There’s a cluster of zombies down the hall groaning excitedly about something. I slow my pace but Felecia barely looks twice at the poor soul perched atop the lockers. She’s right, we need to leave. Now. But how can I ignore someone in trouble? How can I walk away? If it were me trapped on top of the lockers, I’d want someone to give me a hand. How the hell did he get up there anyway?
“Leave him.” Her hand gently touches my arm in a way that makes me want to follow her every command.
“We can’t. Felecia, he needs our help.”
“What’s more important, his life, or ours?”
“Where would we be,” I ask, pointing back and forth between us with the bottle of perfume, “if we didn’t help each other? He needs us.”
“I’m leaving. Thank you, but I’m not hanging around here. Not for him. And you shouldn’t either.”
I ignore her and continue down the hall, knowing I’m doing the right thing. There must be ten of them. The kid turns his head and we make eye contact. I stop moving and look back at Felecia. I get it now, the kid on top of the lockers is Blake, Felecia’s asshole of an ex-boyfriend.
When I heard about their breakup, I laughed. Now I feel kinda guilty about it. He cheated on her with her best friend, getting the girl pregnant in the process. He’s a senior, graduating in a few months but this year must have been extremely awkward for them. Now that I think about it, it must have been torture to see her boyfriend and best friend walking the halls holding hands, showing off sonograms of their future child. Felecia always seemed strong but I see it now, this whole situation’s been killing her. Is it really worth risking not only my life but hers as well?
Too late. They’ve spotted me. I hold out the bottle of perfume and the Bunsen burner, ready to ignite whatever gets in my way. We should have left him. I don’t feel quite as brave now that I know I’m not slowly dying.
In a split second decision, I turn to face Felecia.
“Run!”
I don’t need to tell her twice. She spins around and sprints toward the stairwell. I can hear the footsteps behind me, gaining on me, I can’t run as fast as I’d like. The water from the sprinklers has turned the hallway into one giant slip n’ slide. The water mixes with blood and other bodily fluids, making it all that much more treacherous. She’s fast but I could easily shoot right past her and save myself. I don’t. I don’t even entertain the thought for more than a passing second. She’s running as fast as she can without slipping. Them, they don’t care if they fall. But us, our lives depend on it.
She stops abruptly and slides across the wet tiles. I know that can’t mean anything good. We’re maybe twenty feet from the stairs, something just had to go wrong.
CHAPTER 14
Mr. Adams emerges from the stairwell, bursting through the door head first, arms still bound behind his back with the flag Shane wrapped around him. My heart’s racing even faster than it has been, all he has to do is bite me and I’m done for. I can’t let him get Felecia either. If I didn’t insist on saving her ex then we’d be outside by now.
I rush past her. My foot slides on the pool of reddish water as I lift my other leg out in front of me. It connects with my teacher’s stomach. I spray him with the perfume immediately. The flame combusts before I even get it close to him. Unfortunately I’m not limber enough to do a backbend while trying to avoid the fireball and as a result fall flat on my ass. The flaming zombie hovers above me but it’s too late for him. The smell of his burning hair makes me gag. Felecia turns away, holding her stomach.
I jump to my feet as Mr. Adams’ flaming body topples into the doorway. They’re coming at us from down the hall and I can distinctly make out the sound of more groaning and footsteps coming up the stairs. There’s a herd of them. They must smell us.
The flesh on my teacher’s forearm is rubbed raw, right down to the bone. They didn’t infect him, he infected himself. He scrubbed their blood from his arm hairs until he broke skin. He didn’t turn due to mere contact, he forced the infection into his own bloodstream. I need to find Norwood to let him know.
I finally understand why they weren’t coming after me. I wasn’t turning into a zombie, I just smelled like one. Their blood was all over me, they must have picked up that scent and not even realized I was human. They knew when they saw me but they couldn’t tell by my scent alone. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing, it means all their senses are still intact.
