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  It slowly rose from the ground reaching for something. Her eyes cold staring ahead, she was looking at me. I stared at her, as her hand grew closer to my foot, I wanted to move, but it was like I was glued to the floor. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up when her hand finally collapsed onto my foot.

  She groaned and hissed. It was almost inhuman like. Then it started, everyone started to panic.

  “G-Go and get another teacher”! One of the students shouted from behind me. I heard the door close. It was muffled. I was too focused on what was going on in front of me. The noises got louder. And she began to move. Closer and closer she crawled towards me. I backed up against one of the tables. Why wouldn’t my legs move, I could just stand up and get up on the table. But they didn’t listen to my demands. One of the guys jerked my arm up and tried to get me to stand. But it wasn’t possible. My legs were weak.

  “C’mon get up Nika”! He shouted. It was right in my ear too.

  I shook my head and punched both my legs. I could feel the pain but it wasn’t enough to wake them. I used both my arms to push myself up using the table. After a couple of seconds, the numbing in my legs began to fade.

  I stood above her, looking down at this “thing”. I wanted to think of this as a prank, like one of those candid camera things.

  You know, those T.V shows where they try to scare the mess out of random people and capture it on camera...just so the people at

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  home watching get a good laugh out of it. I shouldn’t be talking though, I’m one of those people. It’s freakin hilarious.

  This wasn’t normal though, if she was wearing make-up then it’s too real. And why would they want to scare us.

  I felt a tug on my shoe, her hand was grasping at it. She held onto me tightly, pulling me closer to her...mouth?

  Blood dripped from the corner of her mouth. I shook her hand loose. But she was persistent. This time she got up from the floor, and tried walking.

  “Ms. K”? I called out her name...she didn’t answer back. I did it again, nothing. She just groaned. Stretching both her arms at me. Then I realized. This just might be a silly guess but.

  “She’s turned into a zombie”. The guy next to me chuckled nervously.

  “N-No way, that’s impossible. Zombies only exist in h-horror movies”.

  She’s showing similar signs of the undead. Ya’ know. Dead eyes, starting to rot skin, dark blood oozing from everywhere. I’m both scared and surprised. I knew this day was gonna come. Well it’s not like I wanted it to. Knowing Elise this would get her ecstatic.

  “Well I guess it doesn’t just happen in movies”. I heard the door slam open in the next room. Loud footsteps growing farther and farther away. Looks like they’re having the same problem.

  I stepped back again, her arm swung across me. I almost forgot about this one. I can’t really say that she’s still my teacher. Just another lifeless corpse. Instead this corpse is trying to tear off my limbs and eat them. I bumped into one of my classmates, she was shivering.

  She looked at me with confusion and fear. Tears streaming down her cheeks. I told her to get out of here quickly. The room was almost empty. It was almost silent, if it weren’t for the hair raising screams coming from outside the hallway. Someone burst open the door yelling, cursing all kinds of things.

  “They’re...eating each other out there! What the hecks going on, is this some sort of prank”. This guy, so clueless got dragged

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  STAYING ALIVE

  away by another one of those things. I remained totally calm somehow.

  “I thought the same thing”. Before the corpse got any closer to me, I grabbed one of the knitting needles on the table and struck it into the things right eye. Its hand clasping my wrist it stood there for a while, then it fell to the ground with a heavy thud. She wasn’t moving anymore. Blood gushed out from where the needle was. A dark puddle emerged from underneath her head. The guy next to me gagged and vomited on the floor. He hunched over trying to hide the sight.

  “How. .why did you just...kill her”?! He tottered over, wiping his mouth.

  “I had no choice, but to”. I said coldly. “If I were to hesitate she could have eaten my insides”. He looked at me in anger. I grinned.

  “I was taught to act this way towards zomb zombs, if this situation were to ever happen”. There really is no helping it. You have to KILL them. There’s no other way, unless some crack pot quack doctor decides to make a vaccine, which looking at the progress of the infection in person...I doubt that they could create such a thing. It would take at least 4-7 years. I mean you have to study the virus, then experiment on people who were not yet infected.

  That’s just too much responsibility for one person.

  “If you’re not willing to kill a couple of people to stay alive...

  then you’re pretty much done for. Well I wouldn’t technically call these things human anymore, so killing them shouldn’t bother anyone, right”? I picked up a couple of knitting needles and placed them under my belt strap. I’ll find suitable weapons soon enough.

  Hm I’ve forgotten this dude’s name. What was it again...Matt I think.

  I looked back at him and smiled.

  “Ya’ coming or not”? I leaned against the table.

  “Where”? He twitched.

  “We are gonna run and most likely kill a couple of those things out there to escape”. I made a running motion with my legs and

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  stabbed the air rapidly with a knitting needle. I puckered my lips when I did this. Bet I looked pretty funny.

  “You’re sick”! He slammed his hand a top the table. He did it pretty hard, bet it hurt.

  “Then I guess that makes “her” the same”. He gritted his teeth in disgust. “Course her personality is just as messed up, ya’ know”?

  Ah, I’m boasting...that’s the proper term right?

  We both heard a thud at the door, it was soft. The pounding became louder. A hand flew right through the glass window.

