Run or Die

Chapter Two: It Begins Now

Second chapter! :)

Vote and comment if you like it, or on a favorite part. :)

Toodles,

Jolanda

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Chapter 2: It Begins Now

“Look out of the doors,” I told Henry, a young boy. “See if there are some more people.” He nodded and skipped towards the door.

We were in the gym. The hardwood floor was shiny, and a stage was set up against a wall. Long white tables surrounded the stage, and it was decorated with colorful patches of cloth. Decorative paper plates were set up, with steaming grilled chicken breast and baked potato.

There were roughly a hundred people sitting, and it was a good success, considering it was Pioneer High’s first annual music show.

“Nobody’s there,” Henry told me, and skipped towards his sister, my world’s best friend ever. Sarah turned to Henry’s shirt-tugging and she laughed, tousling Henry’s hair.

“What do you think of this?” a voice said next to me.

I jumped. “Principal Donald. It’s pretty good. So far.”

Principal Donald chuckled. His potbelly jiggled; his fat chin jiggled, too, and I could see beads of sweat that were always existent on Principal Donald. He was tall, so I had to look up. “Don’t worry, Ava. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

You think?” I muttered. If this didn’t go very well, then I’d die.

I could see my parents at one table, wildly waving for my attention. I gave a tiny wave in return and checked the time on my iPhone.

It was a minute before I was supposed to get on the stage and make announcements. My hands clenched around my clipboard with the names of musicians that I’d selected for the event.

“Go ahead and make the announcement,” Principal Donald said.

I nodded, and headed to the stage. But just as soon as I took a step up the stairs, the doors clattered.

I turned to look at the doors. It was shut, but I could see the door shaking. I frowned in bewilderment. Jason had said that the hall was empty.

The people turned to look, too, and the door banged against their hinges. With a loud CLICK, the door fell apart and out came shuffling, pale-faced people.

“Wha...?” Principal Donald said in confusion.

Still on the steps, I watched in horror as one person shuffled forward, and then leapt forward surprisingly quickly, biting deep into Principal Donald’s fat throat. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion as Principal Donald looked at me in the eyes, the pale person jerking his head to get better purchase on his neck. Principal Donald’s mouth went slack, and it became an open O, and he went SMACK on the gym floor, blood gushing from the neck wound.

The pale person made a guttural sound and began eating Principal Donald’s arm. I realized that the pale person was in fact a man, and he was my biology teacher that was absent today because he was sick.

People suddenly were everywhere; everyone was running that way, that way, and everywhere. They screamed when one person was took down, and then another.

Amazingly, they all left me alone.

On the stage.

Gasping for breath, I became still with shock as I watched Sarah got attacked by two…whateveryoucallit—Mrs. Boehner and Mr. Heinbeck.

My mouth open with horror, my eyes locked with Sarah’s as she screamed, then gurgled, and then became still. Until her eyes became glassy, face spattered with blood.

My mind slowly sputtered to life as I heard my name being repeatedly called.

“Ava!” Noreen Knightley, the school counselor, was shouting.

My body suddenly firing up, adrenaline pouring into my veins, I turned to find her. As I spotted smooth and bright auburn hair at the left corner of the gym, waving wildly, I knew without question that I had to get to Mrs. Knightley.

But—how?

Looking around, I saw nothing that would help me get through the crowd. Mindless with fear, I forsook reason and leapt into the fray.