The sliding glass door refused to open.
From the other side, something—or rather someone—confirmed why.
A zombie stood there, its face grotesquely melted, devoid of features except for two hollow black pits for eyes. Its limbs twisted in unnatural ways, bones seemingly bent backward. It pressed its face against the glass, and from the morbid grey flesh, a mouth slowly peeled open into a wide, jagged grin.
"You're not leaving the building now," Brandon muttered. He and Samantha were the closest to the entrance, spotting it first.
Then chaos.
"AHHHH!"
"What is that?!"
"There's one over here too!"
Panic rippled through the lobby as more of the zombies emerged, surrounding the building—each one uniquely horrific. Some towered over others, some were child-sized, all grotesquely malformed. Faces twisted into unholy expressions, teeth bared in mockery of human emotion.
"Oh my god... they're real," Lydia whispered, stunned. Caitlyn clutched Liam's arm, equally shaken.
But Liam didn't react. He still sat behind the reception desk, his head buried in his hands.
"This is just a hotel," Samantha said, thinking aloud. "There won't be much to fight with... maybe some brooms, cleaning supplies—if we're lucky."
"What if we just hide upstairs?" someone suggested. "The zombies don't look strong enough to break through that door. We'll be safe up there."
As if insulted by the comment, one of the zombies suddenly slammed its head into the glass with a sickening crack—a spiderweb of fractures spreading across the surface.
"They're breaking in!" someone screamed.
"Everyone, calmdown!" Samantha shouted over the chaos. "We need to find the janitor's closet. Look for anything we can use—brooms, pipes, anything!"
"Upstairs is blocked!" a man yelled from the stairwell.
"Of course it is..." Samantha muttered, glancing back at the door.
More zombies joined in, mimicking the first—slamming their heads, their fists, anything they could, against the glass. Each impact deepened the cracks.
"They're drawn to crowds," Samantha observed.
Brandon frowned. "Why do you think that?"
"Look around. Only we are close to the glass now. Everyone else moved back—and the zombies are staring right at us."
Flynn stepped forward. "What are you thinking?"
"There's a button by this door, and another by the back exit, we will pray to hell those opens the doors," Samantha pointed. "If we can lure the zombies away to the far side, we might be able to get people out through here."
"You mean... we open the back door, draw their attention, and the rest run out this way?" Flynn clarified.
"Exactly. We just need a distraction."
"I think I remember this area," Samantha added. "About three blocks down, there's a firearms store. If we can get there…"
"Then let's do it." Brandon turned to the crowd. "HEY! EVERYONE—GET OVER HERE! CLOSE TO US!"
Confused at first, the crowd hesitated.
"TRUST BRANDON! HE'LL SAVE US!"
That did the trick. People surged forward.
**Crack.**
Another strike on the glass. The fractures were growing.
Samantha grabbed a broom from a nearby survivor. "Can I borrow this?"
"Give it to her," Brandon commanded, grabbing two more and tossing one to Flynn.
"Back door's clear!" Flynn called out.
"Everyone—stay here! Don't follow us!" Brandon shouted. "Once we draw them away, get out through this door and head down the street—three blocks—to a gun store!"
"No way!"
"JUST LISTEN!" Samantha barked. "Let's go!"
The three bolted toward the back of the room, pressing the button on the door.
"Please work…" Flynn muttered. The lock clicked open. "Yes!"
They rushed outside, broomsticks raised.
Brandon cupped his hands. "HEY! OVER HERE! FREE FOOD, COME GET US!"
Guttural growls answered. Zombies staggered toward them—two near Flynn, three near Brandon.
Flynn didn't flinch. "HRAAH!"
He fought with reckless resolve, swinging the broomstick like a blade, smashing through brittle bone and decaying flesh. Samantha watched with mild astonishment—he was braver than she remembered.
Brandon was just as impressive, if not more. His movements were crisp, efficient. A clean sweep to the knees, a jab to the skull—he was trained, that much was clear.
The horde took the bait.
"NOW!" Samantha shouted.
Back inside, when the coast cleared, Liam pressed the button and opened the front door. He was closest to it, but didn't run—not until half the crowd had passed. Caitlyn gripped his hand tightly, Lydia gripping hers.
Brandon led the charge outside. With him at the front, the group punched through the chaos with surprising ease.
"These things are slow—just go around them!" Brandon called out.
A zombie lunged.
Samantha didn't hesitate. With a vicious arc of her broomstick, she severed its head. It fell with a splat, rolling across the pavement.
Everyone ran into the night, the crowd charging hurried toward the firearms store, whereas the three battled their way through hordes of zombies to catch up.