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Saturday of the Dead

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About eight years ago (jezz time flies!) I was in highschool sitting in detention working on a creative writing assignment. I was scribbling story ideas in a notebook which included a few I've made fanfics and RP's about. One idea I had was a sort of Mash-up story between the classic 80's "Bratpack" movie "The Breakfast Club" and "Night of the Living Dead". The basic premise being that an eclectic group of students, all from different social groups (Cheerleader, Jock, Bully, Nerd and Goth) meet for a Saturday detention and are locked in school when a Romero style zombie outbreak happens. So the students who hardly know each other before the event must ban together to escape the school and survive.

Now comes the problem I'm having. I'm trying to decide which narrative to use:

A third person perspective, describing the events from an outside observation.

A First person perspective from one of the kids speaking from some point in the future.

or the most difficult, first person but alternating between characters.

Well here goes, the prologue and first chapter of "Saturday of the Dead".

I still hear it ya know! Everytime I close my eyes and try to sleep, in the dead of night I hear it. The gnawing and tearing, munching and slurping. Almost like a dog with a turkey leg bone after Thanksgiving dinner. The Sickening sound of walkers devouring dead flesh.

Not many people are alive who remember the old days, before when death was forever.

November 2002

I stepped out my door and into the cold air of that November morning. The grass crunched under my feet due to the light layer of frost from the night before.

Now most teens would be angry having to give up a Saturday for Detention but not me, better to be anywhere else than with Ron! Ron I still to this day hate that man, he'd beat me and smack me around "for my own good" he'd say. "Stop obsessing on Science Fiction and get a real hobby" he'd say. Yeah right that lazy bum sits on his ass all day and he tells me to get a real hobby!"

Sorry I'm getting off topic...

I remember an uneasy feeling as I crested the hill and saw George A. Savini High School standing before me. I turned and looked into the valley below at our little town and It struck me how quiet it was.

Only now do I realise that it was the calm before the storm.

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reminds me a bit of "high school of the dead". will there be much fanservice?

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I only recently learned of that anime, but I've never seen it. Is it any good?

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Chapter One: Early Rumblings

As I moved to the front entrance the door opened and Principle McClelland exited with an old clipboard in his hand. "Well hello Thomas congratulations, you are the first to show up so you can take attendance." he said slamming the wooden board into my chest.

I grabbed the chewed Bic pen and checked my name "Thomas Wayne" off the list. A sudden noise alerted me to a new arrival, I found that it was the slamming of a rather expensive car door. I watched as the driver approaced me.

"Name?" I asked.

"Yeah right, you know who I am." she said.

"Barbra O'Dea." I said slashing an X into her name. "We're in the Cafeteria." I added.

The Next to show up was Ben Jones superstar quarterback followed by Judy Ridley the "Queen of Darkness" then Harold Hardman who everyone in school knew as Hardman.

I nodded at the now complete list and turned to go inside. "Don't want you kids leaving early." McClelland said locking the door with a chained padlock. "Isn't that a little excessive plus a fire hazard?" I asked.

"You don't like it, complain to the Principle....oh wait that me." he said with a smirk. "Get your ass to the Cafeteria!" he added.

I made my way to the cafeteria and found that the others had already gotten seats, each one sitting at their own table. I completed the pattern by grabbing my normal lunch seat.

"Listen up you delinquents, you all know why you're here so just sit back and enjoy yourselves, I got you all for four hours." he said tapping his watch. "And I'll be down the hall in the teachers cafeteria so any noise I hear adds ten minutes to that time!"

I watched as he left then pulled my Gameboy Color from my Backpack.

The first half hour went by without incident until Hardman had had enough.

"This shit so is weak!" he shouted.

"Quiet, you want to stay here longer?" Barbra asked.

"Oh please, you think George can hear us? Did you smell his breath, he probably finished his morning bottle of Jack and passed out of the Lounge couch by now."

And as we learned later Mr. McClelland had indeed passed out by this point, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

"So what'd you do to get Saturday Detention Tommy?" Hardman asked loooking in my direction.

"It's stupid." I said.

"No you must've done something to piss someone off." he prodded.

"Fine." I said with a sigh. "I hacked into the schools computer system and uploaded a porn virus."

"No way that was you?" Ben asked. "That was classic!" he added.

