Chapter 1.5: The Wicked

Thursday evening, barely 1pm and the sunlight is bright. The scratching from the door of the janitor's closet drowned by the sound of running water from the faucet.

Crack*

Snap*

I broke the end of the broom stick and leaving the sharp part from the split. Sweating rolling down my forehead.

'Why do they ignore me? Do I have something that makes me immune? No, Invisible to them?', I shook my head ,If I do have something it's best to make sure the other's don't know.

I turned the door knob and sure enough one of them waited infront of the door. I took a step to the left from the door as it pass by me and walks into the cramped up room. Gurgling sound behind me ,I closed the door.

The smell of blood was do strong I could almost smell the iron in my tounge. Randomly I entered one of the classroom. Devastating nor Gruesome could not compare to the state of the room. I opened the open lockers and bags that were left sighing on my 5th bag, trying my luck with the lockers I found a lunchbox. I opened it and by a simple miracle it wasn't even touched yet. Closing it I grabbed a backpack and placed it properly and proceeded to look for more food, 2 Choco bar, 2 lunchbox, and a tuna sandwich.

'Wow, I nearly forgot it was barely even lunch when the place turned into hell'. Groaning passed by the open classroom door. Students that were barely aware of what happened were poorly turned into lunch for the dead. I jumped from a ringing sound and a half eaten body awakens and crawls to the sound of a cellphone, standing up I stabbed the hopeless body in the head and picked up the phone and answered it.

"Queenie?! Hello?!" A trembling voice from the other side blasted. The sound of a mother.

"Sorry, This isn't her. I found her phone in a classroom". My head dropped thinking of my parents.

"No, Please. My baby."

I dropped the call immediately. Two more of the dead enters the room, I took my weapon of a stick and the loot. Running to the end of the hallway was a fire exit that wasn't used. Opening the gate I sat on the platform and opened the phone again.

###

'The emergency hotline is full, Please use a different service'.

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'The number your trying to reach is unavailable at the moment.' I cursed and tried one more number. Home. It didn't even ring so I sighed. A loud thud made me look up and infront of the building is another building conjoined by a bridge from the 3rd floor. Someone on the other side of the fire escape as well.

Wait, the silhouette was so familiar to me. Matt? Is that Matt? And... Greyson?? at the fire exit on the other side?. I stood up from my place looking towards the gate that was perfectly shut with zombies at least a good amount of distance from me.

"Matt!!",I shouted and waved my arms, He managed to look my way. I took out the phone and waved it and he nodded waving his.

The dead that were alerted so they moved almost immediately to my side of the building. I could hear the bars and gate along with groans and gurgling.

The phone rang as soon as I pressed call. I was so lucky to memorize his number.

"Ash, How did you get there? Wait, Let's talk later. That side of your building", Grey also waved for them to get down.

"Can you get a look at my angle on which floor I can use to get there?" I pulled the backpack back onto me and proceeded to follow his instructions

"The 4th floor has barely any of those things. You managed to get them all to your side of the building so once you get to the 3rd floor they shouldn't be any of them but be careful down the stairs" Grey nodded off. I thanked them before proceeding to the 4th floor. He was right. They nodded before exiting their side of the exit. I passed by the rooms with nearly no problem at all but got scared when someone screamed, A ran to the sound and found another girl.

One of them as dragging it's body towards her with only one arm and one leg. I attacked immediately kicking it making it roll onto the cemented wall.

I pulled the shakened girl and dragged her out. She grasped her bag and followed my steps. The sound of her screams alerted a few of them to walk infront of the stairs. I wasn't invisible anymore as they started to attack me. No, it might be because I'm in front of them and she's behind me.

I used the sharp part of the broom handle and pushed them away from us before shouting for the girl to run for the bridge. Matt and Grey appeared at the other side waving their hands. She ran to the other side. I swung the wooden pole and kicked them off me before running.

Grey already took the girl and Matt was waiting for me when one of them grabbed my ankle. I tried stepping onto it but it won't let go. Matt ran towards me and kicking it's side making it roll off me before grabbing my wrist to safety.

"Are you hurt?" He kept looking at me and checking on my arms. He looked down to my ankles and we noticed a scratch but not too deep.

I heard him curse ,looking up at me one more time before pressing his sleeves onto the scratch and wiping off the tiny trickle of blood before standing up and holding both sides of my shoulder. He was sweating.

"Don't tell anyone you got scratched. Okay?" His worried expression almost made me melt and I nodded tell me that my ankle and knees were red cause I tripped down the stairs. He held my wrist looking at the zombies from the other side of the gate before kicking them.

Holding my wrist he brought me to the 4th floor of our Class Building. The higher the classroom is the lower the section. As a 3rd yr Class E we were placed on the top most corner.

I didn't think it bad anymore as the situation has changed.

When we got there I noticed a table wall on the side of our building, It took occupation enough for the two corner classrooms.

"How? How did you guys manage this?"

"Class President and Grey had us all band together. They saw what was happening since Grey was cutting classes and forced us to stack them up. He brought me inside and I was surprised to see almost everyone.

"Matt your back, Good come here! Annie, the class President", waved at him but stopped when she saw me.

"Ashley?"

Almost shocked to see me but her expression changed and had me pulled from Matt.

Leah check her, Grey held me and brought me to a corner where I saw the other girl with me ,her blouse down and her back exposed. She was already buttoning up. Leah took my bag and placed it down infront of me.

"Ashley don't be a nuisance, We have to check you if your clean. Grey go out I'll handle her." I shooed her hand off my shoulder and she voluntarily removed it.

I grumbled before removing my sweater and unbuttoning my blouse leaving me in my bra, She checked thoroughly and proceeded to pat down my waist down.

"Your knees and ankle are red bruising, but doesn't seem to be anything serious" Leah verbally confirmed before I heard Grey on the other side confirming. I fixed my uniform but she told me to leave it off and throwing me a new batch.

"Skirt is a length shorter but I'll throw in some higher socks, Just change out your blouse and sweater too and come out. Bring your things, Matt's team is having a meeting". She noted down for me, my curiosity had me question a few things that she did manage to answer.

"Did anyone see Zoe?" She opened her mouth and closed it again before answering. "We found her" was all she said and then left.

No more, no less. My stomach had a bad feeling about this. I picked up the bag and went to the others. I found Carmen and Bernie bringing in curtains and notebooks. Now that I noticed it. Everything was almost covered, the windows to the doors.

"Leah confirmed, Sorry we had to do that, We had to make sure" Annie apologized and gave me a sympathetic look. I had an idea what she meant by those words.

"About Zoe and May-" I stopped her mid sentence. "I- I don't need to know yet" She nodded and had me sit beside Grey.