Chapter 7: Escaping The Infected School!

“Run!” I shouted to Emily as I pressed the tattoo.

The world froze.

The teacher’s reaching hands stopped mid-grab, mere inches from my face. His grotesque expression was locked in place, filled with inhuman hunger. The other infected behind him were caught mid-lunge, their bodies twisted in unnatural positions as they prepared to attack.

The countdown began in my head: ten, nine, eight…

“Oh God, oh God, oh God!” Emily’s voice was high with panic, but she was moving, scrambling down the right corridor to reach the emergency exit

I pushed myself away from the frozen tableau of horror, my legs shaky with adrenaline. The silence was absolute and eerie—no moaning, no shuffling footsteps, no sounds of pursuit. Just Emily’s ragged breathing and my own thundering heartbeat.

Seven, six, five…

“This way!” I shouted, seizing Emily’s hand with a firm grip. We darted into the nearest room, a restroom barely a few meters from the exit leading to the parking lot. It would have been foolish to make a blind dash outside, especially after I had already used my ability to stop time.

The seconds ticked away in my mind like a countdown to an explosion. Four, three, two… I spun around, my heart pounding, only to freeze at the sight before me. An infected stood there, its hollow eyes staring blankly ahead. Emily let out a stifled yelp, her hand tightening around mine.

Without hesitation, I lunged toward the infected, its body frozen in time. I grabbed it by the shoulders and dragged it toward the door. The weight of its limp body made my muscles strain, but adrenaline surged through me. One… With a final heave, I kicked the infected outside and slammed the door shut just as time snapped back to normal.

I pressed myself against the door, my hand covering my mouth to stifle any sound. Time had been stopped, so the infected hadn’t seen me enter or push it out. The slow, shuffling steps outside the door sent a wave of relief through me. I slid down the door, my back against the cold surface, and let out a shaky breath. “I—I need to use them,” Emily whispered, her voice trembling. She quickly opened one of the cabin doors and disappeared inside.

I nodded, trying to steady my breathing. It felt like I had lost several years of my life in those few moments. The weight of what we were going through pressed down on me, but I couldn’t afford to dwell on it. After Emily finished, I took my turn to relieve myself, the tension in my body slowly easing.

Standing in front of the sink, I washed my hands and looked at my reflection in the mirror. The face staring back at me seemed almost foreign. My eyes, once bright and full of life, now held a depth of experience that felt otherworldly. I brushed back my hair with water, ensuring it wouldn’t hinder my vision. As I did, I noticed something strange. It felt like I was seeing much more clearly than before. Was I just hallucinating from the stress?

I reached out and touched my face, my fingers tracing the contours of my cheeks. My skin looked paler than usual, but I chalked it up to my imagination. The dim lighting in the restroom probably wasn’t helping either.

Turning to Emily, I saw that she looked a bit better after washing her face, but her eyes were distant, lost in thought. “Emily,” I called out softly, patting her trembling shoulder. She looked up at me, flinching slightly at the contact.

“I need you to get focused,” I said, trying to sound reassuring. “We will get out of here.” I reached out my hand.

She nodded slightly, standing up with a grimace of pain. Having lost her virginity only hours ago and the physical exertion of running only exacerbated her discomfort.

But we didn’t have time to dwell on our pain.

“Ten minutes,” I said, glancing at my watch, “and then we make our move out of the school building and find a car, preferably with the keys still in the ignition.”

“With a key?” Emily asked.

“Yeah,” I explained, “some people might have turned before they could even start their cars. So, I thought maybe the keys are still inside. First, we’ll secure ourselves in the nearest car before time resumes. Then, we’ll move from car to car until we find one with the keys.”

Emily nodded her head, perhaps a bit too quickly. I could see the fear in her eyes, the way her hands trembled slightly at her sides. It was amazing how she was holding herself together. She had barely cried or shouted the entire time. She was mentally stronger than I had initially thought.

I wanted to hug her, to comfort her in some way, but I held back. It felt like it would be overstepping boundaries. Maybe it sounded stupid, considering we had sex just hours before, but I didn’t want her to think I was taking advantage of the situation. She was someone else’s girlfriend, after all. I hadn’t seen Tommy Brooks die, so there was a chance he was still alive. And if he was, Emily would undoubtedly go back to him. I didn’t want to be the third wheel, and I didn’t want to get too involved with her, only to feel the bitterness of their reunion later. It was better to keep things as they were.

