@BreakingMe

Ken was about to give some kind of sarcastic remark to the old man and continue on with his speech about how wonderful women are and whatnot, most likely getting him into detention for the afternoon. However, Kansas made her move...

If you were to compare Ken to anything, you could probably describe him best as a dog, in both the positive and negative sense. He had a pure heart, but not always pure motives, and always seemed like a heroic and loyal idiot. You'd have to cut his nuts off in order to get him to stop yapping on about girls, too. But his most redeeming quality was that he was hardworking and willing to listen, at least if you presented something to him that he found interesting (which isn't difficult considering he has a one-track mind).

Climbing off the table with the speed of a cheetah, Ken practically teleports to Kansas' side, smiling with that same old goofy grin of his. "Of course! Now's the perfect chance to set the right flags for your route, Miss Carrington! I screwed up last time, and unfortunately there are no ways to save your game in real life, but that just means I'll try with all I've got! I won't be making the same mistakes again!"

Irvine was sitting, squeezed in with a bunch of other students at one of the cafeterias tables. He had opted to not try the 'casserole surprise' for now and was simply observing the situations occurring. Note pad in hand, Irvine scrawled down notes and diagrams that only he was likely to understand. As another student leaned in to try and see what he was doing, Irvine responded in kind leaning away to keep the pad from view as he made a few last points. Flipping the pad shut Irvine gave the other student a small smile as he pocketed it once more and returned to sitting normally.

With a sigh Irvine dug his fork into the 'food' lifting it in the air to examine it. What would normally be considered a surprise, was hardly that at all as the stubborn substance seemed to cling on. "What did they make this with, cement?" Irvine asked himself as he tried to shake the fork free. Eventually deciding to give up the teenager placed the fork back on the tray. "I don't know what would cause more harm, someone ingesting this or having it thrown at them." The boy continued to mumble as he returned to his observations. He was among the students that particular staff and teachers seemed to be hawk eyeing, as though expected to act up. For now Irvine would need to remain in this unwanted situation, sat next to some nosy brat, what he needed was a distraction.

"MR. BLACKWELL! GET DOWN FROM THAT TABLE THIS INSTANT OR YOU'LL HAVE DETENTION FOR A WEEK!" It was almost too perfectly time.
"Well that's my cue, enjoy the pig slop." Irvine stated as he used the situation to move from his current table. It occurred to him that he had not really given thought to where he was headed, and was now without a seat. With a somewhat stressed sigh Irvine began to wonder around looking for a different vantage point for his observations, sticking closer to larger groups of students to avoid the eyes of staff and teachers.

@Beekeeper@Simple Unicycle

A soft chortle escaped Loralei. She shook his hand without shifting her gaze to it. After the appropriate amount of time for shaking a hand - two Mississippi from what her agent suggested - she dropped her hand but kept a beaming smile. Things were going well so far. "I love getting to know everyone. It's nice to meet you, Teddy, Sarah, Edith, Andrew, Harry, and Toby." Her gaze drifted to each student as she said their name. "I'm Loralei."

Clasping her hands together, she rocked from flatfoot to the balls of her feet before settling back to flatfooted again. "So, what do you guys all like to do for fun? Personally, I like getting to know people and sharing stories." Her mother always told her it was easier to get people to share facts about themselves if you revealed something about yourself relevant to your question. It worked with the food thing at her other table; she hoped it would work with them too. Maybe get their minds off the horrible food.

@ramblingbard @Simple Unicycle

Not sure what else to do, Teddy pulled out a chair for Loralei and sat back down himself. "I'm in a book club with Edith, Harry, and some other kids," he said, "We're reading Holes right now." He looked down at his hands, and felt the vague sensation that there was something shameful about being in a book club, something nerdy. He tried to brush it off. Books were cool, or at least his parents seemed to think so. Still, there was an unwritten stigma against anything that seemed like doing more than the necessary amount of work. Which was weird, because in elementary school doing work well had always been commended. Middle school was all very confusing.

