liam nodded. "She was barely conscious before, but now… I don't know. She's fading."
Ava sat beside the girl protectively. "We've been trying to keep her stable. But she's not doing great."
Mason glanced at her briefly, jaw tightening. "She's slowing you down."
Zara stepped forward. "She's not dead."
"Yet," Mason muttered, too low for most of them to hear — but Ryan caught it. His eyes narrowed again.
"No one's getting left behind," Ava snapped.
The silence after that was thick.
—
"So," Liam said, trying to shift the tension. "Did you guys see anything outside?"
"Too much," Zara muttered. "It's getting worse. The courtyard's not safe anymore. They're moving faster… like they're learning."
Ryan looked up. "That's not possible."
"I didn't think any of this was possible," Zara snapped.
Mason cut in. "Storage room is close. One more hallway."
"Then what?" Ava asked. "We just stay there forever?"
"We stay alive," he said flatly.
"Cool," Ryan muttered. "Love the enthusiasm."
"We need ways to escape this school" Zara added
"It might be worse outside" Mason said
—
Suddenly, the pale girl stirred again. Her hand gripped Ava's wrist.
"They're not… sick," she whispered hoarsely.
"What?" Ava leaned closer.
"They're not sick. It's not a virus."
Everyone froze.
Liam stepped toward her. "What do you mean?"
"I… I heard them. In the stairwell. Two men. Lab coats. Arguing. One said… it wasn't supposed to spread this far…"
Zara's stomach turned. "Like scientists?"
She nodded weakly. "They weren't trying to cure anything. They caused it."
Silence.
Then Mason said quickly, "She's delirious. Don't listen."
But no one responded. Because for the first time since this started, they all realized — maybe this wasn't just a nightmare.
Maybe someone meant for this to happen.
"Mason, why shouldn't we listen?" Ryan stood up, voice rising.
Mason's jaw tightened. "Because I said so."
"Because you said so and what? You're the boss of us now?" Ryan snapped, stepping forward.
Mason just stared at him — a long, hard, disgusted look.
No one said a word.
But the room was full of it.
Doubt.
Mason, why shouldn't we listen?" Ryan stood up, voice rising.
Mason's jaw tightened. "Because I said so."
"Because you said so and what? You're the boss of us now?" Ryan snapped, stepping forward.
Mason just stared at him — a long, hard, disgusted look.
No one said a word.
But the room was full of it.
Doubt.