KRISTINA NAOMI YAGAMI
"Watch where you're going next time, fucker!" I shout at the top of my lungs, my face flushed with anger. I step back from the pedestrian lane and on the pavement. The driver who was only seconds from trotting me alive earlier flips his middle finger. Before I can kick his ass, the traffic enforcer hands him a ticket.
I dance by the pavement to boast my victory.
I don't care if other people find me ridiculous for this. Hey, winning the game of pedestrian and driver is a notable achievement one must be proud of.
"Come on, Yagams! We will be late!" Liza shouts from the opposite street with a look of annoyance. I eventually catch up to them in no time.
I can hear Jee Ho and Carlo's heated debate on the newly released horror game from behind. Meanwhile, Liza and Nicolette are immersed in their girl talk.
On the way to the academy, I flip through the pages I recently borrowed from the library. I don't understand why rich, eccentric men attract me. I guess the saying 'Girls like Bad Boys' applies in real life, not just in storybooks.
Or maybe it's symptoms of inferiority complex. Either way, let's agree that men.
That's the tea.
Since Jee Ho and I are a year older than the three idiots, we rarely get hang out as a whole squad. It's like a curse. How so? Simple.
Imagine sharing a lunch table with two identical guys. Yes, I'll answer your question. Unfortunately for me, Jee Ho's younger twin brother tags along all the time despite his raging popularity with chicks.
It's bad enough we're a group of outcasts, so it's evident the student body spreads lies for afternoon tea.
My latest favorite is my hot make-out sesh with the ripped janitor. It's a shame he's in jail for child pornography though. Moving on.
It's been a month since our nightmares. So far, nothing in the media hints of a coming apocalypse or a pandemic to arise.
Phew. The pressure of high school and paranoia didn't bless us a good night's sleep for weeks.
To this day, Liza and Carlo have no idea about our nightmares. They demand from time to time–threatening to cut Jee Ho's balls, burn Nicolette's hair and tell Edmer he's my crush–to spill the tea whenever they catch on.
Thankfully, not even Nicolette cracks and that's something.
As everyone ascends the tiny hill, my gaze lands on the oblivious Nicolette who's too busy ranting about her frequent boy toy problem.
Others believe Nicolette is an uptight drama queen and I do, too. Who says I can't?
But she's not all that. Nicolette's family is in shambles. With an aggressive womanizer for a father, one can only understand how she's come to be. Her only coping mechanism is to be that annoying bitch that gets the boys and step on girls in St. George Academy.
She can also exaggerate sometimes.
Scratch that. All the time.
But hey, at least I didn't grow up with a living headache.
As we draw closer to the crowd, I find a familiar face by the entrance. Edmer Cower waits by the pillars alone wearing his Pikachu backpack and usual block glasses.
Nicolette follows my gaze and instantly shares the same ugly grin I have that resembles the Grinch.
"Well, we're off," Liza snatches Nicolette before she can take another step. "See you later, bitches!" Nicolette's voice echoes.
I don't get to say goodbye when I realize Jee Ho and Carlo are nowhere in sight. I sigh.
Just great, such friends I have.
I turn to look at Edmer. No matter how people talk about his gay nature, it won't stop my sickly love from growing.
When he notices me in the buzzing crowd, he crosses his arms and sets a frown on his pretty face. I approach him with a hopeful expectation, but when I'm practically within earshot, he shrieks at the top of his lungs.
"Kristina Naomi Yagami, where the hell is my watch and handkerchief you stole?! Give them back!"
I frown.
Has he lost his mind?
Then slowly, realization clicks. "I am so sorry! I forgot!" I gasp. He makes a face and for that, I slap him. "What was that for?" he demands. His voice cracks another octave.
"That's for ruining my expectations." Of ever noticing me. I add in my mind. "Ruining your expectations of what?" he aggressively shouts in high-pitch. I cringe. My eardrums ring.
Have I only noticed it now or has Edmer been like this since Day One?
"Nothing! Now, come on. Let's get to class." I drag him by the collar. "What about my books?! They're still by the lockers!" he whines. Geez, now that I can think straight after some ramen, I begin to question my feelings for him.
