-CHAPTER 5-

MISHA: WARZONE

"We have only five minutes…no, make your preparations as fast as you can! We won't know when the barricades will last! Leave your bags behind except your valuables. Get some food at the counter but make sure that leave some behind for others." I gave instructions to my classmates five minutes after my declaration. Nina and some girls gathered some sharp kitchen utensils that can be used as weapons. Paolo found large gasoline containers full of kerosene and gathered some empty glass beverage bottles and linen cloths from tables. Nina saw Paolo filling up the bottles with gasoline.

"Ummm. What are you doing, Kuya Paolo?" Nina is very curious at Paolo's work.

"I'm making fire bombs. Are you not familiar with this?" Paolo asked.

"Well, this is the first time I saw one. From whom did you learn to make one?" Nina asked Paolo.

"I learn this from one of my dad's bodyguards. We'll use the fire bombs to burn those monsters to hell." Paolo said.

"Nina, you will learn more things from us so, please survive with us." I told her as I started to help Paolo at the fire bombs.

"Yes, Ate Misha!" She replied cheerfully.

"Hey! Could someone disassemble the LPG tanks from the stove? We'll use it to blow those bastards outside!" Paolo asked some 3rd years for his request.

"Yes, sir!" The 3rd years went to the kitchen to do Paolo's request.

"Hey, Nina! You look for lighters at the kitchen." Paolo asked Nina for a lighter.

"Will matches do?" Nina said.

"Lighter or matches, either of the two will do." Paolo said.

"Ok." She said and leaves our work.

Paolo saw the bully, which he knocked down recently, stares at Mr. Santiago's corpse. The bully can't accept at what has happened to his "role model". "What's the matter with you? Do you want to join him?" Paolo asked the bully. "N-No. I-I-I was just looking at him one more time." The bully replied at Paolo like a scared puppy. "If you don't want to end up like him, then I suggest you must fight for your survival!" Paolo answered back. The bully stood up. "I decided. I will fight from now on. I…I must fight to avenge Mr. Santiago!" He showed his resolve to fight…maybe.

"Great. Another idiot has followed the footsteps of Brother Santiago. He never really learns." Paolo whispered to me with disappointment.

"Well, that is his resolve. We can't help it." I replied at Paolo while helping him.

"Hmph! I'll keep an eye on that jackass. I doubt he'll be a help to us." Paolo still doesn't trust the bully. "Even if he escapes alone, he will only meet the same fate as Mr. Santiago. So, no need to bother." I said to him, thinking it's for the best to "reduce dead weight".

Our preparation took longer than I expected. The LPG tanks Paolo requested were placed at the cafeteria corridor while waiting for Paolo's instructions. Nina gave the large lighter, which can be bought anywhere in Divisoria, to Paolo.

"LIIIIIIIGHTERRR!" Paolo jokingly holds the large lighter.

"LIIIIIIIGHTERRR!" Nina mimics Paolo's joke. The three of us smiled at our humor. I guess this is the only way to ease our nervousness.

"Where will we place the LPG tanks?" said one of the students who disassembled 3 LPG tanks.

"Place one tank at the barricaded entrance door." Paolo instructed them.

The students followed Paolo's instruction. Paolo and I finished making the fire bombs. Nina scouts the view of the garden exit, the only place where none of those monsters lurking around.

"Ate Misha, we can get out of the school safely by passing the rear exit via the garden." Nina reported.

"I know that. That is one of the hotspots for students who are cutting classes. Because of that, the gate is locked and shut tight. We don't even know where the key is." I replied.

"C'mon, love. That's what the LPG tanks are for. We'll use one tank to blast the door open." Paolo told me like an excited pyromaniac.

"Now, now. Don't get too excited, love. We have to remember that those monsters react to sound." I told him.

Three students suddenly closed the kitchen door and barricaded it. One of those students approached me. "Salvador! Someone escaped from the kitchen exit! Th-Th-Those…m-m-m-monsters…th-th-th-they…g-g-g-got in!" He said with extreme fear in his face. The students went in panic. Nina, Paolo, and those who volunteered to fight are getting ready. "Who escaped!" I asked. "It's Hipolito, th-th-the son of…th-th-the congressman!" He replied.

"HIPOLITO! THAT SPOILED ASSHOLE!" Paolo said.

"Why didn't you stop him?" I asked.

"Well, we are but he didn't listen. He's doing what he wants." The other student said.

"I saw him! H-He...OH MY GOD!" Nina looked at the window and was frightened at what she saw.

"N-N-NO! GET AWAY FROM ME! I'M A SON OF A POLITICIAN! I DON'T DESERVE THIS! STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM ME! AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Hipolito was surrounded and eaten alive before he fights back: His neck was bitten and pulled his blood vessels by the zombie's teeth, his arms were dismembered and eaten like a hotdog on stick, his legs were chewed like drumsticks, his guts were torn apart and intestines were pulled out and eaten like fresh sausages. Blood splattered all over the cold floor. I say, it's gruesome. Nina was frightened at the scene and starts to back away from the window and picks up her spear. Paolo starts to carry four fire bombs and a crowbar Nina picked up from the kitchen as his weapon. I carry the remaining four fire bombs and my steel pipe. The students are done equipping themselves with their own chosen weapons. The noise from the kitchen gets louder and louder.

