by T. Z. Leigh
Rolling his eyes, "Well, don't all offer at once. I guess I'll do it then."
Zachery sighed. He had to admit he was relieved.
Their lives were in Sam's hands now.
"Here's what I'm going to do," Sam declared to the group. "I'll lead them outside while you sort out the fence. When you're done, meet me on the field somewhere. If I'm not there…"
"You'll be there," April said firmly. "You'll be okay."
Sam nodded nervously, suddenly grateful for April. Maybe she wasn't so bad, after all. He felt nerves creep up inside him. He took a deep breath.
It's just like any other fight, Sam: cream the other guy. Except you're running instead of fighting, and there are multiple monsters instead of one person. Okay, you're just freaking yourself out now...just go...
While the others hid behind the storage room door watching in suspense, Sam opened the door to the staff room.
"Hey, uglies!"
The monsters, as anticipated, staggered quickly after him. Seeing the monsters up close again made him sweat and his heart was pounding so fiercely it knocked against his chest, making his ribs hurt. He ran through the canteen, leading them outside to the field. There were no hidden areas for one of them to sneak up on him or corner him out there.
He raced towards the far football goal, looking back every five seconds to make sure he knew where they were. It was almost too easy. They were slow compared to him. He lured them to the far side of the field, away from the main buildings. He felt a little more confident until he saw something in the distance that made him sick to his stomach. Eva had come out of the student dorms and was waving at him lovingly.
What the hell is she doing here? No one else is supposed to be at college...
As she realised what was following him, her eyes widened in horror.
Sam shouted desperately, "Run around them! Quickly, run to me!"
She stayed still, seemingly frozen in shock as one of them approached her from behind...
Jamie and the others had rushed into the staff room and locked the door. It was a large L-shaped room with tables and chairs in one corner and a kitchenette area in another. Zachery led them around the left corner to the cupboard which housed the consumer unit. It was huge, the doors stretching from floor to ceiling. He pulled the handle, but it was locked. Jogging to the kitchenette area he opened a drawer, took out a key, and headed back to the cupboard.
"How did you know where that was?" April asked incredulously.
"I told you," he said matter-of-factly, unlocking the door, "We became friends. He used to take the key from there when we were working on things."
Jamie had to smile a little. So, he's the best-looking guy in college and super smart too.
"What're you smiling about?" April asked.
Jamie blushed, uncomfortable that April might have somehow read her mind.
"I just think it's a bit pathetic that he was friends with the staff," she quickly responded, immediately regretting it.
Zachery frowned and continued looking for the switch that controlled the fence's electricity. Jamie worried that she might have hurt his feelings, but she couldn't find the words to apologise.
"Well, that's what's gonna save your life right now, smartass," April retorted.
Jamie rolled her eyes. She had to keep up her front, no matter what. "Whatever."
Zachery had checked the switches twice over. "Something isn't right. There's no switch labelled 'fence' or anything similar. There's no change to what I saw the last time I was here."
"How can that be?" Jamie questioned him.
"I dunno what's going on, but this is really strange," he replied, just as something crashed through the glass section of the staff room door.
"Eva, there's one behind you! Run!"
She didn't hesitate even for a millisecond and sprinted, keeping her distance from the monsters, but running in Sam's direction. When she reached him, she grabbed his waist tightly as if holding onto him for dear life.
"What are those things?" she cried out.
"I dunno, but we need to move. I told the others to meet me out here."
He assessed the situation. The two monsters had been joined by three others and had spread out, forming a wall of ugly bodies, so they had to go around the side of the building and enter another way.
"Don't let go of my hand and run as fast as you can," he told her.
They ran in a wide curve to the right, going around the building. They were headed to the entrance on the other side, but stopped abruptly as somebody appeared in front of them.
Jamie, Zachery and April heard a loud crash coming from the staff room door. Jamie peered round the corner and saw a monster crunching on glass, getting up from the floor.
"This way!" she shouted as she climbed out of the staff room window to what she hoped was safety.
Zachery and April followed her hurriedly. As their feet found the ground, they saw Sam with his girlfriend and Jamie.
"How the hell did you get here?" April asked Eva.
"Guys, no time," Sam said, gesturing through the window towards the three monsters inside the staff room and the other five coming from the field.
They ran purposefully, though without direction, unsure of where they could go. Jamie could hear Zachery's sharp intakes of breath, louder than anyone else's, and was going to ask him if he was alright when he spoke.
"Let's go to the canteen, barricade all the doors somehow and hope for the best. We can't run around for much longer without refuelling. Hopefully we can find some long, sharp knives in the kitchen as well." He must have realised that everyone was giving him weird looks, because his eyebrows lifted. "What? It's either them or us."
They ran to the canteen, enclosing themselves inside and using tables to barricade the doors. It seemed like the calm before the storm. Jamie didn't feel like they should relax, but as the others began to catch their breath, she realised she didn't have much choice. They were trapped there now.