"Yeah classically gross you pervert." Barbra said with a scowl.

"It was just a senior prank that all." I said trying to Justify myself.

"What about you Princess?" Hardman asked Barbra.

"It's none of your business!" she said angrily.

"I heard you got into a cat fight with Karen Cooper over Josh Russell." Ben said.

"Say what now?" Hardman asked.

"Yeah it seems that Johnny boy was playing the whole "Purity Ring" pledge with Babs while he was 'planting his flag' in Karen." Ben said with a smirk.

"What about you Captain?" I asked Ben.

"Nothing much to tell really, I got into a beef with coach and I was given a choice sit out the Homecoming game or serve a Saturday detention."

"What about you Elvira?" Hardman asked.

"I wrote a story about a doll that comes to life at kills everyone." she said.

"Really?" I asked.

"No I refused to change for Gym Class." she said.

"What about you Hardman?" Barbra asked.

"Nothing at all Princess. Some money went missing from the Book Fair and I was an easy scapegoat." he said.

As we sat in silence the power turned off bathing us all in Darkness.

"Oh what the Hell!" Ben shouted

"Not funny George!" Hardman said aloud.

"I'm not sure it was him." I said

"What makes you so sure?" Judy asked.

"Did any of you notice how quiet it was this morning?" I asked.

"It's called Saturday Morning you geek." Barbra said.

"No it's more than that, I used to deliver Newspapers on Saturday mornings. Even early in the morning I could hear the highway and theres more..."

"No birds." Ben said.

"Yeah you noticed that too huh?" I asked.

"Now that you mention it, I did have trouble finding a radio station this morning." Barbra said. "All were staticy except..."

"What?" I asked.

"The emergency broadcast system." she added.

I grabbed my flashlight keychain from my backpack and turned it on.

"Where you going?" Hardman asked.

"I'm going to the Second floor observation deck to see if I can see anything." I said "You coming?"

The five of us made our way to the second floor and after prying the lock bar we slipped outside.

The sight was burned into my mind instantly and is still clear to this day. Our tiny town of Hobbs Bay Connecticut was covered in a thick black cloud, with pockmarks of black smoke rising into the sky.

"What the hell is going on!" Ben said.

"I'm calling my Daddy!" Barbra said taking out her Cell. "It's not working...I have no Bars." she said.

"That's the first thing they do, knock out communications." Ben said.

"They who?" I asked. "It's obvious who...Terrorists man! First 9/11 and now this." he added.

"I'm not sure, I mean as Targets go Hobbs Bay is softer than soft."

"Hey guys check this out!" Judy said looking out into the town with her tiny spyglass.

"Where?" I asked taking it from her.

"The parking lot of that new store Heinzman's." she said pointing.

I focused the refracting lense to it's highest magnification and scanned the area.

"What am I looking for...oh never mind." I said seeing what she was pointing at.

"What is it?" Hardman asked.

"I'm...not sure, bodies I think but they're to badly damaged."

"Give me that." Hardman said grabbing the telescope.

"Oh shit!" he shouted.

"See what I mean?" I said.

"Not that..that!" he said pointing to a crowd that had gathered outside Heinzman's.

"What I don't...oh." I said looking again.

"What is it?" Ben asked.

"Zombies?" I said

"Bullshit!" Ben said grabbing the scope.

"What the puppy!" he shouted looking down.

"That's not possible...it's gotta be a joke or a prank. I mean things like this only happen in movies." he said.

"How would something like this even happen?" Barbra asked.

As I looked out on the town I felt every eye on me.

"Why are you all looking at me?" I asked.

"Well you're the Nerd you must have a theory!" Barbra said.

"I'm not a nerd... I'm a SciFi fan. I don't know the first thing about real science!"

"Well Tom, the dead coming back to life sounds very SciFi to me. What has Fiction taught you about zombies." Hardman said.

"Fine but not here, lets go inside." I said.

We made our way into a classroom just as the Battery powered emergency lights turned on.

"There have been many variations on the so-called Living Dead genre over the years with causes ranging from Viral to bacterial to genetic flukes and even alien intervention like in "Plan 9 From Outer Space."

"I saw dozens of zombies out there, that can't be from an infection can it?" Ben asked. "Not airborne no...but it's possible that bites and scratches could pass it along." I said.

