The air was stale on the 3rd floor of the library. Alice had been here for several days, barricading the stair door to keep any infected from coming in. She knew this floor like the back of her hand. It was large, and mostly went unused by the student body. The "stacks" they called it because of it's unique smell due to stacks of old news papers used for historical references to the university.
Suddenly the face of the head librarian flashed in her mind. Her wrinkled face, pale blue eyes, almost too pale. Those eyes that bore into her face, sizing her up like you would look into a fridge for a late night snack. They were hungry, feasting themselves on every inch of exposed skin. The older lady had given her a job out of pity, knowing that she was just sacked from the cafeteria for lack of smiling.

How can you get fired for not smiling enough? Or maybe it was because of how creepy it did look when I attempted smiling.. Ill never get used to it. Well, at least there's no one to complain about that now though. Smiling in a zombie apocalypse.

Alice let out a small hysterical giggle that had been trapped in the back of her throat for days. She was thirsty and so she rose, slowly from her perch atop a book case to look down. It didn't matter to her that she had checked and rechecked every corner of that floor for a thing like Mrs. Jones, the head librarian. She didn't want to take any chances. Deftly she landed on the floor, a quiet thud lingering in the air. It minds well have been the fire of a in here, everything was dead silent.

How ironic.. dead silence..

Smothering another hysteric giggle she made her way to the bathroom. The lights and water were still on, but would cut on and off at random circulated times.

I wish Effy were here..

The food Alice had been living on was old lunch from a forgotten backpack in one of the study rooms she unlocked with her library master key. Something she knicked off the head librarian right after she..

Another image invades Alices mind..

Her tears, her soft tears pouring over her face as she backs against the wall while Mrs. Jones awkwardly strides toward her, arms outstretched and teeth wanting.
"Mrs. Jones.. You've got to stop now.. Just let me call a doctor.." She didn't stop though, she kept on walking until her hands grabbed hold of Alice's shirt and fingers bit into her delicate flesh.


She shook away the memory and focused on sipping the water she cupped in her hands.

I need to leave here.. I'm out of food except for this damn . Maybe there are other survivors, maybe Effy..

Immediately Alice broke the thought. No hope, you cannot hope. Not now.
Outside the locked bathroom door there was a loud bang, and another. The moans of the infected were here.

"Shit." Alice muttered.

There was a loud thud near the door and the banging ceased. In fact Alice stood there, motionless for 20 minutes and still it remained quiet. She didn't know whether the infected were capable of thought processes, if it was a trap..

I'm going to die in here anyways, minds well get out.

Alice was a runner, the only thing she was quite good at doing. Slipping away and running. But she didn't run from Mrs. Jones..

..Wrestling around on the floor, Alice kicked Mrs. Jones off her, hearing the tell-tale signs of her ribs crunching as Alice's boots collided with the old woman's lower chest. It's moan came out as a straggled his as blood oozed from her mouth. The knot forming in Alice's gut became a clear message of instincts.
Survive.
Her hand found the large plastic paper slicer behind her as the librarian found her footing and stood. As Mrs. Jones lurched forward Alice hastily broke off the blade, it's popping ringing loud.
Adrenaline was coursing through her veins as she sheathed the object into the left eye socket of the woman she once knew. The old womans feet gave way beneath her as Alice followed through by plunging it deeper, blood oozing out around her hand.


The next thing Alice remembered was sprinting to the 3rd floor after unwrapping the key from around Mrs. Jones wrist.

Slowly Alice unlocked and opened the door with a hushed wisp of air. Outside lay a man, his janitorial clothing a dark blue with white name tag. Ralph.

Must have been infected..

Lodged deep in his head was a book. The man didn't move, and blood trickled down around the protruding object.

But if he was infected.. who killed him?Inventory:

Alice didn't stick around to find out, the hand of the infected laying on the floor twitched momentarily. Lifting a foot she shoved the book deeper, the smell and squishing noises turning her stomach inside out. She didn't like blood and didn't have the stomach for those "squishing" noises either. Silently padding her way around the body Alice made her way down the hall past the busted in stair door. Her breathing quickened, there's no telling how many infected got in and where they were. Goosebumps rippled along her skin, fear pricking at the back of her mind while it distorted anything in the shadowed corners around her.

