Infection

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Upon entering the class, Jake saw Ashlyn tidying up her table, hurriedly packing up her items.

“Hey, you okay?” Jake asked.

Ashlyn glanced up. “Oh… yeah… I’m just a little scared I guess. Those bodies out there… What exactly happened?” She shivered.

“Not too sure myself. But it’ll be fine…probably just a practical joke.” Jake tried to assure her, hiding his worries. He wouldn’t blame her. Everyone got a violent surprise as well. It was all so sudden. A few minutes ago, everyone was quietly taking their examinations. Then all of a sudden, aircrafts came out of nowhere and air dropped a crate of bloody corpses. That seemed rather extreme for a practical joke. There was also the possibility of terrorism.

Most of the other students were still outside the classroom, observing the crates and what the teachers were doing to settle the matter. Everyone would probably leave together at once when the crowd dispersed. Not wanting to be caught in the crowd, Jake quickly packed up his items. It would be better to leave before everyone comes back. The principal said to wait for the teacher’s instructions.

Screw that.

“Hey, I’ll make a move first.” Ashlyn called, smiling tiredly.

“Oh, sure.” Jake nodded.

As Ashlyn hurriedly left, Allan came in. “Hey Jake, in such a hurry to leave, huh? I didn’t know you were as scared as her. Heck, I didn’t know you got scared so easily!” Allan joked.

“Just go get your things and let’s go already. I’m not waiting for the teachers to slowly settle matters and waste my time. Knowing them, they’ll take ages.” Jake replied in a no-nonsense tone, glancing at him impatiently as he slung his bag onto his shoulders.

“Okay, okay. Point taken. Wait up.” Together, they left the classroom.

They walked past the hordes of students standing along the corridor. The sky had been cleared of the aircraft.

They walked in silence till they reached the school gate. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Jake waved. “Maybe this situation would clear up by then.”

“It should. Oh, and it’ll surely be on the news tonight.” Allan grinned. “Try not to shit your pants.”

“You’re sure taking this lightly.” Jake rolled his eyes and walked off, as Allan headed in the opposite direction.

***

En route home, Jake was deep in thought. Normally, he wouldn’t give a hoot about such incidents, considering that it was probably a prank. But this time it felt… different. What prank could possibly be of this scale? Human lives were lost. Along the route back, some people were all talking anxiously. Though about what, Jake didn’t listen.

He arrived back at his silent, lifeless home. Both his parents had gone overseas for a business trip and won’t be back for a couple more weeks. He had no siblings, but then again, his parents weren’t around most of the time either. So he was pretty much used to being alone. Should he call up his parents to tell them about the incident?

Heck, who cares. That isn’t important to them.

It was pointless for him to harp on it anymore. He should be more worried about the exams the next day.

***

Ashlyn was on her own way home. Her father had not been able to pick her up, since there was ‘’some emergency’’ back at his office, but he wouldn’t tell her about it, insisting that it was a trivial matter.

Now, she was sitting in a taxi on her way home. There were several police cars and ambulances headed in the direction opposite to where she was headed; probably going to the school. Those images of those bloody corpses still haunted her.

Bloody, torn bodies. Hideously destroyed lives… They would probably –

“Miss, could we take a detour?” The driver interrupted her thoughts.  

She glanced up. “Why?”

The cabby pointed ahead. “Look there. There’s some road block.”

Opening the car window, Ashlyn glanced out. Indeed, there was quite a crowd gathering in the middle of the road, with the police and several paramedics adding to the commotion. She froze. In there was another of the crates smashed up on the road, with similar looking, gruesome dead bodies in them. The public looked uneasy, with many on their mobile phones. The driver stared in shock. “Are those dead bodies? In the middle of the street?” He gaped in shock.

“Are those corpses?” The taxi driver asked in shock.

“Yeah, sure. Go ahead. I think there’s another way around if you take the second exit here.” She told the driver.

Somehow, she felt more uneasy. As the driver drove into another lane, Ashlyn felt that something was going to happen, she was absolutely certain of it.

***

“Miss Quayle! You’re back early!” Sebastian, Ashlyn’s butler exclaimed, and hastily opened the taxi door. “Are you alright?”

Sebastian was a butler who had served the family for years, even before Ashlyn had been born. Ashlyn’s family had more helpers in the past, until her father got into debt, and most had been needed to leave to minimize expenses. Only Sebastian remained. Although her father had since recovered his wealth, the family had seen no further need for hiring any other helpers. He was a man in his sixties with grey hair. Much older than her father and she sometimes saw him like a grandfather. In a few years time, he would be retiring and returning to his own country.

Ashlyn nodded. She lived in a mansion, with her older brother Ashton and her father. It wasn’t as big as the other mansions around the district, with the largest one atop a hill in the distance; she heard that it belonged to an oil tycoon…

Her mother had left the family when she was young, and her father never remarried. He was a rich businessman in the pharmaceutical industry. Her home was magnificent, made of polished white stone and marble statues along the interior and exterior. One particularly frightened her, the one which looked like a monster which was near the fountain pool, but it was meant to be a good omen, and she had grown accustomed to it after a rather long time. Ashlyn and her butler walked along the stone path back to the mansion, passing the private park which was beside it.

“Miss, permit me to ask what had happened?” Sebastian queried.

She told him of the occurrences. He looked surprised, but maintained his composure. “I did hear several planes flying by the area. I’m glad you’re fine, Miss. Oh yes, the young master will be home in a few hours.” He informed her.

Ashlyn was glad that her brother would be home soon. What would he think? Should she tell her father as well? Although it was more probable that they would've already known about the chaos, or perhaps even witnessed the gruesome scenes themselves.

Finally entering the house, Ashlyn felt glad to be home. She went up the marble stairs to her room on the third floor. Why was she so affected by the incident? Nerves, that’s all, she told herself.

The first person she thought of was Jake. Jake Richards, her childhood friend. They had known each other for nearly a decade. She knew he didn’t like to express his emotions. About the events today, Jake didn’t seem in the least bothered, though she was unsure if he was really nonchalant or just hiding his feelings.

Probably the latter.

“Miss! Would you like anything to eat?” Sebastian called. “

She nodded. ‘’Bring it up to my room if you could, please…”

“Very good, Miss.”