9The weight holding my eye lids down are lifted by the sound of a passing ambulance siren that cuts into my left ear. I toss myself over and rub my eyes. For the love of God, please only be four in the morning. The green digital tint off the clock reads, 7:13. Fuck.
I roll onto my back and stare up at the ceiling, "I hate my life."
Despite the two wonderful hours of sleep, it wasn't nearly enough. Last night wasn't anything too special. Made a couple sales, did some trading with the locals. The wallet is pretty stacked, but will it be enough to cover the costs? Hopefully, but only time will tell. I hop out of bed and straighten the wrinkles in my black tee-shirt and blue jeans. I was so tired yesterday that I fell asleep in my climber's harness.
The door knob twists, and the wooden frame rattles, "morning douchebag."
"Piss off four eyes." I reply as I lace up my leather boots.
If he wasn't my brother, I would smack those glasses right off his face. However, I'll be painted as the bad guy. Even if he was the one that started it, I would automatically be accused of being the initiator.
I make myself presentable and head downstairs. Dad is straightening the badge on his uniform while mom snacks around on a piece of toast. I try and avoid eye contact with them and take a seat in the living room. It'd be best to wait until they're gone before I attempt to eat. Otherwise, all of us will be arguing with one another.
"Morning Matt. Did you sleep well last night?" Dad asks.
"It was okay."
Mom sighs and turns her head as dad avoids eye contact with me. I don't know what his problem is, but he seems angry despite the attempt to hide it. Adam takes his orange juice off the table and heads upstairs. The morning hasn't even started and things feel like they're already escalating.
"You know, I found some trash on the front lawn this morning." Dad states.
"Oh yeah?"
"Oh yeah. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that. Would you?"
"No."
"Really?"
"Really." I reply as calmly as possible.
"Then explain this." Dad states as he reaches into his black pants pocket and throws something at me.
The orange cylinder bounces off the floor and skids across the ground towards me. An empty pill bottle of oxycodone rests at my feet. I pretend to show interest as I pick the bottle up and examine it.
"What is there to explain?"
"Don't play stupid with your father." Mother snaps.
"Oh come on mom. Dad is a police officer, and we live in one of the trashiest states in the country. I wouldn't be surprised if some dope head saw dad's patrol car and tossed it out of his window last night. It's what fuc…idiots around here do." I catch myself as I dispose of the bottle in the nearby trashcan.
"Do you really expect us to believe that?" Dad asks in a stern voice.
"Yeah, because I was in my room all night last night."
"So if I went up there and searched your room. There'd be nothing in there?"
"Yup."
"Fine then."
Dad heads upstairs as I casually lean back on the couch and wait. Do they really think I'm that stupid to leave contraband in my room? The worst thing he's going to find is the special stash of magazines I have under my bed, but the worst that will happen is mom will yell and proceed to make me burn them.
Little does mom and dad know that the only reason we still have a house with electricity and running water is because of the money I make from selling painkillers, cigarettes and alcohol to people.
It certainly isn't the little piggy bank dad gets once a month, and it sure as hell doesn't come from mom's slavery to the school. Mom sells her soul every day at work, and dad puts his life on the line and society is still too greedy to toss them a fucking bone.
I pick up a newspaper and open it. Sports section, retard journalists harassing dad over being a cop. My eyes skim across an article about things going on in some of the other countries and how violence has skyrocketed since last year. Some countries are beginning to institute martial law.
What I don't understand is half of these countries already live under martial law anyway. How the hell is more military presence going to help? I flip to the front and look at when this was published. It's nearly a month old.
I flip back and continue reading about these countries and some speculations from their government's on why it's getting violent. Leave it to politicians to blame everyone but themselves. One man even has the audacity to blame it on some kind of disease. The kind of disease that doesn't exist.
Dad comes back downstairs. Judging by the look on his face, he's extremely frustrated. Good. I'll be able to make a couple more sales today. That way we won't be sleeping in the streets when this month's mortgage comes.
"Let me ask you something though. Something that's been bothering me the moment you walked downstairs. Why are you wearing that climber's harness?" Mother asks.
"Because it looks cool."
"Is that the best you can come up with?" Dad adds.
"Fuck." I say under my breath.
"I knew it. I knew it. You did sneak out last night."
"Doesn't prove that pill bottle is mine."
"Then what were you doing?"
"Well maybe I wanted to go hangout with Eric or Jessica."
"HA! You and Eric haven't been friends since the third grade, and Jessica's parents never let her off the leash!" Adam scoffs from upstairs.
"That's not true! I talked to Eric the other day!"
"What? Did he pay you to do his chemistry homework again?"
"It's more than what you're doing as of now isn't it!?" I yell back.
I'm not the one slinging oxycodone either!"
"It wasn't mine so shut your fucking mouth Adam!"
"MATT!" Mom and dad scream.
"What!? He's going out of his way to start problems!"
"It doesn't matter! You don't talk to your brother like!" Mom rages.
"Oh, get off your high horse! Everyone here knows how Adam and I talk to one another, and we all know you're going to take sides against me! No matter what the situation is!"
