Young Writers Society

Aurora Jacobs

I led Abigail away from that monster and up the stairs. We had to get to the roof. It appeared to be the only safe place left in the school. Of course the Margay followed us and shouted "Hurry now! Hurry now! Remain calm and head up in an orderly fashion!" As if anybody was listening to him.

I tried to herd some of the younger students to the roof as we went. I caught sight of Aaron, he was trying to fight off a horde of zombies by himself and he was drenched in blood. In one look I tried to let him know my gratitude and also my fear. I smiled weakly and led the other kids to safety.

The people who were already on the roof seemed to be having an argument about what was going on. Before I could think much about it Aaron came barreling in from behind me and barricaded the door.

Immediately the group started shouting about all the blood on his clothing. They insisted he strip to show he was not bitten. I grimaced at that thought of having to get naked in front of other people and I gasped aloud when he actually did it revealing his scars.
I let a few tears run down my face quietly as I considered what I was seeing.

"Satisfied?" he asked quietly.

"We need to make sure no one has been bitten!"
"What if someone’s been bit?"

Nobody offered a response to that question.

"Everybody strip down! We can't risk someone up here turning into one of those things!" Somebody shouts.

Mr. Jameson's eyes flash and he yells back. “You heard me! Now take off your clothes!”

I stare at the Margay in horror, unsure of what to do. The others follow his orders and began to strip. Reluctantly I turned toward Abigail who was the closest person to me and I frowned.

"I hate this," I groaned and began to strip. I quickly removed and replaced each article of clothing while she inspected me. I did the same for her, then we stood in silence. I couldn't help but stare at her. I had always liked and admired her but now I could think of nothing to say. It's the end of the world it doesn't really matter what I say, and yet it all seems to matter more now.

I sighed and turned back to my arguing classmates. She doesn't even know me anyway I told myself.

"What do we do know?", someone asked.
"I need to go home", someone shouted, panicking.
"No one goes home!", Mr. Jameson said, "We have to stick together"
"Stick together? I don't know any of you", someone replied aggressively.
"We need food and water", someone shouted.

I turned down my hearing aids, I was done with all the screaming. Big mistake.
I moved to adjust the volume again but nothing changed.

No No No NO No No No NO!!!!!!!!

They were stuck. I pulled them out and inspected them, the tubing was twisted.

I breathed a sigh of relief. It was an easily fixable problem.

I put them back in and the yelling continued.
Lucky me.

Esher

After being checked for bites, and deemed clear, I make my way over to the edge of the rooftop, sitting down and watching the carange below. People are running around, screaming. Most of the shuffling creatures following them seem less interested in the screams, moving toward the city itself where louder sounds prevail. One is stuck against a fence, trying to push through it, snapping at the wire. Another one is biting onto a door, dragging it's bloodied nails down the wood. That could have been me. One of those blind monstrous things could have been me. Yet I'm alive, and sane.

I hear a soft gasp beside me and turn to watch as a girl sits down beside me, her short brown hair falling over her face. She brushes the strands behind her ear and turns to look at me. Her eyes are wide, and lost. It's like she watched someone die. Saw someone she knew as one of those creatures. Her eyes are haunted, mirroring my own. The same as everyone on the roof. I narrow my eyes, not wanting to share my emotions.

"I, um ..." Her voice trembles slightly, and she takes a breath before continuing. "Where do you think those things came from? It doesn't seem real that all this could happen so suddenly."

Her questions surprise me. Rational. Focused. Directed at me. She's asking me what I think? I didn't sound like an expert on this when I said they hunt by sound. Althiugh any information is better than none. I hope I don't seem like a beacon of hope to people. I want to get as far away from here as possible.

"I don't have the answers," I admit, sighing. My voice sounds hollow, even to my own ears. Almost as though I've given up. I haven't yet. "And the only chance we have at survival, for now, is observing them. The blind people."

"But they just ... Changed. It can't be real," her voice cracks. She takes a sharp breath, realing in her emotions. I look at her, and she returns my stare. "You said you study animals. Biology. What do you think these creatures are?"

I almost smile. A challenge. I sift through my knowledge of what I know. "They are still human," I turn my gaze to the creatures below. "And they hunt by sound. They are also focused solely on hunting." The girl shudders. "However, if you look down there," I point to the creature attacking the door relentlessly, almost pulling it from its hinges, "that one doesn't quite realise it's trying to eat wood. So either they go for anything that will make sound, the instinct to eat stronger than anything else, or," I lick my lips, focusing on the creature pushing against the fence, "or they can't feel."

The girl is silent for a long moment. Then, "What about fighting them?"

"I don't know, but ..." Something comes to mind. These creatures are just too much like ... Like zombies. They can't be the undead, it doesn't work that way. Maybe a disease has taken a hold of them. A virus, destroying their bodies, their minds, driving them to eat and eat, focusing on sound. Much like a zombie.

