Chapter 4: On Our Own

*"Again, this is Public Information Officer, Robert Dawn broadcasting on station 3."*

The class huddles together and listens.

*"If any of you are still out there... still alive... still breathing... still human... please listen to this information."*

*buzzzzzz*

"Dang it, come on!" Trevor says.

Mr. Brown walks around the room with his phone, trying to find a signal.

*"For those of you who are expecting help to come, know that none will come... not anymore..."*

*buzz*

Everyone gasps.

*"The police are down, the military has been destroyed, the Government officials ran to save their own lives, and The World Health Organization, along with all healthcare as we know it, have been eradicated."*

"What?"

"It can't be!"

They stand in shock. They can't believe it.

*"This catastrophe... This... infection... whatever it is... it spread too fast... in just 48 hours, 99.4% of the world's population as we know it, have been turned... turned into these... monsters..."*

Everyone is speechless.

Robert is trying not to break down in tears.

*"Once the Nations realized what was happening, they started pointing their fingers and putting the blame, accusing each other of declaring Biological Warfare"*

*"They started a war... An impulsive decision that destroyed everything... A pointless war that killed countless..."*

*"What was left of the Military tried to handle the outbreak... but they couldn't bring themselves to kill what were once innocent people... their own loved ones... they went rogue... they further tore themselves apart... after they fought among themselves... there was no one left to fight THEM... the infected had wiped out every camp, every major military base on Earth... we are truly alone now..."*

*"This madness happened too fast. Nobody could do anything about it. Whatever it is, I understand that it only has one single goal... to eliminate all humans on Earth..."*

*"It preys on the weak. Those who were already sick and dying in the hospitals, suddenly turned violent and attacked. They started biting, infecting the nurses and doctors, and worst of all, even those who died were not spared... everyone turns..."*

*"Humanity was not prepared for this... We did not see it coming... and that cost us everything..."*

*"If anyone is still alive out there... listening... don't make a mistake. Don't make the same mistake the rest of us did... They are not your loved ones, they are not your friends... not anymore..."*

*"If any of you are still breathing... maybe we're given another chance... a chance to see the age of humans once again."*

Mr. Brown and the class look down in defeat.

*"If only we saw this coming..."*

Robert cries for a while. He wipes his tears.

*"I personally, have nothing left... my wife and my two daughter are dead... they were torn apart and eaten alive by these monsters... and now, they're at my door..."*

*"..."*

*"..."*

*"..."*

*"...I'm gonna let them in now."*

They feel their guts curl up inside. Mary and Thomas sit back down at the corner.

*"To anyone still alive out there... you're on your own now... I wish you good luck, survivors... you're gonna need it..."*

You can hear a door knob turning and a door slamming open from the radio.

*"Death is upon us all."*

*GRRRAAHHHHH!!!*

*RAAAHH!*

*beep*

...

*buzz*

*buzz*

*buzz*

...

...

...

Everyone sits back down. It's all hopeless.

"It's over... isn't it?" asks Jay.

"Yup. We're gonna die here." says Alan.

Some of them are now sobbing. They all sit quietly in despair, waiting for the end.

...

...

...

Ethan stands up and grabs his ax. He pushes away the barricades, making a small hole to squeeze out.

"What the hell are you doing?!" asks Jane.

"I'm getting out of here." Ethan replies.

"You'll die out there, idiot." says Brock.

Ethan doesn't listen. He continues to push.

"Ethan, it's over... give it up..." says Mr. Brown, completely out of hope.

"I can't... My family might still be out there... I can't just sit here..." says Ethan.

"And how are you gonna leave the school? You step out of here and you're dead." asks Michael.

"I'll take my chances." he replies.

"If he wants to die, just let him..." says Kate.

The room returns to silence.

Sasha stands up and helps Ethan.

"Are you going too, Sasha?" asks Jay.

"Isn't it obvious?" she replies.

After a while, Jack stands up, and so does Trevor. Stella follows.

"Have you guys lost your minds?!" asks Brock.

"We may only have a tiny chance to survive out there, but here, we have zero." Trevor says to Brock.

