Mike volunteered to stay and watch the water, making sure it didn’t rise. Karin and Ryan walked back down the steps to meet with Yuna and Taylor. After explaining the situation to them and their progress so far, the four made their way back up.

  On the way there, Karin suggested they quickly detour to another part of the factory. Ryan knew exactly what she was referring to: the crates he had spotted earlier. The zombies from before moved to another location, so the group got there without trouble. Karin hoisted up on Taylor’s shoulders to boost her up on top of the crates. She forced open the top part and pulled the lid off. As luck would have it, it contained tons of water bottles, none of them messed with or opened.

  Karin took one out at a time to pass on down to Yuna and Ryan. They could only hold so much in their backpacks without slowing them down, so the group had to return for the rest of the day. Karin’s face lit up despite her sorrow from earlier, knowing her idea was paying off tremendously.

  The four jogged back up the flight of steps and entered the room, only to be greeted by a scolding Mike for taking too long. Once he got that out of his system, everyone agreed to let Yuna and Karin soak in the waters first. The rest chose to wait outside and keep guard from any trouble that would come their way.

  Taylor and Mike exchanged banters while Ryan listened without any input, not wanting to interrupt them.

  Things went fine, until a certain point…

  “So, will we have time to explore the rest of the floors?” Taylor asked, looking up.

  “I don’t think so, not today, anyway,” Mike replied, rubbing the back of his neck. “There are too many rooms to keep up with…”

  Ryan’s face lit up; a piece of memory resurfaced in his brain. He glanced at his pocket, thinking about the phone he still carried with him. Of course! I can’t believe I almost forgot!

  “How many floors do you think there are?” Ryan glanced over and asked. “Lots, I presume?”

  “I’m not sure,” Taylor answered for him. “You never know with a place like this.”

  “Assuming we even have access to the higher floors, and if it’s safe to traverse up there,” Mike added, closing his eyes. “I don’t see us going far, let alone get to the roof…”

  The roof… Ryan’s heart raced the more he thought about it. There wasn’t much time left. Last he checked, the battery was astronomically low. If he could find a way to get there without the others knowing…

  Ryan remained lost in thought for a while. It wouldn’t be long before it was time to switch spots. By then, it’d already be too late. He had to make the call now.

  “Hey, real quick, I need to use the restroom.” Ryan said.

  “You have to go now?” Mike asked, shaking his head. “You couldn’t have gone before?”

  “Sorry, I didn’t feel it until right this moment.”

  “Do you want us to wait for you?” Taylor asked. “They should be almost—”

  “Nah, I’ll be quick.” Ryan waved it off. “You guys can start without me.”

  “Oh, ok. If you say so…”

  “Yeah, I’ll be right back.”

  Ryan turned and left in the opposite direction, while Yuna and Karin prepared to stay on guard duty. He exhaled quietly, as he made a brisk jog along the walkway. The clanking echoed in the vast room. Once he was out of everyone’s sight, he made a mad dash for the stairs.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  His heart was racing, and his throat was getting dry, but that didn’t stop him. Even if he exerted his strength on the railway, he kept going. Before, Ryan had always run to get away from his problems, whether he caused them or not. Now, he was going to run headfirst toward the light.

  Ryan tripped up the stairs and grabbed hold of the rails. His legs and breath shook as he reached into his pockets and grabbed his phone. One percent left. He had to hurry. His grip tightened; he got himself up and continued pushing forward. No more waiting and watching others do the work for him. No more waiting for the right moment to strike. It was time to take matters into his own hands.

  Ryan didn’t draw any attention to the zombies, and none of them got in his way, despite the clanking of his footsteps and his heavy breathing. Eventually, he reached a door, pushed it open, and stumbled out, finding himself up on the roof of the building. That didn’t deter him; it only fueled his determination and resolve.

  Why hadn’t I thought about this sooner? Okay, don’t panic. You got this.

  Ryan composed himself, but his heart kept racing, and his palms got sweaty. What if he couldn’t get the signal? What if he was too late? Or it died mid-call? Would they be able to track him down? No, he couldn’t let the self-doubt and imaginary scenarios play in his mind. He was running out of time and needed to act now.

  Ryan closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he looked down at the screen. It kept alternating between having one bar and no bars. His grip on the phone tightened.

  Come on, you’re so close!

  Ryan extended his arms, reaching to the heavens, desperately trying to get higher and receive any kind of signal. The sunlight flare didn’t help as it blocked the phone and hit him in the face. Ryan sidestepped under the clouds for some shade, not losing his posture on the way. He got up on his toes, his body shook and wobbled, trying to keep his composure and balance.

  Almost there…

  One bar. Ryan squinted his eyes. It didn’t change, go back down, alternate, or flip back and forth. He did it. He got the signal. It was too early to celebrate, though. All he had to do now was dial the emergency number, press the call button, and then wait. Slowly and carefully, he moved his thumbs to do just that.

  The phone rang and rang. It didn’t immediately go to voicemail. That was a good start. It got longer; his heart couldn’t take much more of it. Beads of sweat rolled down the back of his neck, struggling to keep the phone in place and not let it slip from his hands.

  The ringing then stopped.

  The screen turned black.

  What?

  He tapped on the screen.

  No.

  He held the power button.

  No. No! NO!

  Ryan's feet gave out as he fell to his knees, the color drained from his face. He'll never know if someone was on the other line or if other people were out there, especially the ones fighting this disaster. He didn't want to accept that he was too late. If only he came up here sooner. If only he had gone up on the roof back at the school, or at least, tried to. There was nothing he could've done now, and he hated every part of that.

  “NO!” Ryan screamed out to the heavens.

  He slammed his phone to the concrete, shattering the screen and leaving pieces scattered on the ground. He stared at his shaking hands, his eyes brimming with tears. Ryan clenched his fists so hard that his knuckles turned white. He ground his teeth and slammed his fists on the concrete again and again.

  He ignored the jolts and shockwaves in his nerves and fought through the pain. His energy and stamina soon ran out, and he stared at the ground. He lowered his head and shut his eyes, letting the tears finally escape his face and hit the concrete below.

  He slammed his fists on the concrete repeatedly, even though that was also a losing battle. Eventually, he lost all his energy and gave up moving. His vision turned foggy, and his heart ached. Ryan hung his head and cried to himself, staring at the concrete and his red hands. His only hope of escaping the nightmare he lived in now, slipped from his hands, just like that.

  “Hey, will you knock it off? You’ll attract zombies if you keep carrying on like that.” An icy voice told him. Ryan didn’t need to turn around to know who that was. Of all people to show up now. “The girls are done. We should freshen up before we head out for the day. And preferably before it gets too dark out.”

  “...Ok.” Ryan could only muster a weak reply. He slowly got up and walked past Mike, not even bothering to look him in the eyes as he made his way back downstairs.

  Ryan stayed silent for the rest of the trip. Nobody bothered asking him questions and gave him personal space. It didn’t change the atmosphere and make the ride back any less heavy and quiet. He didn’t want to be a burden, but had no idea what to do next or where else to go from now on.

  Ryan didn't bother touching his dinner and went to bed immediately, no longer caring about the uncomfortable floors. Exhaustion overwhelmed him, preventing him from doing or saying anything and clouding his thoughts. He closed his eyes. Maybe things would get better from here, maybe it would be different, but he wasn’t going to hold his breath or get his hopes up. Not anymore.