School Of The Apocalypse

Chapter 5/Sacrifice

Day 4; 4:07 p.m.

We finished packing as the first wave of walkers hit. We had four vehicles that had to get out of the garage, but it was being blocked by at least sixty walkers. We had to make a call. Who would risk their life for the others?

"I'll go," Sam said, halfheartedly.

"Me, too," George chimed in.

"I'm in," I said, lifting my bat. "Three against sixty, I feel bad for them!" I chuckled, sarcastically. We gathered ourselves and prepared to fight for our lives.

We sneaked out of the lobby and stared at the horde in full swing, banging on the garage door. I looked to my left at Sam and George and motioned on three. One...two...THREE!

We leaped over a car and started yelling at the horde. One noticed...then two...then five...soon they were all facing us. I lifted my bat, Sam lifted his knife, and George lifted his knife. We charged.

Out of the corner of my eye, and between whacks, I saw Sam pin-balling from walker to walker, and George was covering his rear. I was exposed. I heard the garage door open over the horde and with the "do or die" moment upon me, I swung harder. I was killing them faster than I could count. I had lost track at about twenty-two and didn't care at the moment. I had to protect my friends, my teachers, my companions.

One walker jumped at me from behind just as I drew the bat backwards. The impact sent him spiraling to the ground. One walker grabbed my foot from the ground and I swept the bat into its head. I was thinking that we could win this, and then I heard a blood curdling scream. Sam.

Between two walkers, I saw him, on the ground, with a walker digging into his throat. I held back bile from my stomach and continued swinging. Then, a second scream. George. He was in front of me with two walkers ripping into his shoulder and leg. I again kept swinging. Something hit me from behind and I fell to the ground. I held my bat in the way of a walker that was trying to eat me. He was vile and disgusting, and, for a moment, I thought about just letting go, and letting him eat me, embracing the fact that I won't survive this, and just as I was about to, a horn sounded.

A white truck barreled through the horde and aknife stabbed through the walker on me. The figure behind it threw it to the side and offered a hand. Hailey. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up. In the middle of the chaos, in was about to thank her, but Autumn spoke up first.

"Come on!!!" she screamed. Autumn was in the back of the truck, shooting at the horde with a shotgun. Hailey and I ran for the truck. Hailey crawled in and I grabbed the tailgate as we sped away. Autumn and Hailey dragged me in and we watched as two cars, a minivan, and a bus that I presumed to be A.J.'s work, filed in behind us and the school drifted into the background. I was glad to be alive, but what frightened me even more than the horde behind us, was the unknown in front.

"Time to go home," I said.