"That's not true!" Dad yells.
"Really!? Then where were you when Samantha and I needed help!? Huh? Oh that's right! You were too busy siding with the school because you were more concerned about your public image rather than us!"
My dad storms over and digs his fingers into my shoulders. He violently shakes me around and slams me up against the wall. A family portrait on the wall slides off the mount and hits the ground. Glass skids across the floor as I stare into the blazing inferno that's dad's eyes.
"You listen to me you little dead beat! Your mother and I have been working our asses off day and night to give you a place to sleep! I would have lost my job if I got involved in that whole ordeal because of your stupidity!"
Dad lets me go and turns his back, "it pains me to say this, but I am ashamed to call you son."
"It doesn't pain you one bit. In fact, you could never hate me nearly as much as I hate you." I reply.
"Is that how you truly feel?" Mom asks.
"Ye…Yeah. That's how I feel." I stutter to reply as strongly as possible.
"Then leave if it's so bad." Dad replies.
My heart drops from my chest and into my stomach. A cold feeling eats into my forehead as my body grows numb. We'd had arguments before, but nothing on this level. Most of the time, Dad would give me a piece of his mind, mom would join in, I'd rebuttal and the next morning, we'd do it all over again. However, this one has taken a turn for the worst. No matter how hard I try, I can't convince myself that my parents telling me to leave is a good thing.
"Then don't expect to see me after school today..." I halfheartedly say in a desperate attempt to get the last word.
Dad's radio breaks the bitter silence between the three of us, "We have a 10-78 in Bricktown. All available units please respond."
"Copy that…I'm on my way…" Dad answers with a solemn tone.
He doesn't say a word as he leaves the house and gets into his patrol car. Mom shakes her head in disappointment and mumbles under her breath. She is definitely thinking the same thing. Mom gets up from her seat and leaves.
"Mom? I'm so…"
She slams the front door shut before I can finish my sentence. A sense of loneliness dawns on me, and I finally realize the extent of what I said. Trapped feelings of guilt consume my soul as anger fuels the insecurities with me. The weight of the world builds upon my shoulders to the point that the load feels completely unbearable.
Glass crimples underneath my leather boot. I bend down and pick up the photo that fell off the wall. It's a family picture of when we were kayaking in Colorado. I had just graduated middle school, and Adam was moving to seventh grade.
Every part of the frame is still in one piece. All except the section where I am. Fractured glass slices through the image of me standing between mom and dad. My thumb pushes a shard of glass off mom's face. She's where I got my light brown hair. Whereas dad gave me his hazel, goldish eye color. Adam took after dad the most. He not only got his eyes from dad, but his jet-black hair as well.
I massage the bridge of my nose to try and alleviate some of the pain. Why did I not throw that oxycodone bottle away after the sale? Yeah, I made enough from that sale to cover most of the mortgage, but it shouldn't have come to this. I honestly wish I could be that good kid mom and dad want me to be, but sadly, we'd be out on the streets if I was.
"Way to ruin breakfast. Asshole." Adam hisses as he comes downstairs.
"Don't start with me." I reply as I sit the broken picture on the kitchen table.
"Were you serious about not showing back up after school?"
"What's it to you? It's not like you give a shit."
"You're right. I don't. You know, I used to look up to you at one point, but ever since that deal with Samantha, you've turned into a real fuckboy."
"And despite knowing the truth, you turned your back on me because you're a wuss."
"No Matt. I turned my back on you because you went straight back to slinging to street dealers, frat boys and sororities rather than moving on."
"You have a house because of me!"
"Isn't worth it."
I clench my fist and storm directly towards Adam, "Why you ungrateful, pissy bitch…"
"That's what I thought…" he states.
Adam remains unmoved as he keeps a straight face. His hands are behind his back like he's holding something out of sight. He swings his arms out and stretches towards my direction. Fear takes over, and I immediately make a break for the front door.
Chick-chick…
The sound of a shotgun chambering a twelve-gauge shell racks through the room as Adam chases after. I burst out the front door. My left foot snags something on the ground and both legs come to a complete stop. My weight overtakes me as I wrap myself up and roll down the steps.
"Until you apologize to mom and dad for being a piece of shit, don't ever come back!" Adam yells as he angrily waves his shotgun in the air.
"Then maybe I won't come back at all!"
"Good fucking riddance then!"
I flip both my middle fingers up as Adam slams the door shut and locks it. Typical morning argument with my brother. Except this time, Adam grabbed the shotgun instead of his handgun. He meant business. Oh well.
He'll realize that I'm right after school today and let me back. If not, I know someone he likes talking to. All I got to do is convince her to walk home with me after school, and I'll pass her off to Adam. They can talk, or go on a little date. I don't care just as long as I can get back in.
I head around to the back of the house and flip over a wheel barrel. Underneath is my backpack. I make sure Adam isn't watching as I open it up. Okay. All the stuff is still in here. Good. Otherwise, I wouldn't be bringing any money home.
The glass bottles inside softly clink together as it rubs against the cloth I wrapped them in. It shouldn't be loud enough for anyone to hear. Unless they are standing directly beside me. The alcohol will to be the first thing that needs to go.
