Dead Parade

The Gates Weren't Strong Enough

It was about 9:30, where you'd think is a regular school day. That's where you're wrong. It was mildly sunny, and little did everyone know the dead were upon them.

"Did you hear the rumor?" Riley quietly screeched to Scarlet and Connor as they sat on the bleachers of their ratchet old gym. "Coach John has a gun in his office! I even heard its a rifle!"
Connor scoffed, "So? I have a slipper. What's the big deal?" Scarlet laughed, "Forget your guns and slippers. Hau'oli is taking a math test, out of all the terrible things that could happen to her today."
"Mental Abuse To Humans. Good for her." Connor said with a blunt expression. Riley started to grab their attention again, rambling on about the hidden rifle in the coach's office.
****
Steve stood in front of Haru as they waited for the cafeteria to open. They could practically smell the hash browns, all freshly cooked in the building.
"Can they hurry up? I don't like waiting out here." Steve whined. "You're hardly talking too!" he complained to Haru.
Haru was leaned against the wall as they stood in line. Students walked all around the hallway, and a couple had been making out by the pillar. An aide was manning the school gate, a teacher was driving out of the parking lot, leaving school early. A teacher was driving in, arriving to school two periods late. A zambie was biting a man's arm.

Wait.

A zambie was biting a man's arm.

"Are you even listening?" Steve complained to Haru once again. "We need to go, now!" Haru yelled to Steve, looking him in the eyes. As Haru bounced his back off the wall, he and Steve made their way down the hallway, far from the cafe. An aide had pulled a lever on the wall, and closed the gates. A bell went off and students were panicking, screaming, and running.

Those hash browns would have to wait.
****
"Don't you guys care about that gun? What do you think he has it for?" Riley asked Connor and Scarlet. "Nobody f*ckin cares." Connor densely replied to Riley. Suddenly at the time, they heard the bell, as it continuously rung and juggled in their eardrums. "What bell is that?" Connor asked concerned. Suddenly zambies came from all four entrances. At the back of the gymnasium two zombies chased after three girls, and three from the other entrance separated into the building.

One came from the front entrance, grabbing a student and plunging its teeth straight into their neck. Two more came from the last entrance, scattering around the gym, creating a bowl of chaos.

"That's the bell for the lockdown drill. But we can't lock down anywhere, we've already been invaded!" Scarlet exclaimed.
"We can grab the rifle! I know where it is!" Riley suggested to Connor and Scarlet. "That's not ours. We can't just take it." Connor rebutted.
All three turned to a loud scream at the back of the gym. Coach John was being eaten by one of them, and very quickly.
"He's DEAD. Now lets grab it before we die too." Riley said as she ran for the office doors of the gym.
*****
Mr.Smith worriedly scrolled through his phone, glancing at the window from time to time. Kimmie, Ellie and Queen were near the back entrance, painting their group project. The rest of the students were everywhere else, near the front, back, or in the center.

"What do you think is wrong with Mr.Smith?" Queen questioned. "He keeps looking at his phone."
"Maybe he's searching online about how to mix colors. Being an art teacher seems, hm, hard." Ellie dramatically sighed.
Kimmie calmly laughed about their conversation, and just kept dipping her brush onto the pallet. Mr.Smith came up to their group, and nervously smiled.
"Sir, what's wrong? You're literally freaking us out." Kimmie said to him. He bent down and motioned for them to lean in closer.
"Girls, here are scissors. Hold them with you very closely, and don't lose them." he directed, handing them the sharp black scissors. "Be careful." he warned, without any clear sign of what he meant. Mr.Smith smiled, and walked back to the window.