College of the Dead
Chapter 1: Miguel
AN: This is my first attempt at making an HOTD fanfic. However, this story is about survivors from the University of the Philippines, and is not directly connected to Takashi's group in Japan. As it turns out later in the story, these students are somewhat expecting an apocalyptic scenario, and they were prepared for it. I was also hoping to impart some information regarding Filipino language and culture, and it will take up a small section after each chapter. I intend to use 0-0-0-0-0 as my scene divider as my cellphone's ebook function could not display fanfic's standard divider (line). I do not own HOTD. I hope you like this first chapter.
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The room was pitch black. Right after the lights turned off, several groans erupted all over the room. The effect was spine-chilling to Miguel as he sat quietly, trying his best not to make the slightest sound. He can hear random movements all around him. The darkness had amplified his sense of hearing. A small light appeared in front of him. It was Archie's cellphone. He shone the dim light on his own face, then to Migs, whispering.
"They're blind anyway, they can only hear," he smirked.
The curves of his mouth seemed to have reached the sides of his short militaristic hair, making him look doubly mischievous, but they were only shadows playing with Miguel's dim sight. He simply smiled at the joke, as several other small lights appeared around them. It was as if someone had startled a hive of fireflies, if they ever lived in hives. The lights revealed the faces of the cellphone owners, creating illusions of floating faces in an endless void.
After a few seconds, there was a short, loud sound beneath them. It almost sounded like a gigantic underground drilling machine had turned on for a few seconds, then decided to fall back asleep. Someone in the room shouted, or more likely complained, "Let there be light!" Then there was light. Several lights had turned back on and revealed the occupants in the mess hall. Many of them halfway through their meal, if a bowl of porridge ever counted as a decent meal. Here in the Philippines, they call their porridge 'lugaw'. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, resuming their idle conversations, shoving spoonfuls into their mouths. There was static and some popping sounds from a nearby overhead speaker, turning everyone's attention. A woman's voice echoed in.
"Sorry folks, looks like the company cut us off. We're currently running on generators because nobody seems to have paid the bill."
The mess hall filled with laughter. The woman continued.
"Well, what would you expect on Day 3? With the power down this early, things outside aren't going well..." It was obvious to Miguel that the woman speaking was a good announcer. She didn't break the news too hard, or completely distracted them. She probably took up Speech Communication or some similar course before the Outbreak. There were now sounds of ruffling paper from the speaker.
"As of this moment, we're enforcing Half-Down Protocol. I repeat, Half-Down Protocol is now in effect. All non-essential usage of electricity is discouraged, basic power services such as lighting will be decreased, and curfew hours are now moved from 9-4 to 7-5. Sorry for the inconvenience, shoppers, and please come again, thank you!"
The theme song for a popular shopping mall began playing as the announcement was done. There were cheers and applause from the listeners. As the music faded away, so did the laughter.
The consequences of the recent turn of events sank in on everyone, especially to Miguel. For a moment, he seemed pale enough to even lose the color from his messy, black hair. Yesterday, that same voice had announced that the power plants, which were heavily guarded by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, would remain operational in about two weeks. That amount of time boiled down into two days. Losing power this early only means that the world above is in very, very deep shit. As if to emphasize the fact, half of the lights in the mess hall had turned off, turning the ceiling into a weird-looking zebra. Everyone else seemed gloomier. Some even started to cry. Can he really blame them? No electricity on the surface meant less chances of survival for his family, and everyone else's family. He wished that there was something he could do, but he was stuck here, in an underground facility, because he believed that he was helping them more if he stayed here than if he stayed with them. He noticed that Archie was not the slightest bit concerned, which made him curious.
"You live alone?" he asked Archie, who had to swallow a spoonful of lugaw before answering.
"Just a good-for-nothing excuse of a father. I bet the drunkard's already one of them," he said, with emphasis on 'them'.
"Somehow that makes me envious," replied Miguel, who realized that his words were a bit harsh, but it was too late. Thankfully, Archie didn't look offended. He just snickered.
