Shortly after, they reached the kitchen. As Bruno went to close the door, he was suddenly shoved backward by João Paulo and Camille, who appeared out of nowhere, panicked.
Extremely irritated, Bruno barked at João Paulo to hold the door while he evaluated their escape options. Without wasting a second, he went to the sink where some washed knives were drying and grabbed the biggest one. Turning to everyone, he shouted:— Hey, you bunch of motherfuckers, we gotta move fast! No time to breathe here. I want everyone to grab a knife, a bat, anything to protect yourselves. And you, fatty, hold this damn door properly, you asshole!
The tension in his eyes was palpable as he stared at everyone. He spat on the floor and, full of rage, added:— Damn it, we can't just stand here or we're gonna get trapped in this fucking school.
At that moment, from a small storage room, a cafeteria worker—now infected—came running straight at Bruno. The entire group panicked, and Camille let out a high-pitched scream while Bruno tried to fend off the attacker.
The infected woman leaped on Bruno, causing him to lose his balance and fall to the kitchen floor, landing in his own spit. The girls, paralyzed by fear, couldn't move to help him.
As João Paulo considered letting go of the door to assist, a blow to the head made him stagger. He soon found himself fighting off infected, drawn by Camille's screams, who were now trying to force their way into the kitchen, testing his strength behind the door.
Meanwhile, another infected grabbed Bruno by the neck, cutting off his air and making it impossible to break free. Seeing the girls frozen with fear and João Paulo struggling to hold the door, Bruno fought with all his strength to reach the knife he'd dropped when he was thrown to the ground.
Bruno's face, once a deep tan, was now red, veins bulging from the effort of trying to break free from the infected woman, who weighed three times as much as him. Breathing became increasingly difficult, but he glanced toward where João Paulo's knife had fallen. With a drag of his left foot, João Paulo slid the knife closer to him. Straining with every ounce of strength, Bruno finally grabbed it. The infected, tilting her head back, was forcing herself to vomit, but Bruno didn't flinch.
With one last desperate effort, he seized the knife and swung with all the force he had left. The blade sank into the infected woman's neck, halfway in. He then threw her off him. Without hesitation, he jumped on her, pulled the knife free, and, in a rage-fueled frenzy, delivered multiple strikes as if he were chopping bamboo.
Blood splattered everywhere, even onto the girls. Camille, terrified, screamed, trying to stop him:— That's enough, Bruno! Stop, she's already dead!
Silently, Bruno stood, his gaze demonic. He slowly turned to face Camille, his expression almost casual, and sneered with contempt:— You tiny little bitch, scream more, go ahead! DRAW MORE ATTENTION, DAMN IT!
Camille, now less afraid but still tense, stepped closer and locked eyes with Bruno. Her anger began to overpower her fear. Ignoring the chaotic scene around them, she confronted him, standing up to his monstrous behavior toward everyone there. Firmly, she shouted, demanding respect:— Listen here, Mohammad, fuck you! You're the asshole, you piece of shit!
Bruno, losing patience, looked down while still staring directly at Camille. Trying to shut the argument down, he replied with a bitter laugh:— Seriously, you're gonna argue with me, huh, you little dwarf with an ass nicknamed a black hole…
The argument was cut off by João Paulo, struggling to hold the door. He was sweating, fighting off infected trying to break in. Exhaustion and fear were written all over him as he shouted:— Fuck, I won't be able to hold the door much longer! Move it and help me here, Mohammad!
Without wasting a second, Bruno grabbed another knife and handed it to João Paulo, helping him keep the door secure.
Larissa, visibly terrified and sweating, didn't want to get stuck there. Taking two hesitant steps forward, unsure of what to do, she looked at Bruno and asked, her voice desperate:— So… Mohammad, what do we do now?
João Paulo, sweaty and already irritated, looked at Bruno too, sarcasm dripping from his tone:— Yeah, come on, wise guy. Aren't you the big shot here? Spill it—got an idea or a plan or what, damn it?
Bruno closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focused on the door handle. His gaze locked on the lock—and then he noticed the latch under João's arm. He shook his head in disbelief, muttering to himself:— No… no way… I can't believe what I'm seeing!
With fury in his eyes and sarcasm in his voice, Bruno smacked João on the head and shouted:— Look at this creature and witness the intelligence of a dumb fatass who can't even lock a fucking door… don't look at me, idiot, lock it already!
