Mr. Barkin arrived at the door to his office a bit on edge. He had to put
down two of the human zombies on his way here as well as a disgusting
looking thing that looked like a skinned dog. Mr. Barkin regained his
composure and reminded himself of the task at hand.
He reached for the door knob to his office and pulled it open, the room dark and musty. He liked the smell of the old military scent of the office. It reminded him of his glory years. Moving over to a small corner of the ten by ten room he stooped down and felt along the floor. Locating the gap, he curled his fingers under and pulled. The small panel gave way and slid out of place.
Mr. Barkin reached into the small lead compartment, he had handed out most of the weapons but they were now strewn across the gore streaked battle field outside. Still he pulled out his favorite gun, the only left in the compartment anyway. It was an M16 automatic assault rifle, firing .223 semi- jacketed rounds from a thirty round magazine.
The rifle smelt of cleaning oil and was well greased. Mr. Barkin also pulled six loaded magazines from the compartment and slipped them in the various slots and pouches on his belt and Kevlar vest, four on the belt and two on the front of the vest. He only had one full magazine left for his Berettas. He opened a box labeled 9mm on the side.
He smiled to himself as he pulled five clips from the box and placed them on his hip holsters. In addition to the guns he also had two fragmentation grenades and a combat knife. Placing a handful of clips, some full, some empty, into his back pack and a load of loose rounds.
The weight of his new equipment renewed Mr. Barkin's morale and he felt very powerful. Mr. Barkin slipped the rifle into a holster built into the back of the vest. It would be more convenient that way so it didn't tie his hands up. Mr. Barkin heard a loud and constant popping noise of in the distance. They sounded like gunshots and a lot of them at that.
"I hope they leave some for me," Mr. Barkin said smiling, as he ran toward the source of the shots.
The hunters split off in different directions, trying to flank the humans. The massive beasts moved with frightening speed, as John tracked the one closing in on the left. He fired the shotgun, the cluster of pellets slammed into the monstrosities shoulder, a wave of blood streamed through the air.
John suddenly realized with horror that the rest of the defenders had not finished reloading yet, and the second hunter was closing in on them. It snatched up one of the hapless humans in its massive clawed hand.
Kim and Ron stared at the poor man screaming for some ones help until a sickening crushing noise was heard as the hunter literally squeezed him to death. The hunter then shoved the mutilated corpse into his mouth and began to feast on it. Kim couldn't take it anymore and rushed off the stage and at the hunter.
She leaped into the air and threw her entire weight into the kick that connected with the hunter's flat face. The green giant reeled back in surprise as Kim rebounded of the floor with another kick to its gut. By now the defenders had finished reloading their weapons and turned to help John fight off the first hunter.
John rolled to the side as the hunter brought its massive fist down and slammed it into the ground. It was so close that he could feel the heat radiating from the beasts skin. Leveling the shotgun John pulled the trigger. and was rewarded with a hollow click. The gun was empty, I'm done for, he thought.
The green giant before him advanced, John only imagining the thoughts running through its head at that very moment. No, I know what its thinking, it wants to eat and it wants me. Knowing he could never clear the hunters massive arm span, trying to dodge would be feudal, as he would simply be snatched up.
Still it was the only thing he could do, so he leaped off the floor with all his might to the left of the hunter. It brought up its massive arm, and John closed his eyes and prepared for the cold, dying feeling of its flesh. that never came.
John landed on the hard tiled floor of the auditorium, sticky with mucus from the hunter's skin. John looked over at the hunter that had stomp right past him, leaving up a perfectly good meal. The broad shoulders of the beast pulsed; it's massive muscled in action as it drove its massive jaws upon one of the defenders, swallowing him from the waist up.
The remaining defenders turned in ran, screaming as the floor was showered with blood. "Wait!" John yelled to the men. But it was no use, there minds were overrun with fear; the only thing on it was escape. The crowd on the auditorium was also scattering, and heading for the exit. They would probably die in minutes as the halls surrounding the auditorium were filled with the undead.
Ron watched as another of the men was snatched up in the creature's teeth, being quickly and mercilessly grinded up by its blood stained teeth. Ron felt the heat around him beginning to dissipate and heard frantic yelling. Looking around, Ron realized the crowd around him was beginning to panic and were already running for what remained of the exit.
"Wait, where are you going?!" Ron called out to no one in particular. "To hell with this, we'll be killed for sure if we stay here!" One of the fleeing survivors yelled back. "Your going to die faster if you go out into those halls, we have a better chance of staying alive if we stick together! "Don't you know who my friend Kim Possible is, she can protect you!" Ron added as the man raced for the door. "You mean her?" The man called back before disappearing through the door.