"I'm telling you, man, being a working student isn't all fun," as he took another spoonful.
"At least your scholarship helped," Miguel hoped to drive the conversation away from sensistive personal matters to academic ones.
"Yeah, it did. But I'm working on my thesis, too. You know what that's like. The scholarship was just like a puppy helping me lift a truck."
"No need to rush though, the deadline's been extended." Miguel answered tactfully, referring to the Outbreak. Both men chuckled as they deposited their dishes at the sink.
"I guess I'll head back to the Comm Center and try to contact my family again. How 'bout you?" Miguel asked.
"It's almost time for my patrol shift," Archie said as he stared at the wall clock. "See ya around."
"You, too."
They walked in opposite directions.
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"Hey! You're not attending, too?" a young woman asked him.
"Nah, I don't feel like going to class. I pulled off another all-nighter for my thesis. I guess I'm the only one who hasn't submitted, and it isn't even finished," Miguel said as he took a sip from his can of soda, leaning lazily on the second floor railing, staring at the ground below.
He knows his classmate's name, but he wasn't anywhere near to remembering even the first letter. His mind failed to process certain things at certain times, which is probably why he didn't have a girlfriend. His sleepiness slowed his thinking, as well.
"Too bad. It's the final lecture for the semester, and probably for our entire college life," the girl said.
"Then, why are you out here? Oh, let me guess. You're sure that you're gonna get a 1.0 for your grade, so you don't see any point in attending a grumpy old man's class?" he took another sip.
The soda didn't help in alleviating his headache. He knew that what he really needed was sleep, but humans are just like that, he thought. They get what they want before what they need. It was actually part of his thesis, but he didn't want to think about it for the moment. He didn't have any trouble ignoring the pain in his brain, and instead focused on their conversation.
"Partly," she smiled, leaning her back against the railing. Unlike him, who seems as though he was about to plunge to the ground with the depressed/exhausted look on his face.
"But," she continued, "You probably know that human psychology is a messy subject, because we still don't fully understand why people act in a certain way, no matter how irrational it is. Let's just say that I don't feel like going to class, too. You haven't claimed sole rights to that sentence," she joked.
May, it's definitely May. He suddenly remembered her name. She had been one of those common faces in his classes since he enrolled at the Department of Psychology. They knew each other well, but he would regard her more as an acquaintance than a close friend. Time and time again, she was in almost all of his Psychology classes, but he didn't have the chance to get to know her better. Most probably because he acted so cold or awkward towards her.
"I see," he answered absent-mindedly.
"I wanted to relax here for a while. You don't own the second floor, do you?"
The breeze gently pushed her hair to her face as she tried to put it back in place. "Oh, I forgot to tie my hair," she muttered, looking slightly disappointed.
'You look good either way,' Miguel thought. Just then, his headache intensified. It was easy to carry a conversation, but his headaches always seem to juggle his memory. He gazed at her as she closed her eyes, feeling the wind and looking as if she was the only person in the world without a single worry. A wave of warmth spread throughout Miguel's body. The memories came rushing back to him.
He had a crush on this girl for quite some time, and hoped to be friends with her. But he wasn't very good around girls. Now, here she was, enjoying a casual conversation with him, but his scumbag brain enjoyed drilling itself out of his skull. May was about to graduate, just like him. But she looked more like she was 17, even if her age was roughly the same as his, 21. That was one of the three reasons why he had a crush on her. She was simply beautiful. The second reason is that she was smart. Not the bookish, nerdy type. She's the kind of student that gets top-notch marks but doesn't seem to fuss about studying. To prove his point, she was summa cum laude of their batch, the best of the best. Third reason is...The third reason is...
His head seemed to have a drumset of its own, and it was playing at a heavy metal concert.
"What's wrong?" she asked. She noticed him clutching the side of his head.
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I just need some sleep, that's all," he drank his soda as if nothing had happened.
"You look like you haven't slept in weeks," she smiled.
"Is it that obvious!" he almost spat his soda out, trying to feel for eyebags under his eyes. He didn't want to look like a retard or a madman, not in front of her. His reaction only made her laugh harder, even if she was trying her best not to.