"But?" The girl presses.

My older brother, the younger of the three, was obsessed with horror movies. He would draw horrific creatures you'd hope to never see in your nightmares, drawing inspiration from those stupid movies he'd watch. Zombies, Aliens, ghosts. Obviously he had a lot of time on his hands, since he only ran track, and trained twice a week. So he spent that time drawing and watching movies and collecting things. A figurine from a movie - Alien I think it's called - sitting on his shelf. Above it, a poster. 'Suvival Guide: Zombies'. Something so trivial and pointless. I remember glancing over it. I growl with frustration, wishing I'd read through it more extensively.

"A sharp blow to the head," I murmur.

"Pardon?" The girl asks.

"To kill them, a sharp blow to the head," I bite my bottom lip, focusing. "And Fire. Fire ... Doesn't kill them. They can't swim, but they don't drown either," I can feel adrenalin rushing through my body as I recall these once useless sentences, now life savers. "I mean, I cant say for certain, but why not assume so?"

"Like ... Like zombies?" The girl blanches.

"Let's not call them that," I narrow my eyes. "They are a work of fiction. These creatures aren't the undead, risen from graves by a full moon and a burst of lightning."

Despite the situation, she chuckles. It's such a sad sound, so flat and dry. "That's very specific," she points out.

"I know," I glower at my feet.

We sit in silence for a moment. The chatter behind us grows louder as a party is organised to go down and search for supplies. A death sentence. Also my only chance to escape. Not yet. I wouldn't even make it out of the school, unless I could move without making a sound.

"I wish I was on the track field," the girl beside me says forlornly. "I wish I was running."

The corners of my lips flutter, but I force down the smile. Running. Freedom. Feet gliding over the ground as your own speed takes you home, or away from home, or away from your problems. Much like riding a horse, only they are faster.

"I miss my horse," I admit softly. "I miss riding through the forest, following deer tracks. Or running the cross country course with my brother, standing in the field as my other brother plays cricket, and racing down the sidelines as my oldest brother plays football."

"Wow, that sounds like an exciting past time," the girl laughs.

"I suppose it is," I look down at the ground. So far away. A painful death. I shake my head and sit up straight, reining in my emotions. "But no use thinking about it now." My voice sounds cold, harsh, like ice.

"I'm Izzy, by the way," the girl says, offering her hand.

I stare at it for a moment. Making friends when everyone could die at any moment. No. I look away, before sighing and turn back to her, softly holding her hand as I shake it. She smiles warmly at me, patiently waiting for my name. People and their customs.

"Esher," I tell her.

"Nice to meet you Esher," she says, her tone warm. Interesting.

I retract my hand gingerly. I resist the urge to wipe it on my pants. "Yeah," is all I say.

"So what should we do now?" Izzy asks.

"Wait," I tell her. My lips spread into a flat line as I scour the court below. "And then leave."

"Where to?" She leans forward a little, looking at the ground below.

"Someplace away from here," I bite back the harsh words that would have followed. "Away from civilisation."

Now I'm really wishing I'd taken those survival classes with my older brothers. Instead I spent my afternoons riding and tracking animals through the forest. Survival in the wilderness would definitely come in handy right about now. And some fighting skills. Self defence. Mum pushed me away from that, saying ladies don't fight. Thanks Mum, now I'm practically useless.

With a sigh, I mull over the skills I do possess, and sort out which ones will be helpful over the next few weeks.

Carlos Valdez

Carlos stood as still as he could while Charlie checked him for bites. He was shaky, like all of them were, and he was afraid of what would possibly happen if he'd been bitten. He couldn't recall a bite, but then again, he couldn't recall a lot of things about the last fifteen minutes.

The only thing he could remember clearly was crippling fear for his brother. His hope was ebbing. Every bit of logic he had told him that his brother most probably hadn't made it. Little fifteen-year-old Leo was likely gone, painfully and brutally.

Charlie finally finished checking and declared him clear.

"Thanks," Carlos smiled. He wanted to say something more, something to reassure either himself, or the girl, but instead kept silent. "I'm, uh, going to go and look for my brother..."

Carlos smiled again and left, winding his way between the people stripping to search for bites. He did not intend to do the same. His brother would most probably be unmistakable in this crowd - an awkward-but-popular Hispanic boy with flamboyant hair and a paint-covered t-shirt.

He could see no such boy.

"Shit..."

"What's wrong? You're not bitten, are you?"

He spun around to look at the kid who'd spoken. A ginger boy, who'd drawn a nervous audience with his audacious suggestion.

