[IC] Shelter

[Carlyle]

ᴋ ᴀ ʏ ʟ ᴇ ᴇ ᴊ ᴇ ɴ ɴ ɪ ɴ ɢ ꜱ

---

_{Location: Teacher's Lounge, Stockbridge Academy}

Date: March 6th, 2019

---

"Elliot does have a point." Kaylee interjected. "Sure; I doubt that the table leg hold up after a few swings, but there are at least two members of the softball team here, and if anything else, it puts something between us and them."

Maybe there was a chance that they were wrong and it was indeed a stupid idea. But what choice did the group have? Sooner or later they would have to venture out from the teacher's lounge, and like any zombie flick or show, have to arm themselves if they wanted to survive. Despite that being the logical truth, though, Kaylee couldn't help but to feel sickened, at least mentally. She didn't plan on being food for some cannibal, but these were their classmates and teachers mere moments ago, and now they had to beat them to death if they wanted to live another day.

If only this had been a fever dream a few days ago. Kaylee thought, reflecting on the reality of the situation. Then I could've just brushed this nightmare-turned-real off as a fever-induced dream.

"Anyway, some of you probably already know who I am, but for those who don't—I'm Kaylee. Most just call me Kay, though." The softball star continued. "By the looks of it, we don't have a lot in terms of supplies. Some coffee, soda, and other miscellaneous things, mainly. The sink still works, so we seem to have hydration covered for the most part. That leaves food, and I don't think four granola bars are going to feed us all."

Her eyes darted between those surrounding the table. Kaylee was certain that some were going to have issue with what she was about to say, but she wanted to be considerate to the younger ones. "I doubt any of us are on the verge of starving right now, but I have to play devil's advocate. There isn't any way that a few granola bars and whatever snack food everyone has on them is going to last between twelve of us. In short: some of us will have to go hungry, at least the time being."

Kaylee paused to let her words sink in. "So, I propose that those of us who are upperclassmen give up their share to those that are underclassmen here while we figure out our food issue. I know what I'm saying isn't exactly fair, but I feel it is the right thing to do until we find a solution. Thankfully, we have Xan's map and whatever weapons we can find to scout the cafeteria, the vending machines or even the culinary classroom for supplies."

"Who knows, we might even be able to find a way out of the school along the way."

---

[@Everyone]

[Kautalya]

---

---

Elvina Feliz

_{Location: Teacher's Lounge: Stockbridge Academy}

---

It's hot.

Sweat dripped down her forehead while her fingers traced the countless of rings that scattered about her knuckles. She twisted the one ring that clothed her pinky, a swallow racing down her throat. While her disagreement was announced to all ears, there was no action involved. They were all--still--standing around as if those monsters out there aren't dangerous. Elvina scrunched up her face and let her eyes wander to each person in the tight-nipped room. One kid announced the idea of spreading all items on hand to showcase what could help; another questioned the sanity of everyone else.

At this point, Elvina was lost.

There were countless of ideas cascading out of each person's mouth,

(none were helping)

but not one gave her the guarantee of getting out.

She did, for a split second, think about searching through her handbag. But she knew there was nothing useful on her, in fact, what would a group of teenagers have on them that would help in such a situation like this? Dumbasses. Once again, as if the first idea wasn't ridiculous enough already, someone rambled on and on about what to do and how to go about this whole situation. She threw in a quiet laughter after the speech was done, What the fuck, can I just leave? And then, as if things couldn't get even worse, a kid emerged from the sidelines and spoke about a table leg.

All in all, everything went from one ear and came out the other in complete shit for Elvina. She really didn't care much about everyone or what they had to say; only thing she wanted as of right now, was looking for a window of opportunity to leave.

She stared down at her shoes,

(slightly regretting the damage they’ll be subjected to)

willing herself to control her temper.

She knew how these things ended; zombie movies always had that or group that preached about staying put and waiting for help. That was always the first group to get a harsh taste of reality, usually fizzling out early on. Elvina really needed to figure out how to leave.

Elvina sighed and raised her head, watching those who spoke about what they had on hand and laying it out for all to see. She did a quick look at the loot that was scattered about and turned her attention back onto her purse. Her nose crinkled, there was no way in hell Elvina was going to show her items and she most certainly was not going to share her important materials. Her snacks popped themselves up above the half zipped purse, presenting themselves to her. Sure, she had been hungry but Elvina knew she couldn't waste all in one go; less so, show it to all of her beloved associates(student mates???). Sure as hell dont want this to end up like--what the fuck is that stupid ass book again--flies? pig of the flies?

