Cough. Cough. Cough.
For a billion times, that girl won't ever stop coughing.
Claire glanced at the girl crouching over her stomach, each cough made her trembled in disgust. She tried to focus her book in front of her as if she was reading it like it was fascinating in the world. The sound of wet, gooey, and phlegmy of her cough was like a big slap on her eardrums. She couldn't even concentrate her lessons.
Levi beside Claire, and looked behind her at the cougher, Rosalinda Olivia, coughing non-stop. Both of them cringed while other classmates shot her with weird looks. But Mrs. Nivera, reviewing something in her book who sat in front of the classroom, didn't even seem to notice.
Rose coughed again, drawing Claire to stroke her word in the wrong way. She cursed and tightened her grip against the pen.
"She shouldn't have to attend the class, today. If she's really that sick, she should have stayed at home." John whispered, facing Claire at her left side.
"Absolutely, gross." Beth rolled her eyes and commented. She didn't want to be mean but honestly, it was not her fault that she got sick, but she should have stayed home. After all, the semester ends after three weeks and five days. There are only a few projects that need to be done. And after that, we have to take our clearance and bwalahh, school is finished. Summer vacation begins.
"Why can't they just send her home?" Nyn whispered timidly and glanced at her, as Rose coughed again, making her flinched.
"They should ha—"
"Beth! Claire!" Mrs. Nivera shouted, which made the girls jumped. It was like electricity struck their skin, as it tingling the hairs to rise, making both of them shiver in fear. The teacher puts her hands on her hips, giving them a stern look, "Would you girls mind to share something with the rest of the class?"
Both of them shook their heads.
"Good. Now, after five minutes. . .you'll pass the paper whether you're finished or not." Mrs. Nivera warned them before turning back of her book as if she was reading something interesting.
Behind them, Rose screeched, clasping something on her throat. Unconsciously, there's something sticky coming out on the corner of her mouth, it was red as rose as the blood. Funny, her name suits it well.
Claire widened her eyes from the sight, and edge her chair further away from the other girl.
"Rose? Are you alright?" Mrs. Nivera finally noticed that something was wrong.
The teacher begins to walk towards her.
Rose gasped and coughed more. Her chair began to stir as if she tried to pushed her away from her desk. Her face was pale and sweaty, eyes glazed.
Levi, Beth, and others tried to move away from her. It doesn't look like she had a cough, she sounded like she was about to vomit up her intestines out.
"Rose?" Mrs. Nivera called out but flinch when another cough came from her. She retched, spilling some blood from her lips.
This time, everyone around her hastily moved away.
Mrs. Nivera frowned when she noticed the blood then, reached out a hand to the poor girl.
Rose lunged forward, both hands clawing at the teacher's face. "What are you doi. . . ? Mrs. Nivera gasped out and grabbed Rose's wrists, and restrained her. Rose gasped and panted. Her forehead was all wet in perspiration as more drool or bile falling over the chin. She really looked like she was being possessed as if her movements weren't beyond on her control.
"What's wrong with her?" Beth gasped.
Nyn didn't know. All she wanted to put some distance between her and Rose away from her. She felt bad about the sick girl, however, here and right now, it looked so serious. Even Claire didn't want to get caught from it.
"Gour. . .gr. . .gord..gurghh. ." Rose choked as if she wanted to say something. She tried to get away from Mrs. Nivera's grip. After a few attempts, she stopped fighting as her eyes rolled out which we could tell that she had fainted. Mrs. Nivera tried to hold her up and leaned at the door due to her weight.
"Okay, class. I'm going to bring her out to the clinic. Everyone should stay here and maintain silence. If I heard a single noise came from here, everyone will get deducted with points from their marks." She gave us a stern look to every one of us, bringing Rose out of the class. If anyone had paid attention to Mrs. Nivera's features earlier, a small hint of her eyes suggested that she was still shaken from what happened earlier just like the rest of us.
After she guided Rose out of the room, closing the door.
Shocked silence reigned throughout the classroom until someone broke out a sweat while some laughed out nervously as if they sounded like that whenever they're nervous and didn't know what to do. Then followed by with voices, a babble of discussion from what had just happened. The scene replaying again and again from their mind. It sounded like it was really happening from the horror movies.
"That was horrible," Nyn whispered as she gripped John's hands, seeing her small figure trembled.
"Well, at least the class is over for now." one of the guys pumping his in the air in glee.