Ron turned his gaze over to where the man had pointed and saw Kim, on the floor crawling with a small trail of red behind her, the giant creature closing in on her prone form. "Kim!" Ron yelled as he looked around for something, anything to help her with. Ron grabbed a two-foot long metal pole from the floor and hurled it with all his might at the lumbering monstrosity.
The iron rod connected with its back with a wet smack. A small trickle of dark blood flowed from the small wound as the hunter turned to face this newcomer. "That's right, you get your ugly face over here, and I'm the one you want!" Ron yelled at the beast trying to get its attention.
The hunter wasn't the smartest creature to walk the earth but it had a killer's instinct. If it went after the live prey and killed it, he could return whenever he wanted to the wounded one since it wasn't going anywhere, therefore he would have more food. The small thought ran through the hunter's miniscule brain and it went into action. Stomping away from Kim it bounded toward Ron, standing some distance away on the auditorium stage.
"Ron what are you doing, get out of here!" Kim yelled at him weakly, her leg burning from the ragged flesh wound. She mentally slapped herself for being so careless, but she never thought something so massive could move with such speed and reflexives. Whoever had created the monster must have been a genius, A sick genius, Kim thought.
Ron was too shocked to even move as he covered his head and braced himself for the hunter's blind fury that would soon envelope who he was. At least Kim might escape and keep on living. Ron thought, covering his face. Then a loud and rapid crack was heard blasting though Ron's ears. Ron peered up and saw the hunter, frozen where it stood, and missing its head.
The limp body tipped forward and landed on the floor with a thunderous crash. Standing to his feet a bit shakily, Ron searched around looking for where the gunfire had come from. He looked up and saw a figure dressed in fatigues and an olive drab vest running down from the smoldering door. As the man got closer Ron almost couldn't believe his eyes. It was Mr. Barkin, he was alive and had just saved his life, the large rifle in his arms still smoking.
Over to his left, John was standing near the corpse of the second hunter, wiping his sword clean with a rag. Suddenly Ron remembered Kim was injured and he bolted down from the stage, running past Mr. Barkin before he could even get a word in edgewise. He approached Kim slowly, she was propped up against the wall, her eyes closed but she was still breathing.
"Kim, where are you hurt, Ron asked crouching near her. "My, my leg," she said weakly. "Don't worry, were going to fix you up, you'll be fine KP," Ron said gently to her. Mr. Barkin and John quickly arrived to help. Mr. Barkin pulled out a field medical kit from his backpack and dug out some dressings, Neosporin and a squirt bottle of water.
Kim winced as he squirted the water into the two long and deep lacerations on her left shin. She leaned back into Ron's arms as she felt him wrap his hands around her waist to brace her from spasms. She rested her head on his chest while Mr. Barkin applied the gauze to her leg. "How do you feel Kim," Ron whispered in her ear. "I've been better." She said back, managing to crack a smile.
The auditorium was all quiet, multiple screams and shrieks could be heard off in the distance of the halls from the foolish people who thought they were safe by fleeing.
Sam sat still in the darkness, the screams beginning to subside. It had been horrible, when everyone fled from the auditorium everyone split into different directions. He had followed one group but they had been ambushed by a pack of want appeared to be skinned dogs. He had locked himself up in one of the dark classrooms in the confusion. The ambush had happened about twenty minutes ago and Sam was sure everyone was dead by now or may have escaped.
Sam crept for the glass-paneled door and listened. Nothing but silence was want came to Sam's straining ears. Still a bit nervous, Sam grasped the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. A foul odor immediately bombarded his nose as he reeled back a bit in surprise; Sam also noticed a small patch of red blood on the floor. Ignoring the stench, Sam stepped out into the hallway and looked around. Sam now realized the blood was everywhere; it was on the floor, the walls, the ceiling.
The lights of the hall suddenly dimmed so as to barely illuminate the hall. Sam felt his heart beginning to rapidly beat against the wall of his chest. He put his back to the lockers lining the walls, his eyes darting from one shadow to the next, and the gore drenched hall imprinting itself into his mind.
A low moan was heard and Sam snapped his head to the left at the source and saw a crumpled figure edging its way toward him, slowly extending one grasping arm as it pulled itself along with the other. Sam took a few steps back, keeping one hand on the wall to steady his trembling body. The crawling thing came into the dim light and Sam got a good look at its face.
Well most of it at least, half of the zombies face was missing as it trudged along, to weak and decayed to stand. The pitiful creature crawled slowly on, devoid of the world around it. Sam heard more moans coming from down the lonely hall way. Not sticking around to see the source, Sam ran back in the direction of the auditorium and took a right down the hall and burst though a set of double doors.