Alice made it down the first flight of stairs to the second floor. This entrance was open and had no doorway like the 3rd floor. Pausing to listen for anything Alice was met with silence. Along the wall, hugging it as if it was a good friend she slid down the stairs.

She stood at the entrance of the first floor.. Mrs. Jones was out there, laying with a paper slicer in her head and suddenly the power goes out. In the darkness her breathing sounds loud in her ears. Panic courses through her veins as Alice attempts to let her eyes adjust. A moan echos through the stair well and fumbling feet down stairs alerts her.

Alex flicks his head around to the glass doors located at the back of the library. It’s gone dark again. He groans, lifting himself up again figuring it would be nice to clear out the establishment for his own.

Alex had no problem with darkness, he could partially see in it. Not as good as it used to be but it would work for a good 45 minutes before it fizzled out on him and he felt like his eyes were bleeding. His irises would glow in the dark purely from his own physiological make up. His footsteps echo through the entrance and he just stands there, listening, watching. He blinks and stays guard, instinct tells him to wait. It’s doing something purposeful other than telling him to eat.

As he get used to the dim perception something solid collides with him. Something warm. Immediately he clung to it, having a vague idea of what it was.

Thankfully Alex has a reaction time faster than lightning and goes down on his hands and knees overtop of her. “Ohh, this is going to hurt tonight.” He unusually twists and shapes his body taking on the form of something less human and hisses lowly at the undead, long spokes of spines protruding from his back, his own jaws clasped with more needle-like teeth than necessary. Most infected of his strain would back off when seeing a huge fleshy dog-like infected creature known as a brawler, extinct in his linage. One swift swing of a limb sent the thing flying. Already in pain, Alex re-assimilated as a human and groaned softly at the woman, pushing her out from under him. “Move. Move.”

He was losing consciousness fast from the virus starving for protein and lack of sleep with all this movement and shifting, before he knew it he was laying flat on his belly, looking over at the woman in more confusion than shock. “Here… comes another survi-“ His breath hitches and he stretches in Alice’s direction, seeing her on the other side of the hall. Things were getting fuzzy quick, and this was a terrible strike on his pride to be falling asleep in front of them.

Alice stood, mind racing at the event folding out in front of her. The man had seen her, his arm stretched out for her. Only, he wasn't just a man he was.. he was.. She didn't know. How could he see her in this pitch black stair well? Her confusion, suddenly eradicated by the lights shooting back on brought her thoughts back home.

Infected, behind her. She ducked just before hands of a zombiefied student grabbed her. She ran towards the woman, who stood, looking straight at her beside the hooded man.

"Quick, grab him!" Alice shouted to the woman, motioning towards the hooded man. Turning around quickly she reached for a broom, discarded on the floor and broke it over her knee. The wood splintered but the pole looked like a mighty Javelin to Alice. Dashing forward she sunk it into the neck of the girl, her dead green eyes conveying no emotion. Although the pole sunk into her neck the infected still lurched for her and then her memory flicked to Ralph, the janitor on the 3rd floor and Mrs. Jones.

Both in the head.. maybe it's the head that kills them..

Reaching down Alice grabbed the remnants of the other broom end, it's point just as sharp as it's other half. With all her might she shoves it into the face of the girl whose hands just clasped around Alice's shoulders. Finally her hands slacken and the girl slinks to the floor.

Letting out a breath Alice turns around slowly. It just occurred to her that she shouted at the woman earlier. She never shouts. Ever. Fear, that must have been what it was.. Fear.

Softly she says, "We need to move him somewhere where the infected aren't.."

He was talking about this girl. I couldn't really see her until the library's power flickered back to life.

Cristoff stood up, careful to keep her feet off of the man below her. They both seemed to realize the dead girl walking down the stairwell behind this stranger at the same time. The living one darted quickly, barking the order for me to grab the dead one as she grabbed a broom. A broom. Seriously.

She really didn't want to touch the dead girl so she just dodged her as best as she could while leading her away from her collapsed savior.

Meanwhile, this new survivor is breaking the broomstick over her leg and stabbing the dead girl multiple times.

At her request to move the man.... Cristoff wasn't sure. She wasn't sure he was a man at all, but then again she could have imagined the how of him saving her. And it would only be the right thing to do.... She only hoped that they could drag him.... her upper body strength is extremely lacking.

She grabs his legs and motions to the girl holding the to grab his arms....

"Where will we take him?"