"Just kidding. I didn't know men are also greatly concerned about their looks," she was finally able to say, in between her chuckles, "My research findings say nothing of that sort,"
"You should redo your thesis and have me as a research subject," he remembered that her thesis was related to how males perceive themselves.
"There's a saying that goes like this. Humans are like books, each one is unique in their own way, be it in the cover, in the contents, or both. You're probably a different genre than my reseacrh subjects. Human variety is simply amazing," she answered. This time, she turned around and leaned on the railing the same way that Miguel did, with elbows in front of her chest.
"That's deep. If what they say is true, I'm sure you'll find me a real page-turner," he almost held back at the last part because it sounded like some drunk's pickup line. As it always was, he speaks before he thinks.
"Hmmm...to me, you're more like a mystery novel, so that's probably true," she smiled as the wind flowed through her dark, shoulder-length hair. The wind made a mess with Miguel's hair, which looked as messy as a scared cat that was startled out of bed. He made a mental note to get a haircut before graduation, for obvious reasons. That is if he ever graduates.
Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine as he stared at their classroom door at the far end of the corridor. He shrugged the feeling off. It was probaby just their professor making fun of his habitual absence in class. Miguel never doubted his gut feelings, and he can feel if someone's talking about him. Then he heard noises from that direction, it sounded more like shouts or cheers or...screams. Now they're making fun of him in his absence, he thought, those backstabbers. He was about to take another sip from his can when their classroom door burst open. One of his classmates tripped and fell halfway outside the room, breathing and sweating heavily.
"Now that is just wrong. I bet the big guys are bullying Mike again," he said. He was about to head there to see why their professor wan't doing anything about it, but he froze in his tracks. A gray arm pulled Mike back onto the floor as he struggled to get up. Three more gray-skinned humans went down on him, feasting on his meat. Mike didn't have the chance to shout for help. Fear had blocked his throat as he mouthed a single word to Miguel.
Run.
Miguel stood like a rock. May's scream had woke him up from his daze as he tried to take in what had just happened.
The gray figures were now heading towards him.
'This is probably just a joke, something they had planned at the end of class,' he thought. But it was very clear to him that his gray classmates eating one another's intestines, and gnawing at someone's arm, was far from a horror prank. May was tugging his sleeve, she seemed to be crying.
"Migs!" she tugged at him once more, trying to unfreeze him. "Let's get out of here!"
He had finally gained full control of his body, though he still feels shaky. He followed her down the stairs. May's scream had unintentionally called everyone's attention. All around the hallways, classroom doors are opening and people are swarming out to check. The sight of bleeding bodies lumbering lifelessly was enough to cause a panic. Almost immediately, everyone was running towards the stairs, hoping to escape whatever was on the second floor. Migs and May found themselves caught in between two waves of people, one going down, and one going up. It would seem that whatever was up there was also down on the ground floor. Not wanting to be trapped in a corner, they both pushed their way through the crowd of people converging on the staircase. They had both come to the conclusion that the only way out is through the ground floor and out of the building. They pushed harder as they heard screams from above that meant someone was dying. Horribly.
They had made their way from the stairs, but are now faced with a new problem. Those...things were now all around the ground floor, and they were walking towards them. Miguel, out of breath, looked at May in hopelessness. He had expected her to break down and cry at this moment, accepting their terrible fate. However, her face held a new emotion, that of courage. Seeing her that way had also strengthened Miguel's resolve. Besides, those creatures move like really slow puppets, they had higher chances of escaping before they get trapped by their sheer numbers.
"I guess we'll be using the front door then," he observed. Unintentionally, he took May's hand in his. She looked at him and understood what he meant.
"Lead the way," she said. They inhaled deeply as if it would be their last breath, and quickly dashed through a gap in the creatures' formation. Miguel narrowly escaped the bloody clutches of one and pushed it aside, giving May enough space to run through.