So, ending off her thought in a conclusion, Elvina zipped up her purse and slung it to her back.

When one of the students asked for an introduction from all, she listened to the names that spilled from each of their mouths. She kept her mouth shut since the introductions were pushed aside to talk about maps and the buildings and all other stupid shit.

Interjecting the conversation, Elvina spoke up.

“You guys are just idiots.” She openly scowled, letting
her clear distaste linger for everyone to see. “Even with putting all our shitty food together, chances are there won’t be enough to go around.”

Elvina pressed her lips into a fine line; she would rather much scream and rage at everyone’s altruistic stupidity, but opted for a cooler—-or so she thought—approach. Plus it’d be just as stupid as them if she took out her frustration on them.

“And,” she continued, “even if it were enough, it would only last us one day. You’re literally asking me to sacrifice myself just because I’m older, major bullshit.”

[alexfangtalon]

---

Alex

Location: Teacher's Lounge, Stockbridge Academy

Interaction: Everyone

Date: March 6th, 2019

---

Alex was appreciative of the fact that others were standing up to take charge as well. He just hoped that this guy mentioning how they could possibly already be infected wouldn't cause anyone to panic. He looked at each of the people occupying the room and it seemed none of them had gotten, well, more panicky. Everyone was already in a bad mental state but so far no one was doing anything dumb or reckless. He turned to look at the next person to speak up, Kaylee, mentioning how some were in a far worse mental state than others. "I don't know how well alcohol will help but let anyone who wants have at it." Next up was a freshman that Alex did not remember asking what he could do to help. Alex wanted to tell him something, but looking at the kid he needed more help than they did. Alex wasn't the best emotional supporter so he just kept quiet.

Then there was a loud bang. Alex's heart skipped a beat as he was ripped out of his own mind to the outburst of the resident troublemaker. After she grabbed a soda she then joined the conversation giving out odd details about screwdrivers. He pulled out his swiss army knife to help deal with the table legs only to remember that the mechanisms for the thing had been messed up real bad to the point that the screwdriver part had come off years ago. Really should've had the darned thing repaired. He could use the knife part but he heard Fitz ask the girl who had been searching the cabinets if she had found anything good. He turned to the girl to see what she found. The girl seemed to be a complete wreck but was pushing through it. After a while, she dumped what she'd found onto the table. Not much but better than nothing.

Before anyone else spoke some dissent to the table leg idea came along with the request for names from Bill. One of the few people Alex actually somewhat knew. The other Alexander speaking up about a map drew his attention. He started looking over the current state of the map. This little piece of paper would be extremely helpful in developing a plan. He was studying the thing but after someone decided to call everyone stupid Alex decided to speak up.

"Okay, so we're all idiots. Right. We're idiots for trying to come up with a plan rather than running out there with nothing. I will admit that yes using a table leg is a stupid idea. But going out there with no plan and using our hands is a moronic one. So, unless your attitude somehow helps with our situation then I'm going to ignore you for now. Not gonna deal with morons right now." Where Alex was scared and nervous before he had now added a little bit of frustration. He at least knew Bill and her general attitude didn't really bother him that much. Especially since she seemed to want to help. Along with the others in the room. But this girl didn't even seem like she'd be on their side.

"Going without food for a bit won't be a big deal if we can get to the cafeteria. There should be a lot there. But if we give the food to anyone it probably should be whoever we have expending the most energy. Meaning whoever uses the table legs. So, how about we move this stuff off the table and actually get those legs off. I have a knife. Here's a quarter. Oh, and my name is Alex like him. Call me whatever you like." After saying that, Alex fishes a quarter out of his pocket and hands it to Elliot. He then begins grabbing some of the things from the table moving them.

[Mao Mao]

---

𝗝𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗞𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗽

---

^{Teacher's Lounge // Stockbridge Academy}

While everyone was either trying to make use of the tablet legs or searching for supplies, Jaden was still eager to get out of the school. Especially with the death of their best friend on mind. They were unable to completely understand what truly happened during the stampede. But the one thing that was impossible to forget was the scream. Jaden wanted to cry and yell to the heavens; yet, they knew that doing so would have brought more trouble. So they kept their mouth shut. Until, one of the theater kids, Alex, suggested the dumb idea of staying at the school. Jaden cringed at the idea and decided to keep their mouth shut for now.