"What? Oh, no. I've already checked, you... see..." Carlos trailed off when his eyes fell on the two huge dogs sat at the boy's sides. One German Shepherd, an unmistakable demon of the police, and the other was something he couldn't recognise. It had a square muzzle and a primitive face. They sat panting like lions, tongues lolling as if they were lounging in the African savannah.

He could glimpse their teeth with every exhale. Bright, sharp, and perfect. He'd never forget what it felt like to have those jaws around his face, shaking and tugging and never letting go. A cold flush slid down his spine.

"How do you know? We haven't checked!" Someone shouted.

"I'm not bitten!" Carlos shouted back, "I'm looking for my brother, that's all!"

The dogs growled at his outburst. The boy looked up and eyed him. He looked less friendly this time.

"Please don't let them go."

"I won't. They're just chilling." He didn't make much of a move to stop them from growling. "So, what's your brother called?"

"His name is Leo." Carlos said, "he looks like me, but shorter and with better hair..."

He shook his head. Carlos looked desperately around the others, who all shook their heads. Their seemingly ceaseless shouting had stopped. They believed in his humanity, and his pain. They knew what Carlos feared.

Leo, I'm sorry.

She forced a smile at Carlos as he left, and then stood awkwardly in the crowd of students, all in different stages of undress. She didn't know what to do, not really. Charlie was a good student, she was clever, she was good at following rules and telling teachers what they wanted to hear. She needed guidance, she needed other people to open conversation, she needed authority. The world had just been plunged into chaos, and she'd been rocketed out of her comfort zone.

Charlie naturally shuffled in the direction of Mr Jameson. He was the only teacher there, so she figured he'd be in charge. But he was her least favourite teacher. Everyone knew about his 'secrets' and 'hobbies'. So she moved a little closer to a Aaron, who had just thrown his bloodied clothes over the edge. He'd been brave, told her what to do. Maybe he would lead them. Or Esher, who seemed the most knowledgable about what was happening. Or the guy with those dogs who might've been related to Cerberus. Charlie scoffed at herself. There she was, at the end of the world, and she was recalling stuff she'd learned in history class.

She stepped on something, and reached down to find a crushed soda can underfoot. Charlie held the rubbish and stroked her finger along the sharp edge, brainstorming ways to turn it into a weapon against those... things. If someone could just guide her, tell her what to do, she could be so useful.

"Listen up!" A deep, authoritative voice shouted. She couldn't see who, the crowds were blocking her view. "We need to think long-term now! I want to form a scavenger party to go find food!"

She dug her nails into the can, denting it. She felt her heart racing. She was clever, she could do that, maybe. If there were people with her. She shuffled towards the voice, pushing past her bare-skinned peers. Finally, she saw who was speaking.

Aaron Marshall

Having just tossed his clothing over the side he sighed as there were still people staring at his scars. When Mr. Jameson began demanding that everyone begin stripping down he grit his teeth. The freak was just satisfying his own desires.

"A better way would have been guys checking guys and girls checking girls separately," Aaron growled to himself. His eye turned to the city. Pillars of smoke rising from fires throughout the populace and even with their dire situation, his thoughts were only on his mother. Was she alive? Was she safe? Or was she one of those....

NO! he chastised himself. Don't starting thinking like that.

Looking over the roof he sighed. There was a large group of students and Mr. Jameson. Things did not look good. It was simple facts with at without water they wouldn't last three days. That didn't include starvation and exposure to help things along. Already he his skin was prickled with goose bumps from just being in his his boxers.

People were already arguing over what needed to be done. Staying there or leaving to find help. Calling the police or the national guard. All of that didn't matter if they couldn't survive a few days. Best case scenario would be a rescue in a week....maybe.

"We need supplies," Aaron said to himself. Truth be told, he just wanted to leave and find his mother. But he couldn't just leave these people here without any chance of survival.

Moving to an air conditioning unit so that he was able to stand up a little higher, he cleared his throat and spoke. "Listen up!" he said in the best confident voice he could muster. "I want to form a scavenger party to go find food!"

The group of students slowly turned to him. Once again he felt self-conscious about people staring at his scars but he forced passed it. "Simple survival facts. The human body cannot go more than three days without water. We can try to collect rain water in the future but it was supposed to be clear skies for the next week. We also need food to keep up our strength and blankets to keep us warm at night. Maybe some tents to protect us from exposure. There is a super store just three blocks away from the school."

"Such an astute observation!" Mr. Jameson said stepping through the crowd. He stopped right in front of Aaron as if to give him praise. Aaron's eyes narrowed as the man began speaking with that silver tongue. "I would expect nothing less from such a gifted young man. But tell me. Do you expect everyone here to stand a chance of survival in the streets with those monstrosities? I witnessed you heroically fight off those creatures as your fellow students rushed to safety. You have training in methods to protect yourself. But look to these scared and helpless students..." Mr. Jameson waved his hand toward just a few of the students who were enamored with the way Jameson was speaking. He slowly moved toward them his hands slipping around the shoulders of two girls. "These dear students do not have the same strength that you do. Would you send them out to be fed to the creatures beneath our feet?"