Out of breath, they successfully reached the main entrance to their building. Nobody or nothing seems to be following them as the usually noisy building only gave out a few lifeless moans. The sounds of those dying, or dead. They had both agreed upon resting at the east side of the building, where there was a small road. Everything seems to have happened faster than expected. They could still hear the sounds of panic and sirens from all around, but their immediate vicinity was silent.
"They don't seem to have followed us," May reported. Miguel sat on the sidewalk while trying to catch his breath. She sat beside him, looking less exhausted than he did. But then again, he didn't get enough sleep. He was too tired to even talk to May about what had happened back there. What's more important to him is that they both get to safety as fast as possible.
"We're safe, for now. But we have to move soon," was all that he could say.
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Immediately after their meal, Miguel rushed towards the Communications Center. It isn't hard to miss it since it's a very large room with huge machines and computers supposedly for keeping contact with the outside world. It had almost every bit of communication capability, from Internet to phone calls to morse code. The only thing they probably lacked were pigeons. Luckily, he was around seventh in line just as the other residents of the underground facility piled up behind him. The announcement a while back made everyone worry for the safety of their families. The huge doors opened as workers at the Center directed the first few people into different tables. Miguel was asked to sit at the furthest table. The staff of the Comm Center were most probably students from Mass Communication, Computer Science, and Electrical Engineering, all applying whatever skills they may have learned to keep the facility running. The Outbreak had made these young students look like professionals at their job. At the very least, that was what Miguel had observed. He wasn't an expert with electronic devices, anyway. There was a slightly overweight boy who yelled orders at the staff, busy making adjustments to dials and plugging wires into random sockets. He seemed to be the one in charge. Although he looked young, he had an air of authority around him. The staff obeyed his every command, but he wasn't sitting idly either. His nameplate said 'Alfie'. Miguel could't exactly call him fat, but he still didn't have an average body build. Now, he was face to face with this boy, who was younger but larger than him. Alfie handed him a headset which Miguel reluctantly wore.
"Number please," Alfie asked.
Miguel handed him a strip of paper with his mother's cellphone number. It wasn't actually his mother's phone, his younger sister seems to have used it more. Alfie input the number into a laptop and messed around with some settings in his computer, then faced Miguel.
"Okay, Kuya (older brother in Filipino), most we can give you is two minutes, there's a bunch of others waiting in line. But that's before the company catches our hackers, or someone trips a wire outside, or something else. We don't know what kind of shitstorm is blowing up there, so keep it brief."
Miguel nodded to show that he understood. He now listened intently on the headset. He could hear a ringing sound, the annoying pitch that his sister had set as her tone. Right now, it was that same annoying tone gave him a little bit of hope. He closed his eyes as the ringing seemed to continue endlessly. He hoped that someone would pick up. He hoped that his family was still safe.
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"Damn! It say's that we're out of coverage area!" Miguel shoved his phone back into his pocket. Going to school without any bags or notes was a big no-no. But he had survived four years of college to not get used to it. Whatever he had, his pockets were large enough. "What about you? Any luck?" he asked May.
She shook her head and returned her phone inside her shoulder bag. "It says 'please try again'. There may be a huge number of people calling home right now,"
"Figures," he stood up and looked around. He could still hear faint noises from around the campus. Most likely, he thought, there were many who survived. He was one of those college students who have already played Left 4 Dead, or watched zombie films, so it isn't surprising if he could handle things less dramatically. However, he was still worried with what May's reaction would be. He sent a worried look towards her. 'She seems to be putting up a brave front, but I don't think it's fake either. No one can handle that amount of carnage and not get shocked. Perhaps she likes watching horror flicks like I do?'
"What?" May gave him a questioning look. He turned away and pretended to look for something. He picked up a lead pipe that was left by some construction workers who were renovating this side of the building.
"Nothing, just...looking for something I can use...you know, for self-defense," he showed her the pipe that he got and he offered her another.
"I think I'm fine without the pipe. I've got this," she pulled out a stun gun from her bag. It made Miguel slightly jump in fright.
"Oh, yeah. Well...there's no doubt that you have one...you're a really cute girl and all...so...that's great," he said.
