I hurriedly considered my options. I could either try to hide, fight the lifeless, or escape through the door.
None of those options were viable. There was no place in the room to hide, and besides, if the zombies were capable of tracking me to my room, then they no doubt would be more than capable of finding me under the bed. No doubt they'd be more than capable of catching me should I try and run. Besides, judging by the amount of shrieking I could hear outside..they were definitely not few in number. And as for fighting, a dagger barely held up against one undead person.
I had to think of something else.
Wait..the window!
I opened the latch to the window and pushed with all my might, but it just wasn't budging. I glanced back at the door swiftly, my heart beating faster than ever now. I had to get this window open! "Come on, come on!" I shouted, taking three steps backwards, before charging straight in to the window.
A loud crash followed as the glass shattered and window broke off it's hinges, the whole thing save for it's frame falling down to the ground far below. I gasped. Partly in surprise that that had worked, but much more so in pain as I felt a sharp stinging sensation in my upper right arm.
And just as I thought things couldn't get worse, I heard a ear deafening crash behind me, followed by several loud shrieks, and they were now clearer than ever before.
The door was now open.
Not looking back I ran to the window and carefully pulled myself out, placing both my feet on to the thin ledge. Just as I did that, I saw the first zombie climb over the bed.
This only inspired me to move even faster. As fast as I could, I moved away from the window, and just in time too. The very moment I lifted my hand off of the window sill, one of the lifeless ran straight in to it, clawing at the sill, missing it's target by nothing more than a millisecond or two.
It took all my will to not freeze from fear at that moment. I was not in the clear yet, not by any means. I started moving as fast as I could away from the window, which was at an agonizingly slow speed. And inch by inch, I moved away from the horde of the lifeless.
I was making good progress....until I made the huge mistake of looking down.
It doesn't matter if you are scared of heights or not, or if you are a kid or a grown man; looking downwards from where I was, was the biggest mistake anyone could make.
Vertigo assaulted me, and my vision blurred. I started quivering, and tried pushing myself further back against the wall, but it was of course of not use; i was already as far back as I could go.
"C..come on Z..Zack, m..move" I stuttered to myself, "D..don't s..stop"
I could feel my knees shaking violently, and I was certain the blood had drained from my face. I was quickly losing the will to go on. Why couldn't I just go back in to the room? I'd die later anyways, why put myself through the trouble of surviving when in the end I'd fall victim to something like cold or hunger, if not at the hands of the lifeless?
I looked back to the window. It was so close, just..two to three paces to the right. I could go back and be safe...
"No!" I chided myself, "You are not going back! You've come so far, you're efforts can't be for nothing! And you are not dying to anything! Now get moving!"
I shakily nodded, and keeping my back pressed firmly against the wall, I edged further and further away. I repeatedly told myself to not look down, and kept my eyes fixated on the wall, not wanting to make the same mistake again.
Not much later, I spotted an open window, and cautiously, I edged my way over to it. But before I could look in I paused, trying to detect any sound that could mean danger.
Nothing reached my ears. That meant the room was safe to enter.
Noiselessly, I grabbed the sill and pulled myself inwards, landing on the carpeted floor of the room. I crouched and stayed still, my senses on high alert.
I could hear the faint sound of shrieking down the hallway. I wasn't in the clear yet. From now on every move I made had to be soundless, and carefully planned out.
I inched towards the door and locked it as quietly as possible. Then, just as cautiously, I proceeded to scrounge around the room for supplies. I know knew that I needed supplies more than ever if I was to have a chance at survival.
I pocketed the bandages which were on the bed, and did the same for the surgical instruments. I did a count of the things I had now; three dagger like things, 5 pairs of bandages, and..and that was it. I had left the can of food back in my room...my only food source.
There was no time to feel miserable about it now though. I could think about food later. I had to move, now.
It was time for a decision, do I exit the hospital and try my chances outside? Or do I go to the roof and wait it out there? Or do I stay locked in the room?
The first two of the three were risky, and both involved me getting within earshot of the lifeless. And suppose I did make it, where was I to go?
The third option seemed safe, and no doubt it'd be the easiest to execute, but I couldn't guarantee that zombies wouldn't try to enter the room. I didn't know if they hunted by sound, sight, or maybe even something like heat radiation.
But it was going to get dark out soon, and I didn't want to try my chances outside the building where a zombie could be potentially anywhere. I didn't want another fiasco like the one that had happened last night.
It seemed the only logical option was to get to the roof then.
I sighed; this wasn't going to be easy.
Then again though, nothing I had done so far had been easy.
***
It had taken me a few minutes to gather enough courage for what I was about to do. The truth though, was that I was scared..very scared. What I was about to do demanded more courage than I could ever gather.