  Clawing against the door, then two arms. Flailing in the air. It was almost funny, like foam pool noodles wobbling up and down, side to side. I giggled loudly. Before we knew it a hoard of them busted down the door, ripped it right off its hinges. They came pouring in it was horrifyingly exciting. Good thing they were slow arse zombies, I hate runners.

  “Get on top of the table if you don’t wanna turn into a zombie meal”! I jumped up, and looked into the crowd, for an opening.

  “Run on 3”. He looked at me worried, what does he not trust me or something?

  I held up my hands for the countdown, obviously I couldn’t help myself from skipping 1 and 2.

  “3”! I ran down to the table’s edge, jumping from the ledge I landed on one to soften the fall. Knitting needles in both hands I struck those around me, aiming for the head. Blood spurt from every direction. Some of it got on my clothes, I made sure to cover my mouth with cloth. I looked over head to see if that wuss of a man followed my instructions. Of course he didn’t, I found this jackass on the ground, crying in pain. Getting eaten alive by these undead mongrels.

  “This is what you get for not listening to me”. I created a small gap that led into the hallway. I was running out of knitting needles. So I just immobilized the rest by taking out they’re legs.

  Kicking below the knee, the shin. One by one they fell to the ground. I pushed my way towards the open doorway. My body ran into the side wall of the hallway. Bumping my shoulder.

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  STAYING ALIVE

  “Ugh, that’s gonna leave a big fat bruise”. The hallways were surprisingly desolate. I would have imagined countless zombies crawling around looking for fresh meat. They must have walked out of this area. They can tell by scent...or was it sound, I’m not really sure.

  I peeked around the corner and found 2 of those things, walking aimlessly. One of them bumped into a wa
ll and just kept hitting it. I wanted to laugh but apparently that would be too loud and it would make them notice me. I tip-toed across, I need to be sneaky.

  “Like a shadow in the night”. I whispered under my breath.

  I’m treating this like it’s a video game. A zombie video game.

  Only, once you die...you stay dead. I found a couple of people they ran towards me. Their faces red, clothes bloodied, bodies trembling.

  “Nika, you’re okay”! I don’t recognize this person’s face.

  Hm, I’m pretty well known around this school. Sorry mystery person but,

  “I’m glad to see a few people who are not...you know, dead”. I smiled pulling down the cloth from my mouth.

  They nodded, and asked whether or not I’ve seen more people around. I told them that from were I came from. My section had already been taken out. I only saw a few of those things but, not too many to be of any threat. I then said to them that they should get out of the school and seek help. They’ve probably got the S.W.A.T

  or military scattered in all of the areas that have been reported.

  “Don’t you want to come with us”? They asked.

  “I need to go find my sister at another school. It’s a high school, farther from here but. I’ll make it there somehow”. They looked worried but I shrugged them off and walked right back into the fight. There are exactly 7 exits in the whole school. Some of them have a security lock, which locks from the inside. I guess they don’t want anyone ditching school. Like a prison. It was all too quiet.

  An average person wouldn’t be able to keep it together in this type of situation. Somewhere in the distance I heard screaming.

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  “Everyone’s going bat crazy now”. I coughed, skimming the wall beside me with my hand. When I turned the corner, I spotted 4 of those things. Getting a closer look, I recognized the first 2.

  One was my history teacher and the other was science. I smirked, “Well, isn’t this awfully convenient”. I slowly raised my arm, knitting needle in both. I sprinted down the hall.

  “This is for giving me a load of homework to do over spring break”! Jabbing the needle into his head, he collapsed to the ground. Groaning, his arms flailed around looking for me. I smashed his skull in with my foot. I remember seeing something like that in movies a lot.

  I turned my attention to the other teacher and pounced forward, knocking her down. She struggled to get up, I didn’t have enough time to pin her with the needles so I smashed her head against the wall.

  “And that’s for taking my cell phone away”! ‹It’s a distraction’.

  Distraction my arse. Once I got rid of the other two I continued walking. I got to the main gym. It was empty. I rushed over to the other side to lock the doors on the opposite side. As I was doing this. The ground beneath my feet began to shake. I wasn’t just imagining it. I quickly turned around and those things had already started for the door.

  “Man”. Did they smell me or something? Was I the only one left alive? These doors wouldn’t hold forever. I knew that. They only lasted for 10 minutes. On both ends the doors were knocked down.

  They came rushing in like starved animals that were kept unfed for a long time. I ran with what little energy I had in me to the near-est supply closet. Locking the door behind me. I crouched down between a basket of soccer balls and some cones. I was in one heck of a situation. If I would have known they were gonna rush in like that I could have made it to the head office to unlock the doors.

  “I’m so stupid”. My body began to tremble a bit. I told myself to calm down. I told myself to hold out, because I knew that my sister and Jade were gonna come and save me from this crazy mess. I’ll keep quiet and stay completely still. If I were to move and bump into something. Then for sure I’d be totally fudged.

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  Chapter 7

  I rubbed my eyes furiously. Using my tank to wipe away any lin-gering drops.

