Beating Hearts - Dangerous Fellows

Chapter 1 - Warmth

AUTHORS NOTE

This is the music I listened to when writing the chapter, and I think it fits very well with the chapter itself. I recommend listening to it when reading. Enjoy!

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Breathing heavily, you ran as fast as you could to the nearest building. It was a convenience store. As you entered, you noticed the shelves completely empty. They were lined with dust and dead bugs. There were wrappers here and there, some boxes as well. Nothing that was useful. The store smelled of must and the air right after rainfall. You found some cookies and stuffed them into your bag. Sitting down, you ate one and tried to remember what life was like before the virus spread.

You happened to be lucky. Being slightly above middle class gave you many opportunities and advantages that the kids at your school did not have. It made you feel almost... bad. People spoke about how they could not afford certain items or vacations while you had the chance to go. You never spoke up about this as you didn't want to seem too privileged. St. Michaels High School wasn't a great school in the first place. Many of the students were either preppy or rebellious. You had a decent amount of friends at school, but not a lot. God you missed it. The awful cafeteria food, the giggles and whispers in class, your study group at the library. 

You remember when it happened as well. You were in math class at the time... zombies just burst through the door and attacked your classmates. The screams... the blood. God- so much blood. A low growl interrupted your thoughts. 'Shit- not here.'  You thought before standing up and raising your wooden bat. The growl got louder and louder before a zombie appeared right before you. You could smell its rotting flesh from a mile away. It limped towards you slowly, eventually picking up its pace and heading faster towards your shaking body. You backed up but tripped. Tears were streaming down your face. 'Not here.... not now... please.' Thoughts were running so fast through your head, it hurt. Closing your eyes, you waited for your flesh to be ripped from your body. That is, until you heard a loud thud. The sound of something heavy coming in contact with a body. Before you could process what was happening, you were being dragged out of the store by a strong hand. A boy's hand. "W-what was that?" You couldn't catch your breath.

"Shut up and follow us." He growled. 

Us? You looked around. He wasn't the only one. There was a group of them. Five, to be exact. His hand gripped yours tighter. You whipped your head around to notice one of the boys whacking zombies down like flies. This gave you a little confidence, causing you to pick up speed. Looking up, you noticed a school building. Was this where you were headed? Wait a minute... you knew this school. Cape Coral High. This was your rival school. The boy let go of your hand and pushed open a giant teal gate. He pushed you inside along with some of the other boys. "Ethan. Let's go. Now." One of them spoke with determination.  Ethan -as he was called- slammed the gate shut behind all of you moments before zombies reached them. All of you moved farther away from the gates to catch your breath. You looked up and gazed at the boys before you. They all looked around your age. 

A boy with blonde hair and deep hazel eyes. He was shorter than the rest, and seemed quite annoyed with the situation. Another with grey-blue hair and violet eyes. His features were oddly pretty. You couldn't point out what made him this way. The boy who saved you had bright red hair and golden irises. He seemed quite fit and strong. 

The last two were the tallest. Ethan -if you could remember- had charcoal hair with tints of indigo. He had blue eyes. He did not seem out of breath at all. And the last had fluffy brown hair and brown eyes. His eyes were a shade of brown that reminded you of a fuzzy, warm feeling. You did not know why.