CHAPTER 4: NERD SANCTUARY

I walked away from the front doors and started making my way to the Library. I encountered two zombies during my trek to the Library, but I dispatched them without any problem. Once I got to the Library, I saw that there was a couple Spud Cannons set up and that there was a destroyed barrier that looked like was wrecked intentionally. I guess the Nerds must have held out here for a while till either they were killed or chased off the perimeter. I walked up to the Library doors and looked inside through the windows. It was completely lacking any signs of life. That was when I decided to open the doors and check the place out.

I closed the doors behind me and walked to the circuit breaker in the front hallway to turn the electricity back on. I flipped a few switches and soon the whole building was lit up. I walked into the big room and started banging on the nearest table to gain any attention of any unwanted guest. So far, there was no moaning or growling of any kind. Not even a shout of "who is it". I then checked out the entire building for anyone. When I got to the second floor, I noticed a few sleeping bags lying around on the floor. Not really a lot if the entire Nerd clique or at least most of them survived the attacks. "I better continue on to the football field if I need to talk to the Jocks", I tell myself.

I got back down to the ground floor and just as I was about to exit through the doors, a herd of zombies started flowing in. "Shit", I cried out-loud as I turned and high-tailed it away from my hungry pursuers. I climbed back up the stairs and pushed the nearest bookshelf down to block their path. Luckily, it stopped them dead in their tracks. They tried to reach out for me, but I was too far from their grasp. Thank God zombies are dumb. I then rushed over to the sleeping bags and threw them over the railing. After all three of them were piled on top of each other, I climbed over the railing and landed on the sleeping bags. I quickly got up and rushed to the doors and closed them behind me. I looked around for something to use to block the door, but there wasn't even a crate or something to push over to the door. I decided to make a break to the wall that led to the backwoods pathway. As soon as I made a break for it, the zombies busted through the doors and were after me again. I quickly vaulted over the wall right when the zombies got close enough to take a chunk out of me.

I landed on my stomach just when I got over the wall. I looked up and saw the zombies still trying to reach me. Again, thank God zombies aren't smart. "Take that nature...or science. Whatever", I cheered out-loud. Just when I turned around though, a zombie dog came out of nowhere and just pounced on me. I grabbed it by the snout and tried to keep it from reaching my neck. I used every muscle in my leg to then kick it off me. While it was lying on the ground, I took out a firecracker and lit it. I then shoved it down the monster's mouth and pushed myself away just as the explosive went off. I looked at the dog and saw that there was nothing left of the head. If it were a normal dog, I'd probably feel bad about blowing it's head off even if it was trying to kill me. But since it was zombified, I don't even feel one shred of regret for it. At least the bright side is P.E.T.A. won't be calling me a murderer for this, not that they might still be alive if all this is nationwide by now.

I got back on my feet and dust off any dirt that I had on me and then continued down the trail. I even had my Spud Gun out just in case I came across anymore canine party. During the walk in the woods, I came across another dog and two more zombie people. I shot the zombie dog first and then shot the human zombies just as they approached me. I kept going until I got to the Observatory. Just when I was about to walk past to get to the football field, I noticed someone on the Spud Cannon at the top of the gates. I guess the Nerds must have settled in the Observatory instead. I guess it would make sense since there are walls surrounding the compound. I then decided to go see the Nerds first. I might as well since they're the weapon experts. We could use them to help make new weapons. Hell, they could even help out with other stuff like maybe restoring power once the electricity goes out. After all, Donald or whoever did make a grenade out of an eraser once. What could go wrong with having them around?

I held up my arms as I approached the gate to make sure that the Nerd on the Spud Cannon knew that I was living and breathing. "There's a living soul drawing near the premises", the Nerd on the cannon shouted. I then saw Earnest come up and stare down at me. "It's Jimmy. Bucky, let him in", Earnest shouted. Bucky ran to the gate and then opened it slightly enough for me to squeeze through. "Jimmy, my lucky charm, how are you doing?" Earnest says as he came back down to the ground. "Lucky charm?" I questioned him. "Well it makes sense. God send you here to help us in our darkest hour. And it would make sense that you would be our benefactor since you were one throughout the school year", Earnest replies. "You want to tell me what's going on? Like why zombies are taking over the entire town and all that?" I asked him.

"We have no idea why this plaque is happening", Bucky stated. "I think it could be something that the government cooked up in their labs. Something to infect third-world countries or North Korea if we were to ever go into World War III", Thad commented as he approached from their garden. "Now that's just bull-crap. Why would the government make something that would totally affect the entire world?" Bucky asked him. "Hey, it could be like in the Resident Evil series. Some big corporation could have made it and the U.S. government could have been bribed to keep their mouths shut. Let's just hope they don't wipe Bullworth off the map like Raccoon City in the games", Thad told him. "Can you please stop talking about those games?" I spat out. "I haven't even played them and already, they drive me nuts. Man, I swear once all this is over, I'm going to start playing them just to see what the fuss is about them".

"Jimmy, is that you?" I heard a female voice say out-loud. I looked over to the building and saw Beatrice Trudeau. Beatrice was pretty much one of the girls that I "dated" last year. I use the word dated very loosely because she's not really my type, but she is kind. Even after the relationship ended between us, she and I still remained friends. She ran up to me, hugged me and says to me, "I didn't think you lived". "Nice to see you too, Beatrice", I told her as I hugged her back. Bucky gave me a dull stare as she still hugged me. He never did like the fact that Beatrice had a crush on me while he was stuck in the friend-zone. I do feel sorry for him as I have been there once back in one of my other schools.