  “Get it together” I slapped my hands against my cheeks. Closing the door behind me I walked into my room. I knelt down in front of the closet placing my head against the cool door.

  “It’s important so, give me permission”. I opened the sliding door slowly. Turning on the light, I pushed away boxes that kept “That” away from my mom’s sight. There was a small hook in the wall, I pulled on it opening a small latch.

  Inside the wall was a small opening. Kind of like a secret space.

  I just made this a year ago, just to keep all my important things away from mom. I took out a long silver colored box which said: FRAGILE pasted all over it. I lifted the top off setting it on the floor.

  I took out two katanas from the box. The first one had cherry blossoms printed on the sheath, with a small yarn voodoo doll that I had gotten from a coin machine tied around it. But my favorite was the other katana. It was my very first one that I had received from a friend from Osaka, Japan. I met him when I went there for vacation. It’s a long story.

  The sheath was in black. I’ve never used it so it’s not chipped and the paints still clean. I’ve never used any of them so I’ve waited until the day I could actually use them. In the past my mom was opposed of the idea of me have owning these “dangerous” weapons. Soon I was able to convince her that when the time

  JOHN EDWARDS

  comes only then will I use it. For a while they were only used as a decoration.

  “This is one of those times...and you’re not here so I’ll be taking these”. I tied a support belt behind my back. Call it a place holder for the katanas. These weigh around 20 pounds each.

  But enough about that. I placed the katanas in the holder. I walked around the room for a bit. I was gonna leave all of this behind, I knew that I was never coming back. The dust would pile beneath the bed, in the little crevasses, which I don’t clean so well says my mom. I sniffed back a tear and headed out the door. When I got to the living room a faint scent filled the air.

  It was rotten and musty. I poked my head out the only open window beside me, and was alarmed to find three of those things approaching from the left side. They must have loitered nearby they were coming from an alleyway. I rushed down the stairs heading towards the back of the building. I spotted Nika hiding behind a trash bin. She noticed me and signaled me to stay where I was. It was late in the afternoon, which casted shadows in the inner corners of the apartment, I leaned back against a dark wall and hid.

  There were only three of them, both I and Nika knew that we could easily dispose of them without causing a ruckus. They got closer, they’re limbs detached from their original places. This scene would have frightened my mom to high heaven, she wasn’t used to gory things like I was. I would usually have to watch the movie with her since she was such a baby.

  I slowly raised my arm and took out one of the katanas behind me. It made a slight clicking sound as I dislodged it from the sheath. Gripping it tightly in my hand, I looked to Nika for con-formation. She waved and thumbed up at me, grinning giddily. I nodded and rose from the darkness, walking slowly towards the Bodies. The one in the middle flinched as my foot made a noise against the dry grass. Without hesitation, I sliced through the things rotten flesh making a clean cut across the neck. I stepped back as the head fell to the ground, its body next to it, dark liquid

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  began to spray out of where its head used to be. Leaving a puddle of blackness on the dry earth.

  I sprinted forward cutting off the legs of the second Body. It didn’t feel fair for me to kill these things off by myself so I kicked up dirt towards Nika, who was still kneeling behind the trash bin.

  She giggled lightly, and got up, kitchen knife in her left hand.

  Although I gotta say, Nikas method of “Finishing off” left the poor thing limbless. I sneered at her with both amusement and disgust. It wiggled on the ground, no arms nor legs. Only its head attached. It wasn’t a pretty sight I must confess. I was surprised to see Nika walk
ing away from it. I guess she wanted it to stay like that, it kinda looked like a defenseless baby looking for its mother.

  I wiped the sweat forming at the top of my forehead, and struck it’s skull with the tip of my katana.

  Nika and Elise were standing by a tree. Elise’s foot propped up behind leaning against it. Nika was fiddling with her hair, rety-ing the braid. I wiped the blade of the katana against my shorts, removing the blood before it would dry and never come off. Elise threw her hand in the air and waved me over. I looked around making sure that there were no more of those things nearby.

  “So, Nika told me you guys ran into a little bit of trouble back there”. Her voice deep, serious but oddly excited.

  “Yeah”. I placed the katana back behind me, Elise eying the two blades strapped against my back. She bobbed her head forward gesturing towards my new toys.

  “You weren’t kiddin when you said you had real katanas in your apartment”. I smiled widely. Pretty sure that my dimples were now visible.

  “I know I lie a lot but...” She grinned then snickered loudly.

  “Unfortunately, I have no guns or sniper rifles in my possession”.

  I placed my hand on my hip.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if you did, but I’m happy you don’t”.

  Yeah, I’m not old enough to own a gun, and my mom’s too...

  goody-goody to have one either. Ever since they made that law about only the police and whatever-No one’s supposed to own

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  any guns in this area. It makes sense though, at least it put to rest for some of those neighborhood shootings and stuff. I didn’t care much about stuff like that, so all of it disappeared into the back of my head, lost in the black hole of what I call my brain.

  “If we stumbled upon an S.W.A.T car of police station, I’ll remember to look for one”. I placed my hand across my stomach and bowed. “Only the best for Mistress Elise”. I said in a soft British accent. Trying to copy a butler tending to his master’s needs.