Forced to think quickly, I hand the perfume and burner to Felecia. She takes them without question as I peel my shirt off over my head before taking them back. The top of the bottle breaks off easily. I can practically feel Felecia cringe as I pour half of it over my shirt. She must know what I have in mind because she squeals a little and backs up.
My eyes lock onto Mr. Adams’ burning body. The frontline of bloodthirsty savages emerges over the precipice of the stairwell. I wait. They reach the melting carcass of my former teacher in the doorway. Felecia taps her foot anxiously. It’s time. I toss my perfume covered shirt at his flaming remains.
The doorway erupts in a blaze, lighting the incoming zombies on fire. The glass doors shatter, blanketing the floor in diamond-like shards. It’ll be harder to get down the stairs now, but at least we won’t have swarms of undead high schoolers coming from both directions.
I turn at the sound of Felecia’s scream. By the time my eyes find her, she’s holding both burners and melting someone’s face off. The flames seem to be enough to keep him away but I kick myself for not moving faster. I should be there to protect her. She shouldn’t have to be doing this.
I jump over and splash his bubbling skin, causing a small fireball to engulf his head. He collapses in a heap while Felecia holds out one of the burners for me to take, her face white as a ghost. It’s not until she bends over and pukes that I realize the fireball didn’t engulf the zombie’s head, it completely liquefied it.
I rest my hand on her back as she coughs up the last of her breakfast but never take my eyes off the zombies running towards us. She needs a second to collect herself and I’ll give her all the time I can. I’d be puking right about now if I hadn’t already thrown up everything in my system. I rub my hand around her back gently and hope she understands I’m trying to comfort her and not make her feel awkward. She just witnessed someone’s face melt off right in front of her eyes, I doubt her nightmares will ever be the same again.
I want to stay here and console her but two of them are coming straight towards us, the rest stayed back at the lockers trying to get Blake. By the looks of it, they may very well succeed. Those bastards are climbing over one another to get to him. I can’t worry about Felecia’s dickhead of an ex-boyfriend, I need to save the two of us. My hand finally leaves her back.
I run at them and jump in the air at the last second, extending my foot out to the side. It connects with the first one’s chest and sends him flying back. I know there’s no way I can hit this landing, the floor’s way too slippery. Maybe I should have thought out this whole jumping karate kick thing. What the hell do I think I am, a ninja?
My feet slide out from under me the second I land, knocking the wind from my lungs. I was expecting that so at least it didn’t catch me off guard. My arms stretch out on opposite sides of me so the flame doesn’t hit the bottle and explode right in my face. I must look like I’m making snow angels in the soggy ashes of my fallen classmates.
The other one is close, an arm’s length away. I pour the perfume on her feet when she bends over to grab me. The glowing blue light scorches her jeans, bursting into flames on contact while I roll away. The fire won’t kill her but it’ll certainly stop her from walking.
The one I kicked is crouching on his hands and knees, sights set on Felecia who appears to have finished puking her guts out. Before he can get up, I douse the back of his head and light him on fire. Burning hair smells the worst but I don’t have much choice. A kick to the back of his knees sends him down before he can stand up completely. With any luck, he
won’t be a threat anymore.
I run to Felecia’s side as she stands upright and lifts her head to the ceiling, letting the sprinklers wash any remaining bits of vomit from her face. I don’t have the heart to tell her that she got some on her shirt. If we make it out alive, I’ll get her a new one.
“Shit!”
Her scream catches me off guard, she must have just realized she barfed on herself. Any other day, it would have made me laugh, today, I just want to hold her and tell her it’ll be alright. Wait, what the hell is she doing? Why is she taking off her shirt? Not that I’m complaining. It’s already ripped and stained with blood, does the fresh puke really make it any worse?
“Noah, the perfume!”