After Beatrice let go of me, Cornelius came up and asked the others, "When did Jimmy get here?" "Not important", Earnest tells him. "Right now, we have another warrior for our war against our enemy". "You mean against the zombies?" I asked. "Dude, you have a powerful Spud Cannon and walls surrounding the entire yard. You guys are as safe as a bird is in the air from all this madness". "Not against the zombies. Against the Jocks. They've been attacking us relentlessly since all this started", Earnest says. "Now why would they do that?" I asked him. "It's because our haven is the safest compared to theirs. They want what we worked hard on...sorta", Beatrice stated. I looked around the area and saw what they did since shit hit the fan. They made a garden, hence the patch of dirt towards the west wall. Then to the east side of the yard, they set up tents for sleeping in. Apart from that, they have worked to get this place on its feet months back prior to my battle against the Jocks.

"Why don't both groups just share the space?" I asked Earnest. "Do you even know what they'll do when we can't get along? We want to avoid that scenario", Earnest tells me. "But since the Jocks are trying to wipe us out right now, we need to wipe them out before we get wiped ourselves". "Well, you could give them this place". He was about to protest when I stopped him. "And come join my group", I continued. "Where's your group?" Bucky asks me. "Originally, the Boys' Dorm. Now the Main Building", I told him. "That's impossible", Cornelius barked. "That entire building is overrun with zombies". "Yeah, well not anymore", I told him. "While we do appreciate the offer, we'll have to decline", Earnest started. "We already have something established here and we're not going to hand it over to a bunch of overgrown apes. That was probably the reason why you came here, wasn't it? To get us to join your group?" "If we were to stick together, we can overcome the undead forces and take back the town. Hell, we might even figure out what caused all this in the first place if we get anywhere", I pointed out to them.

I looked at each of the Nerds and apart from Beatrice, not one of them was motivated by my words. "We know you mean well Jimmy", Earnest stated, "but if you were going to ask the Jocks about this as well, then that's recipe for disaster. One that we don't want to be a part of. We'll hold our own here". "Yeah, and you guys are doing well. If fact, I noticed that it's just the five of you guys that I know plus several others that I don't even know by name. Where's the others like Algie, Fatty, Melvin or even Donald?" I said to Earnest. "They chose to settle in Bullworth Town. But that's not important. What's important is that we're staying. And there's nothing you can do to make us come with you. We're safe here and that's what matters", Earnest stated.

Great, I thought. There's no way that they'll come with me and agree to work alongside the Jocks. Who knows how long the zombie invasion will last. It could last till winter. Sad too because my group could have used them to somehow make a power source where we could use the heaters in the Main Building. Damn, and that would have been a benefit of having them there. I was about to turn and leave the Observatory when an idea hit my head.

"Okay, what if I talk to the Jocks about this? What if I persuade the Jocks to stop their attacks and to get along with you guys? Then after a while after this peace and when the weather gets colder, both groups join my in the Main Building? Could it work?" I asked. "That would be a miracle if you can get them to stop attacking and work along us in our ever-continuing fight against the undead", Earnest said. "Only problem is that we already tried to make a treaty with the Jocks and they totally declined without reason. Ted wants our blood and I'm sure he'll feed Jimmy to the zombies if he's not in the mode for reasoning. Like he did with Jones a few days ago", Bucky pointed out. "Ted fed one of the Nerds to a herd of zombies?" I asked in disgust. "That's just wrong. But there's two thing you guys need to know about me. One: I'm very persuasive, which is how I got the school to stop bullying in the first place if you don't remember. And two: I'm immune to whatever the hell this mess is". "Impossible", Thad spat out. I took off my jacket and showed him my bite wound under my shirt sleeve. "It's a couple days old and I still have yet to turn to one of those lame-brain beasts", I told him.

"You have the antibodies. Let's hope that someone finds you and takes you to the CDC in Atlanta to make a vaccine before this whole mess goes worldwide", Beatrice suggested while I put my jacket back on. "Yeah, sure. Why not. But first, let's just get everybody on the same side first just to survive this ordeal", I said. I turned around and was about to exit through the gate when Beatrice shouted, "GOOD LUCK". "Trust me, I don't need luck. I'm sure that I can handle the Jocks. I did months ago. What can go wrong?" I told her. "You die, I die, we all die", Bucky stated. "You're very optimistic, you know that Bucky?" I sarcastically said to him.

I exit the yard and waved them bye. "I'll be back soon. I'll get this mess sorted out soon", I told them. In a sense, I was glad that I was out of there. When I showed my bite wound, Earnest and Thad looked at me like I was turning in front of them. Duly noted, I'll never talk about my condition again. Don't want to end up with a potato crammed down my throat. But right now, what mattered was that I talked to the Jocks about moving in with my group...and to stop harassing the Nerds. Damn it, if I'm going to get them two groups to team together with mine and battle the undead for survival, I'm going to have to talk to the Jocks. Let's hope they're cooperative when I see them for the first time in months. Another reason why my parents shouldn't have taken me away for summer break.