"We can't stay here forever! Open the LPG valve at the entrance!" Paolo said.

"Nina, open the door to the garden! Classmates, let's go!" I told everyone.

Nina opened the door and all of them got out of the cafeteria. Paolo and the other students got out last. There are less of those zombies at the garden, about 10 of those. Nina and I went first to attack. Nina impales a female zombie using her spear at the head. I hit the male zombie's head using my pipe. The students followed my lead. The remaining students lifts up 2 LPG tanks away from the cafeteria as Paolo lights up one fire bomb and throws it quickly at the LPG near the entrance.

"FIRE IN THE HOLE!" Paolo runs away quickly from the cafeteria. The fumes of the LPG reacted to the flames of the fire bomb causing a large explosion and started a fire at the cafeteria. The zombies inside were caught up in the explosion. I don't know if that explosion works against them but, at least it's a gamble that I'll bet on.

Paolo catches up with me and kills the zombies using his crowbar. Some of the students fight back, others were stayed behind. The bully also fights back but, he stopped when he saw a female zombie who's very familiar to him. "Maureen? MAUREEN!" The bully suddenly paralyzed in shock due to the female zombie. "YOU IDIOT! FIGHT BACK OR YOU'LL GET KILLED!" Paolo said while fighting against the zombies. "N-NO! NO! NO! NO! NOOOOOOO!" The bully started to burst into tears and hits the ground. "WHY! WHY HAS IT TO BE YOU? NO! NO! NOOOOOO!" The female zombie advances to the bully.

"HEY! GET UP AND FIGHT BACK!" Paolo approached the bully and pulls him up on his feet.

"B-But, Maureen…She's…I-I can't fight her!" The bully is very hesitant to fight.

"She's not her anymore!" Paolo said.

"SHUT UP! She's all that I have! I won't leave my girlfriend alone!" The bully backs off from Paolo and approaches the zombie. "Don't worry, my love! I'm going with you now." The bully embraced the zombie, decided to become one of those monsters for her as the zombie bites his neck.

"Idiot! So that's your resolve, huh?" Paolo lights up a fire bomb and throws it at the tragic lovers, burning them like their love.

The situation gets worse as zombies appeared from the west lane; the botany garden. The fenced gate, which holds the botany garden from here, can't hold much longer. Paolo light up a fire bomb and throws it at the zombies, buying time to escape. The fire bomb doesn't seem to work at the zombies as they keep on moving at the fenced gate. "DAMN! It will take forever to kill these bastards! I'm running out of fire!" Paolo said. Paolo saw the gas drum on the ground, probably left behind for the school bus. As he approaches the gas drum, the now zombie couple rises up from the ground and advances toward him. "You're really starting to TICK ME OFF!" Paolo kicks the gas drum and hits at the zombie couple. He lights his last fire bomb and throw it at the drum. The drum's explosion pushes him out. "OUCH!" Paolo lies down. Nina and I saw what happened to Paolo. We approach and help him get up to his feet.

"Are you okay, love? Did those monsters bite you?" I asked him.

"Ahahaha! Guess I overdid things, but I'm fine." Paolo said embarrassingly.

"This is not good, Ate Misha! The gate won't hold much longer. We have to escape." Nina said.

"Right. Let's go." I replied.

The three of us rejoin the remaining survivors. Our last hope is the rear exit Nina was talking about. "Hey! We placed the LPG tank at the door." One student said. "No! I'll use the crowbar to break the lock. Those monsters reacted to the sound I made." Paolo said. "But, how about the tank?" The student asked. I noticed the zombies are getting restless. There really is no time. "Just throw the tank at those monsters! Make sure the valve is open! Paolo, break the rusted lock!" I told them based at my quick decision. Paolo hit the rusted lock with full power. He successfully breaks it. The student opens the tank valve and rolls it towards the gate. "GET AWAY QUICKLY!" I shouted, lighting the fire bomb. The student ran away from the gate while I throw the fire bomb. The explosion caused the botany garden in flames. The zombies were also in fire but still moving. There are also zombies appearing from the burning cafeteria. Things were gotten out of hand. "Everyone! Let's go outside, NOW!" I said to them. We went outside and successfully escaped the school. Paolo closed the door and barricaded it with the help of the remaining survivors.

"*sigh* That was close!" Nina said,

"Don't let your guard down because, this is the hard part." I said.

"Now that we're outside, expect that there will be hundreds or thousands of those monsters." Paolo said.

"HEEEEEEEEYYYY! OVER HERE!" Someone was shouting at the roof of the school bus that called my attention. Paolo and I saw the person; a middle-aged man in a white t-shirt, bleached pants and almost worn out rubber shoes waving his right hand at us. "It's Mang Henry!" Paolo said. "GET IN THE BUS! THEY'RE COMING!" Mang Henry said. "What is coming?" Paolo said. "JUST GET IN THE DAMN BUS!" Mang Henry said and gets into the bus. I look behind and saw those zombies advancing towards us. "GET IN QUICKLY!" I said. All of us get into the bus as fast as we could. Mang Henry starts the engine and revs up the bus hitting all in its path including the zombies. "HAH! TAKE THAT, YOU FUCKERS!" Mang Henry said as he drives us out from the school. We survived the horror at school but, I don't know what will happen to all of us here in Manila. I just hope we can find a safe place.