"Everyone, we have to get out of here eventually." Stella steps forward, her palm pressing against her chest, trying to convince them.

"These... Freaks... destroyed everything... they killed so many people... they killed people we know... and now, they're just gonna sit outside this door and wait for us to starve to death or kill each other..." Ethan speaks his mind.

"I won't stand for it... not anymore." he says with determination.

The class sits and stares at them, not knowing what to do.

Ethan stands tall, his expression serious.

"No one's coming to save us... not the police, not the military, not our parents... we're on our own now... it's time to face reality... we fight... or we die." Ethan and the others stand in front of them.

Their eyes show that they've already accepted the truth.

The rest of the class hesitates to stand up. They know he's right, but they're all still afraid.

Mary and Thomas, the two scaredy-cats, finally gather their courage to stand up. Their courage to stand up pushes the rest of the class to be brave, too.

Everyone stands up. Finally, everyone is on board. They accept the fact that no one can save them now, but themselves.

Everyone picks up their weapons.

Ethan has an ax. Sasha has a knife. Jack has his fists. James has a bat. Stella has a hammer. Trevor has a broom. Jane has a cooking pan. Hailey has a mop. Brock has a wooden plank. Michael has a box cutter. Alan and Jay have a long piece of wood. Kate and Cindy have books. Mary and Thomas couldn't find anything. Mr. Brown has his glasses.

The boys pick up a long wooden table.

"We'll use this table as a shield." says Ethan.

"What's your plan, Ethan?" asks Mr. Brown.

"We have to clear this entire floor. There's no doubt more of them will be coming up. But if we succeed, we'll be making our stand on the stairway." Ethan says.

"The stairway?" Hailey asks.

"We'll put our strongest at the front, holding the table, stopping them from reaching this floor. We'll hold a Phalanx formation like the Spartans and make them fall."

They move away the barricade and open the door.

No more hiding... no more sitting around... no more waiting for some miracle to save us... It's time to fight for our lives... for our loved ones... for our freedom...

"Let's show these Freaks what we're made of."

They charge outside. Ethan leads the way.

The Freaks spot them and run to attack.

The class aim for their heads.

*Slash!*

*Pow!*

*Slice!*

The class fights them head-on. Looking out for each other's backs, they were able to clear the floor.

They hear more of them coming up... a lot more.

"Barricade!" Ethan yells.

Ethan, Jack, James, and Brock hold the long table, blocking the stairway.

The Freaks are now approaching.

"Here they come!" says Brock.

*SLAM!*

Three of them crashes into the table at once.

"Push!" Ethan says.

They push the table, causing the Freaks to stumble and fall, crashing into one another.

"Advance!"

They move forward and make their way down.

The others attack over the hand rails, stabbing their eyes and cracking their brains open.

*Smack!*

*Slice!*

*Pow!*

They step over the bodies and make their way.

They make their way to the 3rd floor.

The boys push the hoard against the wall, not allowing them to move.

Ethan kills them one by one.

One attacks him from behind.

"Shoot!"

It grabs onto him.

Sasha stabs its head and saves Ethan.

"Thanks."

Thomas and Mary are at the back. They walk past a classroom.

The classroom is packed with Freaks. They charge at them.

"GRAAAHHHH!"

"AHHH!"

"AHHH!"

Trevor slams the door shut, not letting them out.

Mr. Brown and the others made sure to shut all the classrooms filled with Freaks.

"Guys, let's go!" Stella yells.

They make their way to the 2nd floor, barging their way through the horde.

They fight and kill every one that stands in their way. Working together as team, they stay at each others' side and reach the ground floor.

The Freaks charge at them from every direction at every hallway.

"Run to the exit!" Mr. Brown yells.

The boys drop the table.

They make a final run for the exit, slipping through the horde, and dodging their deadly grasps.

They look behind them.

"They're catching up! What do we do?!" Hailey screams.

Jack sees the lockers. With all his might, he knocks them down, blocking their path.

Ethan also knocks the lockers down, buying them time.

The class reach the end of the hallway. They reach the exit and step outside. After three days, they finally feel the warm sun morning on their skin again.

They look ahead in the far distance, there's more coming, way more, hundreds more... policemen, civilians, adults, and children... They're all already dead and infected.