I hand her the bottle while following her finger toward the stairs, the pile of flaming zombies is dying out, a few of them are trying to climb over the stack. She noticed just in time. The sprinklers must have put out the flames. She tosses her once white shirt at the doorway and I throw my Bunsen burner a second later. They collide in midair, exploding into a ball of fire before crashing into the zombie pig pile.
I look back at Felecia to thank her but get a little flustered. She’s standing in front of me in her strapless bra, water pouring down her incredible body. I can make out her nipples through the fabric. How can I think about sex at a time like this? Besides, I hate her, so stop looking. But god she is sexy.
“Noah, my eyes are up here. Those are my tits. You still sure you don’t want a picture to jerk off to?”
“Sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Just so we’re clear, you did not see me spew chunks all over myself. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Okay. Thanks for rubbing my back.”
“Anytime.” I say it so seriously that we both just stand there for a second, staring at each other. It looks like she’s about to cry, but with all this water I can’t actually tell. I didn’t necessarily say it to be nice, it just came out. Why lie or try to cover up what you’re thinking when you could die any second?
“Well, while we’re here, do you have a plan to get him down from there?”
I look to the pack of zombies still trying to climb their way up to Blake. I don’t have a plan, at least not a good one. We’d be better off running but the burning pile of bodies is blocking our path.
“Okay,” I say, the wheels turning, “if I can get them to follow me, I’ll run in the opposite direction, you get him down, then I’ll run back.”
“Okay, maybe I should have clarified. Do you have a plan that isn’t fucking retarded?”
“I’m faster than them, I can outrun ’em.”
“We’re not risking your life to save his,” she says, pointing in Blake’s direction without taking her eyes off mine. “That piece of shit isn’t even close to worth it.”
“We can’t just leave him there.”
“Uggh. Fine, what do we do when I get him down?”
“I’m hoping the fire will be out by then,” I say, nodding in the direction of the stairwell. “I already broke through the front door, if we can get downstairs, we can get out.”
“You could have left?”
I don’t really say anything, just kind of stare at her. I mean, what do I say? I was going to let her stay out there, I actually thought it served her right, but I had a change of heart last minute. I can’t exactly say that, it sounds awful. And now I’m glad I saved her. I would do it again, and again, and again. I just don’t know why.
“I can’t believe you did that for me. I’ve been awful to you.” She shakes her head and fans her eyes, this time I know she’s crying, even if just a little. “Let’s save him and get out of here. I swear to freakin’ god, Noah, you better be able to outrun them. I will be so mad at you if you don’t make it, and you do not want to be on my bad list.”
“Believe me, I know.”
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it, it’s not important right now.”
“If you’re gonna be running down that way anyway, look.” She points to the little glass door that houses the emergency axe and fire extinguisher. It’s quite a ways down but I’ll need to give her as much time as possible to get Blake’s dumb ass off the lockers.
I know this is stupid, but I can’t leave the guy up there. He’s always been nice to me. Felecia smiles, not in a happy way, it’s like nothing I could ever describe. She’s thanking me, wishing me luck, apologizing, telling me I better not die, that I better not let her die, that this is stupid and brilliant all at the same time.
I exhale deeply. Inhale, hold it in. Then run.
In a matter of seconds I’ll be close enough for them to smell me, the sprinklers have washed off most of the blood that once covered my body. I’m careful not to run too fast, I need them all to notice me. The axe will come in handy but I’m still too weak to swing it with one hand. The extinguisher is more important, I need to put out those flames in case the sprinklers don’t.
All seven of them turn to face me the second I skid to a stop, hydroplaning over the slick tiles. I fight every instinct not to keep running, I need them all to chase me if this is going to work. It doesn’t take long. I’ll be an easier meal than the one on the ceiling.
They make their way towards me. My heart beats faster with every passing second. They’re only a few feet away. I turn and run.
CHAPTER 15
No weapon. No place left to run.
