CHAPTER 2: TAKING THE MAIN BUILDING
It's been over 24 hours since I arrived back at Bullworth Academy and found the place to be overrun by zombies. But at least I found some survivors, which includes the friends I made during the school year. And now since the group was low on supplies, we have to now take the Main Building. It's our best chance for survival.
I was in the common room with Russell and Clayton, talking over the plans. "Why don't we each take one floor?" I proposed. "Ground for me, second for Russell and third for you?" "No", Clayton started. "Then it will be easy for each of us to be overrun. We don't know how many there are on each floor. Plus, sound attracts them. They could use the stairs and migrate to where the sound came from if we even make one loud sound". "Russell doesn't want to be dead Russell", Russell says out loud. "Trust me Russell, no one wants to be a walker", Clayton tells him. "As for the plan, we should handle one floor at a time. We'll handle first floor, then second, then third and then we'll check out roof access and the basement while we're at it just so it's safe". "Alright, that sounds like a good plan. Better to be safe than sorry", I agreed. Just when we finished talking about the plan, Pete came in and laid down some weapons and ammunition.
There was three cans of potatoes, eighteen bottle rockets, fifteen fire crackers and two planks. Clayton then went to the couch and picked up a baseball bat. "This baby is mine. I was hoping that Bullworth would have a baseball team that I could play on, but all they seem to care about is mostly football and basketball. Bummer. That was what I would play a lot during my free time, apart from the video games. Oh well, I guess I'll play baseball with a zombie's head if I get the chance". "Like that's not normal at all", I sarcastically replied. "Like all this is normal", Clayton snapped back. He then went to the wall and picked up both a Bottle Rocket Gun and Spud Gun and handed them both to me. "Jimmy, I believe that you used these before", he stated. "Plenty of times", I told him. "And do you happen to have your slingshots that Pete told me about?" he asks me. "They're still in my bag, which is in the trunk of the Taxi by the front gate", I told him. He then picked up a slingshot by the wall and handed it to me. "It's only for this mission. It's everybody's slingshot".
"Thanks", I said. "We're almost ready. But before we go head outside though, I need to tell you about how to handle these things", Clayton tells me. "Are you serious? I think I know how to handle other people", I told him. "These things aren't people anymore", Clayton started. "They may look like the people you knew, but all they are now is walking corpses. Whatever this disease is, it affects the brain. So if you're bitten, you turn into these things in a matter of time. And if you're bitten and you die afterwards, you still become one of them. But since you're immune to this crap, the only thing you have to worry about is being torn up by a whole herd of them".
"I'm guessing it's not pretty when they do tear someone up?" I questioned. "Like I said, you need to know the rules of how to engage them", Clayton says. "Okay, how do I engage zombies then?" I asked him. "Keep note of these rules", Clayton says before he stated the first rule. "Rule 1: Always aim for the head. As I said, this disease affects the brain somehow. They never feel pain at all. You shoot it in the stomach, it won't do much. Same with the arm. Shooting the leg might slow them down, but also brings them down to the ground and even then the zombie still is a dangerous opponent while on the ground unless you stomp it on the head. No, shoot it on the head. And if you only have a melee weapon, you still have to hit it in the head". Okay, shoot it in the head. "Got it", I told him. "Rule 2: If out-numbered, don't take any risks. You can take on one zombie, no doubt. Two most likely. Three possibly. Four, you'll have to be desperate to get through. Then five through possibly a hundred, you better run the fuck away". "Let's hope there ain't a hundred zombies within the Main Building then", I stated. "And Rule 3: Always save ammo. If you got any melee weapon like a bat or 2x4 or maybe even a switchblade, always use that if against one or two zombies. You can even use the Spud or Bottle Rocket Gun as melee weapons. But if you don't have a melee and any ammo for your guns or even the slingshot, then you better find anything to be used as a melee weapon".
