Scenario 12: Hallowed Grounds
Ulrich ran down the darkened hallway of the science building. He had one of Yumi's arms over his shoulder and he was keeping her on her feet. Odd was right behind him carrying an unconscious Sam in his arms. Odd was panting under her weight but he didn't dare stop or falter. Odd could hear the footsteps of the others behind him; Darren and Chris were helping William along. Odd looked down at Sam and held her closer to him.
"We're almost there." He said gently hoping Sam could hear him.
Ahead of him Ulrich could see the classroom door.
"Hey!" He shouted. "Get that door open!"
A few seconds later the door creaked open and a confused looking Aelita stuck her head out.
"Ulrich?" She gasped.
"We have wounded here!" Odd called. "Move!"
"Get the first aid kit!" Ulrich said pushing past Aelita.
"What on earth happened?" Jeremie asked.
"Jim turned into a tank!" Odd yelled angrily.
"Huh?" Aelita asked.
"Don't worry about it." Darren said as he and Chris let William lean against a wall. "Get the first aid kit. See if it will do us any good."
Aelita dashed out the door and returned with the medical kit a few seconds later.
"Ulrich what happened?" Jeremie asked.
"It was Jim." Ulrich said as Aelita began examining Sam's back and head wound. "He turned into something else entirely."
"How do you mean?" Jeremie asked.
"I don't know!" Ulrich snapped. "He's like some kind of zombie big foot or something!"
"You'll be fine." Aelita said to Sam. "Head wounds always bleed heavily. The cut really isn't that bad. You will need a few stitches though. I'm more worried about you having a concussion. Sam? Sam?"
Aelita snapped her fingers and Sam blinked.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" Aelita asked.
"Er... seven?"
"Okay." Aelita said looking at her single finger. "I think you're definitely concussed."
"Will she be all right?" Odd asked worriedly.
"She'll be fine." Aelita said though she didn't sound very sure. "Just don't let her fall asleep."
She took out a suture and began to stitch Sam's wound.
"What about... William?" Sam slurred.
"I'm fine Sam." William said.
He was holding his side and wincing. He sustained nothing more serious than a massive, ugly bruise on his chest and two fingers on his left hand were jammed.
"Dumb ass." Sam muttered.
Aelita finished the suture and applied a bandage over the wound. She fished a pill bottle out of the medical kit and twisted it open.
"Here Samantha." She said. "Something for the pain."
"What the hell happened out there?" Odd asked angrily. "Why'd you guys go into the woods?"
"I saw something moving out there." William said. "I went to go and check it out and Sam followed me. It was that thing. It chased after us and we got separated but we made our way back to the school."
"We're in the middle of the zombie apocalypse, what made you think that now of all times it would be a good idea to play Scooby Doo?" Odd exclaimed.
"Look I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know what it was?" William asked.
"From now on, it's probably best to assume that all the things lurking in the dark are giant hulk like monster that want to eat you okay?" Odd yelled. "Every time you wander off by yourself bad shit happens so do us all a favor and stop it!"
Odd whirled around and stomped away helping Sam into the teacher's lounge across the hall. Aelita tended to Yumi's busted lip and black eye and closed the medical kit with a snap. The two girls gave William a dark look and left the classroom. William sighed and looked over at Ulrich hopefully. Ulrich glared daggers at him and followed his friends out of the room.
Chris, Darren, and Tina were sitting in the teachers lounge. Chris had set the duffel bag on the coffee table and they were going through its contents. Chris was counting out the spare magazines he had picked up and Tina was sorting through the ammunition. Darren was carefully cleaning the blood off of his mask with a damp paper towel.
"Here's your piece by the way." Chris said handing the Glock 30 to Darren. "Saved my ass back at the base."
Darren took the handgun and ejected the magazine. He examined the weapon and placed it on the table.
"Thanks." He said.
"Where's sarge?" Chris asked.
"Dead."
"Like dead dead or-"
"He's dead." Darren said shortly.
"What the fuck is going on? I mean zombies? Really? It's like a bad horror movie."
The door opened up and Jeremie stepped into the room along with everyone else.
"Chris?" Jeremie asked.
"What?" He asked loading bullets into a clip.
"You said that the blockade was over run? What did you mean?" Jeremie asked.
"Exactly that." Chris said.
He leaned back on the couch he was sitting on and pushed a hand through his tangled hair.
"There were plenty of survivors from the fort." He explained as Odd helped Sam into an armchair. "Men. Women. Children. We were all crammed into a church just a few miles away. The GIGN and police were trying to keep those things at bay while letting people from the city get inside. They were doing a half way decent job. Untill those other psychos showed up anyway."