"Well where does that leave us?" Barbra asked.

"We're already locked in here, lets just hunker down and wait for help." Ben said.

"And if the government decides to nuke Hobbs Bay to stop the sickness from spreading?" I said

"Well how do you proposals we defent ourselves Tom, with football pads and Hockey sticks?" Ben asked.

"Actually...I think I have an idea." Barbra said.

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I only recently learned of that anime, but I've never seen it. Is it any good?

if you dont care about the absence of plot or character then sure

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if you dont care about the absence of plot or character then sure

That bad huh? Well I guess I won't be watching that then.

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Chapter Two: Defensive Posture

With flashlight in hand we followed Barbra down the darkened hallway of Savini high and made our way to a tiny out of the way room in the back of the school.

"What is this place?" Ben asked.

"Last semester I worked in the office, one day I overheard Principle McClelland talking about this room, this is Officer Bob's office." Barbra said.

"And..it's not like we're gonna find a cache of guns and ammo in there." Hardman said.

"Guns...no but there is something that will come in handy."

We opened the door and found a locked wooden cabinet.

"Anybody have a key?" I asked.

"We don't need one, stand aside." Judy said pulling a bobbypin from her raven black hair. "Watch and learn." she said sliding the black wire into the lock.

After some fidgiting and quick turns the latch released and the lock tumbled off.

"Now you know why I got Detention today." she said with a smile.

Barbra opened the doors revealing shelves full of bladed weapons.

"What the hell is this?" I asked.

"These are the accumulated weapons from the past three years, they were supposed to be collected and destroyed. Thank goodness for slow government bullshit." she said.

"I was wondering what happened to this!" Ben said pulling out a sword.

"Is that a sword?" Barbra asked.

"Yeah I made it by hand in metal shop. It took three weeks of smelting and hammering but I got it just right. Then as I was ready to take it home McClelland confiscated it from me."

"It's beautiful!" I said. "A true to life replica of Hannibal's Carthaginian sword...may I?" I asked.

"Sure here." Ben said handing it to me.

"Good balance!" I said with a downward slice. "Full tang?" I added.

"of course." Ben said.

"Wow you almost sound like you know what you're talking about." Hardman said.

"I do...I used to Fence Competitively until my dad died. I also had an extensive sword collection until Ray sold it to buy a plasma screen."

"Here you go." I said handing the sword back to Ben.

"You take it, I don't even know how to use it. I'd probably ending up killing myself rather than those things."

"Thanks!" I said sliding the sword into it's sheath and fastening that to my belt.

"Yeah enough of the Bromance already!" Hardman said. "I'm all for a sharp blade in my hand and maybe against one of those things it'll come in handy, but there were a lot out there and these pigstickers won't do much damage against a dozen ov them." He added.

"You're forgetting one thing Harrison, we're in a school!" I said.

"So." he shot back.

"So, what do you think keeps the torches going in shop class, or the bunsen burners in science! We're sitting on a mound of combustable gas waiting to go off, plus I have an idea."

"What is it?" Ben asked.

"Really?" I said.

"Yeah you seem to be thinking level headed take charge "Hannibal". Hardman said.

"OK, Ben you stay and pack up these blades while Barbra and Harrison go and find as many propane tanks and nail guns...hell even electric drills as you can find. While Judy and I go to the library."

"Why the library?" Judy asked.

"You'll see." I said back

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Chapter Three: First Threats

"Why are we here again?" Judy asked.

I turned to her and I motioned my hand around the room.

"Do you know how much information books hold Judy?" I asked.

"I don't think there's a 'Zombie Apocalypse' entry in the Dewey descimal system Tom." she said.

"The world is over, I'm sorry that's the sad truth. That means no more grocery stores, no aspirin or other drugs and no electricity or drinking water."

"And we're gonna find that stuff in the library?" Judy asked.

"In a manner of speaking...yes."

"How?" she asked with all the antisocial angst she could muster.

"Did you know that more survival books have been written in the past two years alone then have been for the last ten?"

"Really?"

"Yes first it Y2K, then 9/11. After that every survivalist nutbag with a typewriter published a book and as luck would have it our absent minded librarian ordered them all."

"Doesn't that seem kinda...I don't know convenient?" she asked

"You could look at it like that." I said.