"I never said this was a draft," Aaron growled. "Nor was I going to suggest sending someone out to do something that I wouldn't do myself. My idea...I'll be the first to volunteer. But I will need help..."

Aaron looked to the other students trying to make them understand. "By myself I can carry maybe a hundred pounds of supplies. Not nearly enough to make even a dent in the amount that we will need to survive. But if a small group were to come with me then we could get food, water, shelter, maybe even a few weapons to defend ourselves from whatever these things are. I can't do this alone. I need your help..."

Aaron began looking around. All he saw in the eyes staring back at him was fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of death. Fear of becoming one of the shambling corpses. He had hoped that volunteering himself would have given others even a small amount of courage to go with him, but people just turned away from his glance. In the middle of all this....he felt alone.

"Will no one help?" he asked in a soft voice.

Tom Suctliffe

"Will no one help?" Aaron asked in a soft voice.

There was silence. Everyone shifted uncomfortably, Tom included. He looked from one dog to the other. They'd protected him before, but that had been against a drunkard. This was different. He ran a hand through Balto's fur.

He couldn't leave these people to thirst to death, could he? He'd come this far, he'd screwed himself over this much by coming back in to help them - or, at least, trying to help them. His dogs were most probably the best chance they had - he didn't know many people who would willingly attack zombies with their bare hands for the good of others.

Tom sighed.

"I'll help. Balto and Kai are protection dogs..." Tom patted each dog to reassure them, "they can come, and hopefully protect us."

He walked up to stand beside Aaron and face the rest of the rabble with the hopes of guilt-tripping them into joining him. He didn't want to go in a group of two - less eyes to watch out for zombies. Of course, the dogs would listen, too.

There was only one problem: the first thing they were trained to do was to bark. It warded off almost every human, but he feared it wouldn't have the same effect on the zombies. He'd trained them to sshh!, of course, but they were excitable at times. Balto was neurotic, and Kai was a stubborn, boar-headed donkey. It was his own fault - his parents had warned against trying to train a fearful shepherd and an akita to protect. He hadn't listened, and he'd struggled for three years while they learnt the ins and outs of protection work.

"Dogs, sit," Tom said, smiling to himself as they sat. "Good dogs. See? They're well-trained, I promise."

They were also fearless. He had faith that even Balto would jump in front of a bullet to save him. It was unfortunate, then, that the zombies didn't wield guns.

"Will no one help?" Aaron said, sounding hopeless.

Charlie was at the front of the crowd now. She wanted to step forward more than anything, but she couldn't make herself. She was still too scared and unsure. She needed more assurance.

That assurance arrived when Tom came into view, his two hellhounds flanking him. Him and Aaron, plus two loyal beasts who were probably more effective fighters than a small army.

With them to protect her, Charlotte could get into shops and houses easily. She was confident she could pick locks, having paid attention in tech when the teacher had actually explained how the mechanisms worked. And she was already brainstorming ways they could transport the loot- backpacks wouldn't be big enough. They could chain trolleys together, maybe, or hotwire a delivery truck. She chuckled to herself, feeling confident for once, as she imagined them pushing a dumpster full of supplies down the road. That was silly though, dumpsters were too heavy.

The crowd was getting restless, someone else was going to step forwards. Now was her chance. Charlie had to go now while she had the courage, and before anyone else took her place. As Aaron and Tom shook hands, she willed her feet to move forwards.

"Me." A couple kids looked to her, but no one else. Charlie realised she'd spoken too quietly. She cleared her throat and mustered up the loud voice she'd used in the hallway. "ME!"

"Excellent," Aaron said, nodding in thanks.

Charlie smiled and stood near the pair. One of the dogs, Balto, raised its snout at her. She held out her fist for him to smell. Charlie wasn't going to risk petting it yet, not until they'd become better acquainted. He didn't seem to mind her, though. The dog turned around, satisfied, and settled back down by its master.

Aaron turned back to the crowd and said, "Anyone else?"

Kurieitā

Kurieitā walked over to the other students unsure what they were talking about. "... we could get food, water, shelter, maybe even a few weapons to defend ourselves from whatever these things are. I can't do this alone. I need your help..." A student from the crowd spoke up. "Will no one help?" The boy asked desperately.

Kurieitā stood back, interested to see who would volunteer for such an expedition. Her curiosity was satisfied when another boy with two dogs walked up to him. He took a moment to introduce his dogs, and claimed that they're both protection dogs. However, Kurieitā could see a glimmer of uncertainty in his eyes. She dismissed it though as the dogs followed his commands. After him there was a girl who has long blonde hair and blue eyes.