"What other psychos?" Jeremie asked.
"Some freaks that started burning the shit out of everything in sight. Came out of the god damned woodwork." Chris shrugged.
"Burners." Yumi said quietly.
"I guess." Chris muttered. "Sure as hell weren't extinguishing fires. Anyway I bailed and eventually met up with some other GIGN guys. They wanted to try and get here to Kadic and form a last stand. Then we got attacked by that thing out there. Tore the guys apart like they were phone books."
"If the blockade was over run then that means..." Aelita trailed off.
"There's no one coming." Darren said. "We're on our own."
"We have thirteen shotgun shells, forty eight of the 9mms, thirty five of the .45 ACPs, and seventeen of those .357 magnums." Tina said counting out the bullets.
The counter of the kitchenette was cluttered with bullets, magazines and all of the other equipment Chris had recovered from the GIGN van. Most of the magazines were useless since they didn't have the appropriate weapon for them but luckily all of the ammunition was useable.
"That's not even enough to cross the damn street." Chris said.
"Well it's all we got." Darren said. " We need a plan if we're going to get out of here."
"Well we can't make it on foot. I'm not keen on the thought of walking through the war torn streets of Paris with just my good intentions." Odd said.
"We need a car. Something big." Ulrich said. "What were those GIGN guys driving?"
"A nice, big heavily armored van." Chris sighed. "But unless you can flip the bastard over I don't think we'll be driving it anywhere."
"What about the teachers?" Darren asked. "Any of them have cars?"
"No." Yumi said. "All the teachers live on campus. There's no point in having a car."
"Of course not." Darren muttered.
"There's a bus!" Desmond said suddenly. "There's a bus I was helping Jim restore for the school to use during field trips."
"Does it run?" Ulrich asked.
"Yeah. The autoshop was fixing it." Desmond says. "Though it might be missing a tire."
"Is there a tire you can put on it?" Darren asked.
"Yeah. It wouldn't take me long either. I could do it blind folded." Desmond said.
"We'll just take your word on that." Ulrich said. "Where is the vehicle?"
"In the garage... Which is at the other end of the grounds." Desmond said a little flatly.
"We can make it." Darren said.
"Why do we have to leave?" Milly asked tearfully. "I want to stay here! What if our parents come looking for us and we aren't here to meet them?"
Ulrich knelt down in front of Milly and Tamia and placed his hands on their shoulders.
"It's too dangerous to stay here." He said gently. "We'll find your parents girls but in the mean time we can't risk staying here. Your parents would want you to be some place safe and this school isn't that place anymore. Understand?"
"I guess so." Tamia said sadly. "But where do we go?"
"That's a good question." Yumi said thoughtfully.
"We got to get out of the city." Jeremie said. "This city is beyond saving short of a missile strike."
"You think it's that far gone?" Emmanuel asked.
"When the outbreak first occurred, the police force mobilized thinking that it was just rioting. They urged people to stay in their homes. Then they realized it was something worse. It was already too late by that point. People had turned and those people infected other people. Instead of launching a quarantine procedure and trying to round up survivors they should have just hunted down and eliminated all of the infected. Now there aren't many uninfected people left to save. Everyone is either dead or dying, one way or the other. This city is lost. The fight is over. The undead have already taken Paris." Jeremie explained.
"We need to get out of dodge before this place goes the way of Raccoon City." Chris said.
"What?" Yumi asked.
Odd made a whistling noise followed by an explosion.
"Okay." Yumi breathed. "So where do we go?"
"Uh... Well..." Herb timidly raised his hand.
"Yes, do you have something you'd like to contribute to the class?" Odd asked. "Remember Mr. Pichon, there are no stupid questions, just stupid people."
"Shut up!" Herb snapped. "I was just about to say that I think I know a place we can go!"
"Where?" Ulrich asked.
He wasn't being condescending or sarcastic. He wasn't even looking at Herb as if he was an insect that needed to be batted away. He was serious and willing to listen to him.
"Well, My favorite uncle passed away a few months ago and he left me his summer home. It's really out of the way and secluded."
"How out of the way is out of the way?" Tina asked.
"It will take about a day to get there by car. It's a huge house and the staff should still be there. My uncle had guns, food, even a back up generator. We'd be safe there." Herb explained.
"Could we leave now?" Ulrich asked. "Like right now?"
"That wouldn't be a great idea. I think we'd be better off waiting for daylight." Aelita said. "We're all tired and hungry and most of us are wounded. I think it would be smart to just take a breather for the night and head out first thing in the morning."
