Dead Man Walking: Living By Day, Dead By Night
Chapter 4: Stalker

Zane was currently standing within the kitchen area of the school's cafeteria. Searching for anything and everything that he could carry with him on his journey away from the city and towards a safer location in the countryside where the number of walking dead would be less prominent.

For this, he was stocking up on food items that had longer shelf lives, knowing that within a week or two the global power grid would be completely wiped out. Meaning that he would not have the means to refrigerate his food, pump gas for whatever vehicle he could get his hands on, recharge his electronics, et cetera.

The very way of life which humanity had taken for granted all these years would be coming to a swift and rapid end. When that happened, whatever survivors that may exist in the dead infested cities of the world would begin to fight among themselves for what little supplies remained available.

Because Zane was not delusional enough to believe that the existing civilization that he lived in remotely had a chance of stopping the spread of this infection, he had a mentality that allowed him to take advantage of the current stockpiles of supplies that existed throughout American cities, especially while everyone else was boarding themselves up inside and waiting for this crisis to pass.

His plan was supposed to be painless, and without any troubles. After all, the majority of the walking dead still inside the school were focused on the classrooms which were barricaded and filled with survivors.

But, just when he had stuffed a decent stash of long-lasting supplies into his backpack, after removing all the useless junk that was no longer required now that public education had come to a sudden end. All hell broke loose.

The walking dead skulking outside the kitchen of the cafeteria were alerted by the screams of terror that were cried out by Zane's former classmates. Immediately sending the monsters into a wild frenzy towards whatever living being still drew breath within this school's once hallowed halls.

And if that weren't bad enough, several of the survivors ran down the stairs, aimlessly, with no plan or thought in their heads, and in doing so they aggro'd the dead who Zane was silently hiding from. Zane watched as several of his classmates ran into the cafeteria, only to be surrounded by monsters and devoured in front of him.

A single thought remained silent within Zane's head as he watched several of his former classmates perish.

"Fucking idiots…"

Just as Zane thought this to himself, his fellow students gazed at him and cried out for help, knowing that Zane had weapons on him and could easily save him, these same students who decried the fact that Zane was armed just minutes ago, were now begging for the man to save them.

"Zane! Help! Please!"

Zane, however, coldly ignored their cries for help. Knowing that things were about to become far more chaotic in his old high school, Zane realized now was the time to escape from his current confinement.

Thus, while the walking dead ran off towards the panicked and frightened students. Zane escaped into the courtyard, where he was just about to hop over the school's fence. That is until he saw something peculiar.

If Zane was not used to watching his surroundings and looking out for potential threats, a paranoia that was deeply ingrained in his mind due to his childhood trauma, then he would not have noticed the creature eying him with a ravenous gaze.

Yet Zane made eye contact with what was clearly a member of the walking dead, yet despite this, the monster did not mindlessly run towards Zane in an attempt to devour him. Instead, it continued to watch Zane like an apex predator watching its prey.

This creature sat on the rooftop, while dining on a what was clearly a severed arm. It looked like an ordinary member of the undead with visible displays of lethal wounds, a morbid complexion that resulted from death and decay, lifeless eyes, et cetera.

Yet, unlike the other monsters who Zane had encountered so far, there was something intelligent in this creature's expression. Something that Zane had not yet seen from this specific monster's counterparts. In fact, Zane could have sworn the creature smiled sadistically at him, as if it were enticed at the prospect of dining on his flesh.

Just when Zane was about to reach for the pistol that was holstered on his hip, the creature pointed behind Zane, causing him to look away on instinct where Zane saw several of undead chasing after the students he had just left behind in the cafeteria moments before.

Zane only had only looked away from the curious creature for a moment, and when his sight returned, the creature was gone, as if it had never existed to begin with. This sent a wave of danger down Zane's spine, believing that perhaps there were more monsters than just the mindless dead lurking about throughout the city.

Because of this Zane immediately went on high alert as he pulled out his combat knife, and sidearm, taking a pose meant for battle as he slowly moved forward and stabbed the blade through the skulls of the two undead that his fellow classmates had lured towards him. Effortlessly evading their wild and thoughtless attacks, while ending them with a single strike.

Despite the fact that Zane could dig into their skulls and look for another crystal, he didn't do so, because he was immediately interrupted by the two students who scolded him for leaving them behind to face their deaths on their own.