We grabbed as many survival books as we could find. Mossberg's guide to Medicinal plants and herbs, Hobb's guide to farming, Bear Grils Ultimate Survival and The Anarchists Cookbook.

"Look at these things!" Judy said shoving the books into her backpack.

"Yeah thank god for old.... oh crap." I said as something caught my eye.

"What's wrong?" Judy asked.

"The computers are still working."

"How's that possible with the power off?"

"They have battery back-up in case of power loss." I said

"We can check the news...see what's really going on out there." Judy said.

"Are you sure, you might not like what you see." I said.

"Look at me, look at the way I'm dressed. I can handle dark stuff."

It didn't take us long to find what we were looking for. News footage of New York, chicago and Washington D.C over run with the Walking Dead. Military firing lines mowing down bodies by the dozens, and wild speculation of the cause.

"You're right...I didn't want to know." Judy said her black mascarra running down her cheeks.

"We better tell the others." I said wiping away a tear with my sleeve.

We met up with Hardman, Ben and Barbra at the gym and saw that Hardman's shirt was caked with blood.

"Man Tom you will not believe what just happened!" he said.

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Chapter Four: What Happened

Hardman turned down the darkened corridor and noticed he was alone.

"Barbra...where are you?" he asked in a hushed whisper.

"Over here." she said, her voice coming from a nearby classroom.

Hardman walked in and found her standing by a bank of south facing windows.

"Look at it out there!" she said touching the glass.

Just beyond her hand was a sight out of a nightmare. A scene of utter chaos as people ran for their lives from vicious human cannibals, blood stained streets and smoldering ruins with numerous columns of inky black smoke reaching like dark tenticles into the overcast sky.

"I can't believe it's only 10 a.m!" she said looking at her phone.

"Still no signal?" Hardman asked.

"No...I keep looking at this thing just hoping my parents call and tell me they're fine."

"We're they...out there?" he asked.

"No they left for Martha's Vineyard this morning. I was supposed to join them after detention."

"What about your family?" She asked.

"Mom died a few years ago, cancer."

"And your father?"

"Let's just say that if I come across him as a walking freak, I won't be crying as I bash his brain in."

"That bad huh?" Barbra asked.

"He took my mom's death hard. He started drinking and when he gets drunk he gets violent."

"I'm sorry I didn't know."

"It's fine...we should get going."

Hardman turned and exited the room and as he did Barbra slipped her hand into his. He stopped for a second, smirked then continued.

"These Propane bottles are almost empty." Barbra said loading them into a nearby cart.

"They have enough inside to be used as explosives." Hardman said.

"We have three nail guns, three boxes of 12 ounce C02 canisters and two containers of 50 count nail strips."

As Hardman dug into a nearby toolbox he smiled as he pulled out two Hatchets.

"I've found my weapons!" he said

"So have I!" Barbra said pulling a big knife from Mr. Clarks desk.

"What it that thing!" Hardman said.

"It's an Emerson KL547 KA-BAR Combat knife." She said slipping it back into it's sheath which she then attached to her belt.

"How did you know that?" Hardman asked.

"My Brothers are Marines, they taught me a few things for self defense." she said.

"You are nothing like what I thought you were!" Hardman said.

"We all keep pieces of ourselves hidden." Barbra said.

"Yeah...we should get back." Hardman said.

As they exited the Shop class, the saw Principle McClellen further down the hall.

"Hey George...there you are!" Hardman said.

"Principle McClellen have you seen the chaos outside?" Barbra asked.

McClellen turned emerging into the light. His skin was slate grey with red lesions, his eyes were yellow like egg yolks and a strange green slime dripped from his quivering mouth.

"He's dead...but how?" Barbra asked.

"It doesn't matter." Hardman said taking his Hatchets off the cart.

"You made my life hell at this school for three years George, I've been dreaming about this for three years."

Hardman held the sharp axes in both hands as he took off into a sprint. Hardman stopped just inches from McClellen and spun around delivering a jackboot kick to the side of hisface, the force of which ripped the jaw off and sent it tumbling to the floor, he then held the hatchets parallel to eachother and sliced across his abdomen, the twin blades sliced into the flimsy cotton shirt and into the mottled grey flesh beyond. He stepped back as black red coagulated blood bubbled through and cascaded to the floor. He then brought both hatchets up and slammed them down on the crown of his head. He heard the spine snap under the force of the blow sending McClellen tumbling to the floor.

