“Then we’re screwed.”
I look up, shocked, then laugh with him. It’s that or go mad.
“How’d you sneak in the knife?” I ask.
“I never leave home without it. Been mugged too many times.”
“If the teachers found it…”
“That lot don’t know how to find their own arseholes.”
My smile spreads. “I’m B,” I tell him.
“Cass.”
“Isn’t that a girl’s name?”
“Short for Cassius. After Muhammad Ali’s real name.”
“Sweet.” I show my knuckles and let him knock them.
“We killed her,” Suze cries.
“We had to,” Cass says, then takes a deep, steadying breath. “We’ve gotta get out of here.”
“But–” Suze says.
“Shut it,” Meths snarls. He’s still holding the ball, which he must have picked up when the game stopped.
“Are you all right?” I ask Pox.
He’s bleeding, shaking like an old geezer with Parkinson’s, even worse than Cass was, but he nods. “I’ll live,” he moans, taking off his sweatshirt and using it to wipe blood from his arm and fingers.
“But as what?” Cass says, blade still extended, pointing now at Pox.
“What do you mean?” Pox frowns.
“We’ve all seen zombie films. You’ve been bitten. If you turn into one of them…”
“I won’t!” Pox squeaks. As Cass glares at him, Pox looks for support. “B? You’re not gonna let him do me, are you?”
I glance at the others but nobody meets my eye, happy to leave the decision to me now that it’s been placed in my hands. Bloody cowards.
“B?” Pox wheezes, real terror in his eyes, fresh tears trickling down his cheeks and gathering in the pockmarks in his flesh. “Are you gonna…?”
“No,” I mutter. “But keep behind the rest of us, all right? And if we think you’re starting to change, we’ll have to cut you loose.”
“But–”
“No time to argue, Pox. Accept the rules or it’s the knife.” I turn to Cass. “What do you reckon—make a break for one of the exits, or find a place to hole up and wait for help to arrive?”
“Nobody helped those buggers in Pallaskenry,” Copper says. “The only ones who made it out alive were those who got out early. The soldiers surrounded the place once they hit the scene and shot anyone who moved, normal people along with the zombies.”
“Run?” Cass asks.
“Run,” I agree.
And we’re off.
NINETEEN
We don’t get very far. This corridor stretches along the side of the gym. We hurry to the end of it and start down the next passageway, off of which lie a series of classrooms. But we’re less than a quarter of the way along when we hear a mob racing towards us, screaming and wailing.
“They must be heading for the exit or the gym,” Stagger Lee says.
“They’ll be on us in a sec,” Copper mutters.
“We have to tell them to go back,” Suze pants.
“Don’t be stupid,” I snarl. “They’re being chased. They won’t stop and listen calmly.”
“We won’t get through them,” Cass says.
“Even if we do, zombies must be right behind,” Copper says.
There’s a door to my left. I open it and glance into a small classroom for younger kids. It’s empty.
“In here,” I decide. “We’ll hide, wait for them to pass, then sneak out.”
“What if the zombies smell us?” Cass asks.
I shrug. “It’s a gamble one way or the other.”
The first few kids of the mob surge into the hallway. Zombies are among them, snapping, tearing, maiming, killing. “In!” I bark and everyone pushes into the room after me, no complaints.
When we’re all inside, I slam the door shut. There’s no key, of course. “We need to barricade it,” I shout, but some of the others are ahead of me. Copper and Ballydefeck arrive seconds later with a desk each, which they prop against the door. More furniture is added to the pile and moments later there’s a mountain of desks and chairs between us and the door.
“Won’t do much good if they come through the windows,” Trev says, nodding at the frosted glass on
I look up, shocked, then laugh with him. It’s that or go mad.
“How’d you sneak in the knife?” I ask.
“I never leave home without it. Been mugged too many times.”
“If the teachers found it…”
“That lot don’t know how to find their own arseholes.”
My smile spreads. “I’m B,” I tell him.
“Cass.”
“Isn’t that a girl’s name?”
“Short for Cassius. After Muhammad Ali’s real name.”
“Sweet.” I show my knuckles and let him knock them.
“We killed her,” Suze cries.
“We had to,” Cass says, then takes a deep, steadying breath. “We’ve gotta get out of here.”
“But–” Suze says.
“Shut it,” Meths snarls. He’s still holding the ball, which he must have picked up when the game stopped.
“Are you all right?” I ask Pox.
He’s bleeding, shaking like an old geezer with Parkinson’s, even worse than Cass was, but he nods. “I’ll live,” he moans, taking off his sweatshirt and using it to wipe blood from his arm and fingers.
“But as what?” Cass says, blade still extended, pointing now at Pox.
“What do you mean?” Pox frowns.
“We’ve all seen zombie films. You’ve been bitten. If you turn into one of them…”
“I won’t!” Pox squeaks. As Cass glares at him, Pox looks for support. “B? You’re not gonna let him do me, are you?”
I glance at the others but nobody meets my eye, happy to leave the decision to me now that it’s been placed in my hands. Bloody cowards.
“B?” Pox wheezes, real terror in his eyes, fresh tears trickling down his cheeks and gathering in the pockmarks in his flesh. “Are you gonna…?”
“No,” I mutter. “But keep behind the rest of us, all right? And if we think you’re starting to change, we’ll have to cut you loose.”
“But–”
“No time to argue, Pox. Accept the rules or it’s the knife.” I turn to Cass. “What do you reckon—make a break for one of the exits, or find a place to hole up and wait for help to arrive?”
“Nobody helped those buggers in Pallaskenry,” Copper says. “The only ones who made it out alive were those who got out early. The soldiers surrounded the place once they hit the scene and shot anyone who moved, normal people along with the zombies.”
“Run?” Cass asks.
“Run,” I agree.
And we’re off.
NINETEEN
We don’t get very far. This corridor stretches along the side of the gym. We hurry to the end of it and start down the next passageway, off of which lie a series of classrooms. But we’re less than a quarter of the way along when we hear a mob racing towards us, screaming and wailing.
“They must be heading for the exit or the gym,” Stagger Lee says.
“They’ll be on us in a sec,” Copper mutters.
“We have to tell them to go back,” Suze pants.
“Don’t be stupid,” I snarl. “They’re being chased. They won’t stop and listen calmly.”
“We won’t get through them,” Cass says.
“Even if we do, zombies must be right behind,” Copper says.
There’s a door to my left. I open it and glance into a small classroom for younger kids. It’s empty.
“In here,” I decide. “We’ll hide, wait for them to pass, then sneak out.”
“What if the zombies smell us?” Cass asks.
I shrug. “It’s a gamble one way or the other.”
The first few kids of the mob surge into the hallway. Zombies are among them, snapping, tearing, maiming, killing. “In!” I bark and everyone pushes into the room after me, no complaints.
When we’re all inside, I slam the door shut. There’s no key, of course. “We need to barricade it,” I shout, but some of the others are ahead of me. Copper and Ballydefeck arrive seconds later with a desk each, which they prop against the door. More furniture is added to the pile and moments later there’s a mountain of desks and chairs between us and the door.
“Won’t do much good if they come through the windows,” Trev says, nodding at the frosted glass on
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