Ulrich opened his mouth to argue but paused as he looked around at everyone. Aelita was right. Everyone was tired, covered in blood, battered and bruised. Nearly every muscle in his body ached and he was having trouble just standing up.
"That sounds pretty good actually." Ulrich sighed.
"No way." Sissi said. "There's no way I'm leaving without my father!"
"Sissi, you need to know, your father might not be... with us anymore." Ulrich said gently.
"I don't have any reason to believe he may be like those sick monsters out there!" Sissi snapped.
"Didn't Jim say he was ill?" Odd asked.
"He had surgery on his back!" Sissi said. "He's been recovering all week! Ulrich!" Sissi pleaded. "If there's any chance he's alive I can't just leave him behind! He's my daddy!"
Ulrich sighed.
"All right. All right. We should probably check on the bus anyway. Make sure it's even there." He said.
"God damn it." Darren thought.
"Chris and I will take Desmond to the garage. We'll clear a path and make sure we have everything we'll need." He said.
"I'll take Sissi to the Headmasters quarters and check around for any signs of her father." Ulrich said.
"Keep an eye out for gigantor out there." Darren said. "Don't bother fighting it. Just run."
"Got it. You too."
"There's an extra radio here for both of you to take and stay in contact with us here in the teachers lounge. If anything goes wrong give us a call and we'll try and help." Jeremie said.
"You-" Chris started to say to Tina.
"I know I know." She said waving her hand. "I'll stay here. Both of you just hurry up and come back in one peice. All of you."
They nodded and they left the safety of the teacher's lounge.
"Happy hunting." Chris said to Ulrich with a nod.
He and Darren lowered their masks over their faces and jogged down the opposite end of the hall with Desmond leading the way.
"Those guys sort of creep me out." Sissi said.
"I know what you mean. I'm just glad they're here." Ulrich replied. "Let's go."
Ulrich and Sissi carefully made their way through the grounds of Kadic. The front lawn was too dangerous to navigate through but the middle lawn between the main buildings was nearly abandoned save for the occasional shambler which quickly met its end with Ulrich's machete.
"We need to be extra quiet." Ulrich said to a whimpering Sissi as he slid the blade out of the zombie's neck.
Sissi nodded and resisted the urge to scream as Ulrich split a second shamblers head open and kicked it away.
"Come on." He said extending a hand.
She took his hand the two of them ran through the grounds. They made it to the administration building and slipped in through a side door. The building was dark. The furniture was dimly illuminated by the pale light of the moon shining in from the glass windows on the ceiling.
"Let's take this slow. If your father was up and about when all of this started, odds are he was in his office." Ulrich said.
Sissi nodded.
They walked through the wide open lobby and made their way to the offices in the back. They came to the Dean's office and found that it was locked.
"Great." Ulrich said with a sigh. "Any idea where we can find a key?"
"No... We can't just give up. Why don't you blast the lock open?" Sissi asked.
"Too dangerous and too loud." Ulrich said. "Stand back."
He lifted his foot and kicked at the door as hard as he could. The wood was way too hard and didn't give way. Ulrich growled in anger and shook his leg in pain.
"Come on." Sissi said gently. "We'll think of something."
She and Ulrich hobbled down the hallway and Ulrich pulled the radio out of his pocket. He turned it on and held it to his mouth.
"Jeremie this is Ulrich. We're in the administration building but the office is locked. Any ideas?"
"Locked? See if you can find the janitor's office. He has a key to every room in the school." Jeremie said.
"Where is it again?" Ulrich asked.
"Somewhere in the boiler room." Jeremie said. "But be careful. I used my laptop and I hacked into Kadic's security cameras. There's definitely something moving around in the shadows down there."
"Got it." Ulrich said. "I'll keep in contact."
"Okay. Over and out."
Ulrich pocketed the radio and they made their way to the front doors.
"We're going back outside?" Sissi asked.
"There might be a set of keys in the boiler room. If you want to check your father's office then we need to open the door." Ulrich said patiently.
"Okay." Sissi said nervously. "Let's go."
Chris, Darren, and Desmond jogged through the wet lawn of Kadic's backyard.
"Used to come out here with my buddies during soccer practice." Desmond explained. "Watch the cheerleaders. That Delmas girl is a total hottie. Too bad she's a major b-"
He felt two hands clamp on his shoulder and shove him to the ground.
"What's the deal?" He exclaimed.
"Shut the fuck up!" Darren growled in his ear.
Up ahead there was a massive figure lumbering around the runner's track. One of the arms of the creature hung limply at his side. It was Jim, his distant memories had brought him back to the place where he had spent much of his time when he was human. He growled and looked up at the sky. He let out a loud angry, mournful roar into the air and slammed a fist into the ground.
