"...And that is how babies are made," Mister Rogers huffed, smashing his ruler against the chalkboard. The only Chalkboard in the entirety of Geralt District High School, California, that hadn't been replaced by a fancy electronic smart board. As he looked around the old bald man's face turned beat red and veins formed on his shiny forehead. "Now is not the time to be sleeping!"
Tenzen opened his eyes as chunks of wooden ruler went flying passed his head, just as Rogers broke the ruler on the desk. He pursed his lips slightly and peered over his shoulder to the girl sitting behind him, then turned forward only to meet the face of a bull without horns. One could only swear they could see steam coming out of the teacher's nose. "Ah… Um, Mr. Rogers, Sir. You're a bit close."
"—Detention."
This single word felt like iron bars surrounding him downtown. He was not a good boy, but he wasn't all that bad either. He came to school, did his work, and went home. After that whatever he did was simply for the sake of it. No one told him where to go, what to do, he did him. Without grass to mow, he didn't do chores other than bring out the trash on early mornings, and bring them back in when he came home. His family was rich, the house practically cleaned itself but his parents were never home. While other kids could be seen playing catch with their fathers, or playing house with their mothers, he stood on the apartment rooftop and smoked. He played video games until the midmorning. Even hosted pool parties in his backyard or just swam alone. No rules, nothing tethered him. But he wanted for nothing, he strived for nothing, all the while wishing he had someone or something to work toward. He had no motivation to continue on, to do as he liked. All it did was add some flavor to dull tasting tea water.
"Aight," He planted an elbow on his desk, followed by his chin under is jaw as he watched that old man strut to the front of the class. Rogers, otherwise known as Coach, was the only person who tried to discipline him whenever he was out of line and that was rare… at least in school. This was a place he respected, although many of the teachers were below the standard to need it. A good number of them were pigs, gawked at their female students, and the female teachers weren't much better from the men — other than the fact that they too fell victim to the same harassment should they be young enough.
The world was rotten, and even as the world comes closer and closer to the end, morals were morals. Mere bars that kept people from acting on their carnal desires and to keep people in line. Though in truth it was just the laws that were in place, enforced. Yes, he was a cynic and a skeptic. And yes, he would trust a wolf more than a human, since he at least knew what the wolf wanted. And if you were an easy meal ticket, someone who fed the wolf, this wolf… it'd protect you.
His gaze flickered over the people in the class. Wondering just how many people here were wolves and how many were sheep. If the world was going to end today, just how many of them could survive in a world where the system suddenly ceased existing? How many of them would go mad and devour one another… who knew. He rolled his eyes at his thoughts; too many apocalypse novels and movies on his mind.
That was when a sudden scuffle could be heard outside. Just as fast as he glanced towards the door and stood from his desk, he saw a blur enter the room. The door slammed shut and the person leaning against it was none other than Chai Min, also known as Minmin by most of her friends, who sported tanned skin dark boyishly cut hair. She had a scrawny build, like those you'd see on a ballerina.
"Min, what are you doing at the door?" Rogers scoffed, "Now's not the time—!"
"There's something going on out there! A bunch of students just attacked Ms Dofferson! There's blood!" Though just as she said that, a blood covered face smashed against the window of the door, biting at it.
"The fuck…?" Roger's eyes were about to bug out of his head as he dragged his desk over toward the door. Despite being a P.E. teacher, he was quite the fatass. Like a bodybuilder who had given up and just let the steroids take over; which explained his irritable demeanor.
Tenzen pushed himself from his desk and marched on over to the other end of the desk and picked it up. Helping him carry it over to the door and barricade it against intrusion. Yet as he reached the door, all he could do was stare in confusion. On the other side was someone he knew, someone who couldn't even hurt a fly. The difference was? Well, there was a chunk torn out of his neck and his eyes were liquid black… along with all of his veins, not to mention the smell of rot coming from the other side of the door. It was as if he had been dead for a few days.
