The world outside is dark and gloomy. Just like this room I'm in.I shuffle onto my feet that are on the pale white floorboard and underneath it are intertwined wires. Normally, pale blue and pink liquid would run through the cords like veins that power the techy part of the school but not today. Today, the cords are just empty, blank, gray.I lick my cheese-covered fingers that had just feasted on a bag of cheesy balls from the locker in here. I'm guessing the broadcasting club members had stashed away some snacks and now I feel sorry for eating their snacks like a thief.' I spit out the gum I've been chewing for hours. Fio-SNAPI take another lick of my hands and go into a lotus position, crossing my legs over each other while I take cover under a big table. My mind wanders back to Fiona and I feel queasy in my stomach. I remember the Cheesy balls we had shared, I recall how we had shared our lives in our vulnerable states. Just hours ago. JUST hours ago. HOURS. And now she's gone.I stop myself from reliving her smile, her hair, her hands, her posture, from reliving Fiona. I throw the plastic bag of balls away feeling revolted. Revolted with the cheese and myself.It was my fault.I tell myself it wasn't but it was. I had made her and left her to die. I didn't close the vents.I ready my backpack and tie my shoes. Thank god I have running shoes I guess. I smile at this. I take a deep breath and pick myself up. I pick up my body and hit it against the walls of this room, letting out a small gasp as the air is slightly knocked out of me.I slide down but brace myself up again and throw my back to the rock-solid walls, hoping to let out the guilt that eats me up. I want to vomit it out, let it rise up like bile. But it doesn't and I feel guilty for not wanting the guilt.The guilt that I KNOW I let Fiona die. You did nothing wrong.No, no don't think of it. No. Fiona's death is an accident, I didn't mean it. I didn't-"You're being too lazy Xan, get up and work on your assignments""You're being too lazy Xan, take a quick run this morning, and don't waste around""You're being too lazy, I know you aren't like this, work harder and don't mess around with your phone" I recall Ma's wordsLazy. Lazy. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.I was too lazy. But I didn't know. You were lazy.No, I was just tired. How was I supposed to know? What do I tell Fiona's mom?"Stop thinking" I wipe my tears out and wrinkly small beads scratch my eyes. I pause and take a look at the bracelet on my pale yellow skin. It was from Theo.Theo is my best friend. We had been childhood friends from second grade. Our moms had worked out very fast, and became best friends in less than a month, us not so much.Theo was a cool and straightforward guy but always got into trouble, he was good at any sport.I was simply mom's girl. I'd hate to admit it but that's what I was.A hypocrite to Lexis, a liar, a thief to this room's members, a selfish person to FionaTheodore is really good with everyone, I would see him walk around with at least 10 people in the hallways bowing their heads to him like he was their king Perfect smile, perfect body build, on the road to the nationals from our small public school. And even all that, he was the same boy who loved froggies on his underpants and still had a stash of froggy boxers tucked somewhere in his room.Theo was home. But home wasn't here with me. Home was out there. The home wasn't where flesh-eating and balding people who weren't paying for cancer treatments were.Here and now I knew where I needed to be. Home with nagging Ma, and nonchalant Dad. With Theo, teasing him about these Froggy panties. I desperately needed that and if I could live this, escape this hell hole. I would be grateful. So grateful I would pray to God each day, each hour if this was all a nightmare. Home with FionaI needed to find a way to go back home. I wasn't really one for survival fitness but I knew I had something on me. I could run, I had taken months of knife lessons and some boxing classes at some point. But these things...I couldn't box my way out of them. Heck, I didn't even know how people turned into them. But this was classical zombie life so a bite, I guess?So just don't get bitten and I can leave this place? It was like a game of tag, run don't get bitten or you're IT.I could run.And I get home to Theo?Easy PeasyI sigh and lean my head against the metal wall behind me. I feel my throat constrict, my fingers go numb, I feel a buzzy static feeling in them and when I open my eyes once again it's dark.'How long had I been asleep?' The stress of what happened the previous day catches up to me. How many days have passed? Not knowing what time or date it is makes me feel itchy all over.I move to the closet where bags of greasy and dry spicy chips are and I begin to munch on them. I a dull light peek through the curtains. I hurriedly move to pull back the curtain Beautiful. I drag a table close to the closed window and not feeling the breeze on my face makes me feel stuffy so I open the windows.'I stare I not the starry night sky. The moon doesn't stare back at me. It hides in a pillow of clouds as if also hiding from the things below. The IT.The cold crisp air hits me across my face and so does the realization I'm failing all