Is this the Suspension Bridge Effect?
"Don't bother. You've lodged by the entrance long enough." I assume.
"It's coz' of you! You know how punctual I am, Yagami! I like my schedule organized, thank you very much!" he raves on. I tsk.
He's loud. Louder than Nicolette.
That's already a standard.
"You survived nine months inside your mother's womb naked. I'm sure you can survive a day without a watch. Or a handkerchief with that cold of yours."
Everyone's eyes are on us, but I don't give a damn. They're probably in the process of another rumor. Maybe this time about Edmer and me in a teacher's lodge.
"I'm not sick, I don't have a cold!" he presses.
"Uh, yes you do. Don't pretend like you don't. You might infect me, too." I comment wryly.
"It must be you who has a cold!" he retorts.
"The cold that I'm referring to is your insensitivity to other people. You're so insensitive you don't even know when to understand that other people develop feelings for you. So, if I were you, stop being such an insensitive jerk and start being sensitive towards others' feelings. You might get a love life for once."
The bell rings from the end of the hall which can only mean one thing: class is about to begin.
I jolt awake just before my head hits the table.
Just great, I moan when I see the familiar scribbles on the board. Sir Herbert Pines faces the board while still scribbling formulas and demonic seals in silence.
I moan again. Oh, come on.
Unfortunately for my case, I'll be seeing him every first period for the entire semester. Yes, I know. Bummer. And here I am hoping I can rest my eyes for an hour before the gym.
Not my year.
Oh, get this. Guess what subject he's teaching?
Algebra.
From my left, I can see Edmer jotting down notes like a true nerd so I carefully pick his handkerchief from his pocket like the kleptomaniac I am. Today it's floral blue. His embroidered initials are always on the bottom right.
I smirk.
"Now that we're done with the parabola, let's move on to the case exploration."
I shoot right up like a bullet with a face.
Sir Herbert raises his brow at me. "Is there something you'd like to say…?" He peers at the seating plan on his desk. "Ms. Yagami?"
I resist rolling my eyes. Geez. You don't even know your students' names. Lucky you.
I snap from my daze and quickly think of a perfect excuse. "I'm sorry, Sir, Cower just farted." I lie. The entire class erupts with laughter. I can sense Edmer's intense glare when Herbert tells me to sit down.
Some of our classmates are now making fart noises, but like any cool protagonist, I ignore it.
"This is all your fault, Kristie." Edmer hisses. I wink. My mind wonder backs to the board.
CASE EXPLORATION METHOD
Sir Pines is still writing, but I already know what's next.
I'm not dreaming.
"The case exploration method's first step is to factor …"
The door bangs violently.
I slap a hand to stop my scream. Oh, my God.
My heart beats wildly against my chest. Adrenaline rushes through my veins when I grab my bag and crawl to the other side of the room. "Kristina!" Edmer whispers. I can tell he's curious, but I don't give a damn what he thinks.
I can feel my body break out in a cold sweat. My breaths shorten as I try to calm myself. Before I know it, I'm hyperventilating in the corner like a spoken asthmatic.
"Ced, who's at the door?" Sir Herbert asks, confirming my nightmare. I sink on the floor like jelly, my joints all mushy. Yeong Hwan, Jee Ho's twin, who sits on the chair I'm clinging onto for dear life, looks down at me. "Are you all right?" he asks. I'm too weak to answer.
"No one's here, Sir."
"All right. Close the door. It might just be one of those mischievous middle schoolers again," Sir Herbert mumbles. I watch with freight as Cedric returns to his seat with a frown.
Okay, this isn't a nightmare.
"Aaaahhh!!"
Julianne.
"Sir Pines, James pinched me!" Julianne's complaint reaches my ears like a distant echo. I wipe the cold sweat that dribbles down my chin. It's unbelievably hot for a room in full air conditioning.
The door bangs again, even violently now. I lose feeling in my legs all too quickly.