"Oh shit!" Desmond whispered. "Did he see us?"
"No." Chris said. "Just shut up and keep down!"
The three boys made their way down the back lawn, staying low and making as little noise as possible.
"Okay." Desmond said. "We're almost there. The garage is up ahead, just off the old dirt path that leads to the main nature trail in the forest."
Darren looked over his shoulder. The dark silhouette of Jim was no where to be seen.
"Okay." He said quietly. "Let's just get this over with."
They picked up the pace and quickly made their way to the garage. It was an old run down thing with filthy windows and rust spots on the metal.
"Okay." Desmond said. "Give me a second. There's a hide-a-key somewhere around here..."
Suddenly there was a low growling noise from the trees by the garage. There was a click as Darren turned on his flashlight and shined the beam at the trees. In the brush Darren could see several yellow eyes glaring at them. The eyes belonged to wolves. About a dozen or so. Their eyes were wild and cruel, their teeth were stained in blood and saliva dripped from their maws.
"Shit." Chris muttered. "Are they infected?"
"Yeah I think so..." Darren said readying his hatchet.
The wolves walked out of the trees. Several of them had deep gashes on their sides and their bones were exposed under their dark fur. Their insides were either missing or hanging limply out of their stomachs.
"I'm going to say yeah..." Desmond said.
The nearest wolf snarled and rushed at the three boys. It leapt into the air and roared, its teeth going for Darren's throat. Darren round house kicked the wolf and knocked it away. It rolled in the grass and Darren buried his weapon into the creature's side. It staggered from the blow but soon returned to the battle.
"Shit." Darren muttered.
Chris kicked a wolf away and brought his baseball bat down on its skull. The wolf yelped and shambled away, shaking its head from side to side. Darren lashed out with the axe and hacked the wolf's snout off.
"Play dead!" Chris yelled kicking another wolf away and stomping on its neck.
Desmond dodged out of the way as a wolf leapt at him and slammed his police baton into its back. The wolf staggered under the blow and Desmond took his chance to hit it again and again. The spine of the wolf snapped in half and the top half wiggled away. Scrambling on its front two paws it crawled towards Desmond and nipped at his heels. Desmond brought his foot down on the wolf's skull and crushed it. The wolf whined a little but was quickly silenced by another stomp of Desmond's foot.
"How many of those bastards are there?" Chris asked slamming his bat into another wolf.
"Too many!" Darren said. "Where's the damn key?"
Desmond ran over to the garage and lifted up a brick in the dirt. Underneath it was a small dirty key. He jammed the key in the lock on the bottom of the door and gave it a sharp turn. There was some resistance from the old lock but it finally turned.
"Got it!" He exclaimed.
The night air was filled with the howling of the infected wolves. Desmond ducked under the garage door and motioned for the others.
"Come on!" He said.
Darren finished off the snoutless wolf and rolled underneath the garage door. Chris lifted it a little higher and crouched underneath it. He turned around and slammed the door down, the impact crudely hacked a wolf in half just under its front arms. Darren drew his hatchet and chopped off the wolf's snarling head. He leaned against the wall and sighed. There was a soft click followed by a humming noise a a few lights flickered on.
"There's a small generator in the back." Desmond explained walking up to them.
The garage smelled of dirt and gasoline. There was a long work bench along with a few desks for students. This was after all, a shop class. On the left hand side of the garage was a rickety old bus along with an even older vehicle that was missing a majority of its parts. Judging from its shape it may have once been a VW beetle. A red tool chest and a few lockers occupied the rest of the space making the garage feel very cramped.
"This is your big escape plan?" Chris asked looking at the machine. "Half the damn windows are missing!"
"It ain't much but she runs okay?" Desmond said. "If you'd like you can hop into old Betsy over there and Flintstone your ass out of the city."
Desmond grabbed a wheel from the corner of the room and a tire iron from the work bench. He rolled the tire to the bus and got to work. In a few minutes the tire was fitted into place and Desmond slowly lowered the bus back onto the ground. He jogged around the side of the bus and got inside. He brushed some dirt off of the seat and sat down. He sat there for a few seconds and face palmed himself at a sudden realization.
"Uh... guys?" He called out the window.
"What?" Darren asked.
"We have a little problem..."
"What?" Chris asked darkly. "What the fuck is it? No keys?"
"No it's not that." Desmond said. "Just uh... no gas."
"Of course not." Chris growled kicking a metal bucket over.
"There's some jerry cans here." Darren said. "None of them have gas in them?"
"Doesn't look like it." Desmond said. "Sorry guys. I guess this was a bust."