I hit the button at the stoplight and wait for the cross signal. Wailing sirens off in the distance rip through the atmosphere as a series of cop cars, and a fire truck zip by and jump onto the freeway going to Bricktown.
It's rare to hear a siren anywhere in Spring Hollow. Not to mention, Dad's radio went off before he got to work, and that never happens, but it must be one of those crazy days where anything and everything can happen.
The light turns red for the oncoming traffic, and the signal for me to go lights up. I cross the street and enter the front gates of the school. Everyone except me is dressed in their school uniform, but the worst the teachers can do is write me up, and I still got three or four strikes left before they suspend me.
I sit down in my first hour desk and motion that I'm open for business. A girl pokes her head out into the hallway and keeps a lookout while my customers approach me.
"Did you get us that soda?" A group of people ask.
I open up my backpack and pull out a carton of cigarettes, "blues and reds. Just the way you like it."
"Hey man, I need a piece of gum." A guy trades me a handful of money for three packs of blue menthols.
"Thanks Matt." Everyone says.
"The pleasure is all mine." I reply as I count the money I just made.
I already made enough money to cover my lunch four times today. Then again, this might pay a water bill or help with utilities. Ah, to hell with it, I'll just eat when I get home and go out on another sale tonight. If worst comes to worst, I got some apple sauce in my pack.
I'll give the money to the police chief after school, he will put it on dad's check, and dad will think the bonus came from a society that actually cares. He will come home, hug my brother, kiss my mom, scorn me but apologize and life will go on, then the whole process will start over next week. Hopefully.
My lookout snaps her fingers and everyone jumps into their seats as the teacher walks in. I keep telling myself to drop this dumb literature class and get into something different, but the stupid state standard demands that I take this class against my will. If someone other than Blair taught this subject, then it wouldn't be so bad.
"Why isn't this prick in the slammer yet?" I whisper to myself.
"What was that Mr. Slater?"
I fold my hands in and playfully grin, "Oh, I was wondering how you aren't in jail yet."
"Well when you're innocent, you don't go to jail. Even the simplest of people know that, but why would I expect you to know anything." Mr. Blair snaps back.
I have to tread carefully, otherwise I could possibly get expelled. Dad is already mad enough at me today, I don't need him crawling back down my throat over this bag of cocks again.
"Well if 'extra credit' wasn't required in this class for a grade higher than a C, then I'd probably have an A like all my other classes." I reply as I make quotation marks with my hands. Some of the students' snicker.
"That's it! Go to the office!"
"For what? I didn't do anything but state the obvious." I stand up and head out the classroom.
"By the way, I'm writing you up for not being in uniform!" Blair states as he takes out a detention slip.
"That's okay, it's only my second time, and we are almost done with this semester. Even the simplest of people know that." I snap back. The whole class erupts with laughter as I take a slow and dramatic bow, "Thank you, hopefully I won't be coming back."
Instead of going to the office, I think I'll go see Miss Fleming instead. She said something about her friend needing some booze but neither were willing to pay full price for it, and I don't blame them. My prices are so much better for people on a budget.
Speaking of which, I check behind my back and sling the pack around. No scratches on the bottles, nothing is leaking. Excellent. Our principal has the nose of a bloodhound when it comes to alcohol. There is no telling how many bottles I had to hand over just to keep that fat man quiet. Let's hope he doesn't see me this time either.
On the balcony of the outside fire escape stands Eric. He looks extremely distraught about something. His black hair waves back and forth in the wind as he stares straight down at the marble fountain in the middle of the courtyard.
"Hey Eric, what's the matter?" I ask.
He remains silent. Eric is probably upset Emily is moving before too long, and he's more than likely never going to see her again. Her dad got a new job off in Texas and is supposed to transfer next week, so this will be Emily's last day here in Spring Hollow, Oklahoma. Of course, Emily's a bitch so it's no chap to my ass she's leaving.
"Ah come on man. You are, and I'm not trying to sound weird in anyway, a handsome young man. There are more girls out there, and I think it's time you move on."
"Matt, you don't understand..."
"Yes, I do."
"Matt…"
I slam my hands on the rail, "NO! We are going to go eyeball like men, and you are going to like it!"
In front of the gym stands this girl named Melissa. The girl my brother has had his eye on since sixth grade. She's very attractive, but has a very weird way of styling her brown hair. Instead of having pigtails, she only has one. It's like a ponytail except it's on the right side of her head.
I wrap my arm around Eric's neck and point at her, "I mean look at that! Look at that! The circumference is incredible!"
"I see that the animal has been let out of his cage." I hear a snob say.
"Are you jealous we're not eyeballing you, because we could be?" I reply as I look into her green eyes. Her long black hair almost complements that tan complexion. Almost.
"You are such an asshole." The girl scoffs at me while brushing her classy looking ponytail back over her shoulder.
"I prefer the term businessman and no one would know that better than you… Jessica Raines."
She pushes the glasses up onto the bridge of her nose and opens her little pocketbook full of money, "Let's go for a walk after school today."