"You fucking bastard Zane! How could you just leave us there to die?"

Zane, however, did not care about these two imbeciles and their death wishes, nor did he care about their complaints. He scoffed in disdain before walking off, not saying a word to the two young men who he considered being as good as dead.

Yet these two morons did not take the hint Zane had given him, and quickly tried to stop the man from leaving them behind yet again. One of the two young men even reached out in an attempt to grab Zane, which he responded to with a swift whip of his pistol towards the young man's forehead.

The man fell to his knees, bewildered by the violent and brutal act that he just befallen him. His mental clarity had vanished momentarily to the point where he did not even realize Zane was pointing the muzzle of his gun towards the young man's face.

Zane spoke a single warning towards the two young men before walking off back to the school's entrance.

"I'm not your friend… Got it? Your survival is none of my business…."

After saying this, Zane holstered his sidearm and walked back towards the entrance of the school. Though Zane had initially planned to abandon the school, and everyone in it. He was now forced to reassess his survival strategy after witnessing a member of the walking dead who displayed a menacing level of intelligence.

This apocalypse was not as simple as Zane had first expected, and there were things he needed to learn before walking blindly through the city's streets like a lamb to the slaughter. For now, Zane would have to stay put in his high school, and used what little time the American power grid had left to learn about the unforeseen dangers lurking in the shadows.

---

While Zane had encountered a mysterious member of the undead, one that gave him an overwhelming sense of danger. Elena and Olivia were making their way through the school halls in a panic.

Like the others who had fled the classroom after the unfortunate incident that caused their safe haven to collapse, they did not exactly have a plan in mind on how to get away from the monsters safely, or where to hide.

Or at least Olivia didn't. However, Elena had a proper head on her shoulders and immediately took control of the situation. Grabbing hold of her homeroom teacher's forearm, and dragging her into a secluded area of the school, one that would hopefully be vacant of monsters.

Everywhere they ran, the two women saw the horrific scenes of those who had fallen. Those students and faculty who were not fortunate to seclude themselves in a classroom had one of two potential fates. Either they were devoured by the monsters that had invaded their school, or they became one of them.

Familiar faces left and right were now devoid of any semblance of life. Huge gaping wounds that should have caused them to rest permanently in the dirt seem to do no harm upon them, as they lunged towards the living in an attempt to devour them.

Even a woman who was as mentally strong as Elena had to close her eyes as she witnessed those she considered friends and their gruesome fates. Surprisingly, she did not know what happened to Lexi or the other students the girl had fled with. As Elena did not replace the girl who had betrayed her anywhere among the dead or those that walked.

Yet, despite running blindly through the halls, Elena and Olivia managed to arrive at their destination safely. What was this destination exactly? The school nurse's office. After all, it was in a hidden corner of the school's layout, and had only one door, with now window that permitted entry.

Surprisingly enough, when Elena and Olivia arrived, they saw a shadowy figure wiping coagulated blood from his blade. It was none other than Zane who, after backtracking through the school, made his way to the infirmary.

After all, he may have food and water, but medical supplies would be a commodity in the post apocalyptic world, and to leave such a valuable resource behind was a novice mistake. One that Zane had no intention of making.

Elena was actually quite happy to see the young man who had abandoned her and her class to their cruel fate before it had actually occurred. So much so that she ran up to him and hugged him, while crying her eyes out.

The horrific things she had seen and witnessed this day were like a bad dream, one that the crimson-haired beauty desperately wanted to end. But more than this, she regretted not following Zane earlier, especially when she considered the fact that he was alive and well, while the majority of her class were now dead, or turned into a monster.

Without even realizing it, Elena apologized to Zane, while he stared coldly at her grief-stricken state.

"Zane… Thank god you're alive! The most horrible thing happened after you left! Please! Don't leave me! Don't abandon me again!"

Zane stared lifelessly at the girl who had once been his closest friend. There was no trace of emotion on his face, almost as if he were one of the very monsters that stalked through the school's halls. Instead, he simply raised his brow and asked with a deadpan tone in his voice.

"Oh? You survived?"

Despite the callousness of his words, Elena was just happy that she had someone to cling onto in this moment, because the strength she had previously displayed had come crashing down around her after witnessing just how horrible the world had just become… Or from Zane's perspective had always been…