Chapter 5

The cafeteria had become a pressure cooker of fear, thick and suffocating, pressing against Elise's ribs with every shallow breath she took. The only thing standing between them and death was a flimsy glass door, now groaning under the relentless pressure of the horde outside.

The zombies, because that's what they were, there was no denying it anymore, pushed mindlessly, their rotting fingers smearing blood across the glass, their mouths slacking, some chomping at the air, others grinding their teeth together like they could already taste flesh. Their bodies jerked unnaturally, their movements stilted, like puppets on frayed strings.

And everyone inside the cafeteria knew it.

The door wasn't going to hold.

"We need weapons." Someone said, breaking the terrified silence.

Elise turned her head just in time to see Damian, grabbing a metal tray from a nearby table and testing its weight. His jaw was tight, his knuckles white.

"Break the chairs!" He barked, already snapping a wooden chair leg over his knee.

"Use the legs as clubs!"

A loud crack echoed as another student did the same. Elise watched, her body frozen in place. Panic gripped her spine, squeezing. Her thoughts blurred into white noise.

This isn't happening.

She barely registered the chaos as students scrambled, grabbing anything they could use. Metal trays as shields. Broom handles sharpened at the ends. Cafeteria knives, plastic but still sharp enough to stab if swung hard enough. Someone even wielded a fire extinguisher, their hands shaking as they clutched it tight.

A hand suddenly shoved something into Elise's grip.

A chair leg—splintered, rough, makeshift.

She looked up.

Marlowe.

Marlowe stared at her, unimpressed. "Don't just stand there like a deer in headlights, Elise. Pick a side, fight or turn into one of those things."

Elise swallowed hard, fingers tightening around the wood.

She chose to fight.

And then, the glass shattered.

The cafeteria doors exploded inward, shards flying in all directions as the horde finally pushed through, stumbling over each other, growling, moaning, reaching.

The fight began.

Man Against The Dead, The Dead Against Man.

Elise swung wildly.

A girl from biology class, her face now slack, her eyes unusually milky, lunged at her, mouth open, hands outstretched. Elise barely had time to think before her instincts took over.

She swung hard.

The crack of wood against skull sent vibrations up her arms.

The girl stumbled, but didn't stop.

Elise swung again, harder, gritting her teeth as she felt the impact snap something. The girl finally crumpled into a bloody mess. Elise knew it was only a matter of time before she stood up again.

To her left, Marlowe was fighting too, her movements sharp, calculated. She stabbed a broken broom handle straight through a zombie's throat, yanking it out before the body could fall.

Elise barely had time to catch her breath before she spotted something truly saddening, the twin was now changed, lunging after a wispy looking boy. She was now fully a monster, ripping into the boy's leg, teeth deep in flesh.

Elise wanted to throw up.

Another body lunged at her. A guy she recognized from the gym, now mindless, rotting, hungry. A shove from behind knocked her off balance. Marlowe, pushing her out of the way just in time.

"You good?!" Marlowe yelled, swinging at another zombie.

"Yeah!" Elise gasped, quickly regaining her stance. She saw another one coming straight for Marlowe and swung before it could reach her.

The wood connected with a sickening thud.

Marlowe looked at her, eyes wide. "Didn't know you had that in you, thanks!"

Elise just nodded.

They fought.

They fought hard.

But it wasn't enough.

"We need to get out of here!"

It was Damian who shouted it, kicking a zombie off before turning toward the others. "Everyone, run to the gym! It's our best chance!"

No one argued.

They bolted.

Elise's lungs burned, each breath a sharp stab in her chest. She barely registered the rhythmic pounding of her feet against the floor, her body was moving on pure survival instinct, following the desperate stampede of students as they fled the carnage behind them.

The cafeteria was gone, now a den of the zombies.

The air reeked of sweat, fear, blood, and death, the screams of the unfortunate students still echoing behind them, distant but unforgettable.

She had never run this fast in her life, but it wasn't fast enough.

She could hear them. The dead and they chomped and ate through everything in their path.

Their ragged breathing, their snarls, the way their feet dragged against the floor but still somehow moved too fast.

She didn't dare look back.

She couldn't.

Her legs burned, threatening to give out, but she gritted her teeth and kept going.

Beside her, Marlowe was panting hard, but her grip on Elise's wrist was firm.

Ahead, the hall stretched into uncertainty, dimly lit and filled with shadows, each one a possible threat.

Then a dark figure lurched out of the principal's office.

A teacher, no, what used to be a teacher.

His jaw hung open, his eyes milky, his throat a torn mess of red and black. He staggered forward, arms twitching, his body jerking in unnatural spasms.

Elise's stomach turned.

"Go left!" Marlowe shouted, yanking her away.

She veered sharply, barely avoiding another figure that lunged from the stairwell, another teacher, their face mangled, their hands outstretched.