Others glanced at Rose's desk. With its blood and saliva gleamed on its surface. Claire hoped someone should spray it and disinfect before anyone else sat there. She felt guilty for worrying about the blood when there was obviously something very wrong with Rose.
"Uhm, guys. . . I think you have to check this out. " Mary pulled out her phone and showed them the aggrieving news. The mysterious virus spread the world just after a day ago. They didn't know where it had come from nor what it was made of. The phone revealed a video, where people running everywhere and screaming while others started to faint and cough with blood. The broadcaster said, that this unexpected phenomenon is serious. They had warned them to stay indoors, as the virus began to spread quickly which is extremely dangerous.
"No way. . .this is actually happening." a John voiced out.
"We are going to die." Beth cried out, and hugged Claire tightly making everyone shivered in fear.
"So, you are telling me the news was talking about of the mysterious virus infecting people that turned us into a zombie?" John's words nearly yelled with disbelief appeared on his face.
"From, what we are seeing earlier. I could think that's a yes." Levi pressed the tip of the middle her glasses above her nose, setting it upright. She said that it was an obvious thing.
Bang. Bang.
Someone banged the door.
Everyone flinched. Few of the guys began to put the chairs behind the door, blocking it.
Bang. Bang.
Everyone glanced at one another, while Claire almost screamed, "What the hell?! Who could be that one?"
Another loud knock at the door.
"Guys?" Mary cried out, wondering if we should open the door or not.
"Class? Why on Earth are you locking the door? " a familiar voice ranged out from the other side.
Everyone breathed in relief.
"Open this door now, or another deduction will be added."
Silence fell.
"Well, that's our Mrs. Nivera." one commented.
Others agreed.
Nyn was still holding John's hands, the tips of her fingers turning slightly red as she squeezed his hands in fear.
"No, wait. . .what if she got infected?" another voice asked.
"Probably, not" Beth suggested.
"What if. . ." Claire's voice joined in, said quietly.
"Come on, guys she's our teacher. We can help—"
Her shrill, hoarse screams began to gurgle their eardrums. She gagged on tiny hiccupped breaths through her screaming. They were all awakened by the sudden scream.
"Did she. . .? " a Claire covered her mouth in tears.
Everyone had the same thought on their minds.
She got turned badly. And it was really fast.
Screeched. .
That deafening sound made all the kids paused. The hairs of their skin began to stand. Some began shivering while the others tried to be quiet as they could.
Everyone started to hear scratching noises, hitting something against the glass surface. It was absolutely unpleasant and terrifying. It was sort made of nails, long nails. Just like they saw in the movies. Those who were standing near the door covered their ears and scurried away, making a distance.
Then, another silence fell.
Levi brought a finger to her lips to make sure everyone wouldn't make a sound. Then, walked slowly towards the door, making Claire gasped, and looked at her with widened eyes. She gave her a 'what are you doing?' kind of look.
She was no paranormal expert nor a ghost taker but she sure did have interests or highly fond of in supernatural beings or ghosts, especially any of them, came from the horror movies. She used to watch movies according to them.
Outside the fogged thick glass doors, there was a shadow loomed flashed over it. Levi peered around the corner between the door and the glass surface against it to find no one, standing around.
Where could she be?
Levi shifted her eyes to other places, but find empty in the hallways. She glanced back at her classmates then, think something and looked again at the door.
"We're going outside." a cold glint flickered on Levi's eyeglasses. Her features laced with all seriousness.
"What are you kidding me?" others groaned.
"That's insane! We're not going out." some refused.
"We won't stand here any longer anyway." John joined in through our conversation, with his arms crossed.
Bang.
Everyone heart's almost leaped out from their chest.
A broken chair was thrown at the floor. They glared all at the young man, named Vernald who rubbing his neck in embarrassment. He muttered the word, 'sorry.'
"If we can't stay here any longer. We will have to face the consequences and fight when it's necessary." the words were coming from, Claire as her eyes laced with confidence and excitement.
Nyn grasped the broken wood and positioned herself steadily as if she was prepared from an upcoming brutal fight. The timid girl earlier wasn't already there anymore. In fact, she was now facing an actual crisis just how we considered a zombie apocalypse.
"Ready?"John asked as he looked at the others as Nyn stands beside him. While everyone started to pick some valuable things to fight or search weapons against the zombies. This is our reality now. It's fighting to live.
"Ready as I'll ever be," Levi smirked then, kicked the door wide open as everyone began to face the door, with raising their weapons.
A shrill of screams echoed outside the door.
It began.