Episode 31: One Wrong Step
The moment John lost his footing, time seemed to freeze.
His eyes widened in horror.
For a split second, he felt his stomach drop as if the ground beneath him had vanished completely.
"No—!"
The scream never fully escaped his mouth.
His right boot had stepped directly onto its loose shoelace.
The next thing he knew, his body lurched forward.
His balance disappeared.
Then gravity took over.
Bang!
His shoulder slammed against the concrete staircase.
Bang!
His knee struck another step.
Bang!
His back crashed against the cold surface as he rolled downward uncontrollably.
The sound echoed through the stairwell like gunshots.
Every impact sent another burst of noise into the suffocating silence.
John felt pain exploding throughout his body.
His head spun.
His weapon slipped from his grasp and clattered against the stairs.
Above him, Mary's heart nearly stopped.
Her eyes widened with pure terror.
"Oh my God..."
The words came out as nothing more than a breath.
Jackson instinctively reached forward as if he could somehow catch John from several meters away.
But it was already too late.
Mr. Smith's expression darkened instantly.
For the first time since entering the school, genuine alarm appeared in his eyes.
The noise.
That noise was enough.
Everyone knew it.
Everyone understood what it meant.
The stairwell that had remained silent for so long had just announced their presence to every zombie nearby.
John continued rolling down the staircase.
His arms flailed helplessly.
His body struck one step after another.
Finally—
Crash!
His body slammed into the concrete wall at the bottom.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
For several seconds he couldn't breathe.
His vision blurred.
Pain shot through his ribs.
Everything around him spun violently.
The stair section between the fourth and fifth floors curved around a thick concrete wall.
That wall was the only reason he hadn't fallen even farther.
John slowly raised his head.
His hands trembled.
His breathing became ragged.
The realization of what had just happened hit him all at once.
His face turned pale.
Above him, Mary, Jackson, and Mr. Smith stood frozen.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The entire stairwell had become unnaturally quiet.
Then they heard it.
A distant growl.
Low.
Hungry.
Inhuman.
Everyone's blood ran cold.
Another growl followed.
Then another.
And another.
The sounds multiplied rapidly.
John's eyes widened.
Slowly, almost mechanically, he turned his head toward the final floor below.
The moment he looked, his heart nearly stopped.
Figures were emerging from the darkness.
Dozens of them.
Then dozens more.
Then even more.
Zombies.
They rushed toward the source of the noise.
Toward him.
Toward John.
Fear exploded inside his chest.
His body instantly became soaked in sweat.
His hands shook uncontrollably.
The color drained completely from his face.
"No..."
His voice cracked.
"No... no... no..."
The zombies were getting closer.
Their pale white eyes locked onto him.
Blood covered their mouths.
Their torn uniforms dragged across the floor.
Some limped.
Some crawled.
Some ran.
But all of them shared the same destination.
John.
Within moments, he found himself surrounded.
The creatures formed a circle around him.
Every direction he looked revealed another horrifying face.
Rotting flesh.
Broken teeth.
Blood-stained mouths.
Hungry eyes.
John felt as though his soul was leaving his body.
His legs refused to move.
His brain screamed at him to run.
But fear had rooted him in place.
For the first time since the outbreak began, he genuinely believed he was about to die.
Above him, Mary's eyes filled with tears.
She grabbed Jackson's sleeve tightly.
"John..."
Her voice trembled.
Jackson clenched his jaw.
His knuckles turned white around his weapon.
Even he didn't know what to do.
There were too many zombies.
Far too many.
Mr. Smith's expression remained tense.
His mind raced desperately.
Every possible plan ended the same way.
Failure.
If he rushed in recklessly, all of them would die.
If he stayed still, John would die.
Every second felt like an eternity.
Down below, John's breathing became increasingly unstable.
His chest rose and fell rapidly.
Sweat dripped from his forehead.
His knees shook violently.
Then something happened.
Something completely unexpected.
A loud fart echoed through the stairwell.
For a second—
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even John looked shocked.
His eyes widened in embarrassment.
The zombies paused.
Above him, Mary's mouth fell open.
Jackson blinked twice.
Mr. Smith stared in disbelief.
The situation was so absurd that for one brief moment, even in the middle of a nightmare, they almost laughed.
John wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
But before he could recover, another problem appeared.
The smell.
The horrible smell spread through the air.
John's face turned bright red with embarrassment.
Unfortunately, his fear wasn't decreasing.
It was increasing.
The zombies stepped even closer.
One stretched its hand toward him.
Another growled directly in front of his face.
John felt his vision blur.
Terror overwhelmed him completely.
Then—
Prrrrt!
Another fart escaped.
Then another.
Then another.
The smell became so strong that even some of the zombies seemed to hesitate.
Several stepped backward.
Others tilted their heads strangely.
A small gap appeared in the crowd.
Mr. Smith's eyes suddenly lit up.
An opportunity.
A tiny one.
But still an opportunity.
"Move!" he whispered fiercely.
Without wasting another second, he sprinted down the stairs.
Jackson and Mary watched in shock.
Mr. Smith moved with incredible speed.
He reached John within seconds.
Grabbing the terrified boy by the shoulder, he pulled him upward.
"Get up!"
John blinked.
His mind finally snapped back to reality.
His survival instincts returned.
Immediately, he pushed himself onto his feet.
The moment he realized he was still alive, fresh determination appeared in his eyes.
Together, they raced up the staircase.
Behind them, angry growls erupted.
The zombies surged forward once again.
But they were too late.
Within moments, Mr. Smith and John reached Mary and Jackson.
Relief flooded across everyone's faces.
No words were exchanged.
There wasn't time.
The group immediately continued upward toward the fourth-floor staircase.
Their footsteps echoed softly as they climbed.
Each of them believed they had escaped the worst.
They were wrong.
The moment they stepped onto the first stair overlooking the fourth floor...
All four froze.
Their eyes widened.
Their breathing stopped.
A sea of zombies stretched before them.
Hundreds.
Perhaps close to a thousand.
The massive corridor ahead looked like a nightmare brought to life.
And standing there, staring at the horrifying scene...
None of them could believe what they were seeing.