Kurieitā cleared her throat and walked closer to the group. "I-I'll go too." She said stammering, not being used to talking to so many people at once. "I think I may know a way down from here, if you were wondering about that too..."

Asklova
Asklova just stood in silence. Everyone seemed to be bonding over this terrible happening, except for her. Must be because she was foreign or something. Hm, whatever. She wouldn't allow herself to be bothered by that. She held her chin high and turned around to walk to the edge of the building. She looked down at the hundreds of bodies walking around, many of them former students. She didn't know who was still alive but she highly doubted that a lot of people were.

She glanced back. The boy, Aaron, was organizing exploration parties to find supplies and map out the landscape. People were volunteering to go. They were scared, Asklova could tell.

"Huh," she said to herself, "Seems like they have enough people." She's never done very good around people, especially people she just met. She looked to the back, the right, the left, and below her. She evaluated her surroundings. There was a different part of the building below her and a higher one straight ahead, leading to an enormous tree on the side of the school near the back.

"Proshchay fellow students," she muttered in their general direction. Then, she jumped off the building onto the one below. She hit the ground running and scrambled up to the second building. With a deep breath, Asklova took a leap of faith and jumped into the tree. She caught herself and carefully slid down to the bottom. She looked around and realized there were no zombies in the back of the school.

Must be the safest way out. She started running into the rural area from the back of the school. The part town in front of the school was packed with he walking dead, but the back not so much. She ran, fast and efficient, searching around for somewhere to hide. She caught sight of a reasonably large house with the door slightly open. She dashed inside and shut the door, locking it behind her. She ran around the house, locking every window, door, and every openable entrance to the house. Once she was sure she was secure, she sank down against a wall. Now that she was alone her stoic figure melted and she relaxed a bit.

"Thank god." She was still alive, one of the more lucky people in the school. Once she'd calmed down a little, she decided to take a look around for some weapons. She got up again and went to the kitchen. In there were some knives stuck in an eggplant shaped knife block. Asklova took the big ones out and studied them. They seem sharp. She explored around the kitchen more. In the refrigerator was a lot of food and there were some stuff in the pantries as well.

Good, there is food in here. She next checked the living room. In there was nothing extremely useful except for some glass balls adorning the coffee table. Might be useful to knock out humans if the situation needs it. She left the living room and went to the garage beside the house. In there were axes, chainsaws and many other wood cutting and carving supplies. Asklova smiled and picked up a chainsaw.

"Oh yes," she grinned and revved it, "Now, I'm ready for the apocalypse."

THOMAS BROWN


"Anyone else?" the words were taunting. My gut was twisting, my legs paralised in fear, and sweat was everywhere. Seriously everywhere. I even noticed someone step away from me and a girl glancing at me, asking if I was alright. All of this because I knew I couldn't stop myself. The question was out.
"Anyone else?" repeated in my head again and again. Don't be stupid. You will die. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it.
"I could", I croacked, turning bright red as everyone stared at me.
"You could?", Aaron asked.
"I mean, I volunteer", I said. I volunteer? What was this? The hunger games?
"Okay", Aaron smiled, waving me to his side.
I had volunteerd. I had volunteerd. Why had I volunteerd? Oh yeah, I know, because apparently I have a death wish.
Slowly, I made my way to them and stared at the crowd in front of us. More and more people were agitated, ready to join, or ready to have us leave and bring them food so they didn't have to. I couldn't tell the difference.
"Are you okay?", Charlie asked, looking at my shirt who was now drenched.
"First time in the apocalypse", I said nonchalently. She laughed and gave me a pat.
"You'll be fine. Just remember to breathe", the other Tom said.
"Well its that or I turn into a zombie, right?" I laugh too loud.

Izzy Blackburn

"Where do you think those things came from? It doesn't seem real that all this could happen so suddenly."

The girl looks up in what seems to be surprise and stares intensely for a moment, maintaining eye contact until I almost look away. Then she does first.

She sighs. "I don't have the answers." She runs her hands through her hair and closing her eyes. I can't help but let my own eyes linger on her features until she looks back to me. "And the only chance we have at survival, for now, is observing them. The blind people."

Observe them? We have to hel- Margaret's twisted and broken face flashes into my minds eye again and I physically wince. "But they just ... Changed. It can't be real." How can I help Margaret? This isn't like any disease I've ever heard of.

"You said you study animals. Biology. What do you think these creatures are?" I do my best to level my voice again and wipe my moistened eyes with a sleeve. I swear I almost see a tug at the corners of her mouth, a sudden change in her otherwise stoic features.

"They are still human," She says, peeking over the edge of the roof. I follow suit to find that a number of the.... things have congregated below. "And they hunt by sound. They are also focused solely on hunting." Margaret's shuffling gait and sudden lunge come to my mind and I close my eyes, suppressing a shudder.