The infected were pushing harder against the door while João struggled desperately to secure the entrance. Bruno panicked and yelled at him:— Lock it, you dumbass!
João, exhausted and sweating, using every ounce of strength to hold the door, snapped back angrily:— Damn it, you're lucky to be alive! Push harder, or I can't lock this shit!
Without hesitation, Camille and Larissa jumped in to help, pressing with all their might against the door. After a combined effort, they finally managed to lock it.
Bruno, drained and furious, sank to the floor. Panting, he muttered, glaring at the door with frustration:— Goddammit… can't even remember the last time I used this much force.
Larissa, terrified and worried, looked around and asked, panic in her voice:— And now…? Guys, we're trapped in here!
Bruno, wearing a mischievous grin and that spark of someone ready to act, looked at João Paulo and said:— Alright, eight ball, you sack of shit, I know what to do, man!
João Paulo, furious and losing patience, shot Bruno a glare, stressed by his behavior amid the chaos:— Yo, Zé, seriously? You're gonna be joking around with us in the middle of all this? Grow up!
Bruno laughed at João Paulo, dismissing the tension entirely, and, ignoring his words, answered with a challenging tone:— You wanna hear the plan or not?
Camille, at the end of her patience with Bruno, shouted, full of rage:— Cut the jokes and just tell us, damn it!
Bruno, now with a serious, no-nonsense expression, looked at Camille, sensing her respect for him slipping away by the second, and replied:— Man, you guys are annoying as hell… Alright, my brother, I'll tell you what we're gonna do, okay?
Bruno stood up, placed his left hand on João Paulo's shoulder, trying to hold back a laugh, and guided him toward the school cafeteria window. With a mischievous grin, he said:— So, you're gonna jump out here, got it? And since you're on the heavier side, I know those freaks are gonna chase you, but you just run like crazy! Imagine some big dude outside with a huge stick chasing you—just run past them, stay clear, and don't go near the stick, alright?
João Paulo smacked Bruno on the head, and Camille and Larissa couldn't help but laugh, watching them bicker. But suddenly, Bruno's expression changed completely. He became serious, eyes locked, speaking with full conviction, showing he wasn't joking anymore:— Now, seriously, Larissa, take a look through the window and tell me if there are any infected left in the cafeteria.
Hesitant, she moved closer to the window and, after a quick peek, said:— It looks clear over here. I only saw one infected running toward the courtyard. But… so your plan is just everyone jumping out the window? That's it?
Bruno walked toward the locked door, noticing the infected piling up outside, trying to force the metal door open. He smiled slightly, like he already knew what to do.— Nah, that's not it, you're crazy, woman. We're not just gonna run out like clueless idiots, right? The school's all locked down. The plan is to head straight to the court. There are some holes in the wall we used to sneak out sometimes—or to grab the ball when it went flying out of the school.
João Paulo, worried and already anticipating the possible problems, asked:— Okay, but what if we don't make it there in time? What if it's packed with infected, or worse, we get caught on the way? You don't think we're the only ones who had the idea to escape that way, right?
Bruno, with a serious expression, placed his left hand on João's shoulder and stared at him with an intensity that left no room for doubt. His tone was heavy now, stripped of the earlier teasing, but still carrying a touch of arrogance. He knew he had to act fast, and his words came out like an ultimatum:— Alright, fatass, anyone who thought of running that way is probably long gone. This is the only plan I got to get everyone out of this mess. Now, if you guys don't like my idea, I can just ignore everyone, jump out this window, and scale the wall by the kitchen. And I know you won't be able to do it, 'cause it's something I've done plenty of times. But if I do that, I leave you behind. So… what's it gonna be?
Bruno's eyes burned with frustration, yet there was a focused intensity in him, as if the situation was just another twisted game. He was at his limit, and his calculated attitude demanded the others follow his lead, no matter how hard it was.
After a tense pause, the group, seeing no other options, reluctantly agreed to follow the plan. Bruno's expression shifted slightly, more calculated now. He scanned each of them with an impersonal stare. He let out a sigh—maybe of frustration, maybe of exhaustion—and then spoke:— Here's the deal. On three, I go first. If there's infected, I clear the way for you. Girls stay in the middle, and Jão you take the rear. When we hit the wall, there's a pile of sand in the storage. Just jump on it—nobody's getting hurt. Got it? Alright, counting now… 1… 2…
The screech of metal as the window opened broke the silence, and Bruno didn't waste a second. He launched himself out, and the feeling of freedom lasted only an instant. The courtyard ahead, however, was grotesque. The ground was littered with bodies—not just infected, but also students who hadn't had a chance to react. The air was thick with the stench of blood. Each breath felt heavier than the last; the metallic smell was overpowering. The courtyard, once a place of laughter and shouts, was now stained red.