I could no longer hear the lifeless, no matter how hard I tried. And that just made it all so much worse. It was too much to hope that the zombies had just decided to leave. No, that wouldn't happen. They were still on this very floor, and I knew it. I could just feel it.
And well..saying I had spent a few minutes gathering my courage had been a massive understatement. I was pretty sure I had spent a good hour in the room, and I don't think it did any good; I certainly didn't feel even a teeny bit more courageous or a single bit less scared.
But if I kept procrastinating like this, I knew things would go downhill for me. I had to make a break for it while I still had the chance. I had to do this now.
I placed my hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath; this was it.
Pushing the door open soundlessly, I stepped out slowly and closed the door behind me gently. I kept myself in a crouched stance, ready to sprint at any moment.
The dagger was gripped tightly within my right hand, as I advanced forward, praying silently that I made it to the stairs without trouble.
Oh how naïve it was of me to even comprehend the possibility.
I rounded a corner and it took all of me to not scream.
It was one of them, at the end of the hallway.
And it was staring right in my direction.
I felt it's cold lifeless stare penetrate my skin, and I instantly backed up behind the wall, praying that the zombie had not seen me.
But feeding myself white lies was not going to make it better. A loud unmistakable shriek came from down that very hallway, and the sound of running towards me.
Crap!!
Several more shrieks erupted from all sides and I made a dash for it. I ran faster than I thought I ever could, trying to get away from the threat. But I was also painfully aware of the fact that they were gaining on me. The shrieks were getting louder and louder.
I had to think of something fast.
Instantly I saw a turn coming up ahead and I rounded it, before proceeding to repeat the process. For a while, my plan seemed to work; the horrific sounds of the lifeless seemed to fade slowly.
I took another turn and saw the stairs right in front of me. This was it, I was closer to my destination. Without stopping, I sprinted forward, and then, without warning, a door to my left opened and out came a zombie, crashing itself in to me.
"Ah!" I screamed as it repeatedly bit down, trying to reach my neck. "Get..off me!" I yelled, reaching for my weapon and slitting it's throat clean open.
I didn't even bother to take notice off all the zombie blood that splattered my face this time. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the first of the many zombies to round the corner.
I didn't need to tell myself what to do. I scrambled up the stairs as fast as possible, all the while being almost deafened by the horrifying sounds of the undead which bounced off the walls, making it seem like they were coming from everywhere.
Eventually, after what seemed like an eternity of running, I saw light up ahead: I was almost at the roof.
I looked back down at the stairs and almost had a heart attack. The whole horde of zombies were on the stairs beneath me! Shit!!
Finding myself with renewed energy, I sprinted up the last few stairs and slammed the door shut, locking it just as the first of the undead creatures reached the door, banging itself in to it. Then, for good measure, I got one of the ladders on the roof and wedged it in the door, effectively shutting it.
For a few moments at least.
"Oh...oh m..my g..goodness" I panted, my knees giving away beneath me as I fell on to the hard concrete surface. "H..holy s..shit I m...made it"
My heart was pounding, I was drenched in my own sweat, and my body felt like it was on fire. I couldn't move, my muscles had gone stiff. Drops of zombie blood oozed down my face and dripped down to the floor, and my clothes were torn in multiple areas.
But I had made it...
I..I was alive.
I coughed a little and blood splattered on the floor, though I couldn't tell whether it was my blood or not.
I looked back at the door; the zombies were still in there and trying to get through. The door seemed to be holding up.
But I couldn't rest now, I had to get to some sort of shelter, or at least somewhere not in plain sight. Very weakly I looked around, and saw a tiny room up ahead, with it's door ajar.
Perfect.
I put my hands on the ground and pushed upwards with all the power I could muster, trying to get up, but my arms gave away beneath me and I fell again to the ground face first, and this time I was so sure it was my blood that was rolling down my nose now.
My vision was blurring, and I could feel my consciousness going away. I..i couldn't give up yet.
Feebly, I attempted to crawl towards the tiny room.
Placing one arm in front of the other, I moved forward at a snail's pace. I must have looked so pitiful at that moment. I must have looked just like I felt at that moment; delicate, and fragile. I was well aware that if I took more damage in any way I might not survive.
My vision was getting darker, and darker. My breathing was becoming more and more labored, and the little strength I had was leaving me. B..but I was so close now. I..I had to reach the door.
J..just a..a little f..fur..further
And at that moment I collapsed, the last thing I saw being the stars that had made themselves visible in the early night sky. And just before I blacked out I thought to myself...
"The stars should have looked beautiful tonight"