I open my backpack and show her the alcohol. "Do I get something extra if I give you two bottles for free?" I wink at her.
"If you weren't with someone, maybe." She blushes at the thought.
"Well, it was worth a try. I guess that is one bottle of whiskey after school. Same meeting place?"
"Yes." Jessica nods.
"Now if you will excuse me, I have another client to see." I state as I clip myself to the railing of the balcony.
"Aren't you supposed to be heading to the principal's office?" Jessica sneers at me as I step over the railing.
"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" I scowl back.
"Touché douche. Touché." Jessica slowly claps.
"Hey Eric, can you unclip me when I get to the bottom?"
He laughs and rubs the back of his head, "Yeah man, I guess. Although I can't see why you don't take the stairs."
"Phsst… Stairs are for squares. Like Jessica."
"Wait… WHAT!?" She yells at me while I rappel down to the ground. The reel on my belt keeps me from descending too fast. The kind of stuff professional climbers' use when they trek up and down mountains like Everest over in Asia.
Very expensive, but when stuff like this is around the waist of someone like me, even the most difficult buildings can be scaled with ease. That's why I always have a huge advantage at night because I can stick to the roofs almost ninety percent of the time.
My feet touch the bottom and Eric unhooks me from the balcony. I make sure the steel cable doesn't form any knots or kinks by using my hands to carefully feed the cable back into the reel. I turn around and see some fool wondering around the courtyard. He is dressed like one of the students.
Well, not like me because I was too lazy to get properly dressed today. That and I didn't care about anything this morning. The guy slams his teeth together rapidly and mumbles something. I can't tell what he said, but he is completely out of it. This dumbass has to be doped up on something.
I knew our generation was dumb, but my God, I continue to lose faith in humanity every day. Coming to school under the influence of a hard narcotic? The kid is so out of it he can't even walk straight.
"What are you doing here?" This female teacher with glasses asks.
Behind her are a couple of the student officers and some teachers. I guess they are here to investigate the dipshit hocked up on crystal. Hopefully I won't get wrote up for truancy again. Otherwise, that and the unjust slip Blair wrote me for exposing the truth will force me to spend an entire month in detention.
"Well you see, I was coming to get my homework for the day because I'm sick…"
"I don't have time for your excuses Matt! Now get!"
"Okay, okay! Seriously though, be careful around that idiot over there. Something isn't right. He looks like he's doped up on meth or something."
"Don't worry about us. I'll let you off with a warning this time Matt. Now hurry along." The teacher says.
I give a halfhearted salute and head back into the school. "I need to see Miss Fleming." I tell the receptionist.
"Yes… It appears Miss Fleming is actually expecting you. Go ahead young man."
She pushes the button and lets me into the administration. Miss Fleming's office is all the way down the hallway to the left. Right now, she's a teacher, but she used to be a paramedic before moving to triage. The horrors of some of the stuff she had to see really got to her. Not to mention Fleming probably felt as if she decided who lived and who died, so she went back to college, got a teaching degree and now instructs medical classes like Anatomy and Physiology.
"Hey Miss Fleming! It's Matt!" I tap on her office door.
"Ah, come in! Come in! I've been expecting you!" I close the door behind me, and we both walk to the back where the desk is.
"Did you get it?" She asks.
I unzip my pack and flaunt two bottles of whiskey, "No. 9, One hundred and twenty proof whiskey fresh from the Iowa cornfields. Enough to put a rockstar to rehab. The third bottle is for another buyer."
"How much?"
"Together, it will set you back sixty-five."
She hands me two twenties and a ten, "I don't have sixty-five, but I'll give you three med kits that contain all the essentials. Alcohol, gauze, bandages, splints, and tourniquets as well as this." She opens a drawer in her desk and pulls out a collapsible climber's pick.
"Oh God, where did you get this!?" I gasp in excitement.
The thing is very light weight, concealable and sturdy. It may not be able to dig into concrete but judging by the strength and grip of this thing, it could come in very handy for reaching up and grabbing out of reach ledges. I pull the latch off and flick my wrist. The entire thing folds out and takes shape.
"My friend tried climbing one time, but it turned out she didn't like it so I said, 'I know someone who might be able to use it.' Consider it payment for those times I said I'll make it up."
"This more than makes up for it, and next time, you qualify for a free bottle!" I state as I fold it up.
"Oh, you don't have to do that."
"No, I insist, because I will be putting this to good use!" I state as I put it in my bag along with the med-kits.
"Have a good day at school!" Miss Fleming waves as I head back out to the lobby.
Well today is going surprisingly good. With the profit from the oxycodone last night combined with the liquor and cigarette sells today, I've not only got this mortgage covered, but possibly the next one as well.
Maybe next month, I can take it easy. Wait for Samantha to get back from visiting her grandparents in Ohio, then we can focus on fixing things up. And who knows? If mom and dad handle their money right, this could be the last time I have to sling for a while. I can take a step back and focus on how to take Blair down.