The cool air outside brushed against Sam's face as he landed on the concrete ground. The doors slammed shut behind him. Sam grabbed a large stick from a small pile of building supplies nearby and shoved it through the wooded stake through the door handles. The zombies didn't have the strength to break through and weren't smart enough to go around.
Sam stood looking around and began thinking of his next move. To his left a path ran parallel to the high school building and intersected at a perpendicular angle to another covered path. There were actually three school buildings. The path Sam was standing on went straight and ended in a door to the front school building. The path also veered off to the right through a large open courtyard.
On the left of the path was the entrance to the main office. Sam decided to try the office and hopefully find some of the faculty still alive. He ran down the path, turned left and pushed through the double doors.
Kim's injuries weren't bad enough to cause her any permanent damage and after a few minutes of resting she was able to walk without any assistance. The group had to move as the auditorium would be swarming soon once the undead caught a whiff of the fresh meat. The auditorium had a pair of smaller doors on each side but they were locked, so the only way out was through the main entrance.
John stood with his reloaded shotgun at his side. The hole in the wall was charred and black from the grenade, the bodies of the lickers were buried among the rubble that the hunters had left. The entrance of the auditorium was located at the top of a small flight of stairs only a few feet above the ground. In front of him was the schools central courtyard; It was a square with concrete paths bordering the outer edges and a planted area in the center. On the left side of the courtyard were a gate and a door that led to the cafeteria. The gate led to the spill out, a large paved area where students sat after lunch.
On the right side was the door to the front school building and the main office as well as another path leading around the side of the auditorium. On the far side of the courtyard was a gate leading to the parking lot. "Lets try the main office, see if anyone is still alive," Ron said. They trekked down the stairs and to the door.
Mr. Barkin stepped into the darkness, the light from the outside stopping a few feet into the room. Waving the barrel of the M16 left and right searching and listening for any signs of movement, Mr. Barkin felt along side the wall with his free hand. Mr. Barkin located the switch and flicked it up. The ceiling lights powered up and cast a dull orange glow on the office. Mr. Barkin wondered why the lights were running on minimal power as he carefully led the group into the small corridor.
Sam could not locate a light switch on the wall so he pulled a miniature flashlight from his pocket that he carried just for certain circumstances. He flicked the small device on and waved it back and forth searching for anything, anything at all that would indicate someone was alive. Cautiously moving between the multiple desks, Sam realized the place was trashed. Cabinets were hanging open, desks were turned over, and there were so many papers on the floor it looked like it snowed indoors.
A foul smell woke up Sam's nose and he recognized it as the scent of the undead. Sam immediately shined the light around, searching for the creature in the darkness, knowing at any moment it could lunge at any moment and he would never know what happened. Then he saw it and gave a long sigh of relief, the smell was indeed coming from a zombie but a lifeless one, a harmless one, Sam thought.
Moving closer to the dried body sprawled on the floor; Sam realized it had been dead for a pretty long time. A patch of dried blood was splattered in a puddle under its fetid head, confirmed Sam's suspicion. Sam noticed the head was blown open with the consistency of a powerful bullet. Some bodies been here Sam thought to himself. Maybe it was the police or the S.W.A.T. team, here to help us and take us to safety. Stop being so naïve and don't jump to conclusions just yet.
Sam continued to search around the large U shaped room, constantly glimpsing back at the corpse on the floor, expecting it to rise and grab him from behind without a sound. A low groan caused Sam to spin around in surprise, his eyes instantly going down to the dead zombie. The moan had come from its direction but the zombie remained as still as when he came in.
Suddenly the overhead lights flickered on and illuminated the dark and cold room. "Hey you!" A booming voice shouted from behind Sam. Sam spun and spotted the owner of the voice.
Kim had never seen the boy who was standing in the middle of the room but he seemed relatively calm when Mr. Barkin called out his name. Lowering his rifle, Mr. Barkin proceeded over to the boy and asked his name. "My name is Sam Lovell," the boy said. "Man I'm glad to see you Mr. Barkin, at least there are still some people alive," Sam said relieved.
Kim and Ron stepped forward, John following up the rear. Sam looked over and recognized one as Ron Stoppable, an odd boy that always seemed to be stumbling over his own feet; the other was Kim Possible, only the biggest crush of his life. The last figure was a man dressed in some sort of black spec-ops suit with a black helmet and toting a shotgun.
The moan rung through Sam's ears again causing him to back up behind Mr. Barkin. Sam realized it didn't come from the zombie but from a door, standing ajar a few feet away. "Cover me John," Mr. Barkin said edging toward the door with the rifle drawn forward. Mr. Barkin reached the door and grasped the handle giving John a hand signal.