He held up his bat and said, "Shelly and I are a good pair. Helped me throughout a baseball season at my old school. She will help me through this zombie invasion". "You name your bat Shelly?" I then started laughing about it. "Laugh all you want, but whatever melee weapon you happen across will become your new best friend". He then walked over to everyone who was crowding around outside the common room. "Listen up, everyone. Jimmy, Russell and I will be taking the Main Building from the walking dead. While we're gone, you guys need to stay inside the common room and wait until we get back. But before you do gather up inside the room, you need to collect every vital thing inside this dorm. We won't be coming back after we move out". "Why can't we just stay here?" Angie says out loud. I didn't think she survived. "We're low on supplies and the Main Building can and will be a safer place once we clear it", Clayton tells her. "We can easily defend ourselves in there compared to in here. If they ever came in through the front doors, we can just block the stairs using the lockers and just stay on the second and third floors. It's a good idea and Jimmy believes that we can achieve it. Now, gather up your things and then get into the common room. We'll come back soon".
While everyone was moving away to gather their things up, Clayton went up to Pete and tells him, "Get to the second floor and just keep an eye out for us when we get back. We're moving out as we get back". "You got it", he confirmed as he went to the stairs. "Zoe, as soon as Pete says that he sees us returning, you get everyone ready to move out. I don't want this to take any longer than it has to", Clayton ordered. "You got it. Want me to open and close the doors when you leave?" she asks. "Yes please", he says. After a while of waiting for everyone to get into the common room and closing the doors to it, we were finally ready. "Let's move out", Clayton ordered. "RUSSELL SMASH", Russell yells at the top of his lungs. "Zoe, open the door", I told her. She opened the door and then we stormed out. Clayton and Russell smashed two zombies in the head just as they stormed out. Zoe closed the door and then locked it from the sound of it. Well, there's no turning back now, not that I ever cut and run. Time to see this through.
We started jogging away from the Boys' Dorm and started making our way to the Main Building. There was a herd of zombies between us and the Main Building when we got to the intersection between the dorms. "Wait here. I will lure the herd away", Clayton says before he went back in the direction of the dorm. Russell and I just crouched there and watched the herd just stand there right before we heard the sound of a fire cracker. The zombies heard it too and started moving in the direction of the sound. Soon after, Clayton returned and then says, "Let's go. But be quiet". We jogged towards the Main Building and climbed up the stairs. There was a zombie right in front of us and it slowly started moving towards us. "Jimmy, how bout you get your hands dirty for once. I got your back", Clayton ordered me. "Alright", I said. I went up to the zombie and then smashed it in the head with my plank. It fell to the ground, but then tried to get back on it's feet. I smashed it in the head again and this time, it's head was smashed in. "It's dead. Well done", Clayton congratulated me. Russell then stomped on the head and it smashed completely like a melon. "Russell smash". Clayton looked into the window on the front door and says, "Damn it, there's like ten zombies in the main hall. You must have attracted them in there the other day". "What do we do?" Russell asks. "We can cut into the basement. We just have to get to the door on the side of the building. Hopefully, there isn't a zombie-party waiting for us", I suggested. "Okay, let's go then. Over the railing", Clayton says.
We then jogged over to the railing and then vaulted over it. We then turned left and then went to basement entrance. There was two zombies blocking the stairs. Clayton then went up to both of them and smashed both their heads together. "That's how it's done", he says profoundly. He then opened the door and slowly moved in. "All clear. Get your asses in here", he then ordered. Russell and I moved in and then I closed the door behind me. I shoved a couple of heavy crates in front of the door to barricade it. Don't want any unexpected visitors coming in here once we're done clearing the building. "Smart move. Especially since they know how to open doors", Clayton states. "They know how to open doors?" I was shocked to hear that. "What next? They know how to use guns?" I then asked him. "Let's hope they don't", Clayton retorted. Just as he turned around to head further into the basement, a zombie came out of nowhere and tried to bite him. Clayton was quick and shoved it off him before it could bite him in the shoulder. Russell then punched it hard in the head and the zombie was down. "Thanks, Russell", Clayton says. "That zombie looks familiar", I stated. I went up to it and saw who it was. "It's Mr. Luntz", I then said to the group.
