| take all the courage you have left|
Word had been spreading of the outbreak soon to hit Atlanta, but what was an elementary school to do when parents had to work or they simply didn't believe it?
Pomona Elementary took the risk and still had some kids turning up to school, with a reduced amount of staff coming in too. It was a hard balance, some of the adults having to take on the responsibility of telling the kids what was happening in the world because some were sheltered, too sheltered, in Haley Lacey's opinion.
Of course, she didn't go too in depth, she didn't want her class to be absolutely terrified but they needed to understand the dangers that were out there. So as she dismissed them as the end of the day and waved them goodbye she let out a sigh of relief.
"Gosh I don't get paid enough for this..." she mumbled to herself, oblivious of the child still standing next to her.
"Don't you like teaching us, Miss Lacey?"
Haley nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Lennon Martel! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" the woman in her fourties whipped round to see the little seven year old boy.
"Sorry, Miss, my daddy still hasn't turned up yet," Lennon looked down at his beaten up shoes, holding his arms to himself.
"It's ok Lennon, we can wait a bit longer. Is he bringing your bike again?" Haley asked the child, knowing how much he loved to ride his bike.
"Daddy says it's not safe no more, he's coming in his truck," Lennon confirmed.
"Well he's right about that."
20 more minutes passed by with the two waiting before Haley took Lennon inside. It was past home time and so by normal protocol they'd have to ring home. This would prove difficult very soon.
"Do you think everyone will make it to school next week Miss Lacey?" Lennon looked up at the last as they walked down the quiet hallways to the office.
"Lennon, I thought we talked about this. They're going to find a cure, remember what I said to you all?"
"You can't make dead people better. They are meant to go to heaven, that's what my daddy told me."
Haley huffed out a breath, not knowing what to say in response. No matter how hard she tried, Lennon couldn't get his head round how they still had a chance.
But maybe he was the smarter one here.
"Mrs Ackerman, are you there? We need to ring Mr Martel to pick up Lennon," Haley called into the office. There was no response, so she tried knocking on the glass window only to have an old growling figure slam itself up against it.
"I think the dead ones got Mrs Ackerman too," Lennon said with wide eyes, as Haley pulled him back behind her in defense, distressed at the sight of her colleague.
She quickly turned to the boy,
"Right I'm gonna need you to listen to me now, and listen carefully. We've got to go, Lennon, it means the dead ones have gotten into the school, okay, so you need to leave with me."
Lennon nodded at the instructions and ran with Haley as they made it back to her classroom for her to grab her bag.
"Hopefully they've not swarmed the parking lot," Hayley fished her car keys out of her bag.
"Like wasps?"
"Something like that, Lennon."
They tactically ran through the maze of corridors, exiting successfully without running into anymore dead ones. That was until Lennon spotted a familiar red truck.
"That's daddy's truck!" Lennon ran off, speeding to find his father.
"Lennon, wait!"
The young boy ran to his side of the truck where he normally climbs in, with assistance from his dad of course, it was too high for him.
"Daddy, come help me up!" Lennon gleefully said as he went to grab the car door handle.
"Lennon get back!" Haley screamed in horror as a dead one appeared from behind him and reached for him.
The young boy turned around in fright to see something that would scar him forever.
"Daddy, stop it!" he cried as a bloodied up Mr Martel dragged his feet towards his son. A very visible bite mark on his arm where his yellowing nails contrasted with the red blood.
"Lennon!" Haley grabbed the young boy by the arm and practically forced him along to her car, quickly shoving him in and running round to the driver's side to put the key in ignition.
"Miss Lacey, wait, that's my daddy!" Lennon's small hands hit the windows as his dad was attracted to the car and his own flesh and blood.
"We're going sweetheart, it's not safe, we're going," Haley's heart broke for the kid as she started up the car and reversed out of the school.
Thinking fast, she began to drive en route back to her house, hoping she could grab a few more things before leaving the area.
"Will my daddy go to heaven?" Lennon turned to his teacher, wiping his eyes that didn't seem to stop overflowing with tears. Oh how she wanted to give him a hug right now.
"Your daddy was a good man wasn't he, Lennon?"
"He is the best in the world."
"Then, yes, he'll go to heaven."
Haley drove the car round into her street, only to see a few dead ones roaming around already.
"You've gotta be kidding me!" she slammed her hand on the wheel, fortunately missing the horn.
"What do we do now Miss Lacey?"
What do they do now?
How does one adjust to an outbreak of dead people out to get more?
"We keep driving, til we find somewhere safe."
Haley quickly reversed, turning out of her road for the final time. She kept driving.
"Is this how you felt Miss Lacey?"
"Like what, Lennon?"
"Sad, when you lose someone special."
All those years ago, ah how time flies by. Haley missed her husband a lot, her teenage romance that had blossomed into a loving marriage. She regretted not having children with her husband. Maybe that's why teaching offered such a lifeline to her, why it was able to fill such a void.
This outbreak was cruel, but to her, cancer was even crueler.
"Sorry, Miss Lacey, do you want a hug, I didn't mean to make you sad," Lennon looked up unsurely at the woman driving, eyebrows raised apologetically.
"It's alright Lennon, I'm not a big fan of hugs," Haley shook her head, smiling weakly at the boy next to her.
"Me too," Lennon nodded as he looked out the window.
Bless his heart for trying to make her feel better, even if he doesn't like hugs, Haley thought.
Her job put her through a lot, but she was glad to meet kids like Lennon. She guessed that he was hers now, and she'd do anything to protect him.
YOU ARE READING
signal | the walking dead
Fanfiction"If Shane tries to tell me something one more time..." Bea was stranded. Lost. And she had no way of getting in contact with her family. On a mission to get back to her loved ones she faces some obstacles along the way, where strangers become family...
