People spill from their cars in frantic waves, the scent of warm bodies thick in the air, pulling the zombies closer. Growls rise—low, guttural, hungry—pressing against the chaos, tightening the grip of fear around every breath. The crowd surges forward, desperate, reckless, running toward the only shelter in sight. Individuals swiftly clutch their bags, dashing toward the Ikea store's entrance. Mr. Jones reaches the doors first, hands gripping the handles, pulling—hard, desperate. Locked. The realization crashes into him, into all of us, pressing against the rising panic. The store is untouched, undisturbed, and abandoned in the town's frantic evacuation. And now, it's the only thing standing between us and the horde.

I hurry through the crowd, aiding the teachers and students in their efforts to open the door. The chilling screams behind us grew louder, each cry driving a fresh wave of panic through the crowd. My shadows surge forward, curling around the locked door, slipping into the mechanisms, threading through the unseen spaces. I focus—sharp, precise—pressing every ounce of control into the lock. The metal groans, resisting, then gives. The door swings open, and the crowd crashes inside like a breaking tide, desperate to escape the chaos outside.

I stand with the teachers and braver students waiting for the last person to enter before we force the doors closed locking them securely behind us. I rise onto the tips of my toes, pulling down the metal door to shield the glass doors behind it.

With a sigh, I dispatch wisps of wind and shadows to scout the building, ensuring nothing was overlooked. Approaching Liam, Jen, and Kaitlyn, I exhale a sigh of relief when the wind and shadows report back with no sign of zombies.

Jen begins to speak, but her words are overwhelmed by the screams of others. "Zombies there are zombies in here," someone screams. Others join in running and pushing away from where they are standing.

Three new pairs of heartbeats flicker into my awareness—steady, controlled, untouched by panic. Not running. Not afraid. Just watching. The screams echo, but they don't react. And that alone makes them dangerous. "We're not zombies. Quiet down before you draw them here," a deep voice echoed from the shadows, cutting through the chaos like a blade. Moments later, a faint glow flickers to life, illuminating an older man stepping forward—steady, deliberate, his presence cutting through the chaos like a blade. The light in his hand is controlled, measured, casting shifting shadows that dance across his sharp features. He doesn't flinch. Doesn't hesitate. He owns the space. Two younger men followed, their flashlights casting shifting beams that revealed wary but determined faces. The man who had shouted, now clearly the leader, stands at the forefront, flanked by the younger two—one in his twenties, the other in his thirties. The youngest sports light features with auburn hair, while the other two share brunette tones in both hair and eyes.

Mr. Jones approaches, his aged features and dark complexion becoming more pronounced in the faint glow of the flashlights. "Hello, I'm Kevin Jones, the acting principal. Are you three currently staying here?" He extends his hand kindly, asking.

The man at the front takes his hand "Jim and yes we are, what is your business here?"

"We are looking for a place to rest for the night would it be okay if we stayed here?" Mr. Jones asks motioning to our large group of a little over 50.

I frowned as I scanned the group. Our school wasn't big, but there were more of us. Over two hundred. And now? Now, we're barely fifty. The realization settles, cold, sharp, pressing into my ribs like a blade. Where did everyone else go? Did they run? Did they hide? Or did they not make it at all?

Jim surveys our group, predominantly teens aged fifteen to eighteen, accompanied by only about ten staff members, he sighs. "You can stay," Mr. Jones opens his mouth, and Jim raises a hand "I wouldn't advise departing tomorrow. Moving a large group—especially one with children—is dangerous," Jim states, his voice edged with something heavier than caution. "Have you thought about where you're going? How you'll find food? Shelter? How you'll defend yourselves against what's out there?" His gaze sweeps over us, sharp, unrelenting, weighing our chances against the brutal reality beyond these walls. "If you arrived by car, remember that fuel won't last forever."

Jim is correct on all counts; we have only a small amount of gas left that won't last beyond tomorrow. We're just teenagers after all, and how much do we really understand about the zombies outside?