John crouched behind an overturned desk directly in front of the door, ready to blow away whatever was dead but still walking. Mr. Barkin took a breath and pulled the door. open, and the worst smell imaginable flooded into the room nearly knocking John out. "Whew man, that's the worst one yet,' Ron said covering his nose. John lowered his face mask and moved in a crouched position into the room.
The scene was horrifying, the room was painted with blood and their were bodies, dead and lifeless, they had the gangrenous and rotting flesh of the living dead. and the moan was heard once again louder then ever as John jerked the barrel of the shotgun at a corner of the room. A man was slouched in the corner; a pistol clutched in is hand.
Kim stepped into the room and recognized the man as Principal Emerson, his normally spotless suit was covered in blood, it was allover his face also. John suddenly jerked the barrel of his shotgun at Emerson's forehead and shouted out an order: "Get out of here now!" Kim stumbled back out of the room. Mr. Barkin quickly closed the door as Kim stood with Ron and Sam with a puzzled look on her face.
A few moments went by and a loud BOOM emanated from the office, causing Kim, Ron, and Sam to jump in surprise. The door of the office opened and John walked out, the shotgun smoking.
"You shot him?!" Kim yelled in anger. "Why did you kill. murder him?!" Ron yelled, adding his anger to Kim's. "I had no choice," John said slowly. "He was infected with the virus, he would have turned into one of those things any minute now," John said, gesturing at the zombie lying on the floor. "Don't think I won't hesitate to kill anyone of you if you get infected," John said forcefully. "I expect you to do the same for me," John added on a calmer note.
Kim understood John's reasoning, Mr. Emerson was going to become a zombie anyway so by getting rid of him now it was one less undead freak for them to deal with; a sudden thought ran through Kim's mind causing her to let out a subtle gasp. "John when the hunter cut me, doesn't that mean I'm infected?" Kim said dreading the answer.
"You have nothing to worry about, only the human zombies carry the contagious form of the virus," John said. Kim let out a long relieved breath.
"Come on people lets secure this area as we may be here a while." Mr. Barkin said taking charge of the situation. The office had a total of three entrances, all 2-inch thick metal doors equipped with deadbolts. The windows in the multiple offices were already reinforced with steel shudders for hurricane protection.
Mr. Barkin engaged the last dead bolt, the well lubricated steel rod sliding into its slot with a satisfying click. John located a map of the school in the drawer of one of the desks and laid it out on a large circular table. The map showed that the office they were held up in was at the center of the school. The main school building was to the East, the side building was to the south and the front building was to the west. The gym, auditorium, and cafeteria were located in a large complex to the North. The office connected to those buildings through the central courtyard. The three school buildings connected to the office by pathways.
"We should try to get the power back up as soon as possible, so it will be easier to see what were shooting at," Mr. Barkin said stepping over to the three teens and spec-ops trooper. "We also need to search for survivors and gather some supplies since we don't know how long were going to be stuck here." John added.
"I'll head over to the cafeteria and see what I can find," Mr. Barkin said, his stomach giving a low growl. "I'll look for survivors," John added. "Any volunteers to try and get the power back up," Mr. Barkin said to the teenagers around him. Kim quickly stepped forward and winced as she put to much pressure on her leg.
"You're in no condition to go out there," Ron said placing a hand on Kim's shoulder. "I'll go Ron," said puffing his chest out. "You've saved my life countless times Kim, well now its time for me to step up." Ron said boldly. Kim spun and hugged Ron tightly; "You better come back her alive, and I don't mean as a zombie," Kim whispered into his ear.
"Hey Stoppable, catch," Mr. Barkin said. Ron released Kim and caught the berretta Mr. Barkin tossed to him. "Do you know how to use one of those things?" Mr. Barkin asked. "I can learn how," Ron said gripping the plastic grip. Mr. Barkin sighed and went over to show Ron how to fire the weapon before he shot himself.
John pulled out motion tracker and looked at the luminescent green screen. There wasn't any movement besides their own.
"So you understand the gun won't shoot when this latch here, the safety, is on?" Mr. Barkin asked Ron. "Yeah Mr. B and this releases the magazine that holds fifteen rounds." Ron said. "Good, aim for the head and don't waste your ammunition," Mr. Barkin said, slipping a pair of clips into Ron's back pocket. "Watch yourself kid," he added saluting.
"You to Mr. Barkin," Ron said; Mr. Barkin isn't that bad Ron thought. With one last wave, and their final words of encouragement, the three took off, Kim and Sam re-bolting the doors behind them. Kim sat down and rested her leg; Sam came and sat on another chair across from her.