"Oh, God!"

They take a step back.

"Run to the forest!" Mr. Brown leads the students.

"Wait!" Kate screams, reaching out her hand.

Kate is still inside, she was tripped and caught by one. The Freak grabs her leg from under the lockers.

She screams in terror as she kicks her leg loose.

The others panic as they see the horde approaching.

Ethan, with no hesitation, runs back to save Kate.

Jack waits for them outside.

Ethan kills the Freak with his ax. He pulls Kate up and they make a run for it.

"Run!" he says.

He turns around to slash the others, and then runs.

As soon as they reach the exit, the infected girl in the yellow rain coat jumps out from a classroom and pushes Ethan into another one. He drops his ax.

"ETHAN!" Jack yells.

Stella, Trevor, Sasha, and James stop running as they hear Jack yell. They run back while the rest run to the forest.

The Freaks reach the exit. Jack has no choice but to close the door and slide the iron gate shut.

The Freaks groan and try to claw Jack through the gate.

They rush to the classroom's window to find Ethan.

Ethan is being tackled by the Freak.

"Ethan!" they yell.

He kicks her in the guts, pushing her away.

Another enters the classroom, Ethan pushes her aside and closes the door just in time, preventing more from entering.

Ethan is trapped in a classroom with two Freaks, unarmed.

"He doesn't have his ax!" Stella yells.

"Stella, your hammer. Give it to me," says Jack.

Jack tries to break the window the hammer. They use their weapons to try to break through, but it's no use. The window was made to be impenetrable.

"It's bulletproof! We can't break it!" says Trevor.

Ethan pushes one and runs around the classroom, trying to find a weapon.

He picks up a chair's leg.

They charge at him.

He evades them swiftly and aims a strike for the head.

Unexpectedly, the infected girl was able to block it with her forearm and hold on it.

"W-What?"

Ethan and the others stand in shock. They didn't know there was a Freak that was that capable.

Ethan tries to pull back his wooden stick.

Suddenly, the other one pounces at Ethan and tackles him on the floor.

"ETHAN!" Trevor yells.

"Crap!" says James.

"Damn it!" Sasha slams the window.

"Oh, no!" Stella covers her mouth.

"No! No! NO!"

Jack desperately punches and pushes as hard as he can until his hands bled.

Ethan is weakened by hunger and exhaustion. He is completely pinned down on the floor, helplessly pushing both of them away.

"Crap!"

The girl in the yellow raincoat approaches him and bites his left shoulder.

"AHH!"

Ethan winces in pain. His blood drips to the floor.

"NOOO!" Stella yells in horror.

"Shit!" Sasha slams the window.

"Ethan..."

They all tear up while hopelessly slamming the window.

"Guys, go! Run!" Ethan yells.

They stare at him.

"If you stay, they'll catch up... leave me!" he struggles to push the Freaks away from him.

"W-We can't just leave him, right?!" Stella cries.

"That's right, Ethan! We're all getting out, together!" James yells, holding back his tears.

"You idiot! Don't give up!" Sasha is tearing up.

"We've come this far... don't make it all for nothing..." Ethan adds, fighting the pain and exhaustion.

"It's over for me..." he says fighting his tears.

"... Fight... and survive!" he says with a final stare, his eyes light up with determination and hope.

Ethans words once again fills them with willpower.

As heart wrenching as it is for them, they'll have to keep moving without him.

Jack looks at him one last time and nods.

He grabs the others' arms.

"Let's go!" he says.

They step away, constantly looking back at him.

They leave crying.

Hundreds of Freaks are already on their tail.

After minutes of running through the woods, they manage to shake them off, they catch up with Mr. Brown and the class.

"Where's Ethan?" Mr. Brown asks.

They don't say anything. They stare at the ground, mortified and exhausted.

"No... It can't be..." says Michael.

"Ethan..." Brock holds back his tears.

Kate falls to her knees, covering her face.

Mr. Brown takes off his glasses. His eyes are watery.

For a moment, everyone looks at the ground in despair, tired and grieving.

They all continue walking, going to wherever their twisted fate leads them next.