"Detention's over!" Hardman said delivering a final crosskick to the corpse.

"How'd he die?" I asked.

"We don't know." Barbra said.

"You didn't find out?" I asked in shock.

"I didn't see any bites or other wounds..." he probably just died.

"What did his eyes look like?" Judy asked

"They were yellow...with red spots right?" Barbra asked Hardman.

"Yeah...like an egg with a yellow yolk and you know how sometimes you get a red spot." Hardman said.

"Sounds like a Petechial Hemorrhage." Judy said.

"A...what now?" Ben asked.

"It happens when somebody suffocates or has a heart attack, my dad's a doctor and he told me a few things...including something he shouldn't have."

"Meaning..?" I asked

"Mr. McClellen had an enlarged Aorta, he was taking meds for it but a sudden shock..."

"As in seeing a Romero movie come to life!" Hardman said.

"Could cause him to go into cardiac arrest."

"This is bad!" I said.

"Why is it bad?" Ben asked.

"It means that in addition to injury and fluidic contact, the sickness is also airborne. We might be carriers right now and not know it like Typhoid Mary. We die and then come back." I said.

"We don't know that Tommy." Judy said.

"Yeah...Tommy." he said smirking "George could've been attacked before he got to school for all we know."

"Yeah...I suppose anythings possible. I did see him holding his arm when I got here as if he was in pain."

"Then that settles it, no more jumping to conclusions!" Barbra said with a smile only a cheerleader could provide.

"What know?" Hardman asked

"Now we get to work." I said.

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Chapter Five: Rumination and Preparation

I had known Hardman since gradeschool. We were friends once until he started pushing people away. I watched as he ferociously wiped the black goo that was Principle McCellen from his hands with a moist wipe Barbra had provided.

"Here, take this." Ben said handing him a red polo shirt. "It's clean, it's from my gym locker."

Hardman didn't look up, he just sullenly reached out and grabbed the shirt.

He stripped his bloodstained "The Cure" t-shirt and slipped the polo over his head, the words 'Abercrombie & Fitch' screamed from stylised screen printing.

As he sat there, his hands trembled slightly. He looked at them as if he were still holding the Hatchets. I could see that he was near breaking so I stood up.

"I'd like to say something if I can."

As I stood Hardman's eyes fell upon me as did Barbra's, Ben's and finally Judy's.

"I've never been good with public speaking so if you'll indulge me for a moment. We started this day relatively as strangers. While it's true that we've all been going to the same schools since kindergarten, we hardly know each other. I'm a nerd, I read comic books and chat about Star Wars online. We all have lived very different lives but unfortunately those lives are over now. In this new world we have only ourselves and our allies to depend on. Right here and now I promise all of you that we will survive. We fight, we flee and we soldier on."

"We Soldier on!" Hardman said

"We Soldier on!" Barbra repeated.

"We Soldier on!" Judy and Ben chimed in.

"We soldier on!" I said. "Now let's get to work.

Hardman wheeled the cart up with the propane bottles and nail guns connected. "What do we do with these?" he asked.

"The bottles I have a plan for, as for the nail guns we use them for clearing of tight spaces only. For open combat our melee weapons are to be used." I said.

"Melee weapons...this is D&D!" Ben said.

"It's just a phrase." I said

"Doesn't it even matter to you that you are planning to kill people?" he asked.

"Yes it bothers me! I said. "It would effect anybody. But the simple answer is that we have to do it."

"Have too...are you insane?" Ben shouted. "What if these people can be saved?" Ben asked.

"I'm sorry but I son't think they can." I said. "From what we've seen the sickness i a killer plain and simple."

Ben's head sunk low as the truth hit him hard.

"Now let's get to work." I said

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Chapter Six: Battle Plans

I look back at those early days and wonder how we every survived. We were so green...greener than green. But we made up for our lack of experience with courage and a headstrong drive to survive.

Using the supplies Hardman and Barbra procured as well as chemicals from our fully stocked Chemistry lab and Janitor's closet we had built ourselves a fairly nifty arsenal of weapons. Concussive bombs filled with screws, nails and thumbtacks as well as crude Magnesium powder and acidic lye.