The sounds of someone's shoes slapping the steps with a hefty thud thunders above me. Eric rushes down the stairwell. His face is red and terror is etched upon the pupils of his eyes.
"There… you are… Come on! I need you!"
"For what? HEY!"
He ignores my question and snags my arm. I don't know what's got his underwear bunched up, but I swear to God it better not be a lecture about Emily. I already wanted to die this morning, and I don't need another reason to wish for it. Considering things might be looking up.
Eric points out towards the courtyard where the student was walking this morning. One of the students spring towards another and grabs her. A red mist sprays from her shoulder and spatters the concrete as he tears a huge chunk of flesh from her body.
"What the…"
"Don't dwell on it. Whatever happened, it's bad, and we need to get out of here. I don't know, but I think the student that was wondering around this morning, I think he was sick."
"What do you mean sick!?"
"That sickness! The sickness on the news! People in California and London and Hong Kong being put under martial law because of the violence that's been happening! It's because people were getting sick!"
What Eric tells me seems made up. I'd seen some stuff about a worldwide sickness on the news and the papers, but the media tends to blow things like that out of proportion. This can't be real, but what if it is? How!? This isn't possible!? I know my brother and I liked playing video games and watching movies over this subject matter, but that's just works of fiction, it isn't real, and it can't happen!
I look back and see that the students and teachers are attacking anyone that happens to pass by. Then again, this is pretty convincing. The worst comes to my mind. Could this be the beginning of the end, or even worse, the last of us?
Are we about to witness the complete breakdown of human society? Brother turning on brother, friends killing friends? Humanity reduced to nothing more than animals, completely reliant on the primal effect that resides in all of us? If that happens, no one can be trusted.
"I'm going to the cafeteria, if what I believe is happening, then we are going to need supplies. Lots and lots of supplies."
I head towards the back of the building and travel down the west wing. No one is in the café, not even the cooks. There is a note on the locked door;"The café is currently closed for the remainder of this week. Students are advised to bring their own lunch or money to purchase food from the following restaurants within the perimeter…"
Oh God…. It is happening… The door is secured with a simple dead bolt lock, but it doesn't feel sturdy enough to hold back a solid hit.
"Eric, give me a hand here!" I state as I pick up a folded table.
Eric grabs the back, and we both give a couple practice swings, "On three!" Eric orders. "One…"
"THREE!" I interrupt him as I take off running towards the door.
"I said three!"
"Well, I said it first!"
The both of us ram the table right where the deadbolt is. The metal doors fling open. That did the trick. I head to the kitchen and ransack for anything useful. Most of the stuff has been untouched because no one knows what's going on, so we have an advantage over everyone right now.
"Eric, grab spoons, forks, water, food, anything that might be of use!" I state as I shove can openers, and a small cooking pot in my bag.
"Listen, as of now, don't drink any water unless it is boiled! Even if it is bottled, boil it anyway!" I say as I try to snatch up more supplies than Eric. The moment he isn't looking, I'm ditching and heading to the countryside. Far away from the cities.
"Okay, I'm full, and you are coming with me!" Eric states as he grabs my shoulder and drags me with him.
"ME!? BUT WHY!?"
"Because I have seen you read those survival books, and you know what to do in a situation like this!"
"Yeah, and just like everyone else, you thought I was a crazy! Well, who's the crazy one now!?"
Eric rolls his eyes. Damnit, I am going to have to play this game if I want to get away! As of now, I'm not going anywhere! Eric drags me up to the top floor and walks into the classroom where the wicked witch of the school is.
"Wait, why are we getting Emily!? You know me and that bitch don't get along!" I state.
Eric ignores what I say and rushes over to Emily. Instead of making a fool of myself, I'm going to try and get a better look at what he was talking about. I only seen a glimpse, but what did he mean they were attacking each other?
I peer from the window and observe the area. Outside of the courtyard, a never-ending sea of smoke rises from the surrounding area towns. I turn my attention back to the courtyard. Down below, several students as well as teachers are biting and clawing at one another.
One male student tries to hold off an attacker, but three more join in and tackle him to the ground. One sinks their teeth into the side of his neck and rips a layer of flesh from his jugular. Blood gushes out the wound while the others violently bite into his torso and legs, removing bits of stringy flesh from his body.
The sight is enough to make me uneasy. Acidic fluid fills my mouth but I keep myself under control and look away. The graphic images of the boy getting eaten alive chills me to the core. I stagger over to a nearby trash can a spit out a wad of acidic saliva.
"What is the meaning of this!?" I hear Emily complain as she follows Eric out of the classroom. Oh great. Just what I wanted to hear.
"Listen Emily, I don't know what's going on, but we have to get out of here!" Eric replies.
"Why is he here!?" Emily snarls and points at me.
"Well, it certainly wasn't to save your worthless ass." I reply with a serious tone.
Eric tries to explain to Emily the current situation, but none of it makes sense. Hell, I wouldn't have even believed him if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
"This isn't a joke Emily! We have to get to the intercoms and tell everyone what's going on!"
"The intercoms are down for repair Eric, and I'm not helping you with another one of Matt's stupid pranks!"
