Zombie Parade

23: Soul

Percy POV

My eyes widened when I saw the scene in front of me. The cafeteria was littered with zombies. They were growling and biting into their new victims. There were groups of zombies chowing down on recent victims. Pretty soon, they will turn into zombies too. 

I froze at the entrance of the cafeteria. I have to cross this area to get to the Native American exhibit and the south sector. That's where Stella must be. 

I pressed myself against the wall with my spiky bat in hand. I should've grabbed a gun or machete, but I didn't have time. I was too focused on finding Stella that I barely thought about a plan of action. My baby sister is in danger, and that's all I'm thinking about. 

A quick survey of the room showed over 40 zombies. 

They seemed to be distracted though. There were at least 25 to 30 victims laying lifeless on the floor. I didn't want to wait till they also turn into zombies. They were already outnumbering me, and the zombies didn't need more advantages. 

I stayed close to the wall while quietly making my way around the cafeteria. My back hurt from the straight position against the wall. Plus, I was walking very slowly not to raise attention. Fortunately, the zombies are dumb. They were only focused on the flesh and blood of their new victims. I felt bad for them: my former camp members. 

I reached the other side of the cafeteria and slipped into the hallway. I ran through the museum's halls while smashing zombies along the way. 

A bad feeling crept into my gut. 

There were more zombies as I got closer to the Southside. A growling zombie rampaged toward me. I steadied myself before jumping up and slicing his head. Then, I flipped around and smashed another zombie. 

My heart raced as I pounded to the Native American exhibit. This is bad. A whole horde of zombies was growling inside. The noise was deafening. My feet planted at the doorway as I looked around the busy room. The zombies didn't sense me yet. They were too focused on the three people inside.  

Hestia was carrying Stella in her arms. A look of terror was plastered on Hestia's face as she hugged Stella to her. She was standing inside a Native American exhibit. It was positioned as a cubical indentation in the wall. Luke slashed at the zombies that were coming too close to them. He was protecting them. 

However, it was clear that he was getting tired. The zombies seemed to be endless, and his sluggish movements emphasized his exhaustion. 

I looked around for a strategy, but I came up blank. 

Brute force is the only option right now. 

"LUKE," I shouted. "PERCY, thank the gods," he exclaimed back. I ran into the room while swinging my bat like a madman. Seeing Stella still alive fueled me with unknown energy. I smashed every zombie that came near me. 

There were too many zombies though. More groups of zombies were staggering from the hallway on the other side of the room. 

I fought my way toward Luke, Hestia, and Stella. My sister was nustled safely within Hestia's arms. 

Luke and I fought side by side (very unexpected for us). 

"WE HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE," I exclaimed. 

Suddenly, a loud cracking sound reverberated through the room. This entire side of the building shuddered violently. My eyes wandered to the ceiling. Pounding footsteps were echoing through the room and teh ceiling was giving out in response. 

A lot of zombies must be on the second floor as well. 

Luke slashed a leftward zombie violently. Then, he propelled the zombie into the zombies behind him to give us an opening. I grabbed Hestia's arm with my left hand and motioned for her to stay close. My other hand kept swinging at zombies.