Kevin and Chelsea began preparing early the next morning.
The sunlight that filtered through the dusty glass windows of the Alps Builders Building was pale but strong enough to illuminate the silent floors. For three months the building had been their shelter, their prison, and their last defense against the infected roaming outside.
Kevin moved through the lower offices with quick, confident steps. He had already made up his mind that the plan would work. The infected were predictable. Slow. Stupid. At least, that was what he believed.
Chelsea was upstairs on the fifth floor, setting up the equipment they had gathered the night before. Two large portable speakers from the conference storage room had been dragged near the rear windows of the building. A megaphone rested on the table beside them, along with a laptop connected to the speakers that could play loud audio continuously.
Kevin had instructed her to make as much noise as possible once he gave the signal. The louder, the better.
Meanwhile, Kevin searched the security management office on the ground floor. The room had once been used by the building's guards to monitor the cameras and control access to different sections of the property. Most of the monitors were dead now, but the cabinets and drawers still contained equipment.
Kevin opened one metal drawer after another until he found what he was hoping for a ring of keys, dozens of them. Each one had a small tag with handwritten labels. He held the ring up and examined the tags closely.
"Bakery… café… convenience store…"
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"These must be the extra keys."
The building management had probably kept backup keys for all the commercial spaces rented on the ground floor. That meant he wouldn't have to smash glass doors or force locks to get inside. Breaking glass would create noise. Noise could attract the infected.
Keys meant quiet. Kevin pocketed the key ring with satisfaction.
"Perfect."
Upstairs, Chelsea's voice suddenly echoed faintly through the stairwell.
"Kevin! Are you ready?"
Kevin walked toward the stairs and looked up.
"Yeah. Start in a minute."
Chelsea gave him a thumbs-up before returning to the equipment. Kevin checked the backpack he was carrying. Crowbar. Flashlight. Knife. Empty space for supplies.
He took a deep breath. Then he spoke loudly toward the stairwell.
"Turn it on!"
A second later the entire building exploded with sound. The speakers roared to life, blasting distorted music so loud the walls vibrated. Chelsea raised the megaphone and began shouting into it, amplifying her voice until it echoed like thunder through the empty building.
The noise poured out through the rear windows. Outside, the effect was immediate.
The infected reacted instantly. Some of them lifted their heads sharply, jerking toward the direction of the sound. Others began moving faster than Kevin had ever seen before.
And some began running. Kevin froze for a moment as he watched through the rear hallway window.
"Shit."
He had underestimated them.
Several infected were sprinting toward the building, their movements jerky but terrifyingly fast. Their mouths hung open, blackened gums visible as they let out hoarse, guttural sounds.
Others stumbled forward more slowly, dragging limbs, but the runners reached the building first. Kevin felt a chill crawl up his spine. Yesterday he had assumed they were all slow. Clearly that wasn't true. He grabbed the radio they had prepared and spoke into it.
"Chelsea!"
Her voice crackled through the speaker.
"Yeah?"
"Keep the speakers on. Don't stop the noise until I come back."
"Okay."
Kevin moved quickly now, heading toward the front side of the building. He needed to make sure the infected were really leaving the front street. Ifeven a few remained, going outside would be suicide.
He reached the front hallway and carefully looked through the glass doors. The street was partially visible from there. Several infected that had been wandering earlier were now moving away from the area, drawn by the thunderous noise blasting from the rear of the building.
Kevin waited. Five minutes passed then ten.
More infected stumbled past the street corner, following the sound like moths drawn to a flame. Finally the street in front of the building looked empty. Kevin's heart pounded in his chest.
"This is it."
He moved toward the main entrance but stopped before opening it. First he checked the key ring again. He found the tag labeled 7-Eleven. Perfect.
If he could enter the convenience store quietly, he could grab food quickly and return before the infected wandered back. Kevin cracked the door open just enough to peek outside. The street was silent, no infected in sight. He stepped out quickly and closed the building door behind him. The open air hit him immediately.
For the first time in three months, Kevin was outside. The city smelled wrong, rotting meat, dust and stale air. His stomach twisted, but he forced himself to move. The convenience store entrance was only a few meters away. Kevin jogged quickly across the pavement, constantly scanning the street.
