Ms. Sophia stood there, clutching a shotgun. She looked like a mess—her makeup smeared, her usually pristine suit now in tatters. One side of her leg had been completely ripped off, showcasing her thigh. She no longer looked like a teacher, but like some badass female superhero.
She looked at Ethan, who was still starstruck, never expecting such a sight. He gulped, focusing on reality.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, but I broke my ankle and can't walk," he responded.
Ms. Sophia's eyes drifted to his ankle, seeing it swollen. She began pondering. Ethan tensed—the best choice for her would be to leave him. He would just slow her down. He knew that's what he would've done, but he didn't think Ms. Sophia would be that heartless. And he was proven right.
"Come on out, guys—the coast is clear," she said.
Ethan wondered whom she was speaking to, but the mystery was quickly solved. From around the corner, a group of people appeared. There were about fifteen of them—seemingly the only survivors from the campus. Ethan's eyes scanned the group, recognizing them. To his dismay, Eve had survived. She was clutching Tod's arm like a lover, while Tod himself held a metal bat dripping with blood. Tod stared back at Ethan, shocked that he had managed to survive.
"Fred, come support him. We need to get out of here—those things likely heard the gunshots. They should be coming any second now," Ms. Sophia ordered.
A large figure, whom Ethan recognized as one of Tod's goons, walked up and grabbed Ethan's arm, hauling him up and dragging his weight over his shoulders. Pain flared from Ethan's ankle, but he pushed through it.
Fred didn't seem happy about it, but he had no choice—Ms. Sophia had ordered it. Ethan wondered why this group was taking orders from her. It couldn't just be because she had a gun, could it?
"We need to move. We'll go to the police station," Ms. Sophia whispered to everyone. The group nodded in response.
Ethan wanted to protest, but he knew it was useless. He was already a burden—if he argued, they might just leave him behind. And as much as he hated to admit it, he needed them—at least until his ankle healed.
The police station would've likely been the first place swarmed when the apocalypse began. People would've flocked there seeking protection, and the corrupted would've followed, causing a mass fight between authorities and the infected. Ethan knew the corrupted would win—they didn't tire, while the station would have limited resources. Eventually, they'd be overrun.
The group marched through the campus's front gate, finding it broken off its hinges—probably smashed by someone driving a car through it in a desperate escape. The campus opened up to a ruined street littered with overturned cars and corpses.
"Oh my god," Eve said in shock, staring at the wreckage.