I stop abruptly and slide across the slimy floor. It’s not until I’m a few feet from the glass case that I realize it’s already been shattered. My heart goes into panic mode. Without the fire extinguisher, I don’t know how we’re going to get out of here and now I have a group of zombies on my tail. I could find another exit, there’s tons of them, but even if I were to make it, there’s no guarantee someone will have broken the glass. I don’t have that kind of time to waste. Besides, that would involve leaving Felecia behind and no matter how many times I tell myself I don’t care, I do.
The shattered pieces of crystal-like casing that coat the floor give my feet the tiniest bit of traction needed to break my slide. I slam into the wall to keep my balance. The impact is enough to jar my insides but I maintain my composure and shake it off.
Oh thank god. The axe is gone but the fire extinguisher is still here. A quick sigh of relief fogs up the remaining bits of glass around my holy grail. It detaches from the wall easily, a little heavier than I expected. If I have to, I can use it as a weapon.
Blake’s down from the lockers. I’m more than a little surprised by Felecia’s willingness to help. I bet she still harbors feelings for him, regardless of what he did. At the end of her sophomore year they were the perfect couple, when she returned a junior, he was with her pregnant best friend. It hasn’t even been a year.
My heart threatens to pound its way out of my chest while standing here, waiting until the last second. The pack of hungry students are only a few feet away, we’ll need all the time we can get to put out the flames and make it downstairs. Even through the water from the sprinklers I can feel the sweat on my palms as they hold on to the red canister for dear life. My muscles tense up. If those things get much closer they’ll be touching me.
My foot pushes off the wall and I sprint forward, straight across the hallway. After a few short steps I turn and crash into the lockers on the opposite side of the hall, hitting harder than I intended but it got me out of harm’s way. If I have the privilege of waking up tomorrow, I’ll be feeling that one.
My body aimed towards Felecia and Blake, I make a run for it. I hold the extinguisher close to my body with my left arm and use my right to steady myself on the lockers. If the floor wasn’t so slippery I’d have lost them by now. I don’t have time to look back and see what the pack is doing, all I know is they didn’t get me. They’re probably slipping as much as I am.
Felecia spins around to face me when they get to the flaming doorway, almost falling in the process. I can see her shaking from down the hall. Her lips are
moving and if the blaring fire alarm would shut the hell up, I think I’d hear her repeating ‘come on’ over and over again. Her hands motion for me to keep moving. I can’t tell if that’s a good thing or not. All I can picture is them inches behind me, their gnarled claws of death so close I’d be able to feel their warmth if there were any to be felt. The ice cold blood pumping through their veins sends chills throughout my body.
Blake holds out his hands as I get closer. I toss him the fire extinguisher while still running. The second it leaves my hands I regret my decision. If he doesn’t catch it, it could fall and break. I wish I tossed it to Felecia. It’s strange that I trust a girl I hate more than I trust him. Let’s hope I’m not justified in my reluctance.
He makes the catch like a pro and turns it on the burning pile without a moment’s hesitation. They’re stacked a few high, blocking half the entrance. There must be twenty bodies lying there, maybe more, it’s hard to tell when they’re burnt beyond recognition.
By the time I stop running and slide across the bloody puddles, he’s already put out most of the flames. White mist fills the air but through it I can see Felecia holding out her hands for me. She gets in my way as I slide closer and catches me in her arms. I don’t know what this is about but I’m glad she stopped me before I went skidding into the broken glass and burnt bodies. Her hands shoot to my face and press against my cheeks.
“This is not happening again.” Her voice quivers and although I’m not quite sure what she’s talking about, she means it.
I nod, which appears to be enough for her because she lets go and turns toward the stairwell. The pack of seven are a little ways down the hall but much closer than I’d like. We can’t risk crawling over the pile for numerous reasons, the remaining flames being the least of our worries. If those scorched carcasses aren’t completely dead, they’ll bite. And even if they don’t, their blood is everywhere, we can’t risk getting infected. All it’d take is one cut from the broken glass.
Blood Type Infected (Book 1): No Future For Man Page 9