While they argue back and forth, I open the nearby janitors' closet and take out a couple brooms, a roll of duct tape, a box of nails and some heavy-duty cable ties. The head nearly breaks off from the force of me slamming it down on the floor. I place my foot on the crack and yank up, snapping the handle off.
Good. Very good. Just long enough to make a decent sized spear. With some duct tape, I firmly tape a kitchen knife to the end of the broom. This is good, but it won't last long in a fight. I break two more broom heads off and make some more spears. With the blunt end of a broom handle, I slam it into the glass.
Cliss…
Clear fragments shatter and land all over the floor. I sweep the glass from side to side with a broom head. Most of the glass is only dime sized, but I manage to find one about six inches long. Perfect! I carefully wrap the less jagged side of the shard with some tape to keep from cutting myself.
"What is this idiot doing Eric? He's just vandalized a window and now I'm going to probably get in trouble for being around you two morons." Emily asks.
Eric drags Emily over to the window and points down at what is going on. Emily's eyes finally open, and she presses her hand over her mouth at the horror that is going on down below. Just out of my burning curiosity, I look out the window. The courtyard is full of those things, and they are relentlessly attacking anyone that's trying to escape out the front gate.
Emily pulls out her cell phone and dials 911. "Please pick up, please pick up…" She waits a couple seconds and tries to dial again. "No way… Even the 911 line is busy…"
Wait, 911 is busy!? There is no way 911 can be that busy! There has to be at least one dispatcher that can take a call!
"Let me listen!" She hands me the phone. "All of our lines are busy at this moment. Please hang up and try again…"
Maybe I can call my dad and see what is going on here. 7138…
Dinp….Dinp…Dinp…
"What's wrong Matt!?" Eric asks.
"Even the private lines are busy…" I answer as I drop the phone. This can't be happening.
"I got to get out of here!"
"Oh, no you don't, we need your help!" Emily states as she grabs me by the collar of my shirt.
"Well this is an apocalypse, and the golden rule of an apocalypse is NEVER trust anyone!"
Eric picks up a spear and tries to prod me with the blunt end, but I jump out of the way before he can hit me. "AH HA! You see!? You're already trying to off me! I bet the both of you are plotting my downfall right now!"
"Quit acting stupid Matt! Eric was just trying to knock some sense into you!" Emily snaps at me.
"Listen Matt, you have known me since Kindergarten! You can trust me!" Eric says as he grabs my shoulders and tries to shake some sense into me.
Suddenly, I am transported back to when the both of us were just children. How all the other kids thought I was strange because I liked to climb trees in my spare time, but not Eric. He actually wanted me to teach him.
The two of us started our own club with him as the president and me as the VP. Even though it was my idea. Then in the third grade, that hazel haired witch named Emily turned him against me. Ever since that, he never wanted anything to do with me because Emily said anyone willing to be friends with me was strange. I was forced to suffer through elementary, middle, and high school all alone.
I fold my arms, "Well I don't know Eric, ever since the third grade, you didn't want anything to do with me until now."
"Matt! I was a kid back then! I didn't know any better!"
"Yeah, you didn't know any better is right." I mutter under my breath.
"Listen Matt, you are fast and resourceful. If we all stick together, we can make it out of here!"
"I can make it out of here by myself just fine! Now I have to worry about you and Emily!"
"I don't need your help!" Emily points a spear at me.
"Oh, trust me, I wouldn't be helping either of you if I could have it my way! In fact, that's not a half bad idea!"
"Matt! Wait!" Eric tries to grab me but I shuck him off and walk down the hallway. On the other end stands a couple of shambling students. Dripping red outlines of bite marks stain their uniforms. They look in our direction and start walking toward us.
"We got to go! GO NOW!" I shout.
Eric and Emily take off and I follow right behind them. "This way!" Eric urges us outside to the sky bridge that connects the classroom building, the rooftops, and the student union. I turn around and lace the door handles together with some heavy-duty cable ties to try and slow down our pursuers. Eric and the others stop dead in their tracks as I catch up.
"Why are we stop…" I nearly bump into a star struck Eric as he stands there, paralyzed with terror. In front of us stands the teacher I saw this morning. A huge piece of flesh is missing from her shoulders. Spots of missing flesh pepper her cheeks and two white lens have grown over her eyes. Blood leaks out of her mouth and nose as she starts to walk towards us with arms outstretched.
"Don't let her bite you!" I shout as I bend my knees with the spear in front of me.
The narrow catwalks make it impossible to circle around her, so the only way is forward. The creature moans in pain as it continues towards us. I hold my spear out and she blindly walks into the blade. Her arms flail around like wet noodles as the blade completely sinks up to the knife's handle.
"It… BURNS!" Her scream makes my blood curdle.
It can… actually talk… She fidgets around and suddenly, all her speech is nothing but garbled, drowning noises as she continues forward. The kitchen knife bursts through the other side of her body and black goo mixed with chunks of blood spills from the open wound.
"Miss! Miss I am warning you! GET BACK!" She continues toward me, completely disregarding what I just said. I yank my spear out of her chest and ram the blade right between her eyes. She gurgles and drops to the ground.