""However, if you look down there," I open my eyes again and follow her pointed finger. "That one doesn't quite realize it's trying to eat wood. So either they go for anything that will make sound, the instinct to eat stronger than anything else, or..." I shift my gaze from the figures and over to her face again.

"Or they can't feel." So whatever this is... causes acute nerve damage... maybe even complete failure of their sense of touch... A thought comes into my head as I realize the difficulty of fighting off something that can't register pain.

"What about fighting them, then?" Her brow scrunches up and she frowns ever so slightly. "I don't know but..." The proverbial lightbulb is visible even in her eyes. I lean in and lower my voice.

"But?"

She stares off into the distance and down to the creatures once more in succession, eyes narrowed. She says something to herself under her breath, tilting her head up in understanding.

"Pardon?" She bites her lower lip shiver and turns her steely eyes to me with new intensity. ""To kill them, a sharp blow to the head, and Fire." She pauses. "Fire... Doesn't kill them. They can't swim but they don't drown either." We'll need weapons...

Her voice pulls me from my thoughts. "I mean, I cant say for certain, but why not assume so?" The similarities are uncanny, unfortunately, especially given my own dismissal of those who believe the so called 'Zombie Apocalypse' would end the human race, save for select groups of increasingly hardened individuals across the nation. I can actually feel my face grow cold. "Like... Like zombies?"

She looks at me sharply. "Let's not call them that. Zombies are a work of fiction. These creatures aren't the undead, risen from graves by a full moon and a burst of lightning."

I sigh and then let out an empty laugh. For someone who so adamantly says zombies still aren't real, she seems to know a bit about them.... The fictional ones at least...

"That's very specific." I say. She looks at her feet with a hard expression. "I know." Her voice is low and I suddenly regret my statement. A sibling with a fascination perhaps... For once in my life I'm glad I'm an only child. Of course, I'm worried for my parents, but having to even think about someone that you've grown up beside being hurt... Margaret. I let out a sigh again and let my thoughts wander back to the field.

"I wish I was on the track field." I hear myself say. My voice doesn't sound like my own, but I can't think of anything but the morning that already seems like so long ago. "I wish I was running."

Out of the corner of my eye, the corner of her mouth tugs upwards again momentarily. "I miss my horse." She murmurs back. "I miss riding through the forest, following deer tracks. Or running the cross country course with my brother, standing in the field as my other brother plays cricket, and racing down the sidelines as my oldest brother plays football." I turn fully towards her and smile openly.

"Wow, that sounds like an exciting pastime." She looks away. "I suppose it is." Then she shakes her head and sits back up. "But no use thinking about it now." Her features have hardened again and her voice is cold.

In a split second decision I reach out and offer my hand. "I'm Izzy, by the way." She looks... Not confused... More like conflicted. She turns away from my hand for a moment, but I only beam until she turns back with a sigh.

"Escher." Success! I smile even wider. "Nice to meet you, Escher." She still seems somewhat bewildered and offers a simple "yeah."

I furrow my brow for a moment before cocking my head towards her. "So... what should we do now?" Her full lips tighten into a line as she surveys the creatures below us. "Wait, and then leave."

I follow her gaze down to the basketball court. "Where to?"

"Somewhere away from here." She cuts off briefly before continuing. "Someplace away from civilization." I nod thoughtfully and eventually pull my gaze from her profile, striking though she was. We sat in silence for some time until a voice rises from the crowd of students, and a boy in only his underwear is made visible as the others all turn to the sound.

"Listen up! I want to form a scavenger party to go find food!" I nudge Escher and she blinks slowly, looking to me with mild annoyance before turning her attention to the half-naked student.

What's with all those scars? Jesu- A familiar voice pipes up and the creepy lecturer separates himself from the crowd. "Such an astute observation!" Even from this distance, I could see that the boy liked Jameson about as much as I did. The older man continued. "I would expect nothing less from such a gifted young man..."

His tone changed suddenly. "But tell me. Do you expect everyone here to stand a chance of survival in the streets with those monstrosities? I witnessed you heroically fight off those creatures as your fellow students rushed to safety. You have training in methods to protect yourself. But look to these scared and helpless students..." He slipped over to a group of younger girls that had gravitated towards him, draping his arms over two of their shoulders. Eugh...

"These dear students do not have the same strength that you do. Would you send them out to be fed to the creatures beneath our feet?" The boy didn't try to hide his disgust with the man, and practically spat out his next words. "I never said this was a draft." He threw a pointed look around to all of the students. "Nor was I going to suggest sending someone out to do something that I wouldn't do myself. My idea...I'll be the first to volunteer. But I will need help..."