"Did you just call me cute?" she asked with a smile.
"Uh, well...ummm..." Miguel was saved the the task of trying to look for an excuse when May's phone unexpectedly rang. She quickly stood and answered it. He checked his phone as well, but it only displayed a 'no signal' icon. Whoever called her was lucky. The only thing he could do was to listen to May's conversation and hope that her family was fine.
"Yes. I'm at the east side of the Psychology building. It was rather quick...So it's Scenario 3 after all, huh? I can only guess that you're busy with evacuation...No, there's no need. We're safe. I think I can find a way. Just pick us up at the office, the door is durable...You won't miss it, it's the Psychology Department's office...Don't worry, this building's overrun, but there's only a few of them. We can manage...The heads? OK. Only to sound...Thanks for the information. Good luck," she ended the call and looked at Miguel, but he was busy looking at something else.
"Uh, May, they're heading this way," he pointed at four walkers who were moving slowly towards them. He was about to head towards the opposite side of the road, but May held his arm to stop him.
"No. We're going this way," she said, shouldering her bag tightly and readying her stun gun.
"Are you crazy! This way's much safer! You think-" Miguel was cut by a cold glare. He has never seen this side of May before. He always thought that she was this young woman who seems so weak and fragile that she needed someone to protect her. But something about those cold eyes made him cringe.
"I know where we can go," was all she said. It took him a moment to think about it, and tightened his grip on the pipe.
"Fine then, just tell me where to go and I'll take care of these," he stood in front of her, flexing his shoulder muscles.
"Their weakness seems to be their heads, and they can only respond to sound. Their nervous system is immune to pain. Once you get bitten, you become one of them," she informed him.
"Whoever you spoke with was clearly an expert. No wonder they came here when your phone rang, no offense meant," he neatly bashed the nearest head, then the second as well, dropping two dead bodies to the ground.
"None taken, " May replied.
Miguel wanted to shout as he struck a blow on each of them, but his noises would only attract more, and he wanted to do this as stealthily as possible. He bashed the third, which had exploded into a spray of dried blood and brain matter. By now, he was far from feeling any fear or guilt or shock. He was just glad that he could protect the girl he had a crush on. They advanced slowly, taking their time to think before making any moves. By now they had reached the front entrance, the same way they had used to get out of the building. They were now standing a few feet away from the parking lot. Miguel's built-up courage had crumbled as he saw the sheer number of gray lifeless forms that roamed inside the building.
"There's no way I could smash that many,"
"Wait. I have an idea," May picked up a rock and threw it at the car beside them, instantly shattering its windshield. She shouted at the horde of gray creatures.
"OVER HERE! COME ON!"
Miguel understood her idea and began to repeatedly smash the pipe against a car, making as much noise as he could.
"Hey, you bastards! We're right here!" he wasn't sure if he was happy because of May's brilliant plan, or because he was destroying his professor's car. May eyed him suspiciously.
"You sure are enjoying this," she told him over the alarms of the cars he was hitting. She took out a whistle, which was obviously for anti-rape purposes, and repeatedly blew on it.
Their noisemaking efforts had obviously worked, as every one of them headed out of the building and into the parking lot. As the nearest zombie got into two meters near them, they ran back to the east side of the building. They waited until they were sure that every one was walking aimlessly around the street and out of the building.
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The sweat on his forehead formed large beads. After what seemed like hours listening onto the headset, Miguel heard someone pick up. His eyes widened as he heard a young female voice at the other end of the line.
"Hello?" said the child's voice.
"Angel! Angel, it's me, Miguel! Where are you right now!" he gasped for some air.
"Kuya! You're still alive! I can't believe it,"
"Yes, yes. I am fine. How are the others? Where are you right now? I don't have much time,"
"I...I don't know where we are. In a school, I think, I don't know. We kept running...and...and...Mama and Papa...they..." Angel tried hard not to cry, but the hints in her voice told him what he feared most.