"Yeong Hwan!" I call out in a whisper, and he raises a brow at me. "Pinch me!" I demand. Being the gentleman he is, he shoots me an incredulous look. "What? No!" he retorts and even hides his hands from me. If it's another day, I might even coo at him, but it's not. "Just do it, for God's sake! Stop being a pussy!" I demand.
He pinches me on the forearm.
I wince.
Real.
"You happy now?" he angrily asks. I want to laugh at him, but I can't.
The back door bangs again and again, just like in my nightmare. Sir Herbert ignores it for a while but eventually turns around to investigate. I watch as he calls Remmuel to check who's outside. Remmuel jolts in surprise when the door bangs violently against his hold. The others laugh, but I don't.
He immediately jumps on James' lap, but James quickly pushes him off. "Ew, man! I know I'm handsome an all, but I'm not gay!" James boasts. Remmuel slaps him across the face before he scrambles up to his feet to unlock the door.
That's when Hell breaks loose.
A kid soaking with blood from head to toe enters the door and falls straight to the floor, just beside the trash bin. Julianne sprouts from her seat and in a blink of an eye ends up on the other side of the room — farther from me. Regina and Mickey scream as they get behind the boys in the middle row.
It's real, it's real, oh god, oh god.
I cover my ears to stop my shaking. There might be walkers outside the room already.
The kid might be fast in comparison, but he won't be able to outrun them for long. Oh God, I'm not prepared for this shit.
"Remmuel, who is that?"
Sir Herbert's still doesn't see the kid.
"Sir!" Remmuel screams as he stumbles on his feet. The boy raptly moans and the girls shriek at the top of their lungs. Sir Herbert finally turns around at the noise, and when his gaze settles on the boy, he gasps. "Oh, for the love of God, what happened to him?! Remmuel, James, help the poor boy!" he demands.
The kid moans again. I shudder. It's real, and it's happening right now. "R-run…" he whispers, almost too audible that the class can't hear. "What did you say, son?" Sir Herbert asks when he runs to him.
"Run. The undead has risen."
I sense someone behind me.
A surge of adrenaline courses through my body and the next thing I know, I find Vans opening the casement window. Without warning, Mrs. Georgina Neilson appears by the window while standing on the balcony. My eyes narrow. She seems normal.
"Ma'am! I-"
I scream just as Mrs. Georgina leans over and bites his neck. Blood spurts from his neck, staining his uniform and his skin. Everyone turns to the sound of his cries, even the oblivious Sir Herbert Pines.
"No!" I yell. Without thinking, I leap from Yeong Hwan's table and charge straight at the window. I feel the collision of my head and the window and hear a loud crack.
The window crushes on its hinges, and I fall on top of the bloody Vans.
Mrs. Georgina growls at me with her bloody teeth, and that's when I notice her missing arm. She must have died not too long ago. I stagger back, wheezing. Just when I'm about to check on Mrs. Georgina, Vans' painful cries reach my ears. Some of our classmates surround him and try to stop the bleeding, but it's too late.
I can hear screams, cries, and chaos erupt in the room as everyone tries to save Vans and the bloody kid.
Van's blood stains the marble floor. He's better off dead. Oh, how the irony.
Sir Herbert shits his pants. Literally. The smell of feces reaches my nose, and I immediately cover mine before I gag.
From my periphery, I witness my sleeping classmate, Walter, wake up from his nap from all the chaos. He's beside the casement window at the back from my opposite side and without thinking too much, opens the window.
Big mistake.
Mrs. Georgina dashed to his direction without missing a beat. Everyone shouts for him to close the window, but he's too groggy. She grabs Walter's hair, pulling his head to her while black, gooey liquid drips from her open mouth. My heart is about to burst through my chest and my joints are too wobbly, but a baseball bat underneath one chair catches my attention. Right, gym class.
I snatch the baseball bat as fast as I can, almost dropping it. "I'm sorry, Ma'am." I apologize, my voice cracking a bit.
I close my eyes and swing the bat as hard as I can, and I hit a skull. For a moment, I hear nothing.
I realize I'm falling.