He looked around expectantly then, "By myself I can carry maybe a hundred pounds of supplies. Not nearly enough to make even a dent in the amount that we will need to survive. But if a small group were to come with me then we could get food, water, shelter, maybe even a few weapons to defend ourselves from whatever these things are. I can't do this alone. I need your help..."

His previous courage seemed to be fading away as the students physically retreated from him. The fear in the air was almost palpable. Suddenly, Escher's words came back to me.

"The only chance we have at survival, for now, is observing them."

The boy looks around in nigh defeat, his voice now small and quiet. "Will no one help?"

I bite my lip, hard, until blood is drawn and I stand up quickly. I look back down to Escher, who's eyes are narrowed up at me in question. "What are you doing?" I take a deep breath. "I don't know."

I put one foot in front of the other, the sound of my footsteps impossibly loud until I reach the center of the crowd. I take a place next to the boy, who has a look of mixed disbelief and gratitude upon his face. I nod back to him. "I'm going. Anyone who is content to wait for death to find them is welcome to do so. Personally, I'd rather see it coming and give myself the change to beat it back." I turn to the boy, offering my hand in greeting again.

"Izzy."

Sand Ambrosi

Sanda watched from the back as person after person joined the suicidal-creature-fighting-guy.
All of them obviously terrified.
Her own stomach churned and twisted painfully. She could not join them, her asthma would not allow it. Nor did she have the gut to go back down to all of those flesh eating creatures.

How did these people, all around her own age, have the courage to go, without having any idea what was going on? Maybe there wasn’t the need to. Maybe they would be rescued by helicopters. Surely they had to be.
She could not call for help. She had tried to call her parents, so she knew the lines were clogged.

But there was still the internet. She took the box and opened it with care. A sleek, black laptop lay nested inside her old, pink baby blanket, her grandmother had given her at birth. The laptop and the blanket were her most treasured belongings, she had risked her life for them. Maybe it was stupid, but her blanket was connected to so many memories of her old life and she had saved for two years for the laptop.

Sanda quickly connected the laptop to her phone's hotspot and began searching the internet. It was obnoxiously slow and the information she was getting was more confusing than her own thoughts.
There were videos of “Zombie attacks” going viral from seemingly every corner of the world. People were freaking out. Military tanks mixed together with screaming crowds and zombies. There was lots of information, but none of it seemed to have come from the government. A rumor said that martial law had been established. Someone insisted that it was an alien invasion. Another one implied that the government was behind it.

The only thing everyone seemed to agree on, was that the world was ending.

She snapped the laptop shut, feeling her lungs cramp together once more. She felt ten, no 100 times worse. All hope of rescue had seeped away.
Now she would have to put all her faith into the small group that had volunteered to get supplies. She was basically fucked.

Aurora Jacobs

Abigail stared at me quietly. I wasn't surprised, it was something I admired about her. She knew when to talk and when silence was the better option. She wasn't one to ramble.
I found myself staring right back into her beautiful eyes, I wondered if she even knew how pretty she was. She burned with a certain intensity that captivated me and made it impossible to get her off my mind. No matter how many times I told myself about the dangers of playing with fire she was to wonderful to ignore.

You are burning up I reminded myself.

But that wasn't important. Abbie was important, and I would rather cut myself apart slowly into a million pieces than let anything happen to her. That was what terrified me, not being able to help the people I love.

"Listen up![We need to think long-term now! I want to form a scavenger party to go find food!" Aaron shouted over the crowd.

"By myself I can carry maybe a hundred pounds of supplies. Not nearly enough to make even a dent in the amount that we will need to survive. But if a small group were to come with me then we could get food, water, shelter, maybe even a few weapons to defend ourselves from whatever these things are. I can't do this alone. I need your help... Will anyone help?" He asked softly.

I shuddered at the thought of my fellow students going out there. However Aaron was right and we wouldn't last long without supplies.

I looked back at Abbie. I didn't want to leave her alone up here with the Margay. I didn't really want anyone alone with him but I already knew he wanted her and I knew she wouldn't come quietly but it still worried me.

"Please come with me" I urged her quietly. "I don't want to leave without you."

Aaron Marshall

Aaron breathed a sigh of relief as a few people volunteered for the run. He stepped down from the air conditioning unit and took the hand of the girl who had offered it, calling herself Izzy. "Aaron Marshall," he responded as he looked to the others.

Five more and two dogs. Between them they could probably get enough supplies to last them the week before they would be forced to go out again. "Alright, we should talk this out first though," he said moving toward the fire escape.

"Hey Aaron, I'll go too. I'm Daniel and here," one student said handing Aaron a pair of sweatpants to go with his boxers and sneakers. Aaron gave a nod of thanks as he pulled them on.