over again. I am about to fail everyone. So, I push myself up against the wall, my neck hurts from my earlier sleep position.I wired my brain into one program.Escape.Get back home and meet my family. But for me to do that I'll need to stop crying and man up. Well...woman up because I'm a woman so...you get it.My stomach grumbles no matter how many bags of salty chips I stuff it with. I have 4 bottles of water left but I'm not going out to get more. No, until those things leave.After the first couple hours into the night, I saw some of the infected run through the rough uneven fields and towards the city.Every hour, the hallway is filled with a guttural scream that sounds like a thousand people yelling at once. Every night, I'm wide awake and if I'm being honest, I haven't slept in days. Not after Fiona or Vikky. I'm scared that if I rest one second one of them would pop out.Wait-Rewind-Pause-Infected going into the city.The infected are going into the city?? That means...my family. No, no. They're fine, they know how to handle themselves but if they are still at home that means they're stuck! I can't get out of my school of a few hundred kids. How do I think I'll be able to face the whole California city?My family can handle themselves, yeah! They must be in a huge government-owned center. Yes! But why does it feel all so wrong? I can't leave the school and I can't go to the city. My heart breaks at the thought my family left without me. I don't know where to go if I even managed to get out of here. Home? But it's not a home if the family isn't there!I climb on the chair. I can't take it anymore. This is too much. I would end it all.I climb onto the chair and hold onto the rope. I put my head throughOneTwoThreePush. This time I push the chair away from the vent. Now none of them would be able to get in.I am in the vent and I feel my bag. Bottles, snacks, knife on hip, knife on stick. Flashlight, map. One arm at a time and I am slithering through the vents, As I pass another passage into the vents, I hear noises coming from down below but I don't look down and just keep slithering.I pass more vents like this and every single one is covered with blood. Wine.Just wine.Blueberries. Raspberries. Smells like metal. Zinc?Not like the metal I taste when I'm on a run and my muscles are working.Pungent. I slowly crawl but then I freeze remembering this was how I had met Fiona. How I had brought light to her precious eyes. How I had killed her. The irony.I'm moving slowly to reduce excess noise amongst all the screams. That's all I've been hearing all day long for 3 days or 4 days I've been stuck hereI pass another vent when I hear a hissing sound. I frown and I put another arm in front of me to keep moving but I hear it louder. I move back down and I'm greeted with the sight of teens my age.My school is a big public school, I can't possibly remember everybody's face. Plus I was too busy being mommy's perfect girl to memorize people's faces. So I just awkwardly smile at the girls who give me star-crossed eyes."So, hi my name is Betty," A blond girl with brown eyes says. She waves her hand and reveals her braced teeth."My name is Grace" The girl shyly covers her face in her hoodie. She must be very timid."My name is Veronica, and you could say Eron over there is my Archie" A black-haired girl with blue eyes smiles and waves over at a group of boys. A brown-haired boy with freckles waves back and sends me a tight smile."Oh, um...my name is Xan" I smile back at them but I feel like I should have said more.I look around and I notice the group consists of 3 girls and 3 guys. The backpacks are huddled just in the center of the room and the doors are barricaded. Smart. Reminds me of Fiona.I tear up at this and the memory of my family out there and how they must be worried for me but I hold my feelings in. I am not one to hold in my tears but I see these girls have been through a lot too."You guys hungry?" I stop my voice from cracking and manage to ask. I dig through my bag and share all the snacks and water I have left with them, keeping one for myself. That should last me 2 days."So, what were you doing in the vent?" Betty asks and dips into her cheesy bags."Get out of here" I sigh"Oh, not going to the cafeteria?" Veronica leans back and inspects me"Why would I?" I ask"Because you're running out of food and the cafeteria was the only place no one was in when hell came down" Veronica places her bag of chips on her lap and looks at me incredulously"Oh," I hadn't thought of what to do when my food and water finished. Stupid"What are they doing?" I turn around to point but I see grey pants block my view and I jump in surprise. The guy plops beside me and moves to snatch Veronica's chips off her lap."You know these are salty and they make you feel more thirsty?""I didn't...know?""You're quite stupid for an athlete," He remarks but keeps eating the chips."Hey! That's not nice Lucas" Grace interjects with a pout, Lucas simply shrugs but still eats Veronica's bags of chips with a smirk"What are you guys doing over there?" I start again"Where from?" I feel offended I was interrupted but then I'm baffled by his question"Sorry?" I'm from here, California obviously."What class were you in before you came here?" He turns to me and our faces are