Oliver woke up early the following morning. He got dressed quickly and left his apartment to go to school. As soon as he reached the building, he opened his locker, put away his clothes, and locked it. Then, he headed towards the classroom.
Since he had arrived early, there was barely anybody in sight yet. A couple of students were standing outside talking among themselves while waiting for the bell to ring. One girl looked particularly attractive, but Oliver couldn't tell her name from behind. She wore a blue shirt and black pants. Her blonde hair fell down to the middle of her back, framing her face elegantly. Despite being pretty young, she exuded confidence.
A moment later, the bell rang. Students rushed inside their classrooms to sit down. Most of them greeted each other, asked questions, or simply talked about the previous weekend's events. Some of them didn't seem interested in speaking to anyone. Their faces were expressionless, which meant they probably kept to themselves. Oliver glanced at the girl he noticed earlier. He shrugged his shoulders, and returned his attention to his teacher.
Mr. Jones was explaining the upcoming project to the entire class. According to him, they were going to create a presentation based on a given topic. The chosen subject was "What the future holds?" Everyone in the room raised their hands enthusiastically, asking Mr. Jones to give them more details.
At last, the bell sounded. Everybody hurried to leave the classroom, except for Oliver. He remained seated until everybody else had left. Only then did he stand up and head to the bathroom, where he relieved himself before returning to class.
Once everyone was settled down, the teacher explained the assignment further. They would divide into groups and research different aspects of the future. Each member of the group would present his/her findings during the final presentations. The idea was to predict what tomorrow might hold. How will technology change? What jobs will exist in twenty years' time? Will humanity colonize other planets or continue expanding its territory here on Earth? Where will humans travel next? Which countries will develop fastest?
Some students were excited by the prospect of learning about the future, but others showed little interest.
"AAGH!" Just outside the classroom, a loud shriek could be heard in the corridor.
Everyone gasped at the sound of screaming. Nobody moved forward to see what happened. The screams continued for several seconds before they finally ceased abruptly.
"Oh my God," somebody whispered. "Did someone get hurt?!"
Nobody replied.
They waited anxiously for several minutes until another scream echoed through the hallway. This time, however, it came from farther away. People began to whisper amongst each other nervously. Several of them exchanged glances. Someone stood up and walked toward the door. Others followed suit.
Just then, one of the girls screamed again. It wasn't long after that when the whole school went silent. Every single person was frozen in place. Silence reigned supreme, even louder than before. Suddenly, there was a series of muffled thumps coming from inside one of the rooms across the hall. More screams ensued, accompanied by heavy footsteps. The sounds grew steadily closer.
Students started panicking and running in all directions. Screams filled the air, echoing loudly. Panic spread like wildfire, spreading from one end of the corridor to the other. In a matter of moments, panic transformed into chaos. Students ran in every direction, bumping into each other and tripping over objects along the way.
'What is happening?' Oliver mumbled quietly to himself.
"H-hurry up and escape, these z-zombies are eating people!" A loud voice boomed through the intercom. The speaker was clearly terrified beyond his wits. You must run now or you will be eaten alive! Get away from the zombies before they reach you!"
With this announcement, the commotion suddenly intensified. Many of the students panicked and fled in all directions. Oliver realized he only had two options: run or hide. But where exactly should he go? His fight-or-flight instincts were fighting a bloody battle, with the former clearly winning.
He spotted the girl he had seen before when running towards an emergency exit. She was sitting in a corner crying hysterically. Soon enough she saw him too. Instinctively, he made eye contact with her.
'She could be useful in the future if I want to survive. I can teach her some martial arts.'
Without thinking twice, he approached her and crouched down beside her. She jumped slightly upon hearing his approach but calmed down when he spoke softly.
"Hey..." Oliver extended a hand to touch hers gently. "Are you okay?"
Her tearful gaze softened slightly. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Will you save me?"
Oliver nodded solemnly. "Yes."
"Th-thank g-goodness," she muttered between gasps. "My friends..."
"It's fine, don't worry about anything right now."
His words reassured her somewhat. She wiped away her tears and composed herself. Then, she stood up slowly.
"My apartment is close by let's go there," Oliver suggested.
For some reason, she hesitated for a second, looking at him carefully. Then, she agreed reluctantly. Together, they headed toward the nearest exit. On their way there, the crowd thinned out considerably. Eventually, they managed to find their way out of the school building without trouble. Outside, it was dark already.
Eventually, they reached a residential area where houses lined both sides of the street. Apartments were built in rows on top of each other. Oliver slowed down to take notice of what he thought was strange. There were no people anywhere near the road nor in front of the homes; it was completely devoid of people.
Oliver and the girl entered his apartment building. Both of them headed upstairs to his floor.
Oliver's Notes: [There are many ways to kill a zombie. Here are just a few examples: Killing a zombie directly isn't difficult at all. All you need to do is stab it in the brain with whatever sharp object you prefer (knife, spear, sword, etc.).]