Mr. Jones sighs and nods "Thank you for your offer; we will stay here and regroup."

Jim nods waving us over "Come with me to the beds. But before we go—has anyone been bitten, scratched, or exposed to zombie blood in any way?"

We all shake our heads "No," we say. Pleased with our response, he starts walking and we follow him cheerfully. With slightly raised eyelids, we make our way upstairs to the showrooms. "Choose any bed you like; you'll need to share until we establish a plan."

Jim and the other two likely head towards their sleeping quarters. The group scatters across the showroom, claiming beds and couches with hurried movements, exhaustion pressing into every step. Bags are tossed aside, bodies sink into furniture, the weight of the day settling into the silence. For now, this is home. For now, this is enough.

Liam, Jen, Kaitlyn, and I navigate through numerous showrooms until we discover an unoccupied room with bunk beds. We quickly claim the room and shut the door, each of us sinking into a bed after stripping off the protective plastic. I choose the lower bunk with its plain white bedding. The room is modest, furnished with two bunk beds, two desks, a loveseat, and a recliner, all adhering to a white and blue color scheme with touches of black for contrast. Despite the power outage, our phone flashlights provide enough light.

Once settled, it doesn't take long for my three companions to fall asleep, and soon the entire building is silent. The vastness of Ikea muffles any noise from the zombies outside, reducing it to faint background sounds. After a few minutes, I allow myself to relax and gradually drift off to sleep.

Quietly closing the door, I leave our room and walk towards the cafeteria. As I move past the showroom section, a light clamour from the cafeteria grows louder. Entering the room, now softly illuminated by the rising sun, I notice one of the men from the previous night working behind the counter.

"Morning," I say waving.

He looks up slightly startled before smiling "Morning."

I walk behind the counter as he gets back to what he was doing previously. Some battery-powered coolers lay lined up behind him. He moves around the kitchen grabbing bread, crackers, and surprisingly cereal placing them in a line on the counter. "Need a hand?" I asked, stepping behind the counter. Neil flinched slightly, then glanced up with a hesitant smile.

He nods "Sure, could you grab plates and bowls from the shelf over there." He gestures behind him, then lifts a cooler and sets it on the counter next to the food. At his direction, I carry over plates, bowls, and cutlery, arranging them on the counter in front of the food.

After arranging the food and plates in a line buffet style I take a plate putting two pieces of bread on them. Opening the cooler I spot two two-letter jugs of milk and a tub of margin as well as some jam. Taking the margin and jam out I butter my bread and put some jam on as makeshift toast. The man follows my lead grabbing a small breakfast.

Plate in hand, I settle at a table by the window, my gaze drifting to the chaotic parking lot below. A dozen cars lay scattered, abandoned and askew, their haphazard positions speaking volumes about the desperation that had gripped the town. I glanced up as the sound of footsteps retreated from the buffet toward the tables. Waving my hand, I called out. "You can sit here it will be lonely if you sit alone." I smile reassuringly, and he relaxes, taking the seat opposite me. Once seated, I extend my hand. "Names Kaindra soon to be seventeen years old, former high school student and you are?"

He clasps my hand gently "Neil twenty, electrician."

I nod smiling as I take a few bites of my bread. "And the other man we met last night his name was Jim what does he do?"

Neil also eats a few bites before answering "Jim was the head plumber, while Jaron, who you also met, was involved in the building's construction.

"How did you three end up here? What happened to the others?"

Neil sighs, setting his bread down, his fingers lingering over the plate like the weight of his words is pressing into his skin. "We were conducting a final inspection when the zombies hit. There used to be twenty-five of us." His voice tightens, the memory curling into his expression. "Some were bitten. Some tried to leave. None came back. Before we knew it, it was just the three of us left—until you showed up." I nod as I continue to eat "What about you guys what happened to you?"

I look at him "We were in school when it happened. Some zombies got into the school and soon it was chaos. The zombies got led out of the building by someone and we barricaded the doors. When the power went out we decided to leave. Lots didn't make it and what you see is what remained."