"Jesus fucking christ…" There was nothing to do but curse at the sight, until he felt a hand on his Blazer Jacket. His gaze flickered to Minmin, who was holding onto him. It took him a second but when he placed a hand on her wrist with the intention of removing it, he blinked. Min's hand was shaking. "What's going on...?"
"M-Michael bit Ms.Dofferson, then attacked a bunch of other students!" Min cried, "They got Hannah!"
Not long after saying her name, as if summoned, on the other side there was Hannah. Beautiful long hair and makeup dutifully applied. There was no telling she was like Michael up until he saw her eyes and mouth. Blood, black viscous blood was pouring out of their mouths as they rammed into the door over and over again.
"This has got to be some sort of prank, right?" The popular girls in the back of the room spoke amongst themselves. "This is totally a prank." They were discrediting what they were seeing before their very eyes. "Nice going, Minmin, we all know this is—!"
"Attention please," the overhead sounded, "The school has been attacked by unknown assailants carrying a contagion that causes psychosis. Until further notice, please, all teachers, please lock your doors and keep your students inside."
"This is fucked…"
"T-this isn't a prank?"
"Dean's probably in on it," Sneakered one of the Jocks who planted an arm around one of the populars. All of them just stared at him as if he were an idiot, which looking at his grades, kinda showed that he was. "W-what? He could be."
"No way! Have a look at this!" Most of the students were gathering in the corner away from the door. Away from the banging and the screeching. "Zombies? This is a virus outbreak? How many horror movies has this podcast guy gotten into?"
When reality began to descend on the Jock, he was found at his desk with his face in his hands. "My Dad's all the way in LA, how the fuck am I supposed to get out of here...? I wanna go home..."
Clumsily, Tenzen put his hands under the desk and flipped it up against the door as the Teacher was about to walk around and do the same. Then the two of them pushed the desk against the door. "Are you really helping me here?" Rogers snickered jokingly, seeing as Tenzen had helped him flip the desk and weight it against the door to avoid having to hold it. It seemed he was the type to laugh in front of danger, not go charge at it, but to soldier right through it. "I just gave you detention."
"Who said I was going to show up?" As casual as always he gave a cold reply, before stepping back.
"W-we have to get out of here…" Min was seated on the floor with her legs to her chest. She had only been standing moments ago, but it appeared all her strength was for naught. Her legs were tofu. That and when there was a sudden bang outside, she put her hands on her head and shoved her face into her knees. Fear. It controlled just about everyone.
When he turned to look at Rogers, the old man was looking to the blackboard for support. Not to say he could blame them. Fear was something he was feeling too, but instead of being unable to stand, he was unable to sit. This feeling, it made him jittery, like a sugar rush. His gaze draped over the two shadows beneath the door, still fighting to get in, but less so now that they could not get a look inside. That and everyone began to quiet down. After several hours, as the final bell rang, which felt like forever, the banging stopped and the shadows disappeared, shambling off elsewhere.
Minmin, using the nearby wall for support, slowly stood up only to fall into Tenzen's shoulder. All he felt was a sudden tug before the sound of tearing. She had grabbed at his sleeve and tore his Blazer Jacket's arm off, as she fell right back down to the ground.
Believe it or not, no one said anything, instead all they did was stare and wait for the banging. But none came. No one tried to break in through the door. There was just silence. So, Tenzen knelt down as she was curled up, clinging to the sleeve of his Blazer Jacket, "Minmin," He whispered quietly, placing a hand in her hair, gently touching behind her ear, "Time to go."
"Huh?" Those were the magic words. Her big dark brown eyes gleamed up at him; her attention was all over him like a cooked raccoon on a christmas holiday. Taking her hand was like asking a puppy for their paw. Though for some reason, the light in her eyes made it seem as if no one else could do this. Not a single person in the room except for him could make her give a hand. "R-really?"
