Night of the Living Bacteria [Old version]

Chapter Twenty-Three

(Ashley POV)

The wretched sound of the bacteria clawing against the door eventually stopped. I didn't hear anything for a while. 

"Is it gone?" Jayden asked from beside me.

"I'm not sure," I pressed my ear against the door, listening for any sound at all. Light filled the closet all of a sudden, and I whipped around to see Jayden sweeping the beam of a flashlight along the walls. His eyes lit up, and he clambered over the pile of things laying on the ground. 

"What did you find?" He turned back to face me with a childish grin on his face. In his hands, he held a mop and a broomstick. 

"Real weapons." 

"I'm not gonna ask." I replied as he handed me the mop. I twisted off the bottom of it, a thing that happens for some reason. After sliding the head of the mop across the floor, I was left with metal pole. A perfect, true weapon. Or, at least, to some extent. I thought, twisting the doorknob to the closet with caution. When I peered down the hallway, there was nothing except blood on the floor. Olivia.  I shook the thought from my head and beckoned Jayden to follow me. We crept down the hall, making our way to the stairs. However, we ran into the bacteria before we got there. It didn't seem to happy to see us again, but it wasn't going to give up on having a few more children as a meal.  I took the first swing with my new weapon, and burying it into the furs of the bacteria's "head." Jayden followed close behind me, lunging at the bacteria and managing to slide the broomstick  through one of its legs. I held onto my weapon, so I was swept up high above the ground, refusing to let go. While it was occupied with trying to tear the stick out of its head, I motioned to Jayden with my foot. Get out of here! He seemed to understand and nodded, leaving his weapon behind and running past the staircase. He must have noticed something I didn't. He disappeared, and I focused on landing safely. The bacteria had managed to pull the stick from its head and was trying to shake me off of it. Of course, I wasn't about to let go of my only weapon. But I have something to do before I can risk my life on a broomstick. I think, letting go of the broom and bracing myself to land on the floor. I landed on my feet, the force pushing me forward slightly. I stumbled, rising to my feet and running around the bacteria before it noticed me. I didn't have much time to run, though. I tore down the hall, looking for the locker room. It was the only door that had a sturdy wood frame and a lock. When I found it, I threw the door open, slipped in, and slammed the door shut, leaning against it for a moment before pulling out a set of keys that Olivia had found earlier. The locker room key was labeled, thankfully, and I shoved it into the lock quickly, keeping my shoulder against the door just in case. I could feel the door being shoved inward, making it difficult to lock it. But, eventually I heard the lock click. I yanked the key out and sighed. I turned around and wandered through the rows of showers and changing rooms to find the other side of the locker room. 

"Ashley! Over here!" I turned around. 

"You made it." I smiled. "Good." 

"Yeah, yeah. Anyways, I have this idea. Since this locker rooms are like tunnels but they only run through part of the school, we could play a little game of whack-a-mole."

"um, what the-"

"But, like we just peek out and coax the thing into the gym and land a few blows, then run to the other locker room. There's too many rooms in the school for remembering things, but it's perfect for surviving in this situation." I clapped my hands. 

"That sounds genius, now that I think about it."

"See?" 

"We don't have any weapons." 

"That's to be expected. We have to coax the bacteria into the gym first, then lock the doors, maybe pull the fire alarm so that the other doors will close. Then, we'll have time to scavenge the supply closet in the corner of the gym." 

"I think I know why you were in the Gifted Program now. You're a literal genius when it comes to things like this!" Jayden nodded, beaming. 

"We have to get going, though. In order for this to work, we have to start working now." 

"Okay, go around and make sure all the locker rooms are unlocked in the gym. I'll get our 'weapons'." We nodded. I peeked out into the empty gym, making sure it was safe to cross to the other side. All clear. I zoomed across the polished floor, my footsteps echoing through the high ceilings. The door to the supply closet was the same as all the others, except, when I entered it, there was both gym equipment and cleaning supplies. I smiled. 

"Jackpot." There were heavier weights that I could barely lift, but in the far corner, there were smaller weights light enough to throw. Along with that, I found an array of sticks, from mops to flimsy plastic poles. I grabbed a few of each, slinging the heavier ones over my shoulder and the lighter ones under my arm. There was only two weights that I could carry with all the equipment that I already had. Turning around to close the door behind me, I made my way back across the gym, trying my best not to run because I would surely trip. When I reached the other door, I had to open it with my foot (A very dangerous thing, kids. Don't try this at home Lol). Dropping everything I had in my arms, I closed the door and sighed. 

"Ready!" I heard Jayden call from one of the locker rooms. The four locker rooms (wow that's a lot-) were connected by one door on each side. The only step left was to lure the bacteria into the gym. The most important,

most dangerous...

Finale. 

A/N-asdfgh-AAAAA I didn't think I'd make it this far in this book!!!!!!!!!! So, there's gonna be three more chapters instead of one, obviously. I should have those out soon. For some reason I feel really motivated. It's either the tea or the feeling that I might pass the math quiz I had today. Stress :'/ 

Anyways, have a nice day/night!

--Laura S.