They found ready-made sandwiches, snacks and drinks and feasted on them. Jamie indulged, knowing they might not eat again for some time. They put as much as they could fit of the leftovers in their bags for later, just in case. Zachery disappeared into the kitchen and Jamie sat down on a chair, staring at the kitchen door. She couldn't stop thinking about how she'd spoken to him earlier.
Why do I always have to mess things up? Why do I always shut people out?
She caught April staring at her, so looked away. She was very tempted to smoke a cigarette, but wasn't willing to set off any smoke alarms over it. She put it out of her mind, though irritation continued to swirl around her head. She'd had a crush on Zachery for a long time and whenever she convinced herself to approach him, her brain would blare in objection. After all, it's better to be alone than heartbroken. Annoyed with herself, she looked elsewhere, which was a big mistake. Sam and Eva were kissing and now she just felt even worse for some reason.
"Eva, how come you didn't come across any monsters until you saw us? Where were you all morning?" Jamie asked, making her and Sam break apart, although it sounded like she was interrogating them.
"I was waiting in my room. I told you all already. I waited until lunchtime before trying to phone Sam, but it wouldn't connect, so I made my way down and saw him run outside. I didn't see those things, though, otherwise I would've freaked out and would probably be dead by now."
"Lucky you," Jamie replied flatly.
"What's your problem, Jamie?" April chimed in. "You've got some serious issues or something. Why do you always have to be such an ass?"
Jamie stood up. Fat chance she was going to let April get away with insulting her like that, especially when April was such an ass herself.
"Well, sorry, Miss Perfect. Guess it's okay for you, Daddy's spoilt little rich girl. The hardest thing you've ever had to deal with is what you're gonna wear to college."
"Really?" April stood up too. "And what have you dealt with Jamie? What's your problem?"
Jamie sa
w all eyes on her and thought maybe she should have smoked that cigarette after all. She felt herself shrinking away from the question.
"Just forget it."
"No, come on, tell us now," April hissed, "before you look like a complete idiot in front of everyone here. Just get it off your flat chest!"
She blushed red and turned away. "I said, forget it!"
She went and sat in the corner, looking in the opposite direction to them, and April did the same. There wasn't much else to say, was there?
Even though their lives were at stake, Sam and Eva reverted to their whispering and kissing. April was still enough that she could have been asleep. Jamie found herself wandering into the kitchen.
Zachery saw her from the corner of his eye and felt his heart beating in his stomach, but he did his best to act natural. She was opening and closing random cupboards, seemingly looking for something. His head told him to stay where he was, but each beat of his heart pulled him in her direction and he stepped towards her, not knowing what he would even say.
He was used to being an outsider, but it was quickly becoming obvious that Jamie was too. He had heard her arguing in the next room and now had a strong feeling that her bad attitude was due to some deeper issue. Maybe they were more alike than he previously thought. He stopped a few feet away from her and saw her eyes widen before she looked the other way.
"You okay?" he asked, wondering if he would even get a response.
"Hmm," was all he got.
"I'm sorry for what I said to you at the party. And it might seem weird…but I just wanted to tell you that I'm here…if you ever wanna talk about anything."
She didn't speak for a moment and he was about to leave her alone, but then she sighed.
"I appreciate that…but no thanks. I don't need to talk about my life to someone I hardly know."
"I did ask if you wanted to get to know each other better at the party, but you turned me down. Was there any particular reason for that?"
Jamie sniffed. "It's better to be alone than have your heart broken. The quicker you learn that, the better off you'll be. I don't need anyone to be happy."
"I...err...already know what it's like to be alone. I've pretty much taken care of myself since I was ten. My parents aren't the affectionate or attentive type, unfortunately."
What the hell are you doing, you idiot? Telling her this the first time ever speaking to her?
He took a step back, glad her attention was still in the opposite direction so that she couldn't see his reddening face.
"I know I'm not the only one with problems," she said, preventing him from taking another step. "I guess everyone must have some sort of issues with their parents in one way or another."
"So…you've got issues with your mum or dad?" Zachery asked after an awkward pause.
He regretted asking her almost instantly, mostly because she didn't seem to want to answer him. He almost walked away, but something stopped him. He didn't want to leave her when she was finally opening up. Besides, she must not be that averse to him if she had stopped him from leaving her side twice. A very long few seconds passed.
"Both," she told him hesitantly.
"Like me, then. What did they do?"
"My dad didn't do anything. He's dead."
Her statement was a slap in the face. He hadn't been expecting that at all.
"I'm sorry, Jamie, I didn't mean to upset you in any way. I'll shut up now."
"It's okay. It happened some years ago. I'm over it."
He begged to differ, but decided to not say anything that would dig himself a bigger hole.
"I take it your mum didn't handle it very well."
"No, but she deserved to lose him. I hate her."
She inwardly scolded herself for effortlessly telling him something she always kept in the deepest parts of her.
Why is it so easy to tell him things? Just keep your mouth shut, Jamie!
"Let's talk about something else, something not so depressing," he suggested.
She was grateful to hear him say it so that she didn't need to. And after having a crush on him for a year, the subject popped pretty quickly into her mind. "Okay...why do you wanna get to know me anyway?"
