In The End

One

Brett couldn't believe he had complained so much about school until he was left alone in the hall, fighting for his life in front of his most dreaded class, English. He fought off the hungry beast as he fumbled with the classroom door, trying to get the others to let him in. They were on the other side, currently trying to push the handful of desks out of the way in order to open the door. All the while, his once favorite physical education teacher snapped his teeth inches away from Brett's cheek, foam spilling from the corners of his mouth. Using all his might, Brett pushed against the broom and pushed the rabid monster back a few feet, just enough for him to slip through the barely open door.

Once closed, the children scrambled to place their barrier back in place. Although it was rickety and haphazardly stacked, the desks gave the kids a sense of security in their nightmare. Using the sleeve of his black sweater, Brett wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around the room, taking account for all the children. After all, it was up to him to keep the younger ones safe. Being the only one strong and quiet enough to slip through the halls of the eerie high school, his job was to look around for food, or any other living students for that matter.

While lost in thought, one of the younger kids, probably around fourteen walked up to him, an uncomfortable look etched across her face, and a blush prominent on her pale cheeks. She gazed up at him with a glimmer of hope in her eyes, but Brett only looked back at her with an apologetic frown. He hadn't found anything worth bringing back on his hunt around the school this time. She smiled sadly and walked away, Brett couldn't help but feel remorseful as he noticed the way her bones poked through her shirt. They were all extremely hungry and rather low on rations. Either he would have to go back out there again and tango with the rabid lunatics he once knew, or he would have to make an escape route to get all the children out unharmed. It was something that left a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, but he was in charge of these kids, and he needed to think of another survival strategy, and fast. But they still had enough food to last about two more weeks if they spread it apart.

Standing up, Brett walked over to a corner where they had a little kitchen set up. They had no heat or water, so they had to make do with the materials they had. From their pile. Brett picked up three cans of ravioli and stirred them all together in one pot. Without a sound, all twelve of the students in the room formed a line behind him with their makeshift bowls that ranged from coffee cups to measuring cups. Brett could only whisper an apology as he gave out a small portion to them all. They smiled and thanked him none the less, not eager to be greedy because he was the only one capable of bringing them the necessities they needed for survival. Once he finished serving the last kid, Brett took a small portion himself. He made sure that they got most of the food, because he knew he could go without. Being eighteen and having a relatively normal body mass, he figured he would be able to live off smaller portions.

Brett sat with his back against the wall, staring out into the almost dark room full of kids. He couldn't remember when the epidemic began, all he knew was that it struck hard and fast. Brentt, like all other students, were in school when the intercom came on, telling the students not to panic, but to stay in their classrooms until further notice. Like all others, he brushed it off as another practice drill, but that was until they heard a blood-curdling scream echo from the hallways. It had been the first attack, the vice principal sank her teeth into a bright eyed freshman girl, and once that happened, the infection spread like wildfire and ended with the handfuls of students left barricading themselves into the nearest and safest classrooms. Although it was awhile ago that he actually led his normal life, Brent still wished he could go back and take advantage of the life he once lived. He missed being able to relax and play a few rounds of zombies on XBox before going to bed. Now, he was actually fighting off hordes of the undead while trying to help a dozen other students survive. He could only find it ironic that the video game he once loved so much, now became his reality. If he could go back, even for just a little while, he would be sure to give his mother an extra long hug and tell her exactly how much he appreciated her.