"Ethan, you sure about this?" Chris asked, his voice low and tight as they reached the stairwell.

Ethan exhaled slowly, eyes scanning the shadows below. "In a situation like this, who can be sure? But we've both powered up, and with our abilities, we've got a shot. It's worth trying."

Chris hesitated. "What if I go invisible and scout ahead first?"

Ethan shook his head. "No. Your invisibility doesn't last long yet, and we've got no idea how many zombies are down there. If you bump into one by accident, it's game over. We're better off sticking together and covering each other."

"Alright," Chris said, though he didn't sound thrilled.

They moved cautiously down the stairs.

The sixth-floor landing was clear—no sign of the undead. But as they crept down to the fifth, they ran into exactly what they didn't want to see.

Three zombies were shuffling aimlessly in the stairwell.

They weren't a real threat—not to them, not now. The two of them could take down three zombies without breaking a sweat. But the problem wasn't the fight—it was the noise. One wrong move, one loud thud, and they'd have a whole horde on their hands. If they got surrounded from above and below, even with their new strength, they'd be torn apart.

"What now?" Chris whispered, glancing at Ethan.

Ethan frowned, thinking. "If we can avoid a fight, we should. Try going invisible and see if you can lure them away with some stones."

Chris nodded, then vanished into thin air.

"Careful," Ethan murmured. "No noise."

Chris crept down the stairs, silent as a shadow, until he was just behind the three zombies. He pulled a small stone from his pocket and flicked it down the hallway.

The zombies in the stairwell didn't react—but the sound drew a couple of others from the corridor.

Chris cursed under his breath.

He tried again, tossing another stone in the opposite direction. Same result—two more zombies wandered out, curious, but the three in the stairwell didn't budge.

Chris froze. He couldn't risk another throw. At this rate, he'd end up calling in half the floor.

The only way to clear the stairwell now was to get deeper into the hallway and throw from there—but to do that, he'd have to pass right by the three zombies. They weren't standing shoulder to shoulder, but they were close. Too close. And they kept moving, pacing in lazy, unpredictable circles. One misstep, one brush of a shoulder, and it was over.

Ethan was just about to whisper for Chris to come back so they could rethink the plan—when Chris suddenly gritted his teeth and kept going.

Ethan's heart nearly stopped. "Shit," he muttered, gripping the steel pipe in his hand tighter. If anything went wrong, he'd have to jump in fast.

Chris moved slowly, each step deliberate. As he neared the first zombie, Ethan held his breath.

The creature shuffled past, and Chris slipped by it in a single, fluid step.

Now he was near the second one.

He waited, perfectly still, until the zombie turned away. Then he slid past, brushing the wall.

But just as he reached the third, more zombies began to drift toward the stairwell from behind.

Ethan's stomach dropped. Chris was trapped.

Chris saw them too. Without hesitating, he pulled out a few more stones and tossed them behind the approaching zombies.

The clatter made them pause. They turned, confused, then slowly wandered off in the opposite direction.

"Holy hell…" Ethan exhaled, only now realizing he'd been holding his breath. One of those zombies had been so close to Chris, their faces could've touched.

If Chris hadn't kept his cool, he'd be dead.

The last of the stairwell zombies followed the others into the hallway. Chris pressed himself against the wall, edged toward the corner, and finally reached a safe spot. He pulled out another stone and tossed it deeper into the corridor.

This time, it worked. The sound drew the rest of the zombies away—including the two that had stayed behind on the stairs.

Chris waved.

Ethan didn't waste a second. He darted down the stairs and joined him, and together they slipped down to the landing between the fifth and fourth floors.

Safe—for now.

"Chris, don't pull that kind of stunt again," Ethan said, his voice sharp with frustration.

Chris gave a sheepish grin. "Relax, Ethan. I had it under control."

Ethan shot him a look. "Yeah, right—'under control'? You were about half an inch from making out with a zombie."

"..."

"That was... totally accidental," Chris muttered, scratching the back of his head.

"Next time, we talk first. No solo hero crap," Ethan said, dead serious.

"Got it," Chris replied quietly.

Ethan gave a curt nod, then activated his True Sight and peered down the stairwell.

No zombies on the stairs to the fourth floor. But in the hallway below, a few were wandering aimlessly.

Nothing they couldn't handle.

Chris slipped into invisibility and crept down, tossing a few stones to lure the zombies into a nearby dorm room. Easy.

They moved fast, descending to the fourth floor. Just as they stepped into the hallway and prepared to head down again, Ethan suddenly stopped.

Chris leaned in. "What is it?"

Ethan's face darkened. "A group."

"..."

"In the stairwell?"

"Yeah. Eating."

"Eating?" Chris blinked, confused.

"Yeah. Long legs, pale skin—looks like that hot girl from 312," Ethan said flatly.

"..."

"Oh. Eating eating," Chris finally caught on.

"Zombies don't snack on toast, Chris."

"...Right."

Chris gave him a sideways glance. "You know, you're getting creepier by the day."

"What's creepy about it? We've seen worse."

"Sure, but you're the only guy I know who can ID someone by their leg while they're being devoured."

"Standard procedure. If you ever get eaten, I'll recognize you by a single bone."

"...Thanks, I guess."

Ethan waved it off. "Anyway, point is—they're not moving anytime soon. They're mid-meal."

"So… we wait?" Chris suggested.

"Wait my ass," Ethan snapped. "We're in a terrible spot. If any of the fourth-floor zombies wander back this way, we're boxed in. You can go invisible—I can't."

"Then what?"

"We charge. Straight through. Make a break for our dorm."

Chris stared at him. "That's insane. What if there's a whole pack waiting downstairs?"

"We don't have a choice. If we get pinned between floors, we're dead. No one's coming to save us."

Chris swallowed hard. "Alright. Your call."

"Stick close. With our current strength, we should be able to punch through."

"Got it."

Ethan tightened his grip on the steel tube, eyes locked on the zombies feasting below. They hadn't noticed them yet.

Now or never.

He bolted.

In a blur, he leapt down the stairs, planted a foot square on a zombie's head, and vaulted clean over the group crouched in the stairwell, too busy chewing to react.

Chris was right behind him. Before the nearest zombie could even look up, Chris kicked off its shoulder and soared past.

"RRAAAHHH—!"

The moment the undead caught sight of them, the feast was over. They shrieked and howled, abandoning their meal to give chase, a snarling wave of hunger crashing up the stairwell behind them.

...

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