Startled by a loud crash in the corner of the room, Mae swiftly seized her gun and aimed at the source of the disturbance. The bedroom door burst open to unveil a disheveled Yoongi, who, with his own gun drawn, scanned the room for the origin of the noise.
"Whoa! Whoa! It's just me!" exclaimed Namjoon, his hands shooting up in alarm.
"What the hell, man?" Yoongi barked, easing his gun down.
"My bad, I didn't mean to startle you guys. It was just a vase," Namjoon admitted with an embarrassed tone.
Muttering to himself, Yoongi returned to the room and shut the door. Mae set her gun beside the couch and reclined, attempting to find a comfortable position once more.
"How can you be one of the top soldiers yet still so clumsy?" she teased.
He let out a soft laugh and moved swiftly to the window, checking if their noise had drawn any unwanted attention. The Infected had a keen sense of hearing, and while they might not locate your exact position, they could home in on the general area. Their tendency to linger nearby, as if aware of your inevitable presence, only added to their threat level.
"No movement," he said, taking a seat in the chair Yoongi had used during his watch. Mae closed her eyes, seeking a bit more rest before her turn.
All was silent for five minutes, then a faint sound echoed from the floor below, putting them on high alert. It was so subtle that any conversation might have drowned it out. Weapons in hand, Namjoon positioned himself by the front door, while she swiftly went to wake Yoongi, carefully opening the door to avoid detection. She nudged him, silencing his protests with a whisper of their discovery. Realizing the gravity, Yoongi armed himself and joined them. Together, they slipped into the dark hallway, moving silently towards the stairs. They checked each open door they passed, avoiding the apartments to prevent an encounter with the infected.
"We've double-checked these rooms. There's no way we missed anything twice, and I saw nothing come in," Namjoon whispered.
"It's not too difficult for them to sneak in if there's a hole somewhere in the building," Mae whispered in return.
Her adrenaline surged with every dark corner they turned in the hallways, searching for the noise's origin. With just three of them, it was always risky, and firing their weapons would only draw more attention to their location. Reaching the lobby, they peered out the windows again, but the city streets remained desolate.
"Perhaps it was just an animal," Yoongi suggested quietly.
"Yeah, it seems like whatever it was, it's gone. I haven't heard anything else," she concurred.
Mae moved away from the lobby windows and began, "We should recheck the building befo-"
"WATCH OUT!" Yoongi shouted, lifting his gun and firing behind her.
She spun around just in time to see the bloodied figure collapse, then spotted a horde of Infected pouring out of the shadowy elevator hallway, rushing towards them. Knowing she needed to conserve her assault rifle's ammo, she drew her handgun and fired off loud rounds at the advancing creatures. Namjoon and Yoongi quickly did the same, but they were all aware they needed to flee immediately. The noise was overwhelming, and the number of Infected inside the building was unknown. Yoongi shattered the lobby's glass door, and they dashed into the murky streets.
That's when they spotted them. A horde of Infected charging towards them at full speed. She stared in horror, trying to estimate their numbers.
There must be hundreds, she thought.