"So Kim, tell me about you," Sam said.
He reached for the door knob to his office and pulled it open, the room dark and musty. He liked the smell of the old military scent of the office. It reminded him of his glory years. Moving over to a small corner of the ten by ten room he stooped down and felt along the floor. Locating the gap, he curled his fingers under and pulled. The small panel gave way and slid out of place.
Mr. Barkin reached into the small lead compartment, he had handed out most of the weapons but they were now strewn across the gore streaked battle field outside. Still he pulled out his favorite gun, the only left in the compartment anyway. It was an M16 automatic assault rifle, firing .223 semi- jacketed rounds from a thirty round magazine.
The rifle smelt of cleaning oil and was well greased. Mr. Barkin also pulled six loaded magazines from the compartment and slipped them in the various slots and pouches on his belt and Kevlar vest, four on the belt and two on the front of the vest. He only had one full magazine left for his Berettas. He opened a box labeled 9mm on the side.
He smiled to himself as he pulled five clips from the box and placed them on his hip holsters. In addition to the guns he also had two fragmentation grenades and a combat knife. Placing a handful of clips, some full, some empty, into his back pack and a load of loose rounds.
The weight of his new equipment renewed Mr. Barkin's morale and he felt very powerful. Mr. Barkin slipped the rifle into a holster built into the back of the vest. It would be more convenient that way so it didn't tie his hands up. Mr. Barkin heard a loud and constant popping noise of in the distance. They sounded like gunshots and a lot of them at that.
"I hope they leave some for me," Mr. Barkin said smiling, as he ran toward the source of the shots.
The hunters split off in different directions, trying to flank the humans. The massive beasts moved with frightening speed, as John tracked the one closing in on the left. He fired the shotgun, the cluster of pellets slammed into the monstrosities shoulder, a wave of blood streamed through the air.
John suddenly realized with horror that the rest of the defenders had not finished reloading yet, and the second hunter was closing in on them. It snatched up one of the hapless humans in its massive clawed hand.
Kim and Ron stared at the poor man screaming for some ones help until a sickening crushing noise was heard as the hunter literally squeezed him to death. The hunter then shoved the mutilated corpse into his mouth and began to feast on it. Kim couldn't take it anymore and rushed off the stage and at the hunter.
She leaped into the air and threw her entire weight into the kick that connected with the hunter's flat face. The green giant reeled back in surprise as Kim rebounded of the floor with another kick to its gut. By now the defenders had finished reloading their weapons and turned to help John fight off the first hunter.
John rolled to the side as the hunter brought its massive fist down and slammed it into the ground. It was so close that he could feel the heat radiating from the beasts skin. Leveling the shotgun John pulled the trigger. and was rewarded with a hollow click. The gun was empty, I'm done for, he thought.
The green giant before him advanced, John only imagining the thoughts running through its head at that very moment. No, I know what its thinking, it wants to eat and it wants me. Knowing he could never clear the hunters massive arm span, trying to dodge would be feudal, as he would simply be snatched up.
Still it was the only thing he could do, so he leaped off the floor with all his might to the left of the hunter. It brought up its massive arm, and John closed his eyes and prepared for the cold, dying feeling of its flesh. that never came.
John landed on the hard tiled floor of the auditorium, sticky with mucus from the hunter's skin. John looked over at the hunter that had stomp right past him, leaving up a perfectly good meal. The broad shoulders of the beast pulsed; it's massive muscled in action as it drove its massive jaws upon one of the defenders, swallowing him from the waist up.
The remaining defenders turned in ran, screaming as the floor was showered with blood. "Wait!" John yelled to the men. But it was no use, there minds were overrun with fear; the only thing on it was escape. The crowd on the auditorium was also scattering, and heading for the exit. They would probably die in minutes as the halls surrounding the auditorium were filled with the undead.
Ron watched as another of the men was snatched up in the creature's teeth, being quickly and mercilessly grinded up by its blood stained teeth. Ron felt the heat around him beginning to dissipate and heard frantic yelling. Looking around, Ron realized the crowd around him was beginning to panic and were already running for what remained of the exit.
"Wait, where are you going?!" Ron called out to no one in particular. "To hell with this, we'll be killed for sure if we stay here!" One of the fleeing survivors yelled back. "Your going to die faster if you go out into those halls, we have a better chance of staying alive if we stick together! "Don't you know who my friend Kim Possible is, she can protect you!" Ron added as the man raced for the door. "You mean her?" The man called back before disappearing through the door.