"Like fuck!" Chris said grabbing a can. "Come on! We'll siphon the gas ourselves if we have to!"
"What about those wolves out there?" Desmond asked.
"We'll just have to fight'em off." Darren said taking the radio off of his belt.
"Jeremy this is Alpha. The bus has no gas. The three of us are going search for vehicles along the nearby streets and try to siphon gas. Over."
"You should try the gas station down the block on the north east side." Jeremie said. "There you should be able to get gas and supplies. Over."
"Good idea. We're moving now. We'll stay in contact. Over." Darren said.
He clipped the radio back to his belt and drew his hatchet.
"Everyone grab a can. Let's get this over with." He said.
Ulrich and Sissi stood at the back entrance to the gymnasium. Ulrich slowly pushed the door open and peaked inside. The zombies that they had trapped in there a few hours ago were still shambling around. The sprinters were fighting over a hunk of flesh and snarling like wild animals. Ulrich sighed and turned back to Sissi.
"The entrance to the boiler room is at the other end of the gym." He whispered. "You wait here and I'll try and clear those things out. We can get around the slow ones but it's the fast ones I'm worried about. One good yell and they'll bring a whole horde down on us."
"How are you going to do that?" Sissi asked.
"You wait here. I have a plan." Ulrich said.
Sissi started to protest and then caught a glimpse of the monsters inside. She nodded and whispered for Ulrich to be careful. He slipped into the gymnasium and silently closed the door behind him. He held his breath, fearing that the slightest sound may alert the things to his presence. He quietly crept towards the wooden bleachers on the left side of the building. They were currently unfolded and Ulrich knew he could use them to his advantage. He slipped behind them and quietly made his way through the metal bars making sure mot to trip over them. He stopped in the middle and peered out through the seats. He spotted the three infected just a few feet away. They were tearing at each other and the hunk of flesh, still arguing over it. Ulrich let out a quiet whistle. One of the infected jerked its head up and looked over at the wooden bleachers. It narrowed its red eyes and snarled. It then stood up and stumbled towards the seats. The other two looked up and followed, leaving behind the scrap of meat. Ulrich quickly slipped through the bars and towards the far right side of the stands. He stuck out his head and saw the three figures stumbling towards him. He quickly ran through the bars and back to the way he came. He heard the things behind him stumbling through the bars and tripping over themselves. When he got outside he looked behind him and saw the three infected sprawled out and biting and clawing at each other, tangled in the metal. Ulrich flipped a switch on the wall and the wooden bleachers began to close themselves. The things inside roared in protest and were soon crushed. Blood oozed out from under the seat and Ulrich let out a sigh of relief once the growls stopped. He turned around and saw several of the undead shambling towards him. He flexed his fingers around the hilt of the machete and went to work.
Five minutes later the door to the gymnasium opened and Ulrich stepped out covered in a fresh layer of blood.
"It's clear." He gasped lowering his bandana. "Let's go."
Sissi nodded and followed Ulrich inside the gym. The floor was littered with severed heads and the floor was slick with blood. Sissi whimpered at the sight of someone she knew from the cheerleader squad and fought back the urge to vomit.
"This- This is sick." She said. "I don't know how much more of this I can stomach."
"We're almost done." Ulrich said. "We'll be getting out of here soon. Come on."
The three boys stormed down the street. They ignored most of the undead and whenever one rushed at them they simply crushed it and knocked it away. Up ahead they could see the tall sign advertising the gas station.
"We'll have to activate the pumps inside." Desmond said. "You guys go in and take care of that. I'll get the gas."
"Got it." Chris said.
The three boys ran for the gas station. Desmond hopped over a overturned garbage can and ran to the nearest pump. Darren and Chris rushed to the entrance.
"Hold on." Darren said.
The doors were open and the inside of the store was dark. Inside they could both hear voices. Darren held a finger to his lips and Chris nodded. The boys readied their weapons and stepped inside. The gas station was more of a large convenience store and towards the back they could here the clinking of glass bottles and hushed voices in the back. A figure walked out behind one of the aisles.
"A'ight. I'm gonna take a piss." He called over his shoulder.
He was dressed up in burner garb and holding a 2x4 with nails driven through the wood.
"Shit! We got company!" He yelled as he spotted the boys.
He charged at Chris and Darren. Out of the corner of his eyes Chris saw another burner rush at them wielding a hammer from the aisle next to them.
"Three O'clock!" Chris warned.
"Engaging!" Darren replied.