Nothing.
He reached the glass door of the 7-Eleven and quickly tried the key. The lock clicked open. Kevin slipped inside and immediately closed the door behind him before locking it again. The interior of the store was dim but intact. Shelves were still full. For a moment Kevin simply stared.
"Jackpot."
Rows of drinks filled the refrigerators.
Bottled water, cola, energy drinks and beer.
He opened his backpack and started grabbing supplies.
Water first, then cola, then beer.
He stuffed instant noodles into the bag next, followed by canned food and packs of beef jerky. His hands moved quickly now, adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Coffee packets, chips, crackers.
Everything that could last.
As he moved down the aisles, he noticed something hanging near the back. Clothing, basic items the store sold for emergencies.
Underwear, t-shirts and light jackets.
Kevin remembered Chelsea mentioning clothes earlier. He grabbed several pairs and stuffed them into the bag.
"Why not."
The backpack quickly filled. Kevin looked around for something else to carry supplies.
Near the storage door he spotted several empty cardboard boxes. Perfect, he grabbed one and began filling it. More drinks, more noodles and snack bags.
He even found small sealed packages of pre-cooked rice meals that only needed heating.
Kevin stuffed as many as he could into the box. Sweat dripped down his face as he worked quickly. He paused once and listened carefully. Nothing, only the distant echo of the music blasting from the building behind him. The infected were still chasing the noise.
Kevin felt confident again. He filled the box as much as he could carry.
"That's enough for today."
He knew he could return later for more. Maybe next time he'd bring Chelsea with him.
They could clean the entire store out if they worked together.
Kevin moved toward the door carefully. First he looked outside through the glass. The street still looked empty. He unlocked the door slowly and stepped out with the heavy box balanced against his chest, the backpack hanging from his shoulders. He closed the door again and locked it. Now he had to cross the open space back to the main building.
Kevin began pushing the heavy box along the pavement while scanning the street constantly. Everything looked clear. But just as he reached the front of the building, movement, ten meters away.
An infected had appeared from behind a parked van. For a split second it stared at him then it ran, fast. Much faster than Kevin expected.
"Shit!"
Kevin shoved the box forward with all his strength and sprinted toward the building entrance. Behind him the infected shrieked, its footsteps slapping violently against the pavement as it charged.
Kevin reached the glass doors just as the creature lunged forward. He yanked the door open, dove inside, and slammed it shut. The infected smashed into the glass with a horrifying crash.
Its face slammed against the door inches from Kevin. Its skin was gray and peeling. One eye hung partially out of the socket, and dark blood dripped from its mouth as it snarled violently. Kevin staggered backward, breathing hard. The creature clawed at the glass, banging and screeching.
"Holy shit… holy shit…"
Kevin quickly activated the security controls beside the door. With a loud metallic rumble, a steel barricade slid down over the entrance.
The infected continued smashing against the barrier, its rotten hands slapping against the metal. Kevin leaned against the wall, drenched in sweat.
"Fuck… that was close."
His heart hammered in his chest. Another second and the thing would have reached him. For several moments he simply stood there breathing hard then he grabbed the box again and started carrying the supplies upstairs. The music was still blasting from the fifth floor.
When Kevin finally reached the room, he saw Chelsea standing beside the huge speaker, holding the megaphone. She turned when she saw him.
"You made it!"
Kevin dropped the box on the floor and leaned against the wall, gasping for air.
"I almost got eaten down there."
Chelsea's eyes widened.
"But you didn't," she said with a small smile.
She walked over and looked inside the box.
Food, drinks and snacks.
Her smile grew wider.
"You did good."
Kevin wiped sweat from his forehead.
Chelsea stepped closer to him.
"We should celebrate tonight."
Her voice turned soft and flirtatious.
"I'll make you very happy."
Kevin felt a sudden rush of heat as she leaned forward and kissed him.
Outside the building, the infected continued screaming and clawing at the walls below, drawn by the deafening music blasting from the speakers.
Inside the fifth floor office, Kevin and Chelsea didn't care. Their laughter and heavy breathing soon mixed with the thunder of the speakers as the infected gathered below, desperately trying to reach the sound that had lured them there.