Last Dawn of a Horde

Chapter Three: The Hope Hole ~1 James

~James~

    “C-Come on! It’s me, Sophie! Open this damn door or else they’ll eat us!”

    It really was Sophie, but there was the obvious tone of fear in her voice. The last time I heard fear in her voice is when our Math teacher Mrs. Berry had called her for a hard math question--something she fearlessly and correctly answered.

    “P-Password!” Rich yells.

    I nudged Rich on my way into opening the heavy metal door. “Come on, do we need something like that in this urgent time?”

    Rich looked obnoxious as he backs down.

    I opened the door, and four people crashed on John and me.

    There was Sophie, her hair covering her face, and her uniform so dirty her mother wouldn’t like washing; I recognize the other faces—Joanna, Lance, and Craft, who looked as terrible as Sophie. Sophie ran towards John, and she had dropped the cleaver she was carrying.

    John was doing everything to comfort her. He tapped her back as Sophie sobbed hard. Rich and Jimmy checked the stairs from the door, then shut the door close after checking everything’s alright.

    Joanna, the senior I met just today, sat on one corner and she was balling her fists as I had heard her sobbing too. Lance and Craft, her classmates, looked at me like they didn’t have good news to deliver. One plus two... Something's not right.

    Joseph.

    “Where is Joseph?” I asked Lance.

    Lance looked sullen. “He’s…gone.”

    After tending little Amber, Suzanne made her way to us. “So the fourth group had only four students left? Another six died…”

    Suzanne kept her head down, but on the corner of my eye, I saw Joanna’s head going up, looking at me. No, at Suzanne.

    With one quick sprint, she bolted towards Suzanne and strangled my classmate. All left in shock, we are so occupied to react; we just saw two girls on the cooking table with one about to kill the other.

    John and I rushed to them, and Joanna struggled from our hold like she still wanted to kill Suzanne. Awake students panic, their screams about to wake the asleep ones. My other classmates helped us to take reckless Joanna away from Suzanne. Rich, after rummaging his backpack, got a syringe.

    “Get away!” he cried. He lunged towards Joanna, and before we can make out something, the syringe’s content was flushed inside of her.

    All John can scoff was: “Rich! What was that?!”

    Rich looked conscious of himself, but he said, “This is tranquilizer powered with sleep pills! I saw some on Principal Guns’ store! That woman needs to calm down!”

    From my side, Lance didn’t like what Rich said. He stood up, and pushed Rich out of his balance. Rich, in his recoil, pushed him harder. The next thing happened was that Lance started to pin the fat boy to the ground and he started to punch him.

    “You morons, stop it now!” John yelled, his face going red. Andrea and Den came to carry Joanna’s body, and placed her next to a wall adjacent to closets.

    Craft had rescued the defenseless Rich, and then John bellowed, “IF YOU DON’T STOP, I’LL SEND BOTH OF YOU DOWN TO DIE AN EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL DEATH!”

    Silence followed. John had completely lost his temper.

    Lance had his stand. “And who are you to lead us, smarty pants?”

    John stopped. His chest heaved up and down, and his fists were clenched. “I am the president of the star senior class, and don’t you dare question me!”

    That surely got Lance. I want to butt in, not that I don’t want other students get mad at me too, but I don't see the point of involving myself--unless if it was to stop it. I can't.

    Lance quickly made up his mind. He grabbed Craft’s wrist, and motioned his way to the door. “Let’s go, Craft. We’ll leave this hell. Maybe Joseph will spare us if he sees us outside.”

    Joseph was dead. In a matter of minutes, unless his body was torn to bits, he’ll be back to life. Well, almost to life. Oh, surely Lance won't believe that crap his friend will not attack him.

    Joanna was unconscious, but Lance did not dare take a step to cross John and get her. Maybe that’s why Joanna was furious to Suzanne a while ago.

    Craft did not budge. He looked at us as if he doesn’t want to leave.

    Lance pulled harder. “Come on! These intelligent people will never understand slow learners like us. They think they are million leagues from us.”

    John looked like he was to attack him, but it was me who pulled him. I’m sure he won’t give his best friend a punch intended to harm. Or to break my nose.

    I whispered to John. “No, we’ll need everyone we can, John. If they leave…then their death will haunt us forever.”

    John didn’t answer.

    We watch Lance and Craft open the metal door; looking reluctant about leaving, Craft gave me a worried look—for him and his friend. Craft doesn’t want to leave, but when Jimmy had closed the metal door, we all know there’s no more way we are still concerned or even connected for their lives.