Darren rushed at the second burner with his hatchet as Chris charged the first one. Chris and the burners weapons collided with a loud thunk. The impact made the burners stagger back from Chris's mighty blow. Chris brought the baseball bat down on the burners shoulder who cried in pain as the bones in his shoulder popped. Chris slammed the handle of the bat into the burners face, breaking his nose and slamming the back of his head into a glass door of a cooler. The glass cracked like a spider web and the burner slumped down to the ground leaving a smear of blood on the glass.
Darren avoided a swipe from the burner's weapon and kicked him in the knee. The burner cried in pain and stumbled backwards grabbing onto a shelf to keep himself up. Darren brought his hatchet down and cleaved off most of the burner's fingers. He screamed and fell backwards onto the ground clutching his hand and writhing in pain. Darren raised a boot and brought it down on the burners face silencing him.
"Sound off!" He called in the darkness of the store.
"I'm okay!" Chris called back.
"Fucking fuckers!" A voice bellowed.
Chris wheeled around and spotted another burner stand up from behind the counter. He aimed a sawed off shotgun at Chris and fired. Chris ducked behind a shelf and the glass doors to a cooler exploded in a blast of 12-gauge buck shot and glass. The burner turned and fired at the place Darren had been causing several bottles of soda to exploded in a geyser of liquid.
"I'm gonna fucking kill you!" The burner yelled as he broke the shotgun and loaded two shells into the barrels.
Darren drew his Glock and clicked the safety off. He ducked low and ran down the aisle. He peered over the top and blindly fired three rounds in the general direction of the service counter.
"Eat lead you little fuck!" the burner yelled.
Two more shotgun blasts and one of the front windows was blown out by the gunshots. Darren quickly stood up and aimed down the sights of his handgun. He fired two quick shots; the first round struck center mass directly in the heart; the second bullet hit the burner between the eyes, spattering the shelves behind him with blood and gray matter. The burner slumped against the shelf and slid to the ground smearing the cartons of cigarettes behind him with more blood. Darren kept his handgun trained on the counter and exited the cover of the aisle.
"You okay?" He called out to Chris.
"Yeah." Chirs responded rising from cover and shaking a few shards of glass from his hair. "I'm good."
Chris picked up his baseball bat as Darren vaulted over the counter. He walked over to the register and pressed button labeled "Pump 1". Chris picked up two good sized gym bags the burners had been filling with supplies.
"Plenty of food and water. This other one is full of nothing but booze and smokes."
"Works for me. Grab'em and let's go." Darren said grabbing a tray of lighters and dropping them in a grocery bag.
He bent down next to the burner and grabbed the sawed off shotgun. He felt around the burners pockets and pulled out a zippo lighter, a switchblade, ad a few extra shotgun shells. Darren reloaded the shotgun and tossed it to Chris.
"Let's help Desmond and get the hell out of here." Darren said.
They each grabbed a bag and headed back outside. Desmond popped up behind a dumpster looking shaken.
"What the hell man?" He asked. "I heard gunshots and shouting!"
"Don't worry about it." Chris said. "Pumps are on. Let's get the gas."
Desmond nodded and began filling up the Jerry cans.
Ulrich and Sissi made their way into the maintenance corridor. The air was hot and stuffy and made Ulrich all the more uncomfortable in his blood soaked clothes. The two made their way down the hall, passing by the door that Ulrich and his friends had used to gain access to the sewers on so many occaisions. He stopped in his tracks when he saw that it was wide open.
"Ulrich?" Sissi asked. "What's wrong?"
He didn't say anything and approached the door. He peeked outside into the dark tunnel and wrinkled his nose at the foul sewer smell. He had almost forgotten the scent and could honestly say he didn't miss it. He started to close the door but paused. He spotted deep cuts in the metal door and the lock was laying on the ground. Someone or something had forced its way into the school. Ulrich shut the door and shoved a metal shelf in front of it.
"Let's go." He said to Sissi.
They approached the door to the boiler room and Ulrich pulled it open. The staircase was pitch black. In the darkness Ulrich could barely make out the gray concrete steps. Down in the darkness Ulrich could definitely hear something scuttling around in the shadows. He reached over and grabbed a flashlight off of a shelf by the door and turned it on. He shined the light down the stairs and Sissi gasped as something quickly dashed out of the light.
"This is probably a really really really bad idea..." Ulrich thought.
He sighed and pulled out the radio.
"Jeremie?" He said. "We're close to the boiler room now but the something feels wrong. The door to the sewer was wide open and the lock looks like it was cut off."
"Really? That's... odd." Jeremie said.
Suddenly the lights above Ulrich and Sissi flickered and went out.
"Damn it!" Ulrich cursed. "Jeremie the lights just-"
"Went out?" Jeremie asked. "Same here in the teacher's lounge. Hold on."