"I've…seen you around school, thought it would be nice to have an actual conversation with you."
"That's vague."
"I know," he said, an endearing smile tugging at one side of his mouth.
She laughed a little. "Maybe it would be nice," she replied softly.
She was amazed at how comfortable she felt talking to him. How the stress of her childhood had faded a little with his velvety voice. So, for the first time during their conversation, she looked directly into his eyes. His intense stare sent a thousand butterflies into her stomach, causing her mouth to dry. She was at a loss for words as they continued looking into each other's eyes, both keeping silent out of shyness, but neither looking away, either.
He spoke first. "What?"
She forced her timid hand to hold his, wondering if she was making a big mistake. His touch was warm, mystically soothing yet exhilarating, so she held it a little tighter, interlocking their fingers.
"You wanted conversation…you tell me."
Chapter Eight
April had had enough of hearing Sam and Eva whispering and chuckling together, so she strode to the large window that overlooked the field. She peeked through the long, grey curtain that covered the window and breathed in relief when seeing nothing there. However, the thought of a monster spotting her chilled her to the bones and she withdrew her hand. She reached out, grabbing the curtain before it could fall back into place. Something had caught her eye.
A man wearing a long, black trench coat stood under a tree across the field, leaning against the trunk. The branches hung so low that they would have concealed his face if they were two feet longer. He suddenly looked directly at her, made a cut-throat gesture, then pointed at her and smiled. She was so freaked out that she couldn't bring herself to look away.
Suddenly, a bang distracted her and she looked at the door leading to the hallway. When she looked back, the man was gone.
Sam ran and pushed another table against the canteen door, then pulled Eva by the hand towards the kitchen. April followed, the pulse in her fingertips stinging her skin. When April entered the kitchen, Zachery was handing Sam a knife and she stood in front of the counter where knives of various lengths sat in a row.
"They're trying to come through the main door," April said. "From the sound of it, there's definitely more than one."
April took two large knives without any prompting when she saw Sam putting a couple more in his trouser pocket. She peered through the little circular glass window in the kitchen door. The tables were jerking more and more forward and she couldn't breathe. Zachery's voice near her ear forced air into her lungs.
"What now?" he asked, looking over April's shoulder through the window. "There's no door in here we can leave through."
"I say you and I go out there. The girls can stay here," Sam told him.
"Sure, but if there's more than two?"
"Then the girls can help," Sam replied.
"I can take care of myself," April said firmly. "I don't need your protection or your macho chivalry."
They were all staring at her in surprise. Or maybe respect, she couldn't tell. They either respected her bravery or were surprised that she knew a word such as chivalry. In case it was the latter, she narrowed her eyes.
"We hide under the tables and sneak up behind them once they bash through. If there's more than three, Jamie and Eva can help," April said to Zachery and Sam.
"And assuming we're not all dead by then, where do we go once they're taken care of?" Eva asked.
"To the roof," Jamie replied. "I know the code. Hopefully the monster teachers will have forgotten it."
The tables squeaking along the floor made Sam, April and Zachery run out and take their hiding place. April's heart bashed against her chest, but sh
e took a deep breath and told herself to remain calm. As the door finally opened, two monsters entered, snarling.
April knelt, waiting, pulse racing. She was stupid. Stupid to be so proud and demand to be there when she would have rather been hiding in the kitchen. Sweat dripped past her brow to the floor, making her squeeze her eyes shut for a second.
Two monsters were halfway across the canteen and she edged out to see if there were any more coming. Luckily there weren't. She closed the doors as quietly as possible, but pushing the tables towards them made the monsters turn. She had forgotten how disgusting these things were.
And how horrifying.
Sam and Zachery were behind the monsters, ready to stab them, so she pushed the tables to the door to ensure nothing else could come in. They simultaneously stabbed each monster in the back, and she could see the fear and remorse in both of their eyes. It was bad enough just watching the knives plunge into her former teachers, and she hoped that she wouldn't ever need to do the same, even if the monsters were trying to eat them.
The air was filled with panic. Instead of getting hurt, the monsters spun around, growling and clawing at the air. They lunged for Sam and Zachery, but they lurched backwards and ran behind some tables near the kitchen door.
"That did nothing!" Zachery shouted, staring at Sam with huge eyes.
April snuck up behind a monster and whacked a chair across its back. It fell forwards to the ground. Sam rushed to it and stabbed it in its head. The monster in front of Zachery pushed the table with force, trying to grab him. Zachery fell backwards and hit his head on the wall behind him. He lay there, unconscious.
April smacked the chair on that monster's back to distract it. It worked. It followed her as she ran across the room, almost crying. Jamie and Eva rushed out to help, though Eva couldn't stop tears from falling down her cheeks as she stabbed the monster going after April in its neck. When it turned to Eva, Jamie stabbed it in the head and kicked it hard. It fell to the floor, its arms lashing out in retaliation and Eva screamed when it almost took hold of her cardigan. April's stomach began turning, but she sprinted to help Jamie and they both stabbed it again. Sweat coated their already grimacing faces, but now the three of them continued to attack without pause.