The infected clustered around the school gate, ignoring the new bodies scattered around. They thrashed and attacked each other in attempts to escape, but couldn't. Some other students, desperate, ran toward the gate, only to find it shut tight, as if the entire scene had been designed to be a deadly trap.
Bruno, taking in the chaos, realized he was once again leading the group. He inhaled deeply, but the sight of the alley by the kitchen door was even more desperate. Pressure mounted as he heard the sounds behind him: the infected that had been hammering on the kitchen door were now moving toward where he and the group were. Heavy footsteps and guttural groans echoed across the courtyard, and tension ratcheted with every second. With a roar, the infected began sprinting toward the window where Bruno had leapt. They'd been drawn by the sound, and now they were only a few meters away.
Bruno didn't hesitate. He waved to the group, and they started jumping out of the window, one by one. Adrenaline took over, but with each leap, the feeling of being followed grew. The fear of being caught was a constant shadow behind them. Camille and Larissa were the last to jump, and when they looked back, they saw a horde of infected advancing toward them, hunger glaring in their eyes.
The weight of Bruno and the others' bodies still echoed on the ground as they sprinted toward the court. The floor was covered with a thin layer of dirt and debris, but that seemed like the least of their worries. The courtyard was a nightmare, and the sight of the creatures chasing them pressed on them like a living force. Bruno looked back with a devilish grin. He ran with the strength of someone who knew every step meant life or death. His feet pounded the ground with an almost animal force, and his breathing was heavy, as if he was running for more than just survival—it was like he was enjoying it.
They reached the court and spread out, gasping for air. Sweat streamed down everyone's foreheads, and the feeling of being hunted seemed endless. But the court was silent, a temporary relief amid the chaos. Bruno glanced at the others, eyes squinted, focused, and said:— Quick, let's cross and head straight for the wall. The sand will help us on the other side.
While the others were still catching their breath, he was already moving in the right direction. The sound of fast footsteps echoed across the empty court as the group moved like a single unit, eyes constantly alert. Each step felt risky, but at the same time, a victory. And when Bruno looked back, he saw a mass of bodies forming in the distance.
They reached the court wall without incident. The crowd of infected, like a wild, uncontrolled mass, had concentrated at the school's front gate, letting them cross the space to the wall unnoticed. The infected were trapped in the court after João Paulo locked the gate they had just passed through. The tension didn't stop them from moving with relative ease, but the fear was evident in every gesture.
Only João Paulo struggled to climb the wall. He hesitated at the edge, staring down as if the height were a cliff, eyes full of doubt. But with no other choice, he jumped with a heavy sigh, the fear of injury almost as strong as the fear of being left behind.
Larissa, her eyes jittery, didn't want to stay still. She looked around, the street in front of them eerily quiet, but fear was still pounding hard in her chest. When she finally broke the silence, her voice was low, but urgent.
— So… now that we're all out, what do we do?
Bruno didn't look bothered, but he was fully aware that the moment they left the school, the race against time had begun. No time to hesitate, no room for doubt.
Fixing his gaze straight ahead, he spoke, giving an option that sounded more like an order, but at the same time a chance for the girls to choose:
— Well, you guys can do whatever you want! But me and Jão are heading to the other school to get our sisters. Look, judging by what the principal did in the classroom, it seems like the virus spreads through the air. This area is still clean… but nothing guarantees that around the corner we won't be surrounded, or that the street isn't swarming with infected. So, what are you gonna do?
Camille, calmer but clearly annoyed by Bruno's confident attitude, shot back, trying to cut the tension a bit:
— You do know the same goes for you too, right?
Bruno didn't answer immediately, just gave her a straight look, a slight sarcastic smile forming on his lips, though there was no room for jokes. João Paulo, more concerned about what lay ahead than the back-and-forth between the others, stared down the street with a serious expression, his eyes locked on the horizon.
— True… — he said, already mentally calculating the best way to handle what was coming.