We finally stepped out of the building, the sight that met our eyes was one of pure chaos. Students running in every direction, soldiers trying to maintain order, and the dreadful growls of those who had turned echoing in the air. Ms. Yan gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth.
There, I saw it. A zombie, hunched over a struggling student. The sight was horrifying, like a gruesome scene from a horror movie, only this was real. The reality of the situation hit Ms. Yan hard and she fell to her knees, a gasp escaping her lips.
As the zombie made a beeline for us, a cold shiver ran down my spine. The eerie silence of the night was replaced by the guttural growls of the creature, its hollow eyes reflecting a chilling emptiness.
I quickly pushed Ms. Yan behind me, standing protectively in front of her. The sense of fear was overwhelming but I knew I couldn't afford to freeze. The sight of the approaching monstrosity was a harsh reminder of our grim reality.
Its pace was unnerving, the once human figure now a grotesque caricature of life, limbs flailing and snapping with an unnatural stiffness. Its lips curled back into a grotesque snarl, revealing teeth that looked sharp and deadly.
Adrenaline surged through my veins as the creature got closer. The distance between us was rapidly decreasing, each step it took was a ticking clock, counting down to a violent confrontation. My breath hitched in my throat, my heart pounding wildly against my ribcage.
With each step the creature took, my grip on the metal baseball bat tightened. I could feel the cold, hard grip pressing into my palm, a grim promise of the impending violence. The creature was now within striking distance, its rotten smell filling my nostrils.
Just as it lunged at me, I swung. The bat connected with the side of the creature's head with a sickening thud. It staggered, caught off guard by the sudden assault. Its head snapped back, revealing the damage my hit had done. Yet, it didn't fall. Instead, it let out an even more terrifying growl and lunged at me once again.
I dodged its flailing arms, sidestepping and swinging my bat at it once again. This time, my aim was more accurate. The bat struck its head, causing the creature to collapse onto the ground, unmoving.
My heart was hammering against my ribs, the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. The sound of my heavy breathing filled the silence that had descended upon us. I glanced back at Ms. Yan, her face a pale mask of fear. However, in her eyes, I saw something else too - admiration.
"Are you okay?" I asked her, my voice coming out hoarser than I intended.
"Yes... I am. Thanks to you," she replied, her voice shaky but clear. She gave me a small, grateful smile.
"No problem Ms. Yan. By the way where is your car?" I asked.
In the dim twilight, Ms. Yan's eyes met mine, a glimmer of hope shimmering in their depths. She nodded wordlessly and pointed towards the large parking lot in the distance, her shaking hand barely visible in the gloom.
As we began to walk in the direction she pointed, our steps slow and cautious, she broke the silence. "So where is this evacuation? Where are they taking people?"
I froze for a moment, my mind racing to find an answer. But as I looked into her anxious eyes, I knew I couldn't keep up the pretense. She deserved to know the truth.
"Ms. Yan," I started, my voice barely above a whisper. "I need to apologize. I lied about the evacuation."
The words hung heavy in the air between us. She stopped in her tracks, her face a mixture of confusion and shock.
"What... what do you mean?" She asked, her voice shaking.
I took a deep breath, bracing myself for her reaction. "There is no evacuation, Ms. Yan," I confessed. "I said that to get you out of the building, away from the danger."
Her expression turned from confusion to disbelief, then to anger. "You lied to me?" She asked, her voice rising. "In the middle of a crisis, you lied to me?"
"I did, and I'm sorry," I said, my voice steady. "I lied because I wanted to get you to safety. I knew you wouldn't believe me if I told you about the zombies."
She fell silent, her gaze hard. But behind the anger, I saw something else - fear, uncertainty, but also understanding.
She took a moment to process my words, her gaze softening. "I forgive you," she finally said, a hint of acceptance in her voice. "Just promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"No more lies," she said, looking me in the eye. "No matter how bad it gets, no more lies."
"I can't promise that." my voice plain and clear.
"Why?" she raised her voice a bit.
"What good is a promise if I can't keep it?" I snickered. "But I can promise you one thing. We are going to stick to this together and we are going to live."
Ms. Yan sighed then looked up to me with a small smile:
"You sure like to make big promises, don't you Chang?"
"Maybe." I smiled back.
"Well, I just hope you stick to your promise." Ms. Yan said, as she clicked her car keys and unlocked the car, before climbing into the driver seat.
"I will." I grinned, as I climbed into the passenger seat.
Q: Do you personally make a lot of promises?