"Our first priority should be food and water. There's six of us but from what I see, I'm likely the only one with any fighting experience. That means I'm going first. We don't separate. We'll get some bags, maybe some carts and start filling them with jugs of water, food, non perishables that don't go bad."

"Wouldn't we want to get the food that will go bad first before we start grabbing food that will last longer?" Izzy inquired.

"I want to make as few stops as possible. If things are going good with the food and water, we'll move to the hunting section and get blankets, tents, sleeping bags. Maybe not a lot but enough that it won't be so bad up here. Hell, tarps would be an improvement at this point," Aaron said.

"What about a fire?" Daniel asked. "They have those easy light bricks in the hunting section. That should be good for a fire for warm and a signal fire."

"If we have time we'll grab a few. We could use some of the tree branches to keep it going," Aaron nodded. "If we have the ability we'll grab some weapons from the hunting section too. Anything not in the case right now. Machetes, axes, knives. They won't be great but they'll be something."

Aaron made sure everyone seemed on board with the plan before he turned to the fire escape and paused again. He turned back. "Last thing...if I tell you guys to run...do it. I know how many of them I can take at a time. If I think it's too many, we bail and you run back for the school and don't look back."

"They hunt by sound," a young woman said giving Aaron a cold expression. Her hair having the same icy tone as her eyes. "If you stay quiet you should be fine."

"You completely sure about that?" Aaron asked.

"I can't prove it, but that seems to be what happens," she responded.

"Guess we should prove the theory first." Aaron headed down the fire escape, hearing the gentle tapping of shoes behind him as he circled around the stairs again and again to the final platform. He held his hand up to silently tell the others to stay put. Taking a deep breath he made his way down the last few stairs to the ground.

His heart was hammering in his ears as he stood there, completely exposed, not to mention half naked. His eyes calculating the shambling corpses that surrounded him. His instincts were telling him to run back up the stairs to safety, but that wouldn't solve anything.

Hearing a gasp above him he turned just as one of the corpses came stumbling up behind him. Aaron had to fight every muscle in his body to prevent lashing out or yelling. He just stared wide-eyed as the once human being gave out a groan, mouth open and full of broken teeth....

...and brushed by him. Shoulder against shoulder as it moved into Aaron. Stumbled a little and kept moving.

Aaron finally forced himself to breath as he slowly turned to see the zombie shuffling along.

It really doesn't know I'm here, he thought. But that didn't fit with what happened in the halls. They would shamble about but go after him when they grabbed him. I wonder.

Grabbing a stick from the ground he slowly moved up behind another passing student. Her dress was torn and the skin from her neck to her rib cage had been torn away, the breast that had once matched the other on her chest completely gone. Ignoring the hushed whispers from above him, he jabbed the girl in the back a few times with the stick, gaining no reaction. The he moved the stick and tapped it on her palm. The dead hand suddenly sprung to life and snatched the stick from his hand, gnawing at the wood and bark as she stumbled along.

Looking up to the group that was staring at him like he was insane, he made a motion of 'did you see that?' to address that if they get their hands on you...they'll start trying to bite.

He began motioning people to follow him down the stairs and head to the small woods that ran along one side of the school for safety.

Charlotte felt like she was in a science lesson as Aaron quietly moved down the stairwell. Down and down he went, round and round, water spinning down a drain. She hoped that metaphor wouldn't prove true, but it gave her an idea. If they got stuck, there were the sewers. She daren't tell anyone her idea now though, all attention was on Aaron and that was perfectly fine by her.

Charlie saw him freeze, and her own heart jumped, when a student walked right past him. It was completely oblivious to his presence. Then Aaron grabbed a stick and poked it, actually poked it. What an idiot! But nothing happened.

Then he touched her hand, and the girl shot to life. In a second Aaron had jumped back to safety, and the student was chewing on the stick. Charlie vowed then and there to stay as quiet as possible, and never to go asking a zombie for hugs.

Aaron motioned for the scavenger party to follow him to the ground. The two dogs brushed past Charlie's legs and gracefully bounded down the fire escape, followed by Tom. Izzy went next, and Charlie stepped forward, moving with the group down the stairs.

Just as the roof disappeared from sight, she looked back and saw a girl with a laptop. A lot of help Tumblr will be she thought, but Charlie would've given anything to be sprawled on her bed laughing at kitten gifs. The girl raised her hand, she didn't wave it, just held it there. The edge of her lip moved up slightly, an attempt at an encouraging smile. Charlotte raised her own hand, then the roof dropped from view.

Aaron was leading them to the cluster of trees, planted twenty years ago when some important guy died. It was a sad excuse for a man-made forest, but Charlie had studied under his canopy countless times. It was within walking distance of home, after all.

She hoped Aaron's plan wouldn't include going past her house. Charlie didn't want to think about what she'd find there.