The Zombie Chronicles

Part I: First Blood

As we all stared out the window and at the street below I couldn't help but feel two things: shock and horror. There, on the street, were zombies! Not some cheap looking Hollywood imitation but living breathing zombie (that description may not be totally accurate...). An announcement came over the speaker.

"All students and teachers CODE RED, this is not a drill. I repeat CODE RED this is NOT a drill."

We all quickly grabbed our stuff and lined up against the wall the door was on. We had done this several times as a drill and everyone always talked and joked. Now everyone was dead silent. I trembled. How could this be happening? This must be a dream. I slapped myself just be sure. Several others did the same. No, this wasn't a dream, this was real. There was a building across form us was perhaps half a mile away and you could see it clearly from almost any floor. We all jumped as flames exploded out the windows and it began falling in on its self. A few people were crying. We sat like that for hours until the screaming and gunfire had stopped outside. One kid dragged himself across the floor to the window to see what had happened. He sat there as his face went slack. A few more went to look and they too stopped and stared. Eventually all thirty of us were staring blankly out the window. Bodies were everywhere. Several cars had crashed into the cars in our parking lot. The dead roamed around still trying to get into cars with people locked inside. Eventually we all sat back down on the wall. We were waiting for something that we all knew would never come.

My mother once said that we kids would be the least affected by a disaster. We grew up post 9/11. We expected someone to drop a bomb on us. We would be the ones who could move on. It was apparent that she was right when I saw my teacher. She was hunched over her eyes shut tears streaming down her face. I however knew we couldn't just sit there. Being the zombie buff I was I knew that preparations had to be made. These first couple hours were what would make or break us. Getting food, building barricades, storing water was all imperative. I rose shakily to my feet. Everyone looked at me. I turned red; I didn't like being the center of attention.

"We-we need to prepare." I said my voice wavering. "If this is real we need to get ready.”

 Several kids nodded slowly. Another kid stood up.

"Let’s move the tables out into the hallways. We can barricade the doors."

 I nodded still shaking. Me and several other guys grabbed chairs and went to the door. I was in front. My hand lingered on the handle’s cold metal, it was warning me. We I looked at my classmates. They were scared as hell. Nobody rushed me. I could tell they wanted me to just say "Never mind, bad idea." But I couldn't. We had a duty to everyone, to prepare for this. I slowly began turning the knob. When it had gone as far as it would go I started inching the door open. It made a horrible groaning noise which sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room. I pushed it open the rest of the way. I took a step out. Everyone else followed with a step. I stepped again and everyone followed. We did this across the entire floor and found no zombies had made it up there. Suddenly a sound of footsteps was behind us. We all spun around chairs raised hoping the heavy metal would be enough to break the skull. It was a teacher. He raised his hands jumping back.

"What are you doing" his asked whispering with an angry tone clearly scared by us.

 "We were checking the floor" a guy named Brian said.

 "Is it clear?" the teacher whispered walking closer to us wanting protection.

"Yeah this is the last hallway" Brian continued. "We are going to barricade the doors with tables so they can't get up here."

 The teacher nodded.

 "If it's really clear I'll get my class to help. What room are you in?"

"501" Brian replied.

 The teacher walked quietly away still not convinced the hallway was clear. Five minutes later a small congregation of students and teachers were meeting in the center hallway which as large enough for a car to drive through. People were speaking in normal tones now with the doors secured. I walked over to one of the administration officers.

"Is the camera monitor room up here?" I asked.

She nodded. "Floors three and four did the same as us. We are waiting for the announcement to begin leaving."

"Leave?" I asked.

 "The principal was on the phone while we were all sitting in our class rooms" she said making it sound like a phone call was super brave. “Local police stations are the gathering point for all schools. A convoy will be here soon to evacuate the school."

"Thank you" I said awkwardly as I walked away.

I didn't know how long until the police convoy got there but I did know one thing. If we went with them we were dead.