@Delta44

As she led Ken back to her table, he rambled on about video games...or something. She simply nodded her head and smiled. She really had no idea what he was talking about but she knew, in cases like this, it's easier just to play along. She liked Ken, afterall. Sure he was a bit - lively - but his heart always seemed to be in the right place. Besides, how often could you count on a guy for school spirit and enthusiasm? Hardly ever. She sat on the edge of her seat with her legs crossed and her chin in her palm. She was turned toward Ken who continued to be animated. She was still nodding and smiling, thankful that she had kept him out of detention this time.

@BreakingMe

Ken sat at the table, facing Kansas, clearing his throat for some reason or another. Something about "restarting the route". Whatever that meant, it clearly meant that they were going through one of his "moments" again, where he'd pretend to be some kind of anime protagonist trying to sweet-talk to her. Why he did this was a mystery, but one could say it wasn't all bad being complimented on by a guy who has the guts to pull the cheesiest and most embarrassing lines imaginable. He tests his voice as though reciting for a play, and mulls something to himself that is inaudible and incomprehensible, until...!

"So, what do I owe the pleasure of being acquainted with the most beautiful woman in school, hmm?" He asks, his voice taking a sudden turn; his usual cheery and happy-go-lucky attitude replaced with a clearly fake 'gentlemanly' tone. "Surely it isn't to showcase your breathtaking emerald eyes, no?"

(Speeding things up)

About five minutes after all this, a young boy, only around 12 or 13, begins coughing violently. An administrator runs to the boy's aid, and the boy's skin begins to turn green... The boy begins to look gaunt, his eyes bagging and slowly closing. The administrator begins to shake him, before turning her head around and calling for someone to get the nurse... Only for the student to jolt up, eyes pure white and skin green, and sink his teeth into the administrator's neck, pulling out a chunk of her flesh and tearing her jugular. Her eyes go wide as she falls to the floor with a thud, and she bleeds out slowly after... Only to rise up like the student.

All hell breaks loose. The zombies attack more students, who turn into zombies, and everyone else panics and runs for the door. Now it's just you, a few students, a teacher, the nurse, and seven zombies slowly advancing toward you...
@Polyphemus, @Delta44, @BreakingMe, @Beekeeper, @ramblingbard, @akirashadow

(From this point on, NO META-GAMING! That means you can't say that anything happened in your post unless I SPECIFICALLY STATED that it happened. Also, the students never knew about the details of the virus, all you know is that it turns people into zombies)

Panic flooded over Teddy, rooting him to the spot. In a few brief moments a student had attacked a teacher, then the both of them were attacking others. Most of the students had fled the room, but he wanted to help. He just wasn't sure how. He didn't even know what was going on. He looked between the older students and the adults, his eyes wide and pleading for some sort of guidance as these (monsters?) shambled towards them. He didn't know how to fight. He wanted to cry out to the infected to stay away, cry out to the surviving for a plan, cry out to his parents for comfort, but his voice caught in his throat and stuck there like a wad of dried glue. Instead, all he managed was a whimper, and he took a step back from the advancing seven.

'It's like Highschool of the Dead... Except real life...!' Ken thought to himself as everything went to Hell, the whole cafeteria becoming essentially a war zone. Pretty soon, he, Kansas and a few other students were the only ones left, plus a teacher and a nurse. 'Yup. Definitely Highschool of the Dead.'

But now wasn't the time for jokes, Ken knew. They had to get out of there. From the looks of things, they wouldn't be able to fight their way out of this, since nobody in the group looked like a fighter. And as much as he hated it so, he knew they only had one option. Looking around on the spot, Ken tries to make out the nearest or otherwise safest exit for them. "We need to get out of here!" He announces, looking over the people in their group. "Let's stick together, and we should be able to get outta here!"

Chaos, mass panic, a more than qualified way of explaining the current predicament that had engulfed the cafeteria in moments. Everyone would of course handle and react to it in their own way. Irvine himself tried to remain calm as his brain began to process what was happening. He had become grouped with a few other survivors, though he had no way of focusing himself on them enough to notice if he realised any of them. Irvine shook his head quickly to settle himself and focus.