Ron turned his gaze over to where the man had pointed and saw Kim, on the floor crawling with a small trail of red behind her, the giant creature closing in on her prone form. "Kim!" Ron yelled as he looked around for something, anything to help her with. Ron grabbed a two-foot long metal pole from the floor and hurled it with all his might at the lumbering monstrosity.
The iron rod connected with its back with a wet smack. A small trickle of dark blood flowed from the small wound as the hunter turned to face this newcomer. "That's right, you get your ugly face over here, and I'm the one you want!" Ron yelled at the beast trying to get its attention.
The hunter wasn't the smartest creature to walk the earth but it had a killer's instinct. If it went after the live prey and killed it, he could return whenever he wanted to the wounded one since it wasn't going anywhere, therefore he would have more food. The small thought ran through the hunter's miniscule brain and it went into action. Stomping away from Kim it bounded toward Ron, standing some distance away on the auditorium stage.
"Ron what are you doing, get out of here!" Kim yelled at him weakly, her leg burning from the ragged flesh wound. She mentally slapped herself for being so careless, but she never thought something so massive could move with such speed and reflexives. Whoever had created the monster must have been a genius, A sick genius, Kim thought.
Ron was too shocked to even move as he covered his head and braced himself for the hunter's blind fury that would soon envelope who he was. At least Kim might escape and keep on living. Ron thought, covering his face. Then a loud and rapid crack was heard blasting though Ron's ears. Ron peered up and saw the hunter, frozen where it stood, and missing its head.
The limp body tipped forward and landed on the floor with a thunderous crash. Standing to his feet a bit shakily, Ron searched around looking for where the gunfire had come from. He looked up and saw a figure dressed in fatigues and an olive drab vest running down from the smoldering door. As the man got closer Ron almost couldn't believe his eyes. It was Mr. Barkin, he was alive and had just saved his life, the large rifle in his arms still smoking.
Over to his left, John was standing near the corpse of the second hunter, wiping his sword clean with a rag. Suddenly Ron remembered Kim was injured and he bolted down from the stage, running past Mr. Barkin before he could even get a word in edgewise. He approached Kim slowly, she was propped up against the wall, her eyes closed but she was still breathing.
"Kim, where are you hurt, Ron asked crouching near her. "My, my leg," she said weakly. "Don't worry, were going to fix you up, you'll be fine KP," Ron said gently to her. Mr. Barkin and John quickly arrived to help. Mr. Barkin pulled out a field medical kit from his backpack and dug out some dressings, Neosporin and a squirt bottle of water.
Kim winced as he squirted the water into the two long and deep lacerations on her left shin. She leaned back into Ron's arms as she felt him wrap his hands around her waist to brace her from spasms. She rested her head on his chest while Mr. Barkin applied the gauze to her leg. "How do you feel Kim," Ron whispered in her ear. "I've been better." She said back, managing to crack a smile.
The auditorium was all quiet, multiple screams and shrieks could be heard off in the distance of the halls from the foolish people who thought they were safe by fleeing.
Sam sat still in the darkness, the screams beginning to subside. It had been horrible, when everyone fled from the auditorium everyone split into different directions. He had followed one group but they had been ambushed by a pack of want appeared to be skinned dogs. He had locked himself up in one of the dark classrooms in the confusion. The ambush had happened about twenty minutes ago and Sam was sure everyone was dead by now or may have escaped.
Sam crept for the glass-paneled door and listened. Nothing but silence was want came to Sam's straining ears. Still a bit nervous, Sam grasped the doorknob and slowly pushed the door open. A foul odor immediately bombarded his nose as he reeled back a bit in surprise; Sam also noticed a small patch of red blood on the floor. Ignoring the stench, Sam stepped out into the hallway and looked around. Sam now realized the blood was everywhere; it was on the floor, the walls, the ceiling.
The lights of the hall suddenly dimmed so as to barely illuminate the hall. Sam felt his heart beginning to rapidly beat against the wall of his chest. He put his back to the lockers lining the walls, his eyes darting from one shadow to the next, and the gore drenched hall imprinting itself into his mind.
A low moan was heard and Sam snapped his head to the left at the source and saw a crumpled figure edging its way toward him, slowly extending one grasping arm as it pulled itself along with the other. Sam took a few steps back, keeping one hand on the wall to steady his trembling body. The crawling thing came into the dim light and Sam got a good look at its face.
Well most of it at least, half of the zombies face was missing as it trudged along, to weak and decayed to stand. The pitiful creature crawled slowly on, devoid of the world around it. Sam heard more moans coming from down the lonely hall way. Not sticking around to see the source, Sam ran back in the direction of the auditorium and took a right down the hall and burst though a set of double doors.