"Look what I found." Ben said running up.

He placed a rolled up piece of parchment on a nearby table and unrolled it.

"It's just a map of Hobbs Bay." Hardman said.

"Harrison please...what are you thinking Ben?" I asked

"In Football we plan or plays in advance. We drill them into our heads but we also plan contigencies for the inevitable."

"Brilliant Ben, this is good." I said.

"What am I missing here?" Judy asked.

"I'm glad you asked my sweet." I said touching her hand, something she seemed to enjoy.

"We have the high ground, from the second floor deck we can see for miles around. Now using your spyglass and the Telescopes from the Astronomy club we can map a safe route out of here."

"But where will we go?" Barbra asked.

"I've been thinking of that very thing." I said.

"There's the state armory just across the Border in Massachusetts. We might be able to find some help there. But I'm open to any other suggestions.

"I have one." Barbra said holding up her hand.

"You don't need to...put your hand down." I said.

"Last Summer my Dad bought a Cabin that used to belong to some Wallstreet guy. It's deep in the woods of upstate New York and very remote. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never see it." she said. "The only thing is, there's no food."

"So we'll just have to take some with us." I said.

We cracked open the pantry and found it stocked with food.

"What do we take?" Hardman asked.

"For now just the essentials. Complex Carbohydrates like pasta and rice, olive oil for LDL Cholesterol and Tuna for vitamins. Everything else leave for the Rats, we'll pick up more as needed." I said.

"Well I'm taking these." Judy said grabbing a package of Polly-o string cheese.

Ben came back with four Xeroxed copies of his map with path's marked out in various colors.

"I surveyed the town looking for fires, damage and dead concentrations. The green path is the best one, least resistence, damage and Hazards. The Yellow path takes us close to the fireat town hall but is still safe. The Red path is only to be used in a last resort. It takes us past The Cemetary and Mall but it's a straight shot to the bridge into Massachusetts." Ben said.

"Ok good thinking Ben, everyone study these plans carefully. I'll be right back.

I sprinted out the gym and down the hall to where Hardman killed McCellen, he was still there oozing black gunk. I turned him over and reached into his pocket to fish out the Padlock keys.

"Rest in you bastard." I said closing his puss filled eyes.

As I stood up I noticed a spot of red on his shirt, not the black blood he had but normal everyday red blood.

"He was attacked!" I said rolling up his sleeve revealing a crude bsandage consisting of a white Gauze pad and tape. The easily recognisable bite was bordered on all sides with black raised veins.

"What are you doing?" Judy asked.

"He was bit." I said.

"But he looks like he was strangled or suffocated." Judy said.

"I think I have a theory." I said opening his mouth. "Remember what Hardman said about smelling Jack Daniels on Mr. McCellen?"

"Sure." Judy said nodding her head.

"I think he got drunk to dull the pain of the bite, he then passed out and suffocated."

"Go rejoin the others while I grab one last item." I said giving her a peck on the cheek.

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Chapter Seven: First Steps and Giant Leaps

I came upon the group standing at the front entrance. They all looked pale as sheets as they surveyed the devistation outside.

"You waited?" I asked.

"We thought that we should all take the step outside together." Judy said.

I slid the key in the lock and turned it, with a click the thing tumbled off a clattered to the floor.

"We should take that, the lock too. You never know it could come in handy." Barbra said.

"Give it here, I'll take it." Hardman said shoving them in his pack.

Our first step into the New World was to say the least as surreal experience. It was unseasonably warm, the sky was overcast with angry grey clouds. A thick yellow haze hung close to the ground holding close a stench of rotting flesh. We carefully walked down the Savini hill and saw for the first time the true horror that our tiny perch up the hill could never convey, Hobbs Bay Connecticut had become a town of the Dead.

"Do you think anyone's still alive?" Barbra asked.

"I hope so." Hardman responded

We continued our trek to the stateline passing burned out cars and bodies splayed out of the pavement.

Turning a corner my eye caught some movement from a nearby house. "Down!" I whispered.

We all took a knee as a small kid emerged from an open doorway. She was about six years old, she had on Hello Kitty Pajamas caked with dried blood. She staggered off the porch and onto the lawn all the while dragging her severed arm behind, still connected by a bundle of nerves.