Elise stumbled but caught herself, her fingers tightening around the broken chair leg she still clutched.

The hallway wasn't safe.

Figures moved in the distance, some wandering aimlessly, others sniffing the air, heads jerking sharply toward the sound of their footfalls.

They were everywhere.

"Keep moving!"

Elise didn't need to be told twice.

She swung hard at a zombie that got too close, the impact jarring her arm as the body stumbled back.

Marlowe was right beside her, slamming her boot into another's knee, making it collapse before shoving it out of the way.

Every second, more of them were appearing.

Elise could hear the wails and gurgles of the turned, the choking gasps of the injured, the sound of flesh tearing somewhere behind them.

She wouldn't think about it.

She couldn't.

The gym was close.

"The doors! Get the doors open!" Someone yelled ahead.

A desperate hand yanked the handle down, throwing the doors wide.

Elise threw herself inside just as the horde lunged behind her. She collapsed onto the floor, her limbs sprawled like a starfish, chest heaving, lungs screaming for air.

Beside her, Marlowe dropped just as hard, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Holy shit! That was singularly the most insane moment of my entire life!" Marlowe wheezed.

Elise couldn't even nod. She just laid there, staring at the high ceiling of the gym, trying to process what had just happened.

Around them, the remaining students were in varying states of shock.

Some were crying, their shoulders shaking silently.

Some were just sitting there, frozen, eyes fixed on nothing.

Some were trying to count, whispering names under their breath, hoping, they'd reach a higher number.

But the numbers were low.

Elise forced herself to sit up, her stomach twisting as she scanned the room.

Damian.

Callum.

Anna.

Derek.

A handful of others.

But, not Amari.

Her chest tightened.

Amari wasn't there.

She hadn't made it.

Marlowe, still panting, turned her head towards Elise. "Amari…"

"I know." Elise cut her off, her voice flat, emotionless.

Marlowe hesitated, then softened. "I'm sorry."

Elise forced a shrug, even though it felt like something inside her was fracturing, cracking down the middle.

"She was a bitch anyway." She muttered trying to convince herself.

Marlowe didn't believe that. Elise didn't believe that.

But neither of them said otherwise.

A heavy silence settled over the gym, thick and suffocating.

It was Callum who finally broke it.

"We can't stay here forever."

"The police will come." Another voice insisted, shaky with hope. "They'll send the army, or—or the CDC, or something!"

"Then let's call them." Anna suggested, her voice tight with nerves. "Someone call 911!"

A long silence followed.

"…Does anyone even have their phone?"

The realization settled over them like a thick fog.

No one spoke at first.

Then the checking started.

Hands patting down pockets.

A few students desperately rummaged through their pockets.

But it was useless.

Most of them had dropped their phones in panic. Some had left them in their lockers, some in their classrooms, and some, like Elise, had been too busy running for their life to even think about it.

"We need a phone." Elise finally said, forcing herself upright. "I can call my dad. He's a doctor, he'll know what to do."

That sparked a discussion.

Who would go?

Who would risk stepping back out there?

No one was willing to bell the cat.

"I'll go." Damian said first, pushing himself up. 

Elise stood, a decision forming in her mind. She hated her dad, but she still needed to speak to him. "I'm going too."

Marlowe snapped her head towards her. "Elise…"

"I need to call my dad."

Marlowe's jaw tightened, but she didn't argue.

Callum stepped forward. Another girl named Juno offered. 2 other guys also stood up.

Two girls.

Three boys.

Five in total.

"We need weapons," Callum said, rolling his shoulders. "If we go out there with just our bare hands, we're dead meat."

Damian nodded. "Not just weapons. Protection."

It made sense. If a single bite could turn someone into one of those things, they needed to cover up as much skin as possible.

They searched the gym, moving fast.

In the equipment room they were able to find Baseball bats, Hockey sticks, Lacrosse sticks, Shin guards – wrapped tight to protect their legs. Knee pads and elbow pads – not much, but every bit helped. Football helmets – heavy, but perfect for keeping their heads safe.

Elise grabbed a bat, rolling it in her grip. It felt right.

Marlowe, after a second of hesitation, grabbed a hockey stick, testing its weight. "I always wanted to beat someone with one of these."

Damian strapped shin guards over his jeans. "If they bite our legs or any part of us really, we're done."

He found a set of lacrosse gloves, tossing them to Elise. "Wear these. Less chance of them tearing through skin."

She caught them, pulling them on. They fit snug. She smiled at him thankfully.

The group dressed up fast, layering whatever protective gear they could find, securing their weapons, knowing they were about to step back into hell.

And as they stood by the gym doors, their hearts pounding, their fingers tightening around their makeshift weapons, Elise knew that this was only the beginning.