"Ah, the stiff boy at work again." One of the goons who had been hanging in the far corner of the room, snorted at the display. Though there was a hint of jealousy in his eyes, he had been pining for the girl since she transferred in from Oregon. His words though were the right choice. Tenzen was stiff but he wasn't an idiot or mentally disabled. But his personality, the way he reacts to others, was like trying to get a wall to react to a blood curdling scream. The boy just didn't react, at least not right away. At this moment, he was a bit too excited.
Without a word he led the girl over to the window, Rogers following closely behind, as far as the chalk marked blackboard would support him anyhow. They were on the third floor of the health and science wing. So all they saw was the roof of the second floor.
"There's no screaming…" Everyone took note, and soon joined them along the long row of windows. Outside the zombies, or former classmates, were all leaving. Some of them were even wearing their backpacks. As if they were just following routine. "Are they… going home?"
"It looks like it. What the hell?" The Jock from before bashed his fist against the windowsill.
While they were all preoccupied, he reached over and undid the lock on the window. After a few seconds, Tenzen had it open and gave a soft gesture towards Minmin but didn't say a single word. As she climbed up, he grinned a bit. Since she was wearing opaque black leggings under her green skirt, he saw nothing but the shape of her panties before she crawled out onto the roof.
As she dragged her legs along after taking off her shoes, holding them in her hand, he followed. As she stood up, he got up beside her. Turning around, he raised both brows as the teacher tried to do the same. Despite him being a fat ass… he slipped through like butter after losing only a single button on his shirt.
"Agile as ever I see..." Cruel as it may be, the teacher laughed Tenzen's humor off as if it was nothing as if letting bygones be bygones. "Let's get to the ladder over there…" From the corner of his eye, he noticed the other students were beginning to follow so he added, "Before they all get outside." And then as he glanced at the neighboring classroom, all he saw was a mess of gore and disgusting forms shambling about. Those people hadn't gotten their door closed in time, or worse, trapped the zombies in with them.
Rogers nodded, removing his dress shirt, revealing his black tank top. While it wasn't a very savory view, it wasn't something to cling to or grab. Instead he wrapped the shirt around his fist, his punching fist, and down his forearm for some shielding.
"Hey, wait for us!" Snapped one of the popular girls who was struggling with the window.
Tenzen ignored her and with Minmin's wrist in hand, began jogging for the ladder on the other side of the school. As far as he knew, that was the area least traveled by when it came to students and faculty. Mostly because whenever he had study hall, that is the place he would be other than hanging on the roof. It was where all the trash was, the dumpsters, and connected to the nearby lot that had a blue bus. The bus that parties or bars called to pick up drunk clients instead of letting them drive home.
"Now that we're on the roof," The bald man huffed as he jogged not too far behind them, "What is the plan, kiddo? There's barely anything at that side of the school, no one even parks over there… Unless you're wanting to go to the bus depot."
"Even bus drivers have personal cars…" Doing whatever he wanted in his freetime, there were plenty of skills that he picked up. Why go to a place where a key was needed? Because he didn't need a key, just time, which for the most part was most likely limited. Buses were like tanks, as long as they kept moving and didn't flip over, even more so if a plow was bolted to the front of it.
At the same time there were plenty of other ideas going through his mind, ones that didn't pan out. Where were they going to go? He wasn't going to bring these people back to his place, well, the teacher and Minmin were one thing, but the others were no consequence. The moment he chose to take her hand, he took responsibility but he didn't take any for the others.
"Either way… We have to lose the others," Tenzen rolled his jaw seeing the shocked Roger's face. "Don't look at me like that old man. How are you going to defend twenty kids...? Take a bus? Go north?" Though that wasn't a bad idea, where were they going to get food? If they go too far north, not only will it be cold, but the scarcer the food sources will be. Plus, there was no news of if this pathogen affected lesser members of the animal kingdom.
Just the idea of zombified canines terrified him, since they were already fast when they had been alive.