The room fell into a sepulchral silence. The boy had endured the bite’s sentence as long as he could.

  That brief moment of calm was broken only by the distant sounds of hostiles.

  Ander’s death, so premature and cruel, was a reminder of how fragile life truly was.

  "I can’t believe this is happening… it’s a nightmare," Josh murmured, his voice breaking.

  "He’s resting now. That’s the only comfort I have," Alicia replied.

  There was no time for mourning; the hostiles had found their way into the building.

  Driven by fear and necessity, the group prepared themselves.

  "I understand your loss, kids. Ander’s passing is devastating, but you must honor his words and not let us be defeated," Italia said.

  Adriano, along with Iván and Italia, left the room to guard the hallways.

  Rogelio grabbed a metal bar, and Martin, wielding a hammer, stood ready to protect the most vulnerable. Wallace and Natasha remained hidden in the wardrobe. Fermín gripped his knife tightly.

  The others—Anna, Julia, Don Saúl, and Gaspar—pushed a piece of furniture against the window to block entry.

  Mabel and Felicia stayed beside Rebecca, the pregnant woman, trying to calm her.

  Alicia and Josh rose to defend themselves, doing so in memory of their friend.

  They still had a promise to keep.

  "Thank you for everything, friend. We won’t go down without a fight," Josh said.

  "Stay calm and be ready to fight!" Fermín, the butcher, ordered.

  Josh grabbed a fireplace tool of wrought iron and handed another to Alicia.

  "For Ander, for everyone we’ve lost, we won’t let these monsters take more loved ones from us."

  The conversation was cut short by a loud crash.

  The hostiles rammed the main door with such force that the building’s walls shook.

  Fermín positioned himself by the entrance.

  Adriano and Iván aimed their weapons at the door, while Italia guarded the rear, ready to shoot anything that moved.

  "Hold the line! We can’t let them through!" Adriano shouted.

  The door finally gave way, and the hostiles stormed inside.

  Adriano and Iván fired relentlessly—every bullet mattered, every shot was vital.

  Hostiles fell one after another, but more kept coming. The group was forced to retreat. Italia joined the fight, firing alongside Iván and Adriano.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  "Miss Italia, be careful. Don’t take too many risks," Iván warned as the chaos grew.

  Suddenly, a hostile broke in through the rooftop, smashing a door and letting more pour in.

  They reached the room where Josh and the others were.

  "One of them’s coming this way, get ready," Fermín warned, gripping his knife.

  The group tensed. The battle inside the building had only just begun.

  Everyone in the room was nervous, but ready to fight.

  Josh, fueled by rage over his friend’s death, stood prepared.

  The first hostile burst in, hurling itself at them.

  Rogelio held it back with his bar, while Fermín stabbed it repeatedly. Martin joined in, smashing its head with his hammer.

  "I’m losing strength!" Rogelio shouted.

  "Die, damn you!" Martin roared, delivering another blow.

  Just as it seemed the three men would finish it, a second hostile entered and tackled Fermín to the ground.

  "Sir, watch out!" Josh cried.

  "Damn it, another one…" Rogelio muttered, exhausted.

  The windows began to shatter, but those holding the furniture used it as a shield, blocking more hostiles from entering.

  Josh, consumed by fury, drove his iron tool into the hostile’s skull, killing it instantly.

  Everyone stared, stunned by his bravery.

  "You saved me… thank you, boy," Fermín said, drained.

  "N-no problem," Josh stammered, still shocked by what he had done.

  "There are too many trying to get in through the window!" Gaspar warned, straining against the furniture.

  Meanwhile, on the first floor, Adriano, Iván, and Italia heard the fight upstairs.

  "Sounds like they’ve already broken in," Adriano said, frowning.

  Italia worried for her sister.

  "We have to get back to the others."

  "We can’t hold this, we need to fall back," Adriano added.

  "Let’s do it. Luke and the others should be back soon," Iván concluded.

  The three retreated, trying to regroup.

  Suddenly, a hostile dropped from the second floor right in front of Italia. Adriano shoved her aside, saving her from the attack.

  Still on the ground, Italia aimed her pistol and fired three times, killing the beast.

  Adriano helped her up, and they pressed forward quickly.

  The battle inside the building raged on.

  Hostiles pushed hard against the group’s defenses. Then, gunfire erupted outside.

  "Gunshots? That must be them, they’re outside," Iván said hopefully.

  They rushed up the stairs.

  A hostile sprinted down the hallway on the second floor and leapt at them, colliding with Adriano and nearly sending him over the railing.

  Iván grabbed him by the waist, stopping him from falling along with the beast.

  "Shit, that was close," Iván panted.

  "Thanks, friend! That’s the second time I owe you my life," Adriano said, catching his breath.

  They kept firing at hostiles climbing the stairs, while Italia checked on everyone in the room.

  In the small chamber where Ander’s body lay, Felicia and Mabel tended to Rebecca.

  Alicia spoke softly to the children through the wardrobe door to calm them.

  "Don’t worry, kids. Your dad’s fine. Stay inside for now."

  In the larger room connected to it, Josh and the others recovered from the fight.

  That was when Fermín noticed a bite on his abdomen.

  "The bastard bit me…" the butcher said.

  Everyone knew what that meant.

  As if that weren’t enough, another problem erupted in the next room.

  The ceiling began to collapse under the weight of hostiles above.

  A hole opened suddenly, and the beasts grabbed Felicia, dragging her upward as she clung to Rebecca.

  "Don’t let go!" Rebecca screamed in terror.

  But the hostiles’ strength was overwhelming. Even with Alicia’s help, they couldn’t stop it.

  Felicia was pulled up and devoured, leaving only her knife to clatter to the floor.

  Her screams as she was eaten alive were harrowing.

  Martin rushed into the room, saw the scene, and decided to take his children out of the wardrobe.

  Everyone fled into the adjoining chamber, leaving Ander’s body behind with heavy hearts.

  Josh, frozen, could only watch as the ceiling collapsed and several hostiles dropped inside.

  The group managed to shut the door, but now the ravenous creatures attacked from another front.

  "We’re completely surrounded," Rogelio said grimly.

  "At this rate, the whole building will collapse," Martin added, gripping his hammer.

  "If it’s this bad inside… I don’t even want to imagine outside," Rogelio muttered.

  The group was utterly surrounded.

  ***

  Through the back door leading to the alley, it suddenly burst open. Luke stormed into the building.

  The group that had gone for supplies had returned just in time.

  Andrew stepped to the front of the formation.

  "What the hell is going on here?"