Introduction - The Outbreak Melly leaned peacefully on the guardrail overlooking the cliff. From up here, she could see all of Holly Glen. The peaceful little town was only inhabited by about 3,000 citizens, most of them families and retirees. She gave a sigh, looking down at the road below when suddenly she was brought out of her daydreams by a yell. “Mel!” Melly turned in the direction of the voice and saw her a girl with long brown hair waving at her frantically. It was her best friend and classmate Natalie. “It's almost time for class, so hurry up already!” “Okay,” Melly said, leaning down to scoop up her bookbag. She trotted over to where Natalie was impatiently sitting on her bike, one foot poised over the pedal ready to push off. Melly hopped the guardrail and climbed onto her own bike, and the two took off together, chatting amicably. It was almost summer now. The heat was both stifling and heavy, making their school uniforms dreadfully uncomfortable. Melly sat on the bench that was barely covered by a sickly looking oak and waved a hand across her face, desperate for some sort of breeze. Natalie was trying unsuccessfully to pull her hair up into a ponytail. Melly looked over, her own shorter black hair bobbing around her face as she did so. “This is why you should cut it Nat,” she said. “I would if I didn't look utterly ridiculous when I do so,” Natalie replied, her green eyes flashing angrily. “I look like a prepubescent boy whenever it goes shorter than my shoulders. I don't get why it has to be so uncomfortable to look good.” Melly just laughed. Lunch was almost over, and she was looking forward to going back inside the school, even if the ancient air conditioners barely kept the indoors below 75 degrees. A shout from the courtyard made her look over and she saw a crowd of students gathering at the front gate. “What's going on?” Melly asked, getting up and trying to see. However being only 5'3 was a horrible disadvantage to her and she couldn't see anything over the throngs of gathering students. Natalie wasn't much taller than her and she quickly voiced she couldn't see a thing either. Suddenly a ghastly scream echoed in their ears, and the students began scattering every which way. Melly put her hands up trying to block the blows from the panicked students as they pushed past her but she was knocked down. When the crowd had mostly cleared away, she was on the ground, coughing in the dust of the schoolyard. Natalie was nowhere to be seen, carried off by the crowd. She wiped some dirt from her face, and looked up. Her face turned pale. Lying on the ground was a boy in her school's uniform, bleeding profusely from his neck. He was undoubtedly dead, his eyes gazing unseeing at the distance. Melly didn't recognize him, but her eyes now focused on something else. A middle aged man was standing awkwardly over the body. His legs were bent inwards, his back hunched. His neck was crooked at an unnatural angle and his mouth was agape, fresh blood dripping from it. Sinews of muscle were hanging from his lips, and his teeth were caked red. Melly's own lips started trembling as she lay there prone before him, and before she could help it she squeaked in fear. His head turned in her direction and Melly's breath left her body as she saw his eyes, bloodshot and unfocused. Then, he grinned and lunged for her...
not like the manga/anime. It shares the same name but it's my own story. has nothing to do with it.
Melly screamed and on nothing but pure instinct, scrambled backwards, her hands and legs struggling for purchase on the dusty ground. She rolled to her hands and knees and stumbled to her feet, adrenaline carrying her across the schoolyard. She could hear footsteps pounding behind her, a dragging, scraping sound as the man awkwardly lumbered after her. She didn't look back once as she reached the front doors of the school and wrenched them open. It was eerie how the school was so deserted inside. Normally students would be milling about in the hallways, chatting away their last precious few moments of freedom before having to go to class. Melly heard a scream and a thud coming from the left down the hall and turned right. She saw a locker hanging ajar, a streak of blood smeared across it. Climbing the stairs to the second floor, she paused on the landing, stopping to look behind her for the first time. No one was following her. Her breaths were ragged and hurt her throat as she stood there panting. She turned to look out the window and saw the bench that she had been sitting on only minutes before. Her thoughts turned to Natalie, and she felt a tightness in her chest. She had known Natalie for years, and considered her a sister. Where was she now? Without warning she was wrenched backwards, and thrown to the ground. She gave a cry of surprise and her arms flailed backwards as she tried to catch herself. She landed awkwardly with the other body on top of her. She was face-to-face with a fellow student of hers. Her brain inanely tried to recall his name, but in a panic she couldn't think. His eyes looked as if they were bleeding from the inside and his teeth were gnashing together. Bits of black and red stuck were between them, and the metallic tang of blood lingered in his breath. A sudden urge to wretch overcame her and she threw her hands up on instinct, trying in vain to fight him off. Every muscle in her legs and arms was straining to push him away, but he was stronger than