The cool air outside brushed against Sam's face as he landed on the concrete ground. The doors slammed shut behind him. Sam grabbed a large stick from a small pile of building supplies nearby and shoved it through the wooded stake through the door handles. The zombies didn't have the strength to break through and weren't smart enough to go around.
Sam stood looking around and began thinking of his next move. To his left a path ran parallel to the high school building and intersected at a perpendicular angle to another covered path. There were actually three school buildings. The path Sam was standing on went straight and ended in a door to the front school building. The path also veered off to the right through a large open courtyard.
On the left of the path was the entrance to the main office. Sam decided to try the office and hopefully find some of the faculty still alive. He ran down the path, turned left and pushed through the double doors.
Kim's injuries weren't bad enough to cause her any permanent damage and after a few minutes of resting she was able to walk without any assistance. The group had to move as the auditorium would be swarming soon once the undead caught a whiff of the fresh meat. The auditorium had a pair of smaller doors on each side but they were locked, so the only way out was through the main entrance.
John stood with his reloaded shotgun at his side. The hole in the wall was charred and black from the grenade, the bodies of the lickers were buried among the rubble that the hunters had left. The entrance of the auditorium was located at the top of a small flight of stairs only a few feet above the ground. In front of him was the schools central courtyard; It was a square with concrete paths bordering the outer edges and a planted area in the center. On the left side of the courtyard were a gate and a door that led to the cafeteria. The gate led to the spill out, a large paved area where students sat after lunch.
On the right side was the door to the front school building and the main office as well as another path leading around the side of the auditorium. On the far side of the courtyard was a gate leading to the parking lot. "Lets try the main office, see if anyone is still alive," Ron said. They trekked down the stairs and to the door.
Mr. Barkin stepped into the darkness, the light from the outside stopping a few feet into the room. Waving the barrel of the M16 left and right searching and listening for any signs of movement, Mr. Barkin felt along side the wall with his free hand. Mr. Barkin located the switch and flicked it up. The ceiling lights powered up and cast a dull orange glow on the office. Mr. Barkin wondered why the lights were running on minimal power as he carefully led the group into the small corridor.
Sam could not locate a light switch on the wall so he pulled a miniature flashlight from his pocket that he carried just for certain circumstances. He flicked the small device on and waved it back and forth searching for anything, anything at all that would indicate someone was alive. Cautiously moving between the multiple desks, Sam realized the place was trashed. Cabinets were hanging open, desks were turned over, and there were so many papers on the floor it looked like it snowed indoors.
A foul smell woke up Sam's nose and he recognized it as the scent of the undead. Sam immediately shined the light around, searching for the creature in the darkness, knowing at any moment it could lunge at any moment and he would never know what happened. Then he saw it and gave a long sigh of relief, the smell was indeed coming from a zombie but a lifeless one, a harmless one, Sam thought.
Moving closer to the dried body sprawled on the floor; Sam realized it had been dead for a pretty long time. A patch of dried blood was splattered in a puddle under its fetid head, confirmed Sam's suspicion. Sam noticed the head was blown open with the consistency of a powerful bullet. Some bodies been here Sam thought to himself. Maybe it was the police or the S.W.A.T. team, here to help us and take us to safety. Stop being so naïve and don't jump to conclusions just yet.
Sam continued to search around the large U shaped room, constantly glimpsing back at the corpse on the floor, expecting it to rise and grab him from behind without a sound. A low groan caused Sam to spin around in surprise, his eyes instantly going down to the dead zombie. The moan had come from its direction but the zombie remained as still as when he came in.
Suddenly the overhead lights flickered on and illuminated the dark and cold room. "Hey you!" A booming voice shouted from behind Sam. Sam spun and spotted the owner of the voice.
Kim had never seen the boy who was standing in the middle of the room but he seemed relatively calm when Mr. Barkin called out his name. Lowering his rifle, Mr. Barkin proceeded over to the boy and asked his name. "My name is Sam Lovell," the boy said. "Man I'm glad to see you Mr. Barkin, at least there are still some people alive," Sam said relieved.
Kim and Ron stepped forward, John following up the rear. Sam looked over and recognized one as Ron Stoppable, an odd boy that always seemed to be stumbling over his own feet; the other was Kim Possible, only the biggest crush of his life. The last figure was a man dressed in some sort of black spec-ops suit with a black helmet and toting a shotgun.
The moan rung through Sam's ears again causing him to back up behind Mr. Barkin. Sam realized it didn't come from the zombie but from a door, standing ajar a few feet away. "Cover me John," Mr. Barkin said edging toward the door with the rifle drawn forward. Mr. Barkin reached the door and grasped the handle giving John a hand signal.
