Chapter 100: Heading to the Room
They went down the stairwell, occasionally encountering zombies.
A door creaking open from one of the landings. A figure stepping out at the wrong time. A shadow shifting just enough to give away movement.
Ryan kept the pace steady.
"Watch the landings," he said quietly as they descended. "That’s where they’ll come from."
The lead pair reached the next floor.
The door was slightly open.
One of them nudged it with the barrel of his weapon.
It swung inward just enough, and a resident stumbled out.
"Contact," the operator said.
A single suppressed shot dropped it before it could react.
"Clear."
They kept moving.
Floor thirty-eight.
Then thirty-seven.
Each level looked the same.
Clean architecture ruined by neglect. Blood smeared along walls. Personal items left scattered across the floor just beyond the stairwell doors. It was clear people had tried to get out. It was just as clear most of them didn’t make it far.
"Movement, right side," the rear operator said quietly.
Adrian glanced back.
Two figures were climbing up from below, slower than the ones they had seen in the hospital but still purposeful.
"Take them," Ryan said.
Two quick shots.
Both dropped.
"Keep it tight," Ryan added. "No noise we don’t need."
They continued downward.
Floor thirty-six.
The moment they reached the landing, the door burst open.
A man lunged out, faster than expected.
Not a full sprint, but enough to close distance if left unchecked.
"Contact front!" the lead operator called.
He fired immediately.
The shot hit center mass.
The figure staggered but didn’t drop.
"Head!" Ryan snapped.
A second shot followed.
The body went limp and slid across the floor.
Ryan frowned slightly.
"Some of them are taking more hits," he said.
Adrian nodded.
"Different condition," he replied. "Either fresher or something else."
They didn’t stop to study it.
They kept moving.
Floor thirty-five.
Ryan slowed slightly this time, raising his hand.
Hold.
Everyone stopped.
He listened to the sounds.
But the silence didn’t feel empty.
Adrian noticed it too.
"They’re inside the units," he said. "Not all of them wander."
Ryan nodded.
"Which means we don’t open anything we don’t need to."
They resumed their descent.
The numbers weren’t increasing.
But the behavior was changing.
Less noise.
Less movement.
More waiting.
By the time they reached floor thirty-four, the team had tightened their formation without being told. Spacing closed. Movements synced. Every man watching not just forward, but the doors around them.
"Two floors," Ryan said quietly.
Adrian adjusted his grip on his weapon.
"Stay sharp," he said.
The next landing came into view.
Floor thirty-three.
The door was closed.
No movement.
Ryan stepped forward, placing a hand on the handle.
He didn’t open it yet.
He leaned in slightly, listening.
Still nothing.
He glanced back once.
Adrian gave a small nod.
Ryan opened the door slowly.
The hallway beyond was dim, but intact.
Clean.
Almost untouched compared to the floors above.
But that only made it worse.
"Clear left," the lead operator whispered.
"Clear right."
No immediate movement.
Ryan stepped out.
The team followed.
And just ahead—
A sign on the wall.
Floor 33.
Ryan exhaled slowly.
"One more," he said.
Adrian’s gaze shifted toward the stairwell again.
"Then we find her," he replied.
They moved for the final descent to the thirty-second floor.
Ryan didn’t rush the door this time.
He stopped at the landing, hand resting on the handle, listening longer than before. The silence on the other side wasn’t empty. It had weight to it, like something was there but choosing not to move.
Adrian stepped up beside him.
"Expect contact," he said quietly.
Ryan nodded once.
"Stack tighter."
The team adjusted immediately, spacing closing in as weapons came up higher, angles more deliberate. Everyone knew this was the objective floor. If there was anywhere inside the building that mattered, it was here.
Ryan turned the handle slowly and pushed the door open.
The hallway revealed itself inch by inch.
At first glance, it was clean, too clean.
The lighting was still functioning on this floor, casting a steady glow across polished tiles and intact walls. The damage they had seen above was minimal here.
But then, as expected, there is movement.
Figures stood along the hallway.
Not one or two.
More.
Residents.
Dressed in clean clothes that hadn’t been torn apart like the ones above. Some stood near doors. Others near the walls. A few in the middle of the corridor.
Until the door opened.
Their heads turned.
All at once.
"Contacts," the lead operator whispered.
Ryan didn’t hesitate.
"Engage."
The first shots came out controlled and precise, suppressed bursts aimed cleanly at the head. Two dropped instantly, bodies collapsing onto the floor with dull impacts.
But the rest, moved.
They stepped forward almost together, closing the distance in a way that felt more coordinated than anything they had seen so far.
"More in the back!" one operator called.
Additional figures emerged from further down the hallway, drawn by the movement rather than the sound. Some came from side corridors, others from open unit doors.
"They’re stacking!" Ryan said. "Push through!"
The team advanced.
Not holding position.
Not letting the infected build into a wall.
Shots rang out in controlled rhythm as they moved forward, each operator clearing his lane while keeping formation tight. Bodies dropped in front of them, but the spacing closed again quickly as more stepped in.
"Left side!"
Two infected broke from a unit doorway, lunging with sudden speed.
They were cut down mid-step.
"Right clear!"
Adrian moved with them, eyes scanning past the immediate threats.
"Unit 3207," he said. "Find it."
Ryan nodded.
"Keep moving!"
They pushed deeper into the hallway.
Numbers thinned slightly the further they went, but the ones that remained were faster, more responsive. One took a hit to the chest and still managed two steps forward before a follow-up round dropped it.
"Headshots only," Ryan reminded.
The team adjusted without missing a beat.
Then, a door number came into view.
3205.
Adrian’s focus sharpened.
"Close," he said.
Another infected stepped into their path.
It moved faster than the rest, almost lunging forward.
Two shots dropped it.
"3207 ahead," the lead operator said.
Adrian’s gaze locked onto it.
Ryan raised his hand.
Hold.
The team stopped just short of the door, forming a tight perimeter as the last few infected in the immediate area were cleared.
Silence settled again.
But this time, it felt different.
Ryan stepped forward slowly, positioning himself to the side of the door.
He looked back once.
Adrian gave a small nod.
"Let’s see what’s inside," Ryan said quietly.