Chapter 4: Dream

Ben woke up clutching the sheets of his bed. His heart thumped heavily, and his breathing was intense. He was covered in sweat, and it came running down from his forehead to the bed sheets. He wanted to cry, but couldn't. He screamed his heart out.

"AGHHHHHHHHH!"

He then heard footsteps downstairs. It looked like somebody was going to his room. He hid under his bed sheets and went to a fetus position. He covered his eyes with his knees, and his ears with his palms.

He twitched to the feeling of a touch in his shoulder. He was traumatized by that. When he looked up, he saw his mother, worried for him.

"is everything alright?"

"Y-yeah, I had a nightmare"

His mother embraced him tightly. This time, it wasn't the cold embrace in the nightmare, but a soft, loving, and warm one. Ben let out a cry.

***

Ben got ready for his second day of school. He didn't look forward to it his time, especially with the president's presence. He wanted to stay at home, in bed, where nothing bad would happen. However, he knew that he had to face it like a man. He remembered that he had to bring a sports attire, though.

He arrived in his classroom in the nick of time. He was greeted by Kira, as always, and stares.

Today (Tuesday) until Friday, they will have the first set of activities for the month.

Everyone prepared for it. They placed banners everywhere, students changed to sports attires, food stalls were opened, and there was a burning passion in each and every one of the students. They were all excited for this first month.

Ben just remembered the teacher's name. She was Ms. Yap, and she told them to gather in the soccer field outside, and wear the sports attires they were asked to bring. Everyone went to the changing rooms and wore them.

Ben sort of envied most of them. As he changed, he could not help but alternate his gaze from others' bodies to his. He held his flat stomach, with no abs at all. He wiggled the small fats stored in there.

Although Ben was pure and had no ill intentions, he was still a male, and that gave him the urge to look at his female classmates' bodies in awe. All of them had slim bodies, not a single one was fat.

As he waited in the elevated portion of the soccer field, somebody sat beside him. It was Kira, who fixed her hair. She had a natural blush as she sat beside Ben. Ben could not help but look at her. She wore an attire that showed her waist, and had very short shorts. For some reason, her overall appearance struck Ben in the heart, and it pounded hard. She was gorgeous. He couldn't spit out a word from his mouth though.

Kira was agitated for a bit because Ben didn't complement to her looks. She wore all that for him, so she was expecting a reply. After minutes of sitting beside each other, Kira then said it out loud.

"Naaaaa~~ Ben, why aren't you complementing?" Kira said with a cute frown.

Ben blushed to this. He then analyzed her looks once more, then finally said something.

"Y-You look amazing. The attire suits you"

Kira blushed. She let out a genuine smile on her face. As she did, she went closer to Ben to the point where their legs touched. Kira then put her head on Ben's shoulders.

Ben was startled by this. He thought that it was too early for the both of them. But h thought that saying it in front of her would hurt her. Instead, he let it pass. He put his arm on her opposite shoulder.

They then stopped, startled as they heard "coughing" right behind them. When they looked back, they saw Drake, "coughing"

"Ehem ehem ehem ehem, agh, this cough is killing me. Anyway how are you two love birds doing? Did you confess to each other on the first day?"

They both opposed, and said the word "no" in unison. Drake smirked. He then told them that he would leave them alone. But ever since that, they were conscious about doing it again. They also thought that it was too early. They didn't want false rumours to spread as well. After moments of awkward silence as they stared at the barren field, they got up to prepare for the first challenge. Ben offered Kira a hand as they stood.

The first challenge was a game of tag. It had different rules though, where the "it" would be the zombie, and to every person the "it" touches, that person becomes a zombie and starts infecting others as well. The goal of the challenge is to survive until the first bell rings. The entire school was their battle ground. Each person from Ben's class was given a headband, to signify that they are from the same class.

They all drew sticks given by Ms. Yap. The person with the shortest one becomes the zombie. After thorough checking on the sticks, Ben was confirmed to be the zombie. The students were given a 30-second start before Ben runs. At the last second, Ben couldn't see his classmates at all. They either blended with other crowds of students or in the building.

Ben did not have the energy to run, so he checked intently on every area before advancing to the next one. Ben had a good start, actually. In the first ten minutes, he caught three people. He knew that it would soon spread it, so Ben leaned against a wall outside. He felt lightheaded and wanted to sleep.

Just as Ben was about to doze off, he went back to his senses as he felt the same stares around him. The same stare the president gave him. This time, to make sure he was not in trouble, he blended in with the rest of the students. After a while, he then decided to run for it. As he was running, he looked back, and bumped into someone who came from the left. It was Kira. She fell with her back on the ground, and Ben almost fell on her again. This time though, he was able to support his body with his hands beside one of Kira's shoulders.

They locked eyes for a moment, then Ben notibly understood the situation. He quickly stood up and helped Kira up. He apologized once more. What a nostalgic feeling. He asked Kira if she was a zombie, and she replied no. So they both ran, with Ben behind Kira, trying to catch her.

Just as Ben was about to catch her, he froze. They were both near the entrance. When Kira asked what was wrong, Ben faced the entrance, and saw someone in an alley.

He was feasting on a corpse. Blood dripped in his mouth, and his hands were dirtied by it. The corpse spilled blood all over the alley. Just when Ben looked intently at the person, he realized that his skin had a dead tone to it. It's facial features seemed dead, and its eyes gouged out.

Ben told himself that it was probably just a dream. After a continuous barrage of slaps, he noticed...

It was not a dream.