"That poor girl." Judy said turning away.

"Still think THAT can be cured Ben?" Hardman asked.

The girl stood on the lawn looking around and smelling the putrid air.

"She knows were here!" Barbra said.

"Ben you go around back and cause a distribution. I'll come up behind her and take her out before she can signal any others." I said

Ben nodded then quietly slipped out of sight behind a hedgerow. A minute later he emerged behind the house next door. Picking up two aluminium trash cans he tossed them against a tree. The girl turned her attention to the noise and I pounced.

In one quick move I pulled my sword and sliced the top of her decomposing skull off. The lifeless form slumped to her knees then toppled over. "Sleep now little girl." I said to myself. I turned and lobbed one of our homemade bombs into the open door closing it behind me.

The bomb exploded releasing it's shrapnel into several close ghouls tearing chunks out of their undead flesh.

We continued on our journey, assured that our presence had gone undetected.

We would soon find out that was simply not the case.

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Chapter Eight: Night Moves

As the sun began to set we needed a place to hide for the night. Hardman suggested The Derby Road train station. Abandoned for years the building was borded up and easy to defend in the worst case. We cracked a basement window and slid inside.

The place was still in good shape. It's brick facade was sturdy and the vaulted ceilings prevented a surprise attack from above. We set up a shelter in the old cafeteria and used some left behind cookware to prepare a small meal, just some canned vegetable and chicken soup Ben had taken from the Cafeteria.

"So, what's going on with you two?" Barbra asked me while looking at Judy.

"We had a moment in the Library. I think she trusts me now."

"Trusts you...she's smitten with you!"

"What?" I asked.

"It means she likes you." she said.

"I know what it means, but she's not..."

"Oh she totally is, watch."

Barbra switched on a giggle and touched my arm in a flirting manner."

"You see, she made a face."

To my amazement Judy did indeed make a face. A scowl of both anger and pain.

I walked over with a hot cup of soup and handed it to her.

"Soup's on...literally." I said handing it to her.

"So you and Barbra seem to be hitting it off." she said looking away.

"Oh that, it was nothing." I said waving it off.

"You must've said something funny for her to laugh like that."

"No it was about you." I said.

"What now?" she asked, her voice dropping a few octives.

"Oh...no...not like that. She just said somethings about me and you. She thinks that you like me as in like-like me."

"Is that so bad, if I like-like you?" she asked.

"No, if you did I'd be exstatic. Truth is I've been infatuated with you since 8th grade. Back when you wore the pleated skirts with the tights. your hair was red back then and your eyes were the most unbelievable emerald..."

I don't remember much of what I said after that if I said anything at all. Judy moved in close and gave me a kiss that would melt steel. The world fell away, and for a short time everything was alright, even in the Hellscape we found ourselves in love was blossoming.

"Way to go stud!" Hardman shouted bringing me back to reality.

Judy blushed and pulled back.

"Way to be subtle you Jerk, you embarrassed her!" Barbra said hitting him on the leg.

"Ignore him Judy, you go girl." Barbra said playfully.

Judy tilted her head forward and took out her grey contact lenses and tossed them on the floor. She looked at me with her green eyes and smiled.

We woke the next morning to loud banging.

"Did they find us?" Barbra asked

We followed the sound to a back room and saw boards being knocked out. A bloody arm reached in.

"Please let me in before they see me." the panicked woman said sobbing.

"Hardman help me." I said running over.

"She could be bit or something man." he said.

"We'll figure it out later. If it comes to that I'd rather have to deal with one than 100."

"Good point." he said tearing off a board.

We pulled the woman in and she collapsed on the floor.

"Judy some water hurry." I said

she nodded and quickly ran to the bags as Ben came running up with the medical stuff we liberated from the Nurse's office.

"Miss are you bit?" I asked.

"I'm...what? No I....I don't think so." she said clearly confused.

The woman as badly battered and bruised, she had many scratches and wounds that looked nothing like bite marks. Her red dress was stained with blood that had turned brown, she was weak and very dehydrated. I moved her bloodied blonde hair aside to check her eyes which were spotless blue on white.

"Hey you're Karen Cooper, Mr Craig's Teaching Assistant." Ben said recognizing the svelt young woman.

