The zombies crowded into the stairwell, mindlessly pushing their way forward in an uncoordinated mass. As one of them reached the next landing, an upswing from a baseball bat caught it under the chin. The walking corpse was hurled violently back down the stairs to land in a tangle of decaying arms and legs, temporarily preventing any of the horde from advancing past the knot of unliving bodies.

Standing at the second-floor landing was Gene Harbin, holding his baseball bat ready and taking a few breaths while he had a spare minute. In the back of his mind, he was certain these would probably be the last ones he ever had. The ranks of the undead surrounding the building were thick, and more were coming in every moment. Although he could climb the stairs, there were only so many floors, only so far he could climb before running out of room to retreat. No other buildings were around and no fire escape or drainage pipe was attached to the side of the structure. He could either jump several stories to the ground where hundreds of zombies were waiting, or fight to the last before being consumed. He didn't care for either option as they seemed to be only variations on a theme.

Another zombie reached him, and Gene used his bat to send it tumbling back down the steps. He felt certain he'd be able to hold out for a time, and it was those last few moments that might make all the difference in what was left of the world. This military base had been among one of the first to fall, so the sheer numbers of zombies walking around had kept it protected from scavengers of one form or another. The weapons, medical supplies, and high-end equipment might be able to help his friends survive the broken mess civilization had become, perhaps not, but he'd given his life for his friends to live another day.

Having attacked the base first, and created as much noise as possible, Gene alerted every walking corpse around to his presence. It drew them toward him and away from the other buildings where his people needed to work. Every moment Gene stayed alive, the zombies remained focused on him, making his people essentially invisible.

"Hey!" Gene shouted, smashing out a window beside him and getting the attention of a few walkers who were turning away. They looked at him with their dead eyes before starting slowly toward the building and the growing crowd of zombies. "That's right, come and get me!"

More and more zombies were closing in on the landing, and their numbers were limiting his effectiveness in tangling them up. He landed a few overhead hits to drop several of them to the ground and make the footing of the remaining zombies unsteady before he moved up to the next landing. He knew his time was nearly over, but if his friends lived, it would be worth it. Absolutely worth it.