Room 204 (#OpenNovellaContest2021)

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

We were running, jumping over bodies, the students using their clubs to push back the dead that were headed our way due to the gunshots. I had the Glock out, using it to bash at the faces of any that got dangerously close. Trying to ignore the sounds of their teeth snapping together, hoping to latch on to one of us. I focused on moving, and moving quickly, yelling directions to Jeremy and Jackson as they lead our charge. My blood was thumping in my ear drums. Did I just get those police officers killed? Were their bones being chewed on right now? If I turn around, will they be chasing after us, screaming for our blood? My brain was fuzzy with so many thoughts as we continued our way, so far so good. I chanced a look back and my fear was brought to life. Chief Davis was stumbling after us, blood running down his shoulder. His face was turned down, focusing on his steps as he hurried along. I had stopped in the hallway, torn between ending the mans suffering and running. The kids stopped when they realized I had, I could hear them yelling for me to come on, to keep running, but it sounded like my head was underwater. Their cries were muted. I felt myself reaching for the gun, the weapon feeling foreign in my grip as I pointed at the man I knew. I leveled it off, readying myself to fire when his eyes met mine.

"No..." He tried to yell. I realized his eyes were clear. He was okay... How could that be? Where was Douglas? I put the gun away, running quickly towards the man, the kids quickly following.

"We've got to get out of here." Jackson stated, eyes darting back and forth quickly for any threats. Davis was out of breath and struggling, but otherwise seemed okay. I realized the blood on his shoulder was not his and I tried to ignore the flecks of what looked like brain matter on his uniform. I grabbed the bloodied arm of the aging police chief and threw it over my shoulder, Alex grabbed the other side. A new series of shrieks sounded from the first-floor stairwell, and we all paused to look, hearing the thundering of feet before we could see who they belonged to.

"Teacher's lounge! Let's move!" I yelled to the students as Alex and I helped the officer in between us. Emma was in front of us, looking out of place in the spot of leadership. It was the closest room to us that I knew had only survivors. We couldn't risk running into a room that hadn't been cleared yet. I turned to see Jackson and Jeremy pulling the extension cord out of a backpack and each taking an end and stretching it across the hallway. I stopped, pleading with them to come with us.

"Go! You'll never make it if we don't slow them down!" Jeremy yelled after us. Jackson gave me a nod and yelled that they would follow as soon as they could. Alex and I stumbled along; Chief Davis was out of breath as Emma pounded her fist on the teacher's lounge door. Begging for entry. I turned to see the ferals had now made it into the hallway. I braced Davis up against the wall as Alex helped him stay upright. I pulled my weapon, checking to see if the door had opened yet. Emma's cries were getting more frantic when she saw they were getting close. The boys pulled their makeshift trap tight between them as they got close, causing a few of them to trip, which created a domino effect. One feral on top of another, a wad of shrieking and angry predators watched as Jackson and Jeremy booked it. There was about fifty feet between us as the boys ran. The door still hadn't been opened and some of the quicker zombies were already making it to their feet. Jackson was faster than Jeremy, even with his larger size. I'm sure from the many football workouts he endured, but Jeremy was not far behind. The cries of the dead were now pissing me off rather than filling me with fear. These things were evil. Killing with no rhyme or reason, taking over the bodies of innocent people like a parasite. A puppeteer making these bodies do their bidding. The boys were close, and as the door finally opened, I fired my first shot. It hit Ryley Smith in the neck. I fired again, hitting him in the head. He had been in my last period class. His body looked so small as it crumpled into a lifeless form on the tile floor. I fired again, hitting a student I didn't know. The boys had finally reached me as I fired a third time, Jackson calling for me to stop. I looked one last time, happy with the distance between them as us as we all filed into the teacher's lounge. I shut the door with a hard thud and flipped the lock, pulling a chair that had been sitting close by and wedged it under the knob to act as a lock. I took a moment to still my shaking hand and slow my heart. Taking a few deep breaths before I turned to see my students all trying to catch their breath as well. Davis was slumped in a chair, Emma and Alex trying to check him for injuries. I knew there were survivor's in here from Glassberg, but wasn't sure who. I turned to hear bickering.

"I told you not to let them in! Just look at him, he's been bitten!"

I turned to see a young girl with red hair, pointing at Chief Davis and yelling at a girl that vaguely resembled the first girl, maybe a bit older. One teacher I recognized was sitting in a chair, his head in his hands, as the girls fought. A few other students were in the room too, some looking frightened and some looking dazed. It smelled faintly of urine.

"This is so stupid; you're going to get us killed Ash." The girl huffed and turned away, walking to the other side of the room without giving any of us another glance. The girl, Ash, apologized sheepishly and asked if we were okay.

"Yes, thank you for letting us in. It was a close one." She nodded just as a barrage of bangs hit the door, shaking the chair a small bit. I braced my weight against it and the boys came over to make sure it didn't shake loose. We heard a telephone ring in the distance which drew them away after a few moments.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked the boys; they each nodded a little shaken up from their close encounter. I have to admit, I think they were right. We wouldn't have made it without their tripwire. I gave them each a hug, realizing that the teacher student boundary was never going to be revived, and this was life or death. I walked over to the couch where Alex and Emma had pulled away the officer's uniform shirt to make sure he hadn't been bitten and didn't realize it. His eyes were glassy as he recounted the attack downstairs.

"They were on us so fast, swarming like locusts. Douglas and I were back-to-back and they knocked him down on top of me, I heard him screaming as they bit him. But he was screaming at me. He begged me to do it... he begged me."

I realized then that the brain matter on his shirt was his former partner's. When he was knocked to the ground, he had twisted his ankle. The weight of so many hungry bodies causing his ankle to twist in an unnatural way. We decided against pulling his boot off, realizing we had nothing to help the swelling go down, and if it swelled, we might not be able to get his boot back on. I went over to the teacher in the room who still had his head in his hands and asked how they were doing.

"How do you think? We've been stuck in here for days? My phones dead. We have no food. The vending machine was practically empty when we locked ourselves in here. What am I supposed to do with these kids? I can't die in here with them. And they won't shut up, especially those two." He pointed over to the two girls from before.

"I thought there was another teacher in here with you?" He looked at me curiously, wondering how I knew that before answering.

"Yeah, Karen. She made a run for it. Didn't make it far. We heard her screams."

I pulled my group together and asked if they had any food they were willing to share. My bag was empty. Jackson passed around his jar of peanut butter and Jeremy passed out a few extra packs of gummies he had gotten from the nurse's station. I saw Alex slip one of the girls in the room a small box of tampons she had also scavenged from the nurse's station. The girl she handed it to looked embarrassed, but grateful. I sat next to Chief Davis, thankful that the pounding at the door had ceased. I gave him a few sips of water and he used it to down a few ibuprofen from Alex's bag.

"So, what's the plan now?" He asked me, emotional fatigue evident on his weathered face.

I sighed. I really had no clue; we were pretty much back to square one at this point. Back on the second floor, our only difference from our original classroom was now we had more people and a window showing the back lot instead of the front. The lights in the room went out for a brief moment, causing gasps among the group. I saw Emma reach quickly for Alex when it did so. It flicked back on quickly.

"Back up generator?" I asked the chief and he nodded.

"Yes, they're on the roof. Looks like we really are in for the shit show if the normal grid is failing already."

My thoughts lingered to Jessica. A failing power grid would mean more people would be panicking now, she may not be so lucky the next time strangers come knocking at our house.