Infected

i. prelude

  Monday morning meetings, in my eyes, were the worst. More than half of the student body were half awake and trying to fight the urge of sleeping in the bleachers while some succumbed to sleep's loving embrace. The staff were seated on the gym floor facing the bleachers were the students sat to watch for sleepers and people holding sideline conversations. In the center sat six or sever chairs that were reserved for executive leadership and the center director and off to the left were more chairs for the positive students for the week. 

 I looked at the meetings as announcements they could do over a PA system. They were all short statements basically summing up the past week. The staff repeated themselves over and the positive students were also the same people from last week. I wanted to hang my head and close my eyes, hoping it to be over. I got my wish when I watched Briana, the executive president walk to the microphone and say:

 "And now, your center director, Ms. Walls." The gymnasium filled with applause as she took the microphone from Briana.

 "Good morning." Ms. Walls started. We responded back dully, still feeling the affects of waking up at five thirty in the morning. She grimaced. Apparently, our lukewarm good morning wasn't good enough. "I said good morning." she  sternly. The student body repeated themselves again, a little louder that time. Knowing that was all she could work out of us, she started to wrap up the meeting so we could get to class.

 During her speech, there was a loud banging noise from the double doors where the positive students sat, where I was seated as well. We all jumped simultaneously at the sudden disturbance. I knew for a fact that all the students were in the gym. It was a full house. Ms. Walls's brows furrowed.

 "Whoever that is banging on that door like that, get in here right now." she fussed. There was a long pause and she went back to her small notebook that she always wrote in during the meeting. "Anyway, like I was saying-." The clamor behind the metal barrier started again but it sounded louder than before. Then, there were faint groaning noises followed by a loud shriek. Ms. Walls slowly backed away from the podium. A few more kids rose from their seats and started to walk down the bleacher stairs. The doors swung open, our only means of protection leaving us.

 "RUN!" Kelvin screamed, practically flying from the hard plastic bleachers. Clicks, groans and shrill screams of agony filled the gymnasium as yellow skinned, red eyed infected flooded the floor, nearly toppling over each other. I froze where I stood as the monsters overcame the students and staff. Adrenaline shot through me when I felt narrow fingers wrap around my wrist.

 "LET'S GO!" screamed Ayana. She tugged me back to the nearest exit while my eyes never left a crowd of zombies clawing and tearing at the flesh of a student who was unknown to me. Suddenly, a zombie with pale brown mushroom like plates covering its face violently turned away from chasing a staff member. I didn't need it to have eyes to know it was looking directly at me. I was technically a buffet given my size. Flailing its arms and screeching, the mutation came closer until a metal pipe collided with the back of its head. I watched it fall and standing there stood Louis, brown blood covering his Carville issued sweater.

 "Just go!" he shouted at me. Just as Ayana pulled me to safety, I screamed at the sight of a another mutated human leaping onto his back.