He turned to look at the other survivors trying to gauge how they were handling their current predicament. Irvine sighed as he took a step towards one of the younger members of the group who seemed to not be grasping the situation to well. He reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, as calm as he could to try and not startle the boy further. "Hang in there, you'll be alright. Showing fear is the first step toward going off course. Adversity is cruel, letting your fear take hold will only make it crueller." With that said Irvine moved his hand and reached into his pockets sliding on his gloves. Irvine went back to assessing the room and watching the 7 zombies slow approach. As another addressed the group, he hesitated then responded. "We may be able to get around them if we're careful. This room isn't exactly small, and we could use the furniture to our advantage and break their path of advancement."

@Delta44 @Beekeeper

Nothing he had seen in medical school, in journals of medicine, or on the news had prepared Subhas for the reality of Pandora. The virus seemed to spread through the cafeteria only a little more slowly than the panic. He could hardly beleive his eyes- in only a couple of minutes there were no fewer than seven of those. . . things lurching menacingly towards the few who had been unable or unwilling to flee the room in the massive stampede.

Subhas ran through options in his mind. If everyone got out, he could lock and maybe barricade the doors from the outside to try and keep them from spreading further throughout the school. Yes, that seemed reasonable.

But there was still a few students in the cafeteria, seemingly trying to weigh their options. Subhas briefly thought about locking the brats in with the creatures- sacrifices had to be made for the greater good, and all that. But no, those things moved so slowly, so clumsily, that there wouldn't really be any way to justify it. There was time to try to save everyone.

"Hey! Hey, you ugly demons, over here!" he hollered at the seven zombies, hoping to distract them from the students. He picked up the lightweight plastic trash barrel and hurled it in the general direction of the undead. Not that he thought it'd do anything much, but with luck it'd turn their attention towards him instead, maybe even trip a couple of them up. "Run for it, children! I'm right behind you!" he advised. With luck, he would get them shambling towards him while the students ran, then Subhas himself would bolt out the door and get to work securing the entrances to the cafeteria. His plan was far from perfect, true, but it wasn't as though he had much time to think.

@Beekeeper
However, as Teddy looked around for an adult, he found none save for the nurse, Mrs. Ratchid, and Mister Larsen, the 8^th grade science teacher, but they already ran. There were older students, though, and he heard Ken Blackwell, a member of the student council, shout: "We need to get out of here! Let's stick together, and we should be able to get outta here!" However, he would then see the janitor, Subhas, throw a trash can at the infected, knocking two to the ground and turning their attention towards him.
@Delta44
Mister Larsen, the only teacher, and the nurse, Mrs. Ratchid, were already running, as were the other students. It was just him and four others now. Then, Ken heard Subhas, the janitor, shout: "Run for it, children! I'm right behind you!" as he threw one of the blue, plastic trash cans at the zombies.
@akirashadow
(wait for Delta and Beekeeper to reply)
@Polyphemus
The trash can would manage to knock over two zombies, who begin crawling rather than getting up and walking. The other five turned to him, their jaws opening and saliva dripping out as they slowly stumbled towards him. He'd better think of something fast...

@akirashadow, @Simple Unicycle

Teddy looked up at Irvine and nodded uncertainly, he wasn't exactly sure what the guy was saying, but he got the gist. Then the janitor tossed a trash can and knocked two of them over, they kept moving but didn't get back up, so it seemed to be at least a little helpful. At the old man's cry for them to run, Teddy attempted to follow suit, picking up one of the lunch room chairs and throwing it in the direction of the monsters. He wasn't sure if he had the strength to throw it hard enough to hit them, let alone knock them over, but in the very least it might get in their way and slow them down.

After throwing the chair, Teddy followed Subhas' command and dashed for the door, knowing the longer the kids waited, the longer Subhas would wait, and the more likely any of them might get attacked.

@Beekeeper
Teddy, having about average strength for a sixth grader, managed to throw it strong enough to hit the first zombie in the right leg... Snapping it in half. Dark red blood oozes from the wound, both from the half of the zombie's leg still on and the half of the zombie's leg that lays on the floor. The zombie hops forward for about two seconds, before falling over and crawling like the ones that were hit by the trash can.