While everyone was planning their next move, Jaden was already set on getting to his vehicle. It was the golden ticket out of here. They went to sit on the ground while others were introducing themselves and discussing the next move. Then, he saw the flask from one of their classmates. The thought of alcohol usually disgusted them. But reflecting on the entire situation...

Fuck it.

Jaden stood up while someone was calling them idiots and walked towards the flask. They grabbed it and took a sip to calm their nerves. It didn't taste as bad as they were told. But it was a little warm to his liking. They paid little attention to the argument. But they assumed that everyone was planning on spending the night here. That was a dumb idea but a perfect opportunity to finally say something.

Jaden chuckled and made their way towards the rest of the group.

"Actually, I have a better plan that doesn't involve dying."

Jaden pulled out his car keys and shook them. "Six of us get to my car and leave this hellhole. It's just sitting in the parking lot with a decent tank of gas. Anyone that doesn't want to spend the night here is more than welcome to follow me."

---

[mickilennial]

---

“And how exactly are you going to get to your car, moron?”

Fitz rolled her eyes before she looked at Jaden with a icy glare.

“In case you forgot, or were not listening at the assembly when we were sophomores, the Principal, in his great wisdom decided to install magnetic fucking locks on the doors and some kind of super glass on the windows. We're not going to be able to just walk outside during this lockdown. If we could just walk outside we'd fucking do it. Fuck. I'd fucking do it. But that's not fucking possible, now is it?”

As far as Fitz could tell, this was frustrating.

Jaden Knapp was nearly panicking, and with that anxiety had forgotten something pretty important. But, then again, a lot of kids at Stockbridge didn't tend to remember much from the administrative assemblies. Maybe her memory was better. Maybe she paid attention. Truthfully, the fact of the matter was that Fitz would have probably forgotten about her princpal's big renovations in lieu of the epidemic of school shooters had one of Fitz's closest friends not decided they were running for Student Council. A friend that she wondered if they had made it into another room and was having the same debates with an equally anxiety-prone group.

The blonde sighed as she put her hand to her temples, as if everything that was being said and done was giving her a migraine, and truthfully it was pretty close. Between people thinking they could just make a run to the doors and the talk of splitting food up, Fitz was pretty done with this particular group she was stuck with barring a few exceptions. After stopping to think for a minute as a moment of silence filled the room, Fitz walked over to where the food was and swiped “her share” of one of the bars and stuffed it in her pocket, indicating that she not only agreed with Elvina but also thought Kaylee’s idea was so dumb that it didn’t even deserve a response.

She moved her hand and gestured toward Alex #2.

“Alex is right. The cafeteria is the best bet while we figure things out. It’s the smartest idea. If anybody doesn't agree, they're free to leave with chuckles and become a buffet line.”

[Darcs]

---

^{Location: Stockbridge Academy, Teacher’s Lounge}

^{Date: 3/6/19}

^{With: Everyone}

---

Colmillo certainly didn't like all the conflict that seemed to be rising like steam around her.

People were all trying to dominate each other or trying to suggest new things like apes battling for supremacy. Over what? A room full of scared teenager. Colmillo, of course, really liked what the small brunette had to say and almost immediately felt herself gravitate toward her. But she listened to the others. Xan's idea was technically useful. While the school was on lock down having maps of the places they had trapped the zombies in the building with. Of course... that was was if they could get past all the bickering.

The downcast girl looked over at Dontae speaking to the taller black boy in the room, this calmed her a little. At least amidst these tensions someone was making sure he was alright. Colmillo had always had an easier time speaking to people younger than her. Or, at least... less intimidating than her-- but Dontae had someone much more level headed then her to speak to right now. As she continued to think, the conversations continued around her.

Elliot-- that was the second blonde's name. Apparently she had a reputation around the school? Colmillo had never heard of her. But in her refutation of the Short Brunette Colmillo found herself in support of, Colmillo learned several things about her; 1) She either had a short memory or she was a hypocrite-- calling the short brunette out for foul language seemed particularly rude since Elliot's first spoken word since entering the room was literally GODDAMMIT! followed directly by Fuckin'-- she was pretty sure she had said something else-- and that wasn't to mention, she certainty hadn't come to the aid of her or Dontae's precious virgin ears when other's had cursed. Maybe it was just a joke? But it seemed like a power play to Colmillo, a subtle was of establishing dominance. 2) She was completely psychotic. To say we should just go outside and swing table legs around because it might make people feel good? She knew they had been calling them zombies, but Colmillo was only just now realizing none of the people so hungry for combat with these things might not have considered they behaved like fictional zombies.

