After hearing the roar, I jumped up and glanced at Algae, who was sitting next to me, and at Jake, who already looked anxious. The three of us peered out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of something in the darkness. Outside, we could only see the dark silhouettes of zombies, moving with more energy and activity than during the day. Assessing the situation outside, we decided it was time to leave the room we were in. Jake, apprehensive about what might be behind the closed classroom door, made the first move. His concerns were justified, as the zombies outside the building seemed more active and aggressive, leaving us uncertain about the fate of those still inside the school.
Jake hesitantly turned the knob and opened the door. Strangely, we found people behind it—students and teachers—who were visibly agitated and worried about the events that had unfolded just five minutes ago. The area was bustling with activity as everyone patrolled both staircases, ensuring that none of the infected made it to the upper floor. I'm unsure how long this state of uncertainty lasted, but the first night of the apocalypse was etched in our memories. We remained clueless about what caused the roar or the increased zombie activity, but one thing was clear: the infected within our building posed a threat. After an uneasy experience, most of the students had calmed down and returned to their seats.
For that night, eight guards were assigned to patrol the stairways—four for each set. Fixed shifts were established, changing every two hours, with the second pair taking over from the initial guards. Armed with long sticks, they pushed zombies that had climbed a certain flight of stairs through small cracks in the barricades made of tables and chairs. Algae volunteered to be one of the guards, and I wanted to join as well, but Jake stopped me, believing that Algae would feel dissatisfied if I reported for duty separately. Both boys were now committed to a service that carried potential danger, risking their well-being for the sake of other students. Left alone after the commotion, I returned to the classroom and settled back onto the windowsill in the corner.
After a while, as I was starting to doze off again, three girls entered the room. One of them appeared visibly nervous, while the other two tried to calm her down. At first, I thought it might be due to the unfamiliar roar, but it seemed unrelated. Pretending to be asleep, I discreetly eavesdropped on their conversation. The angry girl was talking about a boy who had done something she didn't like, mentioning that he was spending time with another girl without her permission. When asked if he was her boyfriend, she replied that he wasn't, but she intended to make him one. It seemed she had known him for a long time, but he was unaware of her feelings, leading her to believe she was the only one for him.
As I listened to the girls' conversation, one of their names came up—Angelina. Presumably, she was the girl who was complaining about the boy. For a while, she spoke about how wonderful this boy was, but then shifted the conversation to the appearance and personality of the other girl. She described her as short, assertive, with black hair, and always by her boyfriend's side, expressing annoyance at the attention he bestowed on her. While the girls gossiped, a few more people entered the room, causing a momentary increase in noise before they quickly settled down and fell asleep. The girls, now speaking more quietly, eventually followed suit.
In my drowsy state, I fell asleep shortly after hearing the words of one of the girls:
"Isn't the girl you were talking about is on the windowsill?" - one of them whispered.
"You're right, she looks similar, but it's too dark to see her face," the other girl replied.
"We'll find out tomorrow if she's the one I was talking about. Now go to sleep because there's not much night left," Angela probably said.
Why "probably"? Because I was so sleepy that I wouldn't have been able to overhear the rest of the conversation if they were still gossiping. I fell asleep during the last dialogue of the girls. I slept like the dead, though I don't think that phrase should be used anymore, especially when science fiction turned out to be true with the zombies on the floor below.
The morning sun woke me up, shining directly in my face through the window. There were no blinds, so the sun perfectly illuminated the entire room. I woke up leaning against Algae's head, as he sat with his back against my side to prevent me from falling off the windowsill. He was sitting on a table pushed under the windowsill, a few inches below him, the perfect position for his head to serve as a pillow for me. I lifted my head to survey my surroundings. Everyone was sleeping peacefully. Below me and Algae, I saw Jake sleeping, leaning against the wall with his arms folded and a smile on his face. He's probably dreaming of something good. It would feel weird to put my head back on Algae's pillow, so I decided to admire the current world.
Outside the window, it was unusually quiet. The zombies could barely walk; some were crawling, and a few were feasting on human corpses. I saw more bodies than the previous day, which surprised me. Who in their right mind would want to venture out at night with a new threat? Maybe this increase in deaths was due to last night's roar. I didn't know what to think anymore, but I knew that if we didn't quickly eliminate the zombies from the school building, we would be the ones without something to eat, and the zombies would find their meal in us.
While contemplating this, I looked at Algae leaning against me and whispered, "Are you asleep?"
"No," he replied in a whisper.
"How was the watch?" I asked curiously.
"It was boring. There was nothing to do. None of the infected even came to the mezzanine during our guard duty. It's possible that zombie activity dropped after that roar," he replied in a sleepy voice.
"You must have been bored there. What time did you come back?"
"We weren't sure of the exact time because the replacements came for us, but I know we were in class when you were already asleep. Did you miss us?" he replied with a silent laugh.
"Just so you know, I had no one to talk to and no one to complain to," I replied with a smile.
"You can rest your head on mine. I'll hear you better."
I was surprised by his statement, but I accepted the offer. I rested my head on top of his and closed my eyes.
"Then tell me how your first night went since I already told you about mine," Algae suggested.
"It was boring too. The three girls in the middle were gossiping the whole time about guys they liked and other students. At least the view outside the window was more interesting," I replied.
Algae and I looked at each other, unsure of what to do now. Jake, observing our confusion and the lack of topics to alleviate our boredom, suggested that he and Algae talk about themselves since we would probably spend a lot of time together, and I don't know much about myself. Algae began talking about his life
He was born on August 15, 2004, and is currently seventeen years old. His mother passed away after his birth, and he was raised by his father with the help of his grandparents. He shares a very close relationship with his father, who is his best friend. During his childhood, he had a strong affinity for physical activities and would often run in the woods with his childhood friend Jake. While Jake had both parents, they were always busy, and Algae became his first good friend. They grew up together, attending the same schools and sharing common interests. They were practically like brothers, spending all day together. It was during their conversation that I discovered Algae's real name—Victor. However, he preferred to be called Algae. As they discussed their parents, I could sense the anxiety in their words. They were genuinely concerned about their well-being and uncertain about what they might be doing now. Despite their worries, the positive attitudes of both boys reassured me that they wouldn't fall into despair. Time flew as we delved into their pasts. When we ran out of topics, Jake suggested that it would be a good time to leave the classroom and see what was happening outside after the first night. Algae and I agreed with Jake's idea. We collected ourselves quietly, being careful not to wake the others, and slowly made our way to the door. Along the way, we encountered fellow students who appeared exhausted and unhappy. Finally, we reached the door, and Algae reached for the handle, opening it.