"You knew him?" Clayton asks me. "Not really. He was just the janitor. There was a myth among the students that he was a serial killer. I don't know if it was true though". "Well, no need to mourn him then", Clayton says as he went up to the body, took out a switchblade and stabbed it in the head. "You have a switchblade too?" I asked him. "Never know when it comes in handy", Clayton answers. "Plus, I could lose Shelly anytime. Now let's get going". We then continued through the basement till we got to the boiler room. We then climbed up the stairs and got to the entrance. "Why don't you two check out the hole and see if there are any zombies or living souls down there. I'll check out the hall outside this door and see if there are any unwanted guests", Clayton suggested. "Okay, we'll check out the hole. Just don't get eaten", I told him. "I won't", he says. Russell and I then went down the hole and found nothing. Just only the hole. It was nine months ago that I fought against Russell in the hole after Gary Smith told him that I was talking about his mom and barnyard animals behind his back. It was also how him and I became friends. His crew was messing with me after I first arrived here at the school. But after the fight, everything was cool between me and them. I wonder what happened to the Bullies.
"Russell, what happened to your crew?" I asked him. "They ran away after school got overrun. Russell stayed to keep Pete and Zoe safe", he says. "Thanks, Russell. Means a lot", I told him. We then checked out the different halls in the hole. I went to the hall adjacent from the one that brings us in here and saw the elevator was fixed. "When did they fixed this?" I asked myself. "No man-eaters down here", Russell confirmed. "Let's get back with Clayton then", I told him. We then went back to the entrance where Clayton was waiting for us. "There was only two zombies out the door, but I dispatched them without alerting the ones in the main hall. Now this is where we pull out the guns", Clayton tells us. We each then pulled out our Spud Guns and loaded them. "Let's get them", Clayton then says. We then poured out into the hallway and went to the main hall. "MAKE EVERY SHOT COUNT", Clayton yells. All the zombies then turned to us and slowly started moving towards us. We then started firing hot potatoes onto the crowd of zombies. I managed to shoot down four zombies while Russell and Clayton each took down three. "Now we got to clear each of the rooms on this floor", Clayton states.
We then started clearing each of the classrooms one by one as well as the infirmary. Then we rushed to the cafeteria and shot more zombies in there, even Crabblesnitch. Teaches him not to try and take a chunk out of me. While in there, we saw what was left of Constantinos: nothing more than blood-stained bones and a half-eaten head. Literally, half of his head was eaten to where it was nothing more than the skull that was revealed. "God damn it, Constantinos", Clayton said before he crouched down beside him. "You should have gotten a partner. Now look at you". Clayton sighed and then said, "Sad thing is that we can't you a proper burial". He got up and says, "Let's keep going. We need to clear the other floors and the roof".
In about thirty minutes, we cleared the second and third floors and then checked out the roof. The roof was also clear of any zombies. "This roof will be very useful eventually. We could set up barrels up here to catch the rain so we can have water", Clayton says out loud. "Why not use the water fountains?" I asked him. "With zombies roaming around the town, no one will be able to work at the power plant and the electricity will eventually go out. Since the waterlines are operated by electricity, we will lose the water soon enough as well as the lights and the air conditioner", he answers. "That's sucks", I said. "It will happen. We won't even be able to take showers", Clayton says. "NOOO", Russell yelled. "Yeah, it's that bad", Clayton tells him. After we got off the rooftop and into the hallway, we heard a strange around the corner. We looked and saw that there was another zombie, formerly Edna.
"Edna?" I was shocked by her condition. She had bite marks all over her. On her legs, her arms, her front side and even two on her neck. "Look out, she's one of the fat zombies", Clayton pointed out. Edna then charged at me and knocked me over. She then tried to bite me on the head, but Clayton then kicked her in the head and repeatedly stomped on her until she was dead. "You have to be sure that this kind of zombie is dead. You see now why the fat ones are more dangerous?" Clayton says. "Yeah". I got back on my feet and then held out my hand. "Thanks", I said. We shook hands and then he said, "You're welcome. We need to work together. Otherwise, there's no point in living". "Russell needs to rest. Russell is tired". "I think we need to make one more sweep and make sure we didn't miss any zombie. After that, we go back to the Boys' Dorm. It's time to move in to our new home".