Zombie survivor

[4] The first act

The next day, Jean was doing his best to "focus" in Ms. Heather's class, but with her leaning over the desk, writing notes on the board, and her fitted blouse hugging her chest, he found it nearly impossible. He exchanged a knowing glance with Evan, who sat beside him, his mouth slightly open as he stared at her.

"Dude, it's, like... they're defying gravity," Evan muttered, leaning over to Jean with a smirk.

Jean snorted, trying to suppress his laughter. "Shut up, man. She's gonna hear you."

Just then, the loudspeaker crackled to life. Principal Stevens' voice came through, sounding unusually tense.

"All teachers, please lock your doors and close your blinds immediately. This is not a drill. Repeat: lock your doors and close your blinds."

The usual hum of chatter in the classroom stilled. Ms. Heather froze mid-sentence, her cheerful expression replaced by a look of confusion and concern. She quickly moved to lock the door and pull down the blinds.

Jean shot Evan a look, his heart picking up pace. "Dude, you think it's, like... a shooter?"

Evan shrugged, but his face was pale. "I dunno, man. It's gotta be, right?"

But something felt off. There was a nervous tension, yes, but the teachers were moving with a strange urgency, like they weren't just locking the doors as a routine. There was real fear in the air.

Jean couldn't resist. He leaned over and gently lifted a corner of the blind to peek outside. What he saw made his blood run cold.

A figure was stumbling across the school's lawn, looking strangely out of place. Their clothes were tattered, and they walked with an unsteady, jerking gait. Two security guards at the entrance shouted at the figure, but they didn't respond.

"What the hell?" Jean muttered, feeling Evan lean closer to peek as well.

Outside, the guards approached the figure, their voices growing louder. "Hey! This is private property! You can't be here!" One of the guards grabbed the figure's shoulder, trying to turn them around.

In one swift, brutal motion, the figure lunged forward and sunk its teeth into the guard's neck. Blood sprayed as the guard's scream echoed, followed by horrified shouts from students and staff who had gathered nearby.

"Oh, shit!" Jean gasped, nearly dropping the blind.

Evan's face had gone pale, his mouth agape. "Is... is he biting him?"

The guard fell to the ground, clutching his bleeding neck, while the second guard tried to wrestle the attacker away. But the figure moved with a disturbing strength, swatting the second guard to the ground with ease. The attacker turned, blood dripping from their mouth, eyes vacant and glazed over.

In a horrifying, gut-wrenching moment, the guard who'd been bitten began to stir. He got back to his feet, his movements slow and jerky, just like his attacker's. His skin was pale, his eyes unfocused, and blood was still gushing from his neck.

Jean and Evan could only stare, frozen in disbelief.

"What... what the hell is happening?" Jean whispered, his voice barely audible.

Ms. Heather noticed their horrified expressions and hurried over, pulling down the blind fully. "Jean, Evan, sit down. Don't look outside, okay?" Her usual cheerful tone was gone, replaced by a trembling edge.

The other students began whispering nervously, trying to make sense of the announcement and what little they could hear and see. Chloe, sitting across the room, was tapping away on her phone with a bored expression, as if oblivious to the chaos outside. Brad, sitting next to her, looked annoyed, glancing at the clock as though the whole thing was an inconvenience.