I stab her again in the back of the head. The blade cuts in and black matter secretes out of the open wound. Emily gasps in horror as tears fall down her face. Her breathing comes rapid, and her panting increases. Almost like she's on the brink of a panic attack.
"Matt just…" Eric grabs hold of Emily and tries to calm her down.
"Be careful. These things may appear dead, but they can spring back to life unless the brain is destroyed according to a manual I read!"
Weakness overtakes me. I drop my spear and fall on the guard rail. My stomach pounds relentlessly as I feel fluid coming out of my mouth. The taste of the acid sears my throat as I spit out a tan liquid.
"Oh…God…" I cough.
"MATT!" Eric grabs hold of me.
"I'm okay. It's just…" Another wave hits me and more liquid gushes out.
"Don't think about it!" He pats my back and tries to give me some kind of support. I wipe my mouth and pick the bloody spear back up. By now, there are several more of those things making their way towards us and even more beating on the door I barricaded.
Emily stabs one of them in the chest. The monster continues towards her, unmoved by the pain. It grabs the spear and pushes her back up against the railing. She tries to push back, but the sheer strength of the thing pins her up against the bridge railing. The tip of her makeshift spear bursts through the shoulder blade and dislocates the thing's arm as it continues to slowly slide down the broom handle.
"Hey! Get off!" Eric shouts.
I rush in to try and help, but something grabs me from behind. Out of fear, I spin my spear around. The tip slashes my attacker across the face. Out of sheer will power, the thing lunges forward. My reflexes kick in, and I bring the spear up.
The student grabs hold of the broom and tries to push it out of the way. I lose balance and fall to the ground with the thing on top. It clicks its yellow, bloodstained teeth and snaps at me. My arms are strained as I grip under the throat of the creature with my right hand and use the broom as leverage.
The wood crackles under the pressure and snaps in half. The distance between me, and the attacker is cut in half. Now I am trying to hold the thing off with strength alone. The stench of the student's foul breath permeates my fragile nose. The smell is so terrible that the insides of my body wretch.
Eric tries to help Emily while I manage to put a little distance between the gnashing creature. My hand runs over the polished handle of the broom.
I wrap my fingers around the broken shaft and ram the blade into the side of the monster's head, "Get… off… mother…fucker!"
Orange bile mixed with maroon sprays out with every blow. The strength of the thing diminishes as I push it off. As I stand up, Eric has managed to kill the thing trying to get Emily but is now in the process of trying to fend off two at the same time.
I charge in and drive the taped, glass shard into the front of one's skull while Eric rapidly stabs the other with his makeshift spear. The blow shatters the glass into the attacker's face and staggers it. I shove it down and get away as it struggles to stand. Eric pushes his attacker down and rapidly stabs it to death.
"What the hell are these things!?" Emily asks.
Eric helps Emily up, "Hard to kill! Now come on!"
I stick to the ducts and pipes to stay out of the clutches of those things. They all reach up but are unable to touch me as I hop over fences and small gaps. Eric and Emily are sticking to the ground, slowly following behind me since they are constantly fighting with the things not chasing me. Eric ditches his damaged spear and scoops up a piece of steel pipe.
I climb up on top of some railing and leap over onto the stairs leading up to the rooftop. Eric and Emily rush up the stairway leading to the roof. One of the things chasing Emily throws itself forward and grabs hold of her ankle. All the balance disappears as she breaks her fall with her hands.
"Emily!" I shout in fear.
She rolls over and kicks the thing in the face as it tries to pull itself closer to her leg. Every kick Emily delivers to the creature's face does little to impede its progress.
"Get the fuck off me!" Emily screams as she delivers a kick that knocks a couple teeth out of the creature's mouth.
Eric takes his steel pipe and rushes back. He rears back and slams the pipe into the skull of the student. The swing is hard enough to drive its head into the stairs. Brain matter and chunks of bone splatter up all over Emily's legs as Eric delivers a second blow. Just to make sure it's dead.
"That was sick! Now get your asses up here!" I cheer.
Emily wraps her arm around Eric, and he helps her up the stairs while I slam the chain link door and padlock it shut.
"Is this going to be able to hold them off?" Emily asks.
"Probably not!" I answer as I sit in front of the barrier.
The things on the other side grab the chains and attempt to push it out of the way. It shakes with every hit, but it should hold for a while. Off in the distance, the sound of thunder echoes above the school. Blades slice through the air and several helicopters fly over the town across the river called Brookhaven.
"Oh no, not the military!" I swear.
Emily jumps for joy and tries to get their attention.
"NO!" I grab her and stop her from trying to wave them down.
"Stop it Matt! They've come to help!" Emily shouts.
"Really!? Then tell me, why aren't they helping this!?" I point at all the carnage below.
Fires rage, people killing each other and not to mention, those things feasting on those poor souls unfortunate enough to get caught. Down below, I see a boy that looks like my brother being torn in half and eaten alive. Sorrow grabs me as I force myself to look away. Jesus, I hope he is okay.
