Hereeeeee goes Chapter 3! Thank you to all those who have been reading! I hope you guys love it so far! :D AND BOOM! HERE IT IS!

Chapter 3: Salem

I hated to admit that I completely adored the fact that classes had been cancelled for the entire day. It just meant that our weekend had been extended one more day, and we were actually awake to enjoy the day off. We had spent the entire morning sitting in the on-campus coffee shop and talking.

"What is that all about?" Hayley asked pointing out of the window. I sent my gaze out of the window only to see a group of police vehicles pulling up to the atrium and a large amount of officers exiting their vehicles and scattering throughout the campus. Two officers, one male and one female, were jogging to the student center where we were located.

"I wonder if this is why we're not in class today." Alexis broke the silence, the others giving a nod or a shrug as a response.

On the inside I was partially hoping that the officers that ran toward the student center were going to let us know what exactly is going on and why there was the need for so many officers that were being dispatched to the campus. Many thoughts filled my head as I wondered if there was a student with a gun somewhere on campus, if the campus had a bomb threat, if there was an escaped convict on the campus, or anything of the sorts.

"Whatever it is I'm sure they will take care of it." Riley broke my train of thought, making the group feel a bit safer. However, it wasn't long after he spoke that we all saw two officers come running out from behind a building with their weapons drawn. "But, just in case." Riley's voice had changed to show a bit of uncertainty. "We should probably go home and get out of their way."

Voicing our agreements we stood from our table quickly and disposed of our empty coffee containers. Walking back over to the table we grabbed our bags and heading out of the coffee shop soon to head downstairs. I could not lie and say that I was not moving just as fast as the rest of my friends as we exited the coffee shop and started on our way out of the student center. However, with a sudden realization I knew it was best that we not show our worry.

"Guys…" I started to slow my walk as I knew our fast paced walking made it appear as if we were guilty of something. "Maybe we should…"

"You kids! Stop!" I was too late. We all turned in unison to face the police officers as they approached us, both of their weapons were drawn and faint voices could be heard on their radios; some of them sounded worried. "Are you kids OK?" The male officer asked us, his gun pointed down to the ground.

"Yes…" Julia's response sounded more like a question then an answer to what the officer had asked.

"Where are you going so quickly?" The female officer had begun the questioning that I knew was going to happen. I let out a loud sigh as I heard Alexis answer that we were all headed for home since classes were cancelled for the day.

"You really should not go outside..." The male officer paused for a moment as if he was trying to think of some way to phrase what it was that he wanted to say. I saw his lips part as he was preparing to speak, but was quickly cut off by a loud call on his radio.

"All officers be alert, targets have been
sighted on the outskirts of the campus.
Protect students and faculty that are
unharmed and keep areas secure."

The transmission had ended just as quickly as it had started, and looking around in the moments that followed the only sounds that could be heard were the same faint voices from before that now seemed a bit more panicked then they had before.

"Shit…" The female officer was the first one to break the silence releasing all of us from the spell of confusion we had previously had cast upon us.

"What the hell is going on?" I finally was the first of us to speak up. I knew now there was something that these officers were not telling us.

"We will explain everything." The male officer gave us each a serious look. I could only interpret the look as his way of trying to get us all to trust him. "We just need you to come with us so we can take you all to somewhere safe.'

"No," Hayley responded first, her tone sounding a bit angered. "We aren't going anywhere until you tell us something." It wasn't hard to tell, with neither of us trying to stop her, that we all agreed.

"We don't…" The officer started but was soon cut off as there was a loud pounding on the glass doors leading out of the front of the student center. I heard a gasp sound somewhere in the student center as we all noticed the same thing about the man that was ragingly pounding on the glass doors. He was covered in blood.

"Fuck, we need to get out of sight." The male officer looked over to the female officer who nodded in response. Before long the man pounding on the door was joined by two others, one was wearing an officer's uniform. "That door isn't going to hold them off for long."

I looked around to the others who shared the same mixture of confusion and fear that was also easily readable on my face. Before I could say anything the male officer shouted loudly to the students that were also staring at the door that they needed to stay away and follow him as he would take them to safety. However, before anyone could react a loud shatter resonated through the entire building as the three men that had been pounding on the glass doors had finally managed to break through them and were now sprinting in the direction of the students.

"They're hurt! You've got to help them!" Julia yelled as she turned to look at the officer's faces. They both had their weapons raised in the direction of the three blood covered men with a look of terror in their eyes.

"Come on!" The female officer shouted as she started backing away. "We've got to go, follow us!"

"You can't just leave them!" Julia shouted back to them. "They're human beings and they look like they're in severe pain!" To be honest with as much blood as they had lost it was a shock to me that they even had the strength to break down the glass and run, but the question remained what exactly they were running from.