As he ran out the door, he would find himself in the schoolyard between the cafeteria and the main building, there being about twenty feet from him to the door to the main building. There are no students, but he could hear a faint moaning from around the corner to his right...

Loralei was about to respond to Teddy when things suddenly went from just miserable to outright chaotic. There was yelling and groaning, and - oh my god, why are they green? Oh my god, why are they attacking people? Her eyes widened as her breath caught up in her chest. It was something out of a movie or a horror story. Did she maybe fall and hit her head? That just wasn't something that happened.

In a blink of her eyes, everything erupted into a situation that was far beyond her control. Most of the cafeteria had evacuated and only a few of them remained. Someone she recognized but couldn't put a name to came over and spoke with Teddy and he seemed to snap out of his own shock at the situation. The janitor was drawing away attention. They should leave...but where?

She really didn't want to leave the janitor in here to draw attention by himself. What if they got close enough to attack him too and he ended up just like those people? She couldn't fight but she could maneuver quite well. But the guy that had spoken to Teddy said something about using the furnishings to their advantage and Teddy seemed to take it.

Loralei caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. Looking between the people going after the janitor and the door Teddy ran out, she bit her lip; the pain helped her think. Stay or go? Stay or go? A hard sigh escaped her. If anything, she'd go around to the other set of doors and make sure he got out of there; that would be more useful than potentially distracting the man trying to make sure they got out safely.

She turned and ran after Teddy.

@ramblingbard
As she ran, the moaning of the zombies grew quieter and quieter until they were nothing but a memory. She saw Teddy standing there, a panicked expression on his face, just feet away from the door. Then, she heard the faint sound of moaning again, from around the corner...

"We may be able to get around them if we're careful. This room isn't exactly small, and we could use the furniture to our advantage and break their path of advancement."

"That may be true, but right now we need to focus on escaping the immediate threat! If we have a reason to go around, then we'll take it later! For now, I need everyone to move!" Ken said, urging kids to follow in the footsteps of Teddy and Loralei. He had to at least get the kids out of there. It was his duty as a member of the Student Council!

'... The Student Council...'

The thought echoed in his mind: what happened to the other members of the council? Were they alright? He had to know. But for now, his soul concern was to get the other students -- Kansas included -- to safety. "Kansas, please lead the others away from here; I'll be right behind you!"

@BreakingMe

@Delta44
Kansas nodded at Ken immediately. She had seen trash cans knock over a few of the undead students before. There was no reason to think they couldn't make their way to safety by knocking them down with furniture. She turned to everyone she could see around her. She yelled, "Everyone grab a weapon of some sort! The heavier the better! Hit them with all the force you can!" She thought about adding it's your life or theirs but figured that would probably make some of them panic - and panic was the last thing they needed on their hands. Why aren't more adults here? How are they missing this, she thought. It didn't matter now, they needed to save themselves if no one else would. Kansas reached for the nearest chair.

Subhas stared in utter disbelief for the second time in as many minutes. He had put himself at great personal risk to give the students a chance to leave. Several of them had been smart enough to run, but now one of the girls was picking up a chair and trying to encourage the others to charge at the creatures. The same creatures that had easily overpowered and killed competent grown adults not seconds before.

The ingratitude, the stupidity. For a brief second Subhas raged at it all as he began to step forward, planning to drag the girl out of the room by force.

But no. He was done doing favors that wouldn't be appreciated. If the girl wanted to waste the opportunity she had been given and try to be a hero, let her. There was nothing he could do, he rationalized. No time.

Subhas turned without a word and used the brief respite he had bought to flee from the room, his aged heart pounding in his chest. He slammed shut the big double doors of the cafeteria, leaned up against them with all of his weight as he swiped his master passcard to lock them from the outside. That should keep the zombies away from the rest of the school for a while, at least. Panting from the sprint, he turned to take stock of the situation and see who else had escaped.

@Simple Unicycle
Teddy stopped just past the door to the schoolyard, the moaning around the corner sent a shiver up his spine. Was someone hurt? Or was it just another one of those things? With no time to wait for something to come out and attack him, and no attention paid to who had followed him out, his eyes darted around quickly for a place to hide.