"Remember what to do if you're in an apocalyptic situation?"
"Block the doors, hole up and if you loot, I shoot."
"Good boy Adam! Wait until everyone gets home! After that, we will pack up and head to the country!"
He is a smart boy. Adam will be fine. I reassure myself. I just hope mom and dad are safe too.
"When the military try to get involved with a situation like this, nothing good ever happens to those unfortunate enough to cross paths with them."
"Listen to yourself Matt! Quit acting like everyone out there is evil!" Emily snaps at me.
"Just you wait! When food and water run low, or if it comes down to you or someone else, you will see what people are truly capable of, and I still don't trust either of you!"
"Fuck you Matt!"
"No fuck you Emily!"
"Stop it! You both are acting crazy, so shut the hell up and calm down!" Eric shouts as he pushes up apart.
"Well according to ol' Emily here, I've always been crazy!" I yell as I walk over to the edge of the building and lean on the railing. Emily tries to say something, but Eric drags her away and mumbles something that sounds like, "you need to shut up…"
This is a nightmare. Out of everyone I could have been stuck with, it just had to be Eric and Emily. A bizarre thought crosses my mind. As horrible as this is, maybe it's not all bad. If I help them get out of this hellhole alive, maybe they will go their own way together and leave me.
That's a better idea than acting like a jerk right now. Neither of them are technically heartless as of now. Just like me, they are expressing remorse over the people we just killed, but if I push my luck, then they could both turn on me.
"Matt?"
"What Eric?" I try to say in a voice that doesn't sounded aggravated.
He searches his mind for words to say, but he doesn't know how to form a sentence without sounding like he's asking for something. Mainly because he is asking for something, and he's afraid if he says it wrong, I'll abandon him and Emily. Although I've made my choice for now.
"I'm going to go find my brother. Listen Eric, I know I've been a prick, but you are more than welcome to try to escape with me. After that, I will be going my own way."
Eric faintly nods his head. "I'll come. Do you…"
"Emily can come too as long as she pulls her weight."
It suddenly hits me. WAIT! After that fiasco I had with dad, Adam will never let me back in the house! However, I have a solution, if she is still alive.
"Eric, what class did Melissa have before this all went to hell?"
"Um… this was her sports hour, so she'd be in archery…"
"That's all I need to know." I say as I walk off.
"Wait, you aren't seriously going to the gym!? That's on the other side of campus!" Eric states.
"Yeah but my brother has always had a soft spot for Melissa. If she is still alive, then getting back in my house will be a cinch!" I say as I look for a way to help them off the roof without using the stairs.
Directly below us is a hydraulic lift the janitors use to clean the glass on the higher levels of the campus. Perfect! I can rappel down, activate that and Eric and Emily can get to the lower levels. What these fools wouldn't do without me.
"Wait, what do you mean getting back into your house!? Did you get your ass kicked out again!?" Eric asks as I fish out my line and hand it to him. He instinctively knows that I need an anchor so he wraps it around himself and clips it shut.
"Well, I wouldn't say kicked out. More like, my brother called me a piece of shit and said I can come back when I make things right with mom and dad. However, Melissa will be my free pass."
"You are going to use Melissa as a peace offering?" Eric asks as he presses his legs into the lip of the building.
"This is the apocalypse and don't be such a downer about it! I'm saving her life, as well as ours! Plus, we'll have access to the Slater armory then! Everyone wins!" Eric grabs his face in frustration. I guess he hasn't fully grasped the concept of bartering yet.
I ease over the edge of the building and press my boots into the window. Down below, a horde of those things are staring directly up with their hands raised as I descend onto the top of the lift's platform. Bloody hands from the horde below pat the side of the lift as they try and grab me.
I reach underneath the control panel and grab a black box shaped like a sardine can. The only reason I know about this is because I was ditching Blair's class one day, and I saw a janitor put the key in a black box before sticking it under the lip of the control panel.
I put the key in the ignition and turn. The small electric engine quietly revs up, and the platform slightly decompresses before properly locking in place. I grab the silicone handle of the vertical control and push it forward.
Emily leans over the edge of the building to see what's going on. A look of surprise comes over her face as the lift extends to its peak. I grab hold of the roof and pull myself over. Eric unhooks the cable wrapped around his waist and looks over at the lift.
"Thank you, Matt."
"You're welcome Eric." I reply as I hook myself to a steel cable that is suspended between this building, and the one that will get me closer to the gym. "I'll be back with Melissa as soon as I can. We will try and meet you back here somewhere in the classroom building."
"Alright. Be careful out there." Eric states.
"You too."
I zip across the gap and keep an eye out for anything on the other rooftops. Everything seems clear as of now. Seems is the number one cause of death in a world like this though. I reach the end of my ride and unhook myself. The clip quickly reels itself back. So far, so good.
If memory serves correctly, the place where those interested in archery was actually in a room by itself. Isolated from the rest of the gym. A perfect place to hide. Not only that, Melissa had her own hour dedicated to the sport where she was in that room all alone, so she should be okay. I have to hurry though since the apocalypse tends to bring the worst out of people…