Cryonic by Travis Bradberry

him.

18.
    The moans and wailing inside the building grew louder as the day wore on. They were so piercing in the evening hours that we only mustered a few hours of terrified, restless sleep. By lunch the following day, it was clear the building was being overrun. People were jumping from the floors above us, and screams emanated through the floor.
    I looked through the peephole. At least a dozen zombies paced up and down the hallway and scratched on doors.
    â€œYou think they busted through the barricade?” Celeste asked.
    â€œI don’t know, I just don’t know.” Our inactivity was making me nervous. I started pacing, racking my brain, and eyeballing Alex for any sign he’d changed his mind. “How many people live in this building?”
    â€œA thousand. Maybe a couple thousand.”
    â€œAre a lot of them home this time of day? I mean, when all of this started happening?”
    â€œNo more than twenty-five percent.”
    Alex chimed in. “They keep us working in shifts so that people can’t gather in large groups.”
    â€œMaybe that’s all that’s out there, people from the building. I don’t see any soldiers or doctors. Here, take a look,” I said to Celeste, giving her the peephole. “Are they your neighbors?”
    â€œMost of them, yes.”
    â€œThen we still have a chance.”
    Celeste nodded. I could tell she was ready to make a move. Alex on the other hand was over by the window,staring blankly at the street below. I heard snorting and growling at my feet. I got down on my hands and knees and looked through the crack at the bottom of the door. I couldn’t see much, but I could hear one of them sniffing at the crack. The growls turned to screams.
    â€œOh shit! It can smell us in here.” I got up and looked through the peephole. The shrieking zombie was drawing the attention of the others down the hall. “I know how to stop this,” I said with a smile. “Plug your ears.”
    I grabbed the assault rifle, released the safety, and got back on the floor. I pushed it against the crack and waited for the sniffing to come near. As soon as I heard sniffing near the barrel I pulled the trigger. The gun went off, and we heard a loud shriek followed by a light thump.
    â€œI think I got him,” I said excitedly, jumping up to look out the peephole. I saw a pair of feet, heels up at the bottom of the frame, but I didn’t get to revel in my kill. The noise from the gun attracted the other zombies, who attacked the door ferociously. They pounded on the door and rammed into it until the hinges started coming loose.
    â€œOh, man, I did it now,” I said sheepishly to my companions.
    â€œThey’re going to break the door down. How many of them are out there?” Celeste asked calmly.
    â€œAbout a dozen.”
    â€œHow can they even do that? Do they have some kind of superhuman strength?”
    â€œI don’t think so. They just don’t feel any pain. They’ll keep ramming it until they break in.”
    â€œIt’s time to go,” Celeste declared. “Alex, get the keys from the drawer in Carson’s nightstand.”
    Alex didn’t move. Celeste picked up the gun and walked over to him.
    â€œWe’re out of time, dear. We have to go,” she said sweetly. Alex stared at his shoes. She held the gun up by the muzzle, and her voice grew stern. “Come on, Alex. We can do this. This is a powerful weapon.”
    I grabbed the keys and ran around the apartment gathering food and clothing. I threw what I could in a duffle bag I found in Carson’s closet. When I came back out into the living room, the front door was beginning to tilt into the apartment. Macabre fingers wriggled along the length of the gap. I went straight to Alex and handed him the bat.
    â€œAlex, it’s time,” I said. He wouldn’t even look at me. “This is just like when I was strapped on that bed