Ulrich stood there in the darkness for a moment or two, Sissi's hand clasped firmly around his.
"I'm on the roof." Jeremie said finally. "It looks like there's still power in the city. It must be the circuit breaker. It should be in the janitor's office. Just give the switches a flip and the power should come back on."
"Got it." Ulrich said.
He turned the radio off and handed Sissi the machete.
"Here." He said.
She took it and he drew out his revolver. He opened the cylinder and made sure it was loaded. He closed it and pulled back the hammer.
"You stay behind me and at the first sign of trouble you run okay?" He said.
She nodded and swallowed hard gripping the machete in both hands.
Ulrich took the lead and they both slowly descended the steps into the boiler room. The air was even hotter down below and in the darkness of the boiler room, surrounded by the large iron hissing contraptions, Ulrich felt as if he was on the set of a horror movie. He shined the light all around the room looking for the Janitor's office. There was a loud hollow bang behind them and Sissi let out a yelp of fear. Ulrich wheeled around holding his pistol and flashlight akimbo. The flashlight's beam was beginning to darken and wasn't going to be providing light for much longer.
"W-what was that?" Sissi asked.
"I don't know but we better get moving." Ulrich said quickly. "Come on."
They both hurried through the boiler room looking for the office.
"There it is again!" Sissi said pointing at a spot between two boilers.
Ulrich shined the light to the spot and aimed his pistol. Something moved in the shadows. There was a low growling sound and a pair of beady eyes stared at Ulrich.
"Shoot it!" Sissi cried squeezing Ulrich's shoulder.
"Wait." Ulrich said his finger relaxing a little. "Wait a second..."
The thing took a step forward into the light. There in the dimming light stood Odd's dog Kiwi, a gray miniature bull terrier. Kiwi barked happily and ran towards Ulrich and Sissi.
"Kiwi!" Ulrich exclaimed as the small dog jumped into his arms.
"That's it?" Sissi asked. "Kiwi? That's what we've been paranoid about?"
Suddenly, Kiwi's ears perked up and he growled. He looked up at the ceiling and began barking furiously.
"Sissi..." Ulrich said. "I don't think we're alone down here.
He shined the flashlight up and Sissi screamed at what they saw. A bloody pale face looked back down at them, it's wide eyes were a dark red color, so dark they were almost black. It's mouth was full of razor sharp teeth. The flashlight in Ulrich's hands slowly dimmed and finally died leaving him and Sissi alone in the dark. The thing above them let out a throaty guttural growl and Ulrich heard a metallic clattering above them. Ulrich fired his revolver twice at the ceiling in front of them. The bullets struck metal and sent up sparks when they came into contact with the ceiling, briefly illuminating the darkness. Ulrich wasn't sure but he could have sworn the thing was climbing on the ceiling, skittering along like a crab. Ulrich heard the sound of metal scraping on metal and heard something drop to the floor ahead of them. He fired two more shots and missed. A bullet hit a pipe and a jet of boiling hot steam erupted from within. He saw something leap into hiding and once again heard the sound of clattering metal as if two swords were meeting in rapid combat.
"Screw it!" Ulrich said. "Come on we got to find the janitor's office! Kiwi? Can you show us the way?"
"Ulrich he's a just a dog!" Sissi said fiercely.
Kiwi barked and ran in front of them. He slid to a halt and barked to the left just ahead of them. Ulrich could see a crouched shadowy figure on top of one of the boilers. He raised his revolver and fired. He missed and sent up another flash of sparks. Kiwi growled at another spot on the ceiling. Ulrich fired and missed once again.
"Let's go!" Ulrich said.
Kiwi barked ahead of them and Ulrich and Sissi chased after him. He turned a corner and Ulrich heard something leaping from boiler to boiler behind him. Growling in eager anticipation as it chased its prey. Ulrich came to a sudden halt as he almost slammed face first into a door labeled "office". Kiwi barked and leapt into the air scratching at the metal door with his paws. Ulrich grabbed the door knob, pulled the door open and the three of them rushed inside. He slammed the door behind them and quickly slid the dead bolt into place. Ulrich heard Sissi panting for breath behind him and felt Kiwi against his leg growling at the door. Ulrich reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. He pressed a button on the side of it and a small flashlight turned on. He shined the light around the small office looking for the circuit breaker. He spotted it on the wall and walked over to it. He opened the small door and held the cellphone up to the switches. He turned on the one that read Science Building and the one that said Gymnasium.
The lights in the small room flickered on and the office was illuminated by a single yellow light bulb hanging from a cord on the ceiling. Ulrich quickly opened the revolver and ejected the spent shells. He pulled a few extra bullets from his pocket and slipped them into the revolver's cylinder.