so close. I feel our hands touch and also Grace's stare on my face."Uh, the broadcasting club," I say uncertainly."Wow, really? Why did you come here then?" He stands up and moves to get one of his buddies and he points at me. The black-haired boy turns to me with a frown.They stalk towards me but I don't shrink. I get up from the floor. This might be a chance to get back home. To find Fiona's mom."How was it like in the broadcasting station?" The boy's breath stinks, probably from not having brushed. My mouth doesn't stink as much because Fiona had some mouthwash and mint gum. I realize Fiona must have placed it there. SNAP"Everything was dead. Like...it was some deep technology problem or something" I try to explain but I fail. The enthusiasm of everyone in the room visibly dies down. It seems like they must have been trying to get in there. From the little I've seen and heard them discussing, they must know what they're doing."I expected that." The black-haired boy says and nods his head in understanding. "Must have been a flare then" He rubs his small stubble, this makes me guess he's at least a grade higher than me."Why didn't you guys just come up to the station through the vents like I did?" I frown because things aren't adding up."There are rats" He dismisses and goes to sit down on a table that's covered with papers."What's...with rats?" I dread my question because now his face visibly pales. He runs his hair through his heavy bangs."The infection...whatever it is, had spread through the rats that are in this building. Every corner of this room is filled with rabid rats, Xan. You must be really lucky to have been through those vents""And not get bitten" I whisper. I feel my legs buckle as I imagine my body being feasted on my infected rat. I guess not your classic zombie movie then?"Well, what do we do now?" Veronica comes from behind me and holds my hand. She gives it a squeeze and a million words are said in that one gesture."We need ropes and perfect timing" He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. I see a bundle of window curtains tied together at the end like ropes."I have ropes." I offer."Maybe we're the lucky ones" Veronica coos at the brightening of the black-haired kid.I kneel by my bag and search through it with renewed vigor."Yes, we are" Eron chuckles and rustles Veronica's hair as he hugs her from behind.As I rummage, I catch a glimpse of Veronica handing Eron a gun.I feel my legs thud on the gravel floor, and I instantly feel happy. So happy I move to hug Hugo."Thank you" I whisper into his chest."My pleasure" His chest rumbles and I pull away.We cut down the ropes and moved in silence. Soon enough we are in the city.*Crunch crunch* The gravel sounds*Crunch crunch* Ma's favorite cerealI look around and to say it's a massacre would be putting it lightly. The streets are flooded with blood and too often, screams are heard. My skin rises up and I feel bumps on me. Something is lodged in my throat and I can't seem to get it out."Where are we going?" Betty puffs her cheeky cheeks. Her eyes brim with something I just understand. She wants to meet her family and see if her golden retriever is fine, but she's scared to go check. She wants someone to follow her but knows that'd be selfish. I understand."The government shelter. They must have a clue of what to do. We just need a way to get there" Eron leads the group and we're all huddled as we pace down the streets. Veronica hugs Betty and rubs her back to calm her as a good friend.Only problem-scratch thatSeveral problems with that one statement.One. If the government knew of this why couldn't they stop it? Our government was known for its advanced technology and military power over the rest of the world. But I don't see a single policeman. Not a single jet over us.Two. We don't have a map of the cityThree. Everything is powered by technology. And I mean EVERYTHING. Cars, phones, bicycles-Wait- bicycles?"Guys, we could use-" Before I can complete my sentence, the ground thunders, and a roar like that of a thousand people reaches my ears. I hear a ringing and it's like some time of white noise. I double over to cover my ears and I feel my eyes sting.When it stops, I'm on the floor and just a few hundred meters is a group of infected people is coming at us, I don't think they spot us yet though."Guys, the bicycles" I yell at everyone because I can't hear myself. I stand up and walk to the bicycles and others follow. Taking a black one and briskly put the helmet over my head, latching the strap under my helmet. The others get into bikes too and surprisingly, everyone has a bicycle.I look back and the group of zombies that should have been just a few meters away due to our lagged and disoriented brains have stopped. LuckyWe race down the streets and then another roar comes and rumbles the ground, Betty almost falls off her bike but I use my body to support her and she's back up.A van screechs to stop in front of us and I just know I'm getting kidnapped."Kids get in" The window is pulled down to reveal a lady that looks like Betty with a stern frown. Betty squeals and comes off her bike.Who am I kidding? Kidnapped in this day and age? Hah!"Where's everyone?" I think I hear Veronica ask as I buckle in my seatbelt."They escaped to the camp"