As Judy walked up Karen fainted.

"That Ms. Cooper...jeez I hardly recognized her." Barbra said shaking her head.

"That chick's been through some special kind of hell." Hardman said shaking his head.

"What do you think happened to her?" Ben asked.

"Car accident I'd bet." Judy said walking up.

"I found this in her back." she said holding up a shard of glass, Safelite stamped in the corner in white translucent paint.

"Remember that overturned Saab we saw, I knew that car looked familiar." Ben said.

"How is she?" I asked Judy.

"For the most part her cuts are superficial, however I had to stitch that cut in her back and I gave her some oral antibiotics just in case of infection. I also set up a makeshift IV with a bottle of salt water."

"How briliant is this woman, honestly!" I said

She smiled and pushed me playfully.

"You're gonna make a kick ass Doctor!" I said poking her sholder.

"That was my Dad's dream, not mine." she said.

"You can't fight it babe, you're a natural. A sexy goth Doctor natural."

As the light of day faded into night the moon came out and bathed our corner of the world in an eerie white glow.

"There are so many stars!" Barbra said looking up at the Vaulted Skylight.

"No light pollution, means we can see everything even the spiral arm of the Milkyway galaxy.

"Hey she's waking up!" Judy shouted.

"We walked over to the area designated "The Hospital" and watched as Ms. Cooper regained consciousness.

"Where am I?" she asked very groggy.

"You found us here this morning, remember." Barbra said handing her some water.

"You'd better take this too." Judy said handing her three Acetaminophen tablets.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"We're Students from Savini High. I'm Tom Wayne, this is Judy Ridley, Ben Jones, Barbra O'Dea, and Harold Hardman."

She looked around at us all. "I know you, Don't I?"

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Posted

Chapter Nine: A Discreet Retreat

Our one night stay had ballooned to courtesy of our new addition the comley young Teachers Assistant Karen Cooper.

We can't stay here much longer J, how long til she's well enough to travel?" I asked Judy.

"I don't know Tommy, I'm not a Doctor." she said.

"You must have some idea?" I asked.

"Well her wouds are clear of infection and have begun to heal and she's no longer dehydrated."

"So she's healthy enough to travel?"

"Physically yes, but mentally is another matter. She experienced a traumatic event, coupled with the fact that death is a memory her mind may be cracked, and if we compound that with an arduous trek into the hellscape that was our little corner of the Earth her psyche might crumble causing a full psychotic break.

"So we have two options, we wait here and risk being found out or worse becoming atomized in an atomic Holocaust issued by some tinpot dictator with his thumb on the button."

"You're not suggesting we leave her?" Barbra asked.

"We're not leaving her...she's a person you ass!" Ben said preparing to take a punch at me.

"I'm not saying that Ben, jeez relax! I'm simply suggesting that we try craft a stretcher, or something to transport her easier."

"I did see some old aluminium poles from a scaffold." Hardman pointed to a nearby corner.

"That and one of these Tarps stretched across the frame could work." Judy said.

"I'll help you." Barbra said with a beaming grin.

"Or you could ask me." Karen said walking over.

"How long were you..."

"Awake, a while. I was listening. Now I'll admit I was out of it due to my accident, but in the cold harshness of reality I am in full control of my mental facilities."

"We weren't gonna leave you here, you know." I said.

"I know." she replied.

We packed up our meager belongings and headed out.

"If I may ask how did you guys survive the initial chaos?"

"A Saturday Detention in a padlocked school with a hardassed Principle."

"Oh Principle McCellen where is he?" Karen asked.

"He died and turned into one of them so we..."

"I!" Hardman said.

"So Hardman had to retire him."

"I killed him!" Hardman interrupted.

"He was already dead Harold!" Barbra said trying to chomfort him.

"He's a bit broken up about it." I said.

"Can we get to my car?" Karen asked. "I've got a change of clothes, some food and an emergency radio."

"That's a mile in the opposite direction, however a radio is something we need, we're going. Everyone keep a look out.

One thing we started to notice about the walkers was that while they were out in droves at night only a few would venture into the daylight. Judy theorised that the yellowing of the humors of the eye must prevent focusing during periods of high sunlight.

We made it to Ms. Coopers car in record time and after rescuing her baggage we were again on our way.

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