He looks at me with sadness in his eyes "Sorry you had to go through that."

I chuckle to myself; if he only knew what I've endured, what I've accomplished. As we finish our meal, we sit and chat while the sun rises. I discover what they know about the zombies and how they've managed to survive while being trapped here. "The zombies don't seem to get tired but also can't move faster than a quick walk so if you can outrun them to a safe place you should be fine. Also, they can't climb or turn sharply. But they are strong and persistent so it is best if you stay far away from them." 

"But what if you get cornered and need to kill them to escape a brain injury doesn't seem to have any effect on them?" I ask, snickering in my head.

Neil sighs "I can't help you with that I am just as stumped as you are."

I pretend to think before proposing my solution "When we left the school I saw some bodies on the ground with their heads cut off not moving the bodies already decomposing. Could that be the way to kill them decapitation?"

Neil thinks it over nodding his head slowly "That might be it Kaindra. But killing them that way is dangerous you would have to be at arms reach and the blood splatter it would cause could get in your mouth or a wound."

"So it would be a last resort...so the best way to deal with them would be to lead them and trap them a distance away especially going into a building," I say offhandedly.

Neil shoots up eyes wide "Entering a building are you insane?"

I look at him dropping my hands on the table "Yes,"I speak with utter seriousness. He opens and closes his mouth, uncertain of how to respond. Although he may be older than me by a few years, I will outlive him by far. Besides, zombies cannot harm me; they are not borne of magic, so any damage they inflict will quickly fade and become a fleeting memory. "We will run out of supplies eventually, especially food. The best way to fix that would be to enter buildings. I see a Cosco right there not even a mile away, a Chapters there, and lucky us like really lucky a Cabela's all not even 5 miles away walking. If we go to the stores and stock up on food and supplies we could be set for months."

He begins to speak again, but I raise my hand and point out the window towards the roof of Costco. "Look there I see solar panels, I know for a fact I have seen small ones inside too. I spotted solar panels on the roof of this store too. By the looks of it, this town is very echo-friendly if we get those solar panels up and running possibly a generator we could have power. There are farms nearby, filled with animals we could bring over. We could set up pens for animals behind the store, maybe even build a greenhouse inside to grow food year-round. With some effort, this place wouldn't just be a refuge—it could be our lifeline. I barely see any zombies here as they all followed the people when they left."

Neil's eyes widen as I finish my rant. I return his gaze, my eyes sparkling with possibility. Jaron, if that's his name, enters the room, yawning. He catches sight of us by the window and notices Neil's shocked face. "Hey man what happened?" He asks making himself a bowl of cereal before walking over.

Neil opens and closes his mouth a few times before reciting what I suggested to him to Jaron. "Hah! Now that's an ambitious idea," Jaron says, clapping me on the back with a laugh. "It's crazy, no doubt—but it's also smart. If we can make it work, it could keep us alive through the winter. Still, what's your plan for the zombies? There aren't many now, but they'll show up eventually."

I had been anticipating this question, I turned to face Jaron fully. "We use the big trucks and cars to form a barricade around the building," I state, my voice steady, calculated. "Then reinforce it with chain-link fencing—tall ones, if we can find them. If need be, we add plastic or wood so they can't grab at the fencing if they make it through the cars."

Jaron nods "Not bad not bad could work as a decent wall for the time being. When Jim and who was it? Kevin wakes up I will put this idea past them. We will have to keep some cars as back up though."

Neil and I nod "Trucks to put supplies in the back easier and some cars. If we park them in the garage in the back if we ever need to leave in a rush they are ready to go even in winter" Neil suggests.

Jaron nods "Not a bad suggestions Neil." Jaron grins ruffling my hair "You have put some thought into this have you." Glaring at him I fix my hair nodding "We will make some adjustments where needed but thanks for the plan."

