High School of the Dead

Natalie lurched up at Miss Hutton, her jaws open wide when suddenly a loud clang filled the room and Natalie slumped to the side. Miss Hutton scrambled backwards, gripping her hair tightly as she breathed heavily, chest heaving. Gina stood over Natalie, metal chair leg in hand, and raised it to swing again.

“Don't!” Melly screamed, and jumped forward, grabbing Gina's arms. Gina tried to wrestle her off but Melly was stronger and at last she pulled the weapon away and threw it across the room. It hit the floor and rolled underneath a large cabinet at the far side of the room.

“What is wrong with you?” Gina hissed. “She's turned, she needs to be taken care of now!”

“No! It's Natalie!” Melly sobbed, unaware that tears had begun trickling down her cheeks. “You can't!” Her legs collapsed underneath her and she wept into her hands, unable to speak further.

Gina looked uncomfortable and finally made a discontented sound and stalked off angrily. Miss Hutton was slowly recovering from the ordeal and stood. She tried to smooth her blouse, desperate to cling to a sense of normalcy after what had just happened. Her hands ran over her neck, checking for wounds but found none.

Natalie lay on the ground and for all intents and purposes looked just like any other human. Melly crawled to her side and put her arms over her shoulders. “Natalie,” she said softly, her voice hiccupping. “Natalie, why!”

The door suddenly started shaking violently and Gina's eyes darted to it. Outside the small window she could see the number of their watchers had grown. There were at least three pairs of those bloody eyes. Her hands twitched as she ran to the cabinet where Melly had thrown her weapon. Getting down on all fours she stuck her hand underneath it and let her fingers crawl about in the narrow space until she pulled out the metal bar. Blowing the dust off it, she exchanged a grim look with Miss Hutton.

“Melly,” Miss Hutton said in a quiet but firm voice. “We need you to get your act together. Understand?”

Melly looked up at the lithe dance teacher and nodded, wiping her tears with the back of her sleeve. She reached for her weapon and picked it up in shaking hands.

It seemed like they were awaiting their death sentence as the three stood huddled together in the center of the room. The light from outside was starting to wane and Melly knew only a few short hours were left before it would be dark.

The door handle from the inside began to rattle and Melly felt her breathing become quicker. The urge to run and hide overwhelmed her. Her fingers gripped the metal bar tighter, looking for some sense of comfort. Just a few hours ago, the day had been like any other. Just a few hours ago, Melly had been sitting next to Natalie, talking about stupid things that didn't matter. And now...

The door was wrenched open suddenly and Melly screamed. Four of them came in. Their hunger had been peaked in the time they had spent outside the door, looking in at their delicious buffet. The desk was quickly being shoved out of the way, their last barricade crumbling.

Out of the corner of her eye Melly was shocked to see Gina rush forward, swinging the metal desk leg as hard as her small form could. One of the students went down, blood and brain matter splattering over the desk and the wall.

Melly swallowed hard and ran forward as well, swinging with her eyes shut tight. She felt the sickening crunch of bone as her weapon made contact, and then felt the warm splash of blood spray over her hands. She gasped and swung again, her eyes open this time. She saw the metal bar crush through the cranium and squish into the brain below. The adrenaline kept her going in time to duck underneath a grasping hand of a third student.

Gina was in the corner of the room, using the chair leg as a barrier between her and one of them. Her arms outstretched, she was trying in vain to push her attacker off, but she just wasn't strong enough. Miss Hutton came up behind him and bashed him in the small of his back with what Melly recognized as one of the small portable chalkboards that had been hanging on the wall. With him distracted, Gina finished him off with a quick blow to his skull.

Melly cried out as the last student rushed her. Dodging to the side, the girl's hand nicked her arm. Her grip loosened and she dropped her weapon. Melly turned and tripped, falling to the floor. She crawled quickly to where she thought she had heard the bar land, but couldn't find it anywhere. A hand grabbed the back of her shirt and flipped her over. Melly felt the air rush from her lungs as a knee embedded itself into the front of her chest. Her arms went up instinctively and she managed to shove the girl off. She scrabbled backwards, and by pure luck her fingers wrapped around the metal bar she had dropped before. As the girl advanced on her Melly swung it as hard as she could. Bone crunched under her assault and she saw the girl hit the floor like a sack of blood-filled potatoes.

“Let's go,” Miss Hutton said from the doorway.

Melly looked up and saw the two staring down at her. She nodded and struggled to her feet. All three of them were panting from exertion. They quickly made their way towards the third floor steps. Their pace was much less careful this time, each of them exhausted and hoping to find a place they could rest.

They ascended the first set of stairs quickly but they all slowed at the beginning of the second set. They could hear a soft crying sound coming from up ahead. The lights on the third floor were on at least, so as they slowly climbed the steps they could see that a red-headed girl was sitting in the middle of the hallway, partially hunched over a lifeless form.

Miss Hutton waved at the two students to stay back as she snuck a bit closer. From the doorway, she heard the girl sobbing the same phrase over and over: “I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna...”.

The girl paused in her mantra suddenly and looked towards the door. Melly and Gina quickly flattened themselves against the steps, out of view. Miss Hutton stayed behind the door, and held her breath. The girl slowly stood, and began walking towards where the three were hiding.

“It's not my fault,” she was saying quietly. “I didn't mean to hurt him... but...”

As she came nearer, Melly felt her heart beating faster in her chest. From where she was pressed up against Melly's shoulder, Gina could not see the girl clearly. Melly saw perfectly; the darkening of the red-headed girl's sclera and the mouth dripping blood.