Colmillo continued to stray further from Kay-- Kaylee was her full name-- ideologically as she agreed with Elliot. Though she did at least appreciate her suggestion that the underclassmen eat first, though, Colmillo wasn't particularly hungry. At least, that was what she told herself. Then the loud pretty girl spoke up-- expressing frustration, which was fair in this situation--- that was much healthier than rushing head first into violence with an enemy you knew nothing about, Colmillo thought. The girl could have Colmillo's share, if she wanted... oh, but how was she going to manage that? She was so pretty, and social interaction was really hard...

Then (Colmillo hated casting this judgement on people) the only person who was an even bigger idiot than her in the room, Colmillo learned his name was Alex. He admitted his table leg plan was idiotic, then he doubled down on it, saying it was even dumber to run out without anything-- which isn't what the loud pretty girl had suggested at all? She had only really seemed to criticize the rationing plan-- which could easily be talked through if we just took a second to let tensions die. But of course, the apes had to fight for dominance. It seemed Alex was so insecure in his own idea he was resorting to being rude and mean to people who were just having natural panic responses.

Colmillo was a patient girl, and she'd be patient with everyone here, including Alex. Though, she was never particularly fond of... testosterone.

She'd noticed while all the talking was going on she'd kind of slowly made her way behind the short brunette girl, as if hoping the smaller girl would somehow protect her from the tensing chaotic conditions of the room. Colmillo noted Fitz and the boy who was crying earlier arguing, making sure everyone else was distracted with something else before making her move. Colmillo was practically a giraffe compared to the girl with the ponytail, by her estimation she nearly had a foot on her, anyone not focused on something else might notice evidence of Colmillo's vocal capabilities. Luckily Colmillo naturally tended to blend into backgrounds, so at least she had that going for her. With a sigh, she went for it.

_"Hey," She whispered into the girls exposed ear with a shaky voice, _{"So um... I agree with everything you said, It's completely stupid to try fighting those things, especially since a lot of us are still in shock-- I honestly think some of the people so willing the fight things that can overpower grown men might be experiencing trauma induced psychosis or something, you know?"} Her eyes darted around the room nervously as she let out a nervous breath, _{"Speaking of the others, um can you please not tell them... I spoke to you? Or that I can speak at all? I know it seems like a weird ask, it's just... I'm weird, and an idiot... and I don't know... I've never really done people? I've always tried to be very patient with people, and I'll keep trying, but some of them are really starting to scare me? If that makes sense? Probably not. You actually seem really-- ugh, nevermind. Just, please?} Colmillo almost pulled away before adding, _{"Oh, right, my name is Colmillo, um, Russell-Jones if that matters. You can tell people that, if you want."}

---

_[@hawkins]

[Fabricant451]

_{Teacher's Lounge}

---

---

Boy, this particular group was all over the place; if Elliot had been forced to do a group project with them she figured nothing would get done or else she would put together the tri-fold poster board and everyone else would argue over whether or not the font choice was stupid or not. It was easy to shoot down an idea - especially when you both had no counter idea and no real reasoning behind it other than saying it's a stupid idea - but Elliot's opinion on certain peers in the lounge was declining despite barely knowing any of them. No one in the lounge ran in the circles she ran in, and no doubt they probably made their assumptions about her from the moment she punched the vending machine. The only ones Elliot didn't think was missing the forest for the trees were Fitz and Kaylee and the two Alex's; one of them at least came up with a better plan than 'bitch at people wanting something to defend themselves' and the other could draw maps. Or a map. Helpful, to say the least.

Though a quarter was handed to her - with an appreciative nod from Elliot to Alex - she had a moment's pause as Fitz' remark seemed to stick with her. Not the crack about them not being able to get to a car, but moreso the state of the school. Despite Elliot's grades, it wasn't as if she spent an extreme amount of time at school, other than after school detentions, so the finer points of its design weren't something she was familiar with. "Hold up, you said lockdown?" Elliot turned her attention away from the trashbin girl to Fitz. Elliot might've been smart but that didn't mean she listened much when the adults were talking about safety measures and whatnot. "We can't get out and that sucks, but doesn't that also mean that more can't get in? Not exactly great