"No they're not! Look!" The male officer sounded less calm as he kept his eyes locked past us and on the three men. As we all turned to look at what he was directing us toward we heard a loud scream, followed by a large number of horrified gasps and screams as a response. The sight that stood before us was straight out of a horror movie. The man who had first begun beating on the doors had tackled a young woman and was now tearing into her, but not with his hands; with his teeth. I felt myself take a few steps back as several other screams rang out among the newly frightened students as the two other men had now taken down their own victims.

"What the fuck?" Riley yelled, the first time I had ever heard him sound anything but calm since I had met him. His outburst seemed to catch the attention of one of the bloodied men as he immediately snapped up from whom he had previously been feasting on and darted off in our direction, snarling.

"Come on!" The female officer yelled to us as she and the male officer took off toward the back doors of the student center. "We need to get out of here; it is no longer safe!"

Without even questioning the five of us took to following them, we could hear screams of terror and pain sounding all around us and now it appeared that more of those crazy people were in the building and were after not only them but everyone who still appeared unharmed.

"Where are we going to go?" Hayley sounded just as terrified as the rest of us as we neared the back doors.

"I am not sure, but we have to get out of here, it's too dangerous to be pinned in here with them." I couldn't help but focus on the end of the male officer's statement. Who was he calling them? Was it those people who had been acting crazy? What was wrong with them?

As we reached the back doors I took one glance back and saw the woman who had first been tackled and attacked when the men had first arrived, except she too was now attacking others along with them. There appeared to be more of them now, and several were heading in our direction. Escaping through the back doors we all stopped outside of the glass doors to a sight far worse then what we had been previously a part of. Gunshots sounded from everywhere as well as civilians and them scattering in every direction. I was sure that, much like myself, the others had suddenly been taken over with a blanket of fear at what they were witnessing.

"Shit!" The male officer shouted snapping us all out of our trance as a loud growl was soon heard coming from beside us. I turned to see a dressed officer, with a large portion of his neck missing, sprinting in our direction. The two officers quickly raised their weapons, but the female sent her bullet flying first as it connected with the man's forehead. He fell to the ground in an instant with all of us still in shock of what we had just seen. "Come on! We have to keep moving!" The officer shouted to us.

Too shocked to even respond I stared with the rest of my friends at the limp body of the officer. Neither of us said a word or even made a movement. How could he have still been alive with that large wound in his neck? What the fuck is going on? My thoughts were louder than anything either officer was yelling at us until I felt a tug on my arm that snapped me out of my state of shock. I stared at the officer as he looked at me as seriously as he could, though I could still see terror in his eyes.

"We have to keep moving!" He pulled on my arm as the female officer too was talking to Alexis begging them to move on. I finally nodded in agreement and helped get the others in an understanding that they had to keep moving.

"Where are we going to go?" I heard the female officer ask with uncertainty in her voice.

When the male officer did not respond I could not help but feel a bit worried about what we were going to do and if we were ever going to get to so-called safety. The question still remained what was happening and what was wrong with those people. At that moment it hit me like a ton of bricks as I thought back to the report that had been displayed on the television earlier that morning. This was the disease that had been taking over the south. How it had gotten here so fast I had no idea. I followed the officers and others behind a grouping of small trees to hide for a moment. It was then that the library caught my attention.

"Hey." I shouted to the others "The library!" I saw all of their gazes fall on me as I spoke. Although there was still hell happening around us it seemed we had a safe few seconds to think as we stood behind the trees. "It's the most fortified building on this campus! We have to at least give it a shot!"

I saw the two officers look to each other for a moment before peaking around the trees to see the passageway we would be taking before turning back to us. The male officer turned toward me as he appeared as if he was preparing to say something, but was not quite sure how to phrase his words. The female officer had resorted to staring through the trees with her weapon still ready for use.

"He's right." Alexis was the first to respond in support of me. "The library is the only place we can hope to go even if for a few moments so you can tell us what the fuck is going on."

"OK." The male officer sternly agreed with the students knowing very well that he knew no more than any of us about what to do.

"Then let's go!" Riley urged as the two officers nodded to each other a second time and dashed out from behind the trees, immediately greeted with a plethora of them running directly toward us. I could count at least six in the short glance I had given. Both officers immediately started firing into the crowd of men and women as they continued toward us. I could hear panting all around me which was the only reassurance that I had my friends still with me.

As we approached the library I looked over to my right for a brief moment only to see a young man who I remember having in one of my classes being pulled out of his vehicle by them and shortly after becoming a feast. I made it a point to myself to not let my eyes stray from that point on.

"Get in!" The female officer was the first to reach the library doors as she held one of them open for us. I was the first of the group to reach the door and quickly ran through the open door, swinging open the second set of doors and entering the main lobby of the library with the others closely in tow behind me. As soon as I was inside I stopped abruptly as I laid eyes on what shown before me.

And there it is! Oh noooo! What will happen? Guess you'll just have to wait to find out! :D Hope you like it! PLEASE REVIEW! The more reviews the more I will want to update sooner! Thanks so much! :D