High School of the Living Dead

Chapter 3: Food Fight

Austin was ironing out with the group what needed to be done before we left the cafeteria and made our way toward the parking lot.

"When it gets dark enough, then we'll leave," Austin said.

I didn't want to say anything to contradict his I'm-so-tough-my-word-is-law attitude, but this part of his plan was stupid.

Okay, maybe I did want to piss him off.

"I think we should leave earlier," I said.

The lovebirds breach their concentration from each other to toss in their two cents. "If Austin thinks we should leave at night, then why shouldn't we. I mean seriously. He one of the guys that made our football team undefeated."

His mate turned around and gave me a dirty look, "yeah, undefeated. When we still had a football team."

Your welcome.

"All I'm saying is we should, maybe, leave while we can still see the roads. It'll be safer. Less chance driving into a ditch."

I thought he was smarter than this. It's a wonder how they ever won a football game.

"So what you're saying is, if we leave earlier, we'll be safer, than driving at night. Is that what your saying?" Austin said.

"Exactly," I was really proud of myself and him finally listening to what I have to say. Maybe he isn't as bad as I first thought.

"That's what everyone else will be thinking too." Austin pointedly speaks slower as if I were a child. "The streets will be chaos. You wont be able to take two steps without getting run over by a panicked driver trying to get the hell our of dodge or eaten alive by those nut-cases." He throws his hands in the air, "congratulations, we're all hypothetically dead!"

He is a dick.

That didn't stop him from being hypothetically right, but he's still a non-hypothetical dick.

I saw some of the students getting drinks from the fridges that stood next to the lunch line and rummaging through the kitchen area.

I shoo away Jacks hands and I make my way toward the kitchen, "I'll be back."

"Do what you want," Austin says without even looking at me.

If we run into problems and need to stay out more than a few hours, we'll some basic supplies.

I found a thick plastic bag underneath the food stations and filled the bag with water bottles and snacks I found inside cardboard boxes stacked inside the pantry.

I try to haul the bag back to the table, but I was beginning to think that I may have over filled it. It was taking all the strength I had to keep it from dragging the bag across the floor.

"Hey, what the fuck you doing?" A guy from across the room yelled.

"I'm just gathering some--"

"What the fuck you say to me!" He jumped up and gets in my face. "You think you can just take what you want? Doing whatever you want? You're noth'n."

I'm not much of a fighter, but after whats been happening today, I was ready to take a bite out of him.

But before I could give him a piece of my mind he backed away a few steps and looked over my shoulder.

Suddenly the heavy bag I'm holding is grabbed away from my hands from behind me.

I turned around to see Austin giving the other guy a mean I'll-fuck-you-up look, "I asked it to grab a few things. You have a problem with that?"

The guy doesn't say a word and walks away.

I shoot Austin a look. "You didn't need to do that," I tried to take the bag back from him, but he just yanked it back from my grip easily.

"You're welcome." And just like that he walked back to the table with bag in hand.

He tosses the heavy bag onto the table and it lands with a thud, "at least someone's thinking ahead."

I didn't know if he was talking to me or all of us, but I felt weird to have him act--civil.

Austin was looking through the bag and I was still standing beside the lunch table.

"We need weapons," Jack said while the group was quite. "I mean if we run into any of those freaks and we, like totally, need to kick some ass."

Austin looked almost mystified at Jacks comment, "if we play our cards right, we won't need to fight."

"but, dude, my moves would be killer." Jack flails at the air, an action that looks more like a seizure and less like "killer moves".

"Dude," Austin mimics, "if you take one of them on, by the time you 'totally kick it's ass' another two will be right behind you ready to take."

Jack slumped down in his seat with his arms folded and pouting. I kind of felt sorry for him.

Two guys, along with the guy that tried to pick a fight with me earlier, walk from the opposite side of the cafeteria to our table.

"I hear you're stealing from the kitchen." One of the guys says.

"It's not like everyone else isn't helping themselves," I said nonchalantly. "I've even seen you take a few--

"Shut up! You lost your right to fucking talk to me." One of the guys said. "Just because the teachers had to deal with your bullshit doesn't mean I need to!"

"Dude, what your problem, bro, it's just water" said Jack.

Madison tugs on my arm and whispers in my ear, "I think we need leave." I felt her hands on my arm, she was shaking.

The guy's voice is practically booming. "You lost you right to the kitchen the second you decided to leave."

The guy beside him says, "yeah, if your going, then get your asses up and get!"

The guy from before, grabs my arm and pulls me away from the table, "if you think you can run your mouth--"

Austin grabs him by the throat. "Let go of her."

"That fag isn't a fucking," Austin punches him in the stomach and the guy's grip loosens and I pull my arm away.

Austin tosses the heavy bag over his shoulder, "come on, I looks like we outstayed our welcome."

He kicks the barricades away and we leave.

We hear the cafeteria doors get barricaded again once the doors close.

They locked us out.

The six of us made our way as quickly and quietly as possible to the fence.

We walked along the covered cement walkway. Along the way we passed the auditorium. Once passed the auditorium we were in sight of the fence separating the school campus from the parking lot.

We heard the gnashing of teeth before we saw them.

To Be Continued...