After that more people started to wake up. The conversation flowed between us, ideas and strategies bouncing back and forth with renewed energy. When Jim and Mr. Jones finally enter the cafeteria, their purposeful strides and solemn faces brought a sudden quiet, but the spark of hope lingered in the air. Jaron and Neil said their goodbyes going over to the two older men to discuss the ideas I proposed. I stood up putting my dishes behind the counter and cleaning them the best I can before grabbing two bowls putting cereal in them without milk and a few slices of bread taking them with me back to the room Liam, Jen, Kaitlyn, and I took for ourselves.

Slowly opening the door I light a small fire letting the golden glow light up the room as it gently floats around. Closing the door behind me I place the food on one of the desks and turn on a flashlight lighting up the room further. Clapping my hands sharply, calling out, "Rise and shine, sleepyheads—it's already past eight!"

Jen groans rolling off her bed onto the floor. Kaitlyn opens her eyes blinking groggily slowly waking up. Liam yawns as he climbs down from his bunk and glances over at the desk where I stand, eyeing the food. "Go ahead there should be enough for the three of you, no milk though didn't want to spill any walking here."

With that, the three of them rise, having had their fill of cereal and bread, and move the bowls to the small table nestled between the loveseat and chairs. I share everything I've learned from Neil and Jaron, as well as the plans we discussed. Liam blinks, his eyes widening slightly. "Wow do you think it will work?"

I sigh "It has to, there's nothing else I can think of. If we don't raid the other stores we will have to leave again, we are almost out of gas if we do, I don't want to be stranded on the side of the road. Cabela's also has weapons like knives and bows even guns. And they have camping supplies that store is the best shot we have at surviving if we do get stranded."

They nod. Our conversation is halted by a knock at the door. With a snap of my fingers, the small flame disappears as Kaitlyn rises to open the door. Standing there with a smile is Kaycee, a girl a year our senior. "Mr. Jones and Jim are asking for everyone in the cafeteria."

Kaitlyn nods and turns toward us. We all rise from our seats and head to the cafeteria. Upon entering, we stand against the back wall as all the tables are already occupied. The two adults pause for a moment before beginning. "An idea has been brought to our attention, we will not name who came up with it only tell you what we have finalized right now." Jim takes over for Mr. Jones explaining what we will do for the barricade. The beginner idea appears unchanged from my initial suggestion.

"That is all we have for the current moment. First, we will finalize our decision regarding the selection of cars and acquire the necessary fencing. Today's tasks include constructing and arranging the required beds. All kitchen supplies should be transferred from the showrooms to the kitchen here. The windows on the first floor need to be covered, the first floor should be organized, the doors reinforced, and any superfluous items relocated to areas where they will be more useful."

Jim continues to outline the placement of items, the designated uses for different areas, and the potential repurposing of spaces that were not initially considered useful. Occupied rooms will remain as they are, and those without a room will be assigned a space to make their own.

Once all has been decided I run down to the first floor Jen, Kaitlyn, and Liam following behind. "Kain wait up where are you going?" Jen calls behind me.

I ignore her already entering the light area. The three slow down their breaths slightly quickened from the fast run. I smirk picking up a solar-powered deck light. "If we grab all the solar-powered and battery-powered lights and set them up along the walls and floor in the sun or have the solar panels in the sun we could have light without the use of flashlights."

Finally understanding why I hurried here, the three of us rush to grab the boxes filled with solar-powered lights. I pick up some fairy lights for our room and a few more for the showroom areas now used as bedrooms. Kaitlyn arrives, pushing a cart and dragging another behind her. We thank her and swiftly load the carts with boxes stacked high on all sides. Carrying more in our arms, we take the carts upstairs, hoping to charge the lights before placing them around.

We dash upstairs first, setting the boxes by the windows to catch the sunlight before hurrying back down to bring up the carts. With help from others, it doesn't take long to line up the lights by the windows to charge. We've also hung some solar panels separately in various spots near different windows on the second floor.

Clapping excitedly, I run back down to the first floor, eager to set up the next items. The three follow in pursuit. Throughout the day, we hustle to arrange everything in the store, which is already starting to feel like a place we could stay for a while.

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