"Next time I'm shooting the goddamn lock." He muttered to himself.
Hanging from a hook by the door was a set of keys. Ulrich walked towards them and grabbed them. He examined them and found one labeled "Head master's office.
"Got it." He said pocketing them. "Let's get out of here."
There was a loud thumping noise that made Ulrich and Sissi jump. It was coming from the door. There was another thump and another and another and then a long black blade punctured through the metal of the door. Ulrich jumped back and avoided the blade. There was another bang and the blade pushed in even deeper. Sissi screamed as the door split open and a pale hand reached into the room and groped around. The flesh was muscular and pale. The fingers ended in sharp black nails and the blade was growing out of the top of the wrist. The blade seemed to be made of a black metal that shined wickedly in the light. Another blade punctured the door and began cutting away at the metal.
Ulrich quickly raised the revolver and fired three shots into the door. The thing on the other end screamed in agony and its arms retracted out of the door. It roared again and began slicing at the door with its blades. Ulrich fired two more shots and the thing roared louder. The slashing stopped and Ulrich could hear the sounds of the thing retreating. Ulrich lowered the revolver and stood there listening for any sounds of movement. Sissi removed her fingers from her ears and stood up
"I-Is it gone?" She asked.
"Yeah. Yeah I think so." Ulrich said.
He crept towards the door and peered through one of the many holes the bladed monstrosity had made in the metal. The coast was clear.
"Come on." Ulrich said.
He pushed the door open and spotted a pool of a dark black liquid on the floor in front of the door. He cautiously stepped over the puddle and helped Sissi step over it. Kiwi took a running jump and hopped over the puddle. He sniffed it and growled.
"W-what is that stuff?" Sissi asked looking into it.
"I think it's... blood?" Ulrich said uncertainly.
The surface of the black puddle was reflective and it looked as if Sissi was looking into a black mirror. Her blood turned cold at what she saw. Principal Delmas, her father, was standing before her.
"D-daddy!" Sissi gasped.
Her father looked wrong. His skin was pale and mottled. His eyes were red and glowed slightly like those things outside. Sissi gasped as she saw her father grab her by the throat and tear into her stomach. She screamed as her father pulled her heart from her chest and bit into it.
"Sissi?" Ulrich called.
He was standing by the steps across the room. He looked at Sissi in confusion. Her eyes were wide and wild in fright. She was visibly shaking and her face looked like she had just seen a ghost.
"Sissi? Come on." Ulrich said gently. "We need to get moving."
She nodded and ran up to him. She grabbed his hand and the two of them went up the stairs to the maintenance hallway. They moved quickly and quietly. They exited the gymnasium and quickly made their way back to the administration building.
Ulrich opened the door to the Dean's office. The secretary's desk was empty and there was a smear of blood on the wall behind the desk.
"Come on." Sissi said quickly. "We have to find my dad!"
She darted for the door to the dean's office and pulled open the door.
"Sissi! Wait!" Ulrich warned.
She pulled open the door and ran inside. Standing behind his desk with his back to her was her father.
"Daddy! Come on! We came to-"
He jerked around and growled at her, his eyes infected with rage.
"NO!" Sissi screamed.
He lunged over the table at her, knocking his personal computer and a framed picture off of the table with a crash. Sissi screamed as her father rushed towards her.
"Get away from her!" Ulrich cried.
He kicked the head master in the side and knocked him away. He staggered into filing cabinet with a bang and snarled. He lashed at Ulrich with a clawed hand and ripped a pocket off of Ulrich's jacket. Ulrich caught the headmasters wrist as he readied a second attack. Ulrich lashed out with his machete scraping away a few hunks of flesh from Delmas's face. Delmas roared and slammed his head into Ulrich's causing the boy to stagger backwards. Ulrich saw stars for a second as the Principal grabbed him by the throat and hurled him across the room. Ulrich slammed into an armoir and fell to the ground.
"Daddy stop it!" Sissi begged as she grabbed his arm.
He roared and slammed her away with the back of his hand. She gasped in pain as she slid across the floor and her head slammed into the wall. Principal Delmas roared again and charged at Ulrich with the force of a professional footballer. Ulrich had just gotten back to his feet when he felt the teacher slam into his back. He slammed into the wall and felt his nose break from the impact spilling hot blood down the front of his face. He slumped to his knees and fell to his side.
"W-what... the hell?" Ulrich gasped in pain.
Principal Delmas took a lumbering step towards Ulrich and growled. He raised a clawed hand as he approached the dazed boy, ready to deilver the killing blow. He roared and lunged forward, the only sound that could be heard was that of a wet rip.