her, and his hands were pulling at her neck. Melly screamed, feeling herself going hoarse. Suddenly the boy's head exploded in a shower of blood and she couldn't stop screaming now, her arms going to protect her face from the splatter of blood and brains. She twisted herself out from underneath the now lifeless body that had been assaulting her seconds before and continued her hoarse whimpers as she scrambled back against the concrete stair railing. “It's okay,” came a voice and she looked up to see a boy with dark hair standing there, yanking at the handle of the fire axe, trying to dislodge it from the mess of brain matter that lie around his feet. “He's done for.” “What the h-hell was that?” Melly managed to gasp out, her voice trembling as she tried to regain her breath. “I don't know,” the boy said. “I was sitting in my math class when suddenly some kid burst in and started attacking people. I didn't really ask questions.” “What's your name?” Melly asked. Her mysterious savior was tall and well-built and she felt a lot safer now that he was there and had a weapon. “I'm Melly, thanks for saving me.” “No problem. My name's Mac,” Mac said, finally managing to dislodge the axe with a sickening slurp. He stepped over the carnage and extended a hand to help her up. Melly berated herself, telling her disobedient legs to stop shaking as she stood. She wiped her face on her sleeve and looked up the stairwell. “I was being chased from outside,” she said. “What direction did you come from?” Mac nodded in the direction of the second floor. “I don't think we have much of a choice,” he said grimly. “Either way we go, they seem to be there.” Melly steeled herself and made a decision. “Do you have your phone on you?” Mac shook his head. “Then I'm going up there. I left my phone in my locker, and I'm going to call my dad to see if he knows what's going on.” “What good would that do?” Mac asked. “He's the sheriff,” Melly said with a small grin. “All right.” Mac agreed reluctantly. They made their way cautiously up the stairs, Melly in the lead and Mac following right behind her. The hallways were empty, but the smell of blood was thick in the air. She covered her mouth, feeling sick again, but pushed onwards. She froze as she approached the corner where the lockers were. She could hear from around the corner a disgusting smacking and tearing sound. Then she heard a bubbling of liquid and more anxious ripping and slurping sounds. She held her breath and stood at the corner, trying to dare herself to look around the corner. Mac came up behind her, “What is it?” he whispered. They both froze as the sounds suddenly ceased. Mac and Melly stood in utter fear, their muscles aching as they desperately tried not to move. Silence. Then, one of them came around the corner. Whoever she once was, she wasn't any longer. Blood eyes and bloody mouth, she seemed to take in their huddled appearance with a feral hunger. In her hands was a finger, which Melly saw had bite marks around where it had been severed. The girl dropped it as she approached them, slowly at first and then at a run. Melly turned and ran back towards the stairs. She could see Mac in front of her, large form barrelling through the doors back to the stairs. She followed right behind, hearing the pounding of footsteps behind her. Or was that the pounding in her ears? She thought her heart would stop but her adrenaline kept her going. She took the stairs as fast as she could, almost tripping down them in her haste. From ahead she heard a yell and recognized it as Mac's low tenor. Turning at the landing she looked down her eyes wide in horror. Mac was fighting off the middle aged man from before. His axe was embedded in the man's shoulder, but he had since lost purchase of it and was struggling to keep him off with his mere strength now. Melly ran down the stairs, every fiber of her being telling her to keep going. She stopped at the doorway, and then ran back, unable to bear the thought of living with herself if she had abandoned the person who saved her. She grabbed at the axe that was deeply lodged into the snarling, drooling man, and pulled with all her might. His eyes rolled in her direction but she paid no mind as she finally wrenched it free. She swung it as hard as she could and felt the sickening crunch of bone as it connected. With a strangled gurgling sound the man went down, and she saw that the axe had gone almost clean through his neck, broke through his jaw and stopped in the temporal bone of his face. “Mac!” Melly cried as he slumped down against the bottom of the steps. He was bleeding from his shoulder and now that she was closer she could see that a good chunk of his flesh had been ripped from his neck and shoulder. “Shut up and go!” Mac roared, his voice pained as he gritted his teeth. “What do you mean? I can't leave you!” Melly said in shock. Then she looked up and saw that the girl from before had caught up with them. The girls head was tilted to the side, her legs bent inwards at odd angles. It almost looked as if she was grinning as she descended the steps. Melly reached over quickly and tried to grab the axe, but it was stuck firmly in the bones of the man's face. A pool of blood was gathering at her feet and splashed her legs as she yanked in vain at the axe handle. “Just go damn it,” Mac said softly, seeing Melly's unsuccessful attempts to dislodge the weapon. “I'm... sorry,” Melly said, tears streaming down her cheeks.