"What happened? Angel, what happened to them? I need to know where you are! I'll get you and-"
"Aaaaahhhh!" Miguel heard people shouting on the other end of the line. He can barely understand what they were saying, but he fully understands their situation.
"They got through!"
"Run! Run away!"
"Take the children and run!"
"Don't let them bite you!"
Miguel heard gunshots. There were also screams of agony from several people. Then there was a loud thud, like something heavy hitting concrete. Angel had dropped her phone. He heard distant voices.
"My phone! I dropped my phone! Kuya Miguel!"
"There's no time, kid. Just go with the others and run. Go!" an older woman's voice said. That voice now tried to speak with Miguel over the phone.
"Listen, the girl's safe. They're probably heading to another evacuation center. We're at-"
A long beep had drowned out the rest of the sound. That was the last thing Miguel heard. Everyone else seemed to have heard the beep on their own headsets. Alfie looked at the other technicians.
"What's wrong?" he demanded the nearest technician.
"All our cellphone signals are down,"
"Check the other connections. Tom, how's the internet?" Alfie asked another.
"It's also down, dude," the dark-skinned boy answered. Another technician called out to Alfie.
"Alfie, landline is still operational, but we're getting weak reception. Someone or something must've messed with the equipment above ground,"
"Damn!" he then looked apologetically at Miguel. "Sorry, Kuya, we'll have to halt our operations,"
Miguel seemed to have finally gained consciousness of his surroundings.
"Can't you fix it right now?" he asked, teary-eyed.
"I'm afraid we cannot. I'm sorry," Alfie replied as calmly as he could, not wanting to provoke him.
"Can't you do anything! My sister is out there! I need to speak with her!"
"Like I said, we will have to check our wireless equipment above ground. It's going to take several days just to-"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WITH WHATEVER YOU PEOPLE DO! Just let me talk to her right now!" Miguel stood and pulled Alfie's shirt collar. The other technicians decided to stop Miguel, but Alfie gestured them not to interfere.
"Look, no matter how many times we try to contact her, it won't work! We need to repair our surface transmitters! You would just waste your time dialling on a broken phone!"
"Then go out there and fix it right now! Do everything you need to do, as soon as possible! You geeks are the worst! The likes of you should have been infected first! I don't see any reason at all for you to stay alive if you don't fulfill your duties!" Miguel tightened his grip on Alfie's shirt, lifting him off the ground.
"You're being a selfish brat," Alfie spat the words at him.
"What did you say!"
This time, Alfie gripped Miguel's wrist and squeezed them as hard as he can, effectively setting his shirt free. He pushed Miguel away from him.
"You're nothing but a self-centered coward!" Alfie said. "Do you think that you're the only person who needs to call his family? Are you the only one who spends sleepless nights worrying if they're still alive? Is your sister more important than all of our sisters or brothers, or parents or friends! Then you're f*cking wrong! I have all the means to call my family. Heck, the equipment's been here for days. But instead of calling them, I waste my time calling your sister instead! And what do I get? Insults! Not just to me, but to my colleagues. Come to think of it, you don't even belong here! You were lucky that we took you in, and yet you boss us around! Get out, you ingrate!"
"Why, you f*cking nerd!"
Miguel couldn't hold back anymore, he punched Alfie with all his strength. He took a solid blow to the face, but he did not even fall. He merely stepped back and regained his foothold. His nose began to bleed. Security personnel rushed in just as Miguel was about to hit Alfie again. They held his arms as he screamed in rage, shouting insults and curses at everyone.
"Let go of me! Let go!" Miguel was blinded by anger. He resisted the three men who were trying their best to hold him down.
Archie, who belonged to the patrol that just came in, stepped in front of him. His face held some regret.
"Sorry, pal. But I bet you can't hear me," he said. He punched Miguel on the center of his chest. He stopped screaming and squirming as blackness took over his mind.
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It's been around fifteen minutes since the car alarms stopped. They were sitting quietly on the sidewalk at the east side of the Psychology building.
"You like to watch horror films? Or perhaps you play Left 4 Dead?" Miguel asked.