The intimacy we had shared was a desperate act, a moment of connection in the face of death. It didn’t change the reality of our situation.

We waited in silence for the ten-minute cooldown to pass, each lost in our own thoughts. When I thought we were both ready, I reached out my hand to Emily. She grasped it tightly, her fingers digging into my palm.

“Okay,” I said, pushing the door open as quietly as possible.

I could hear footsteps outside, but none of them seemed to be heading our way. The door leading out of the building was just two meters to our right.

We moved cautiously, and when I reached the door, I lowered the knob and opened it slightly, peeking out from the narrow gap. Dozens of infected wandered around, their movements slow and erratic. I scanned the area, looking for the nearest car. There it was, not too far away. We could make it.

After taking a deep breath, I swung the door open and immediately stopped time. Pulling Emily along, I headed toward the nearest red car. I tried the door, but it was locked.

“Get back,” I said to Emily, who quickly stepped back. I elbowed the glass window, shattering it, and reached inside to unlock the door. We both jumped in, and I quickly added, “Duck down!”

We crouched down on the driver and passenger seats just as time resumed. The world outside sprang back to life, the infected continuing their aimless wandering, oblivious to our presence. For now, we were safe, hidden within the confines of the car. But we couldn’t stay here forever. We needed to find a car with the keys, and fast.

“Ten minutes, and we change cars,” I said to Emily.

The cramped space of the car was uncomfortable, but we couldn’t risk being seen. The infected wandered aimlessly around us, their presence a constant threat. There was no escape if we were caught.

Emily nodded, her eyes reflecting the fear and uncertainty we both felt. Then, she spoke hesitantly, “After finding a car with keys, what do we do?”

That was a good question, one that made me pause and think. The future was so uncertain, but we needed a plan.

“We try to find help,” I said, shaking my head slightly as if to clear the fog of doubt. “I was thinking of checking on my mother.”

Emily’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Of course, I’ll take you to a safe place first,” I assured her. “But I need to check my apartment to see if she’s safe. She had the day off today, so there’s a high chance she didn’t go out and is waiting inside.”

“I… I also want to see my dad and mom,” Emily said sadly.

“Do you know how to get there?” I asked gently. “I can drop you off after I check on my mother, if you want.”

Emily nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. I felt really pathetic for feeling a moment of happiness that we would be spending more time together, given the circumstances.

“Since when can you drive a car? You aren’t even an adult,” Emily asked then.

“I learned from my mom,” I explained, memories flooding back. “Sometimes, when I was young and needed to escape my dad, I would take his car.”

Mostly, it was to buy things for my mom—medicines or other necessities. Those moments were a mix of fear and worry for my mother.

“When my dad found out, he would always beat me,” I muttered, the memories still fresh and painful. “He always knew if I had taken his car or not…”

Seeing Emily’s complicated expression, I quickly changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the past.

“Tommy knows how to drive a car as well, doesn’t he?” I said, remembering.

“Yes, he does,” Emily said, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.

I felt a twinge of pain seeing her smile at the mention of Tommy, but I didn’t let it show on my face. As expected, I was miles away from being a guy as perfect as Tommy Brooks.

I should just turn over a new leaf instead of thinking about Emily. We weren’t really in a situation to get lovey-dovey, after all and she would never get interested in someone like me.

As the ten-minute countdown was about to end, I slowly peeked up through the window on the driver’s side, scanning the nearby cars. But when I raised my gaze, the first thing that caught my eye was the gymnasium—the basketball court. Beyond that, through the window, I saw someone inside. Someone alive.

I quickly lowered myself down before any infected could spot me, but my shocked expression remained.

“Are you okay?” Emily asked, worried.

I nodded quickly and looked at her, my heart pounding in my chest. “I saw someone through the window of the gym hall.”

“Really?” Emily’s surprise was evident in her wide eyes and open mouth.

I nodded again, staring at her. I couldn’t mistake my own classmate.

“It was Tommy,” I said.

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