The sharp crack of gunfire and distant screams reverberated through the empty halls, sent a chill down my spine. I ignore it and continued to press deeper into the corridor, moving toward the elevator. The horrifying sounds slowly subsided as I walked further down the hall. I casted one last wary glance back at the door I had just passed through hoping I wasn’t followed. Thankfully relieved to be away from the chaos happening outside.

Approaching the elevator doors, I noticed the flickering lights overhead. Finally some good news: “If I can just reach the rooftop, I can make way to the neighboring building and down towards the parking garage to where my cars parked”. The doors creaked open halfway, then froze, followed by a loud thumping noise, before slamming shut. The lights overhead turned off. I began to pry open the doors with my hands, “Aw man, please work, please work,” I pleaded under my breath pushing with all my might, but the doors remained closed and the elevator itself silent. “No, no, no”. I pressed the buttons one last time as if it would change anything.

As I stood there, a had gotten an idea: stairs.

“There’s gotta be stairs somewhere or a maintenance shaft,” I shuffled my feet around the corner and sprint down the carpeted hallway, determined to find another way up. Ahead, a dim light marked STAIRS caught my eye and I rushed towards the sign and I pushed through the door.

The cool metal railing grounded me as I made way up the flight of stairs, each step echoing to the beating of my heart. Finally reaching the top floor, I was relieved. I took a break and leaned over the railing from the fatigue of running up multiple levels. Sweat dripped down my face as I patted my forehead with my sleeve. “Ughh, I should’ve probably kept up with the gym.” But who would’ve guessed that the end of the world would be right around the corner. The last time you recall doing any type of exercise like running up the stairs was back in P.E. Thank god you don’t have asthma.

Once I regained my stamina I started to move towards the platform up above. One side, there was metal door labeled “ROOF ACCESS” and directly across from it was the stubborn elevator. I pushed open the heavy metal doors and was immediately met with screaming.

Filled with adrenaline I ran in the direction where I had thought the screams came from. There, from the adjacent rooftop, I spotted a couple in distress. The woman, holding a crowbar, watched in horror as her husband battled against the swam of infected, desperately fighting for his life. The scene unfolded right before me in a chaotic frenzy. The husband, his face smeared with sweat, scratches, and determination brandishes a metal pipe against his relentless attackers and swings with all his might. Fighting off waves and waves of infected, trading blow for blow.

THWAK! I could hear the impact of the pipe against the infected. Each hit made a loud, ringing, sharp metal knock. THWAK! THWAK! Each swing, fueled by desperation, I noticed each of his movements becoming slower and slower. The screams of the infected began to fade as he fell to one knee, ridding himself of the last one that stood in front of him. The husband, now dawned with a huge gaping wound with blood running down his face, glances back at his wife with a smile before collapsing to the ground.

The wife rushes over dropping the crowbar and cradles the husband’s head in her lap. Words were exchanged between them before he stopped moving. Tears mixed with grime ran down her cheeks as she whispered assurance that help would soon arrive. Simultaneously, we both looked toward the fire escape and noticed more infected had arrived trying to break through the fence. Ignoring the imminent danger, she clutches her husband’s hand tightly and pressed her forehead against his as the horde continued its terrifying approach.

I can use this to my advantage I thought, all I needed was to find away to cross over to the next roof, and down into the parking garage. My eyes darted around until they land on a ladder, previously abandoned by the wife, who laid it down in a desperate attempt to escape before infected had attacked I assumed. With nearby piece of debris in hand, I managed to leap across the ledge, landing on the other side.

I rushed to secure the ladder, making sure it’s stable enough for a hasty escape then I begin to cross. Right hand with left foot and left hand with right foot you, moving in rhythm across and on top of the parking garage. As I brushed off the dirt from my hands, I glanced back at the women still seated beside her husband, oblivious to infected scratching their way through the gate with relentless hunger. It felt easier to suppress my empathy, yet I found myself unable to move as my thoughts clashed violently within me.

At least if they break through she can be with her husband.

Suddenly, a haunting vision engulfed me: I watched in horror as my mother and sister was dragged away and torn apart by these demons.

No one intervened when we were under attack. After witnessing witness their deaths, no one came to my rescue, so why should I?

Panic begin to rise in my chest as a voice screamed out time is running out. I would be just like those who stood by.

“Damnit!”

“Hey! You!” I shouted, trying to get her attention, but she was still focused on her husband, injured and unable to move.

“Hey! Over here!” I yelled, and finally, she looked at me her eyes wide with fear. As if she was just released from a hypnosis. I quickly glanced back at the infected closing in, their grotesque lumbering towards the fence, tearing through the barrier. The fence starts to bend.

“What’s your name?” I asked urgently.

“Constance”

“I know what you’re going through, and I’m sorry for you loss,” the fence creaked, top hinge breaks away—tick, tick, tick.

“But you have a few more seconds before those things come in and finish what your husband was trying to do, and that was keeping you safe”

SCREEEEEEEECH!!!!!!, the fence groans under pressure, the middle hinge struggling under the weight. Constance jumped up with fear, torn between staying with him and taking chance at survival.

“Don’t let his death be in vain”