John crouched behind an overturned desk directly in front of the door, ready to blow away whatever was dead but still walking. Mr. Barkin took a breath and pulled the door. open, and the worst smell imaginable flooded into the room nearly knocking John out. "Whew man, that's the worst one yet,' Ron said covering his nose. John lowered his face mask and moved in a crouched position into the room.
The scene was horrifying, the room was painted with blood and their were bodies, dead and lifeless, they had the gangrenous and rotting flesh of the living dead. and the moan was heard once again louder then ever as John jerked the barrel of the shotgun at a corner of the room. A man was slouched in the corner; a pistol clutched in is hand.
Kim stepped into the room and recognized the man as Principal Emerson, his normally spotless suit was covered in blood, it was allover his face also. John suddenly jerked the barrel of his shotgun at Emerson's forehead and shouted out an order: "Get out of here now!" Kim stumbled back out of the room. Mr. Barkin quickly closed the door as Kim stood with Ron and Sam with a puzzled look on her face.
A few moments went by and a loud BOOM emanated from the office, causing Kim, Ron, and Sam to jump in surprise. The door of the office opened and John walked out, the shotgun smoking.
"You shot him?!" Kim yelled in anger. "Why did you kill. murder him?!" Ron yelled, adding his anger to Kim's. "I had no choice," John said slowly. "He was infected with the virus, he would have turned into one of those things any minute now," John said, gesturing at the zombie lying on the floor. "Don't think I won't hesitate to kill anyone of you if you get infected," John said forcefully. "I expect you to do the same for me," John added on a calmer note.
Kim understood John's reasoning, Mr. Emerson was going to become a zombie anyway so by getting rid of him now it was one less undead freak for them to deal with; a sudden thought ran through Kim's mind causing her to let out a subtle gasp. "John when the hunter cut me, doesn't that mean I'm infected?" Kim said dreading the answer.
"You have nothing to worry about, only the human zombies carry the contagious form of the virus," John said. Kim let out a long relieved breath.
"Come on people lets secure this area as we may be here a while." Mr. Barkin said taking charge of the situation. The office had a total of three entrances, all 2-inch thick metal doors equipped with deadbolts. The windows in the multiple offices were already reinforced with steel shudders for hurricane protection.
Mr. Barkin engaged the last dead bolt, the well lubricated steel rod sliding into its slot with a satisfying click. John located a map of the school in the drawer of one of the desks and laid it out on a large circular table. The map showed that the office they were held up in was at the center of the school. The main school building was to the East, the side building was to the south and the front building was to the west. The gym, auditorium, and cafeteria were located in a large complex to the North. The office connected to those buildings through the central courtyard. The three school buildings connected to the office by pathways.
"We should try to get the power back up as soon as possible, so it will be easier to see what were shooting at," Mr. Barkin said stepping over to the three teens and spec-ops trooper. "We also need to search for survivors and gather some supplies since we don't know how long were going to be stuck here." John added.
"I'll head over to the cafeteria and see what I can find," Mr. Barkin said, his stomach giving a low growl. "I'll look for survivors," John added. "Any volunteers to try and get the power back up," Mr. Barkin said to the teenagers around him. Kim quickly stepped forward and winced as she put to much pressure on her leg.
"You're in no condition to go out there," Ron said placing a hand on Kim's shoulder. "I'll go Ron," said puffing his chest out. "You've saved my life countless times Kim, well now its time for me to step up." Ron said boldly. Kim spun and hugged Ron tightly; "You better come back her alive, and I don't mean as a zombie," Kim whispered into his ear.
"Hey Stoppable, catch," Mr. Barkin said. Ron released Kim and caught the berretta Mr. Barkin tossed to him. "Do you know how to use one of those things?" Mr. Barkin asked. "I can learn how," Ron said gripping the plastic grip. Mr. Barkin sighed and went over to show Ron how to fire the weapon before he shot himself.
John pulled out motion tracker and looked at the luminescent green screen. There wasn't any movement besides their own.
"So you understand the gun won't shoot when this latch here, the safety, is on?" Mr. Barkin asked Ron. "Yeah Mr. B and this releases the magazine that holds fifteen rounds." Ron said. "Good, aim for the head and don't waste your ammunition," Mr. Barkin said, slipping a pair of clips into Ron's back pocket. "Watch yourself kid," he added saluting.
"You to Mr. Barkin," Ron said; Mr. Barkin isn't that bad Ron thought. With one last wave, and their final words of encouragement, the three took off, Kim and Sam re-bolting the doors behind them. Kim sat down and rested her leg; Sam came and sat on another chair across from her.
"So Kim, tell me about you," Sam said.