school grounds, it would be a short trip to Derrick’s to collect his father’s arsenal and hopefully find Mr. and Mrs. Chancer unharmed. From there, it was another thirty minutes north on the parkway to the army base. Mike worried that the parkway might be congested with abandoned cars, but without knowing a secondary route well enough and not willing to pass through residential neighborhoods, he felt the choice was clear.
Before they left the faculty room, he tried to explain what the others should expect to see beyond the door. True, they had all heard the gunfire and heard the tales of each excursion, but facing the carnage they would have to pass through would require a strength they had not yet had to muster. There would certainly be faces of people they knew lying among the dead in the halls.
It surprised Mike that he had already begun to detach himself from the attackers’ previous humanity. Fighting them directly, seeing firsthand the gruesome violence of which they were capable, had placed the infected outside the realm of human. Hoping the students were prepared, but knowing there was no way they truly could be, he instructed that the blockade securing the door be removed.
The hall leading to the stairs was, thankfully, still deserted. Quickly ushering them down to the first floor and past the main office, Mike could see the visuals begin to take its toll. With weak words of encouragement, he did his best to comfort them and keep them focused on the task at hand. As he entered the corridor leading to the English pod, Mike heard a scream behind him. Turning rapidly on his heel, he found two students helping a third back to her feet after she’d slipped on the blood-covered floor tiles. The girl understandably began to panic as she found her hands and backside covered with the remains of the victims beneath her. Desperately trying to quiet her, Mike looked out the doors to the courtyard and saw infected already making their way to the disruption.
“ English pod. Run. NOW! ” he shouted as the students realized their peril. Further screams and cries of fear erupted from the teenagers as they streamed past him. Mike and the five armed students formed a line blocking the entrance and began to open fire. Infected whirled as bullets tore into shoulders and legs. Within seconds, they rose again and continued their advance. With only Derrick and Jenni as marksmen with any experience, shots to the head of the attackers were few and far between. Once the others had reached the targeted pod, Mike ordered a quick retreat to rejoin them.
Derrick and Sean were the first out of the windows and they ran directly for their respective automobiles. As the rest of the students climbed through the first story window, Mike saw them running in haphazard groups. Cursing himself for not thinking to assign certain students into each vehicle, he watched as too many struggled to fit in Derrick’s minivan, while too few entered Sean’s SUV. Yelling for their attention, he waved wildly and pointed for some to break away from the minivan and head for the Explorer. Relieved when he finally saw recognition break across their faces, Mike looked behind him as several infected poured into the classroom.
Raising both firearms, and hoping that the short distance would allow for greater accuracy, he began to shoot. With screams and snarls, the fearsome beings fell dead, one on top of another. Still, as quickly as they had fallen, others soon pushed through to replace them. Mike continued to fire until both magazines were spent.
“Mr. A., get out of there!” yelled Erik, who now aimed his shotgun through one of the open windows, firing relentlessly. Mike quickly dove out, hitting the ground with a thud that knocked the breath out of him. Within seconds, he could feel arms dragging him along the soft grass towards the waiting Ford Explorer. No longer gasping for air, he got to his feet and jumped in the passenger seat, while Erik pushed in
Before they left the faculty room, he tried to explain what the others should expect to see beyond the door. True, they had all heard the gunfire and heard the tales of each excursion, but facing the carnage they would have to pass through would require a strength they had not yet had to muster. There would certainly be faces of people they knew lying among the dead in the halls.
It surprised Mike that he had already begun to detach himself from the attackers’ previous humanity. Fighting them directly, seeing firsthand the gruesome violence of which they were capable, had placed the infected outside the realm of human. Hoping the students were prepared, but knowing there was no way they truly could be, he instructed that the blockade securing the door be removed.
The hall leading to the stairs was, thankfully, still deserted. Quickly ushering them down to the first floor and past the main office, Mike could see the visuals begin to take its toll. With weak words of encouragement, he did his best to comfort them and keep them focused on the task at hand. As he entered the corridor leading to the English pod, Mike heard a scream behind him. Turning rapidly on his heel, he found two students helping a third back to her feet after she’d slipped on the blood-covered floor tiles. The girl understandably began to panic as she found her hands and backside covered with the remains of the victims beneath her. Desperately trying to quiet her, Mike looked out the doors to the courtyard and saw infected already making their way to the disruption.
“ English pod. Run. NOW! ” he shouted as the students realized their peril. Further screams and cries of fear erupted from the teenagers as they streamed past him. Mike and the five armed students formed a line blocking the entrance and began to open fire. Infected whirled as bullets tore into shoulders and legs. Within seconds, they rose again and continued their advance. With only Derrick and Jenni as marksmen with any experience, shots to the head of the attackers were few and far between. Once the others had reached the targeted pod, Mike ordered a quick retreat to rejoin them.
Derrick and Sean were the first out of the windows and they ran directly for their respective automobiles. As the rest of the students climbed through the first story window, Mike saw them running in haphazard groups. Cursing himself for not thinking to assign certain students into each vehicle, he watched as too many struggled to fit in Derrick’s minivan, while too few entered Sean’s SUV. Yelling for their attention, he waved wildly and pointed for some to break away from the minivan and head for the Explorer. Relieved when he finally saw recognition break across their faces, Mike looked behind him as several infected poured into the classroom.
Raising both firearms, and hoping that the short distance would allow for greater accuracy, he began to shoot. With screams and snarls, the fearsome beings fell dead, one on top of another. Still, as quickly as they had fallen, others soon pushed through to replace them. Mike continued to fire until both magazines were spent.
“Mr. A., get out of there!” yelled Erik, who now aimed his shotgun through one of the open windows, firing relentlessly. Mike quickly dove out, hitting the ground with a thud that knocked the breath out of him. Within seconds, he could feel arms dragging him along the soft grass towards the waiting Ford Explorer. No longer gasping for air, he got to his feet and jumped in the passenger seat, while Erik pushed in
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