"No. In fact, I think that I'm easily scared by that stuff. But I like Plants vs. Zombies,"
"Hah. Then, what was with you a while ago? You acted like some kind of military officer. Honestly, if you didn't look serious, I think I'd pee in my pants,"
"Oh, that, I'll explain when we get there," she said, not wanting to pursue the topic any longer.
"Get where? I don't even know where you're going, I feel like I'm merely being dragged along. I really want to know your plan. Don't you trust me?" he sounded quite offended that May was holding out on him. She sighed.
"I promise that I'll explain everything to you once we're safe. Right now, I'm planning to hold up in the Psych Department's office. They can't break in easily. And my...friends are coming to pick us up, that was what I told them."
"OK...I guess that would be enough for now. Though I'm quite nervous as to who these friends of yours are," he stretched his arm for a bit and prepared his pipe. "Let's go, shall we?" he held out a hand to May so she can stand.
They slowly walked along the front wall of the building, as quietly as possible. Their trick was effective, even the zombies from the second floor disappeared, lured into the parking lot. The walk towards the department office was easy. They did not meet any unwanted resistance. Both of them rushed towards the door, eager to get some rest and refuge. May quickly turned the doorknob and swung the door open.
"MAY!" Miguel broke the withered arm that was about to pull her towards the room. She let out a scream as Miguel swung his pipe on the owner's head, splattering blood on him and May.
"That scared the hell out of me," she gasped. Miguel struck another creature that was in the room.
"It's alright now, just two of them in here. We should quickly- May? What's wrong?" he went out of the room to see why she stood there, frozen. What he saw also froze him. From both sides of the corridor, there were dozens of undead walking towards them, enticed by the sounds of their shouts. There's no way that the office door could hold out against that many. And there was also no way they could pass through that many in such a narrow corridor. They were trapped. Miguel braced himself and raised his pipe as he faced what seemed to be the group with less members.
"I'll break through them and then you-"
"No," she mumbled. Her hair covered the upper portion of her face.
"What? We can't stay in here, it's too dangerous. The only way is out, then we'll lure them away just like-"
"May I have that?" she asked for his pipe.
"Alright then," he handed it to her, though he wasn't sure why she wanted it.
"When my friends get here, I want you to say this to them: White Dove. I also want you to take my phone," she handed him her phone.
"What?" Miguel asked, confused. He wasn't sure if he should take her phone or not.
"Just take it! There isn't much time!" she shoved it into his hands.
"May...you're not thinking of-" he asked again as he realized what May was trying to do.
"I'm sorry..." she held her stun gun against his neck. He immediately fell unconscious.
May pushed him towards the room and locked the doorknob before shutting it. She also pushed a small drawer to block the door. It would slow down any intruders for a few more minutes. She quickly ran toward the lesser group of zombies and made sure that the pipe was making enough noises as she repeatedly struck the floor. They followed the sound she was making, drawing them away from the office door where Miguel lay unconscious.
Third reason is: She saved his life.
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AN: That concludes the first chapter. I'm planning to introduce the main characters in the first few chapters. You'll also get to know the details of this underground facility. Next chapter might be out in one or two weeks, as I am still planning the storyline, and my college semester just started. You guessed it, I'm a student at the University of the Philippines. Now, it's time for our lesson.
Lugaw - (pronounced 'loo-gaw', 'gaw' doesn't sound like 'saw', it sounds more like 'how') Tagalog uses the vowels in their simplest sounds. Lugaw is a simple meal of rice porridge, sometimes with ginger or garlic or whatever people want to put in. Personally, I prefer steamed rice because lugaw feels like glue to my throat, so I mix some vinegar in it.
Kuya - (koo-ya) it literally means 'older brother', but may be used for people who are not your relatives as long as they are/look older than you.
There are many languages in the Philippines. The one most commonly used in NCR (National Capital Region) is Tagalog.
No offense to the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), but they were overrun (in the story) because of their outdated equipment, not lack of training or some other reason.
Lastly, I'd like to see your comments and reviews so that I can improve my writing style. Thank you!