[A Heart That Fears No Death ]
Silence… it always comes before the storm.
But none of them knew…
that tonight's adventure would change the rules of the game forever.
A quiet night, the forest holding its breath, the moon pale as a dead face, the wind barely stirring between the trees…
Until suddenly, the adventure bell rang out, sharp and piercing, cutting through bone like a scream of death.
Within seconds… everything shook.
Doors rattled, windows slammed in their frames, violent knocking tore the stillness apart, distant screams echoed in the darkness, and crawling sounds drew closer… heavy footsteps dragging themselves across the dirt, ragged breaths as if they had crawled out of rusted graves.
Mazen rushed to the window, eyes wide, eyelids trembling:
Damn it… Zombies!!
He shouted at the top of his lungs, his voice slicing through the air like a slap of death:
Lock the windows! Bar the doors, NOW!!
The place erupted in chaos…feet stumbling, hands trembling, terrified glances bouncing from face to face.
Tala ran to shut the windows, her hands shaking so badly she nearly missed the latch.
Mary clung to Majed's arm like a drowning soul searching for safety.
Mazen barked again:
Grab anything… knives, sticks, forks….anything we can use to fight them off!
But then…
a sharp sound cut through the madness, freezing everyone in place.
A child's cry… faint, broken, seeping in from behind the glass, knocking on their hearts before the window.
They all froze, breaths tight, eyes turning slowly toward the sound as dread devoured them whole.
Outside… the darkness was heavy, yet within the shadows, a small body trembled, tears glistening on a tiny face like fallen stars, a weak whimper slicing hearts in two.
Mary stepped forward slowly, each step like walking toward a cliff's edge she couldn't see:
Is… is there a child out there?!
But Mazen, terror blazing in his eyes, lunged toward her, shouting:
Stay away!! That's no child… it's a trap…a lure for death!!
Yet Mary's eyes refused to lie… the child was real, alive, shivering alone in this nightmare.
She moved closer to Majed, whispering, her voice trembling:
We can't just leave him… we have to save him.
They sat close together, sketching a plan in tense whispers, but Mustafa noticed their huddle, curiosity pushing him over, a brow raised:
What are you planning?
Majed, voice low but iron-strong:
We're going to save that child.
Mustafa hissed, anger in his face but his words kept low so no one else could hear:
Are you insane? The kid's surrounded by zombies… they'll tear us apart before we even reach him!
Mary's eyes welled with tears, her voice sharp as a blade:
He's real, he's crying… I can't just let him die out there!
Mustafa exhaled harshly, waving his hand in frustration:
If he were real, they'd have eaten him already… there's no way he's still alive!
But Mary stepped closer, defiance blazing in her face, words cutting the air:
Whether you agree or not… I'm going out there to save him. End of story!
A heavy silence fell…
Mustafa knew that look all too well…there was no stopping her. Her heart led her, no matter the cost.
Closing his eyes, he let out a long breath, resigned:
Fine. I'm with you.
Majed turned to Mary, his voice trembling with fear and hope tangled together:
If we're doing this… we need a solid plan. We can't afford to lose anyone else.
The three of them huddled together, hastily sketching their strategy:
slip out the window, move silently, shield Mary at all costs, grab the child, and rush back as fast as possible.
Fear gnawed at their hearts, but that fragile spark of hope…to save that child…lit a fire in their eyes.
And in the far corner of the room…
Moayyad sat watching them in silence, his eyes glinting coldly, a faint smile curling on his lips, as if his heart was plotting something entirely different… something darker than they could imagine.
The meeting was boiling, ready to explode.
Everyone crowded around Mazen, voices clashing like a storm, a heated argument ripping through the silence, each person throwing words like weapons, desperate to find a way to survive the zombies closing in around them.
Mazen's voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding, slicing fear like a blade:
We need to decide… we can't just sit here and watch death crawl toward us!
Tala shot her hand up angrily, eyes blazing:
We light a fire and throw it at them! Maybe we can burn them all at once!
Jawad shook his head violently, his face tight with anger and dread:
We need gas or fuel for that… and even if we had it, these things won't all die that easily!
Voices overlapped, shouting grew louder, hearts pounding like war drums, as if the room itself would explode before the zombies even reached them.
Then suddenly, Mazen froze mid-breath, his eyes widening in sudden alarm:
Wait… where's Mary? Where's Mustafa?!
Moayyad tilted his head toward Majed, a cold, faint smirk on his lips:
Ask him.
Majed sat hunched in the corner near the window, snapping his fingers nervously, his face pale like torn paper.
Mazen stomped toward him, each step like thunder, his voice a whip cracking through the room:
Where. Are. They?!
Moayyad stepped in this time, his tone sharp and cutting, a verbal slap that shattered the silence:
They went out the window… for the kid.
The room froze for a heartbeat.
Eyes darted to one another in shock, fear morphing into a deeper, rawer terror...not just of the zombies outside, but of the thought that two of their own had just walked straight toward death itself.
Shock struck their faces, eyes blown wide, the air turning thick, heavy, poisonous.
Mazen froze for a heartbeat, his heart hammering like war drums… and then he snapped, bolting toward the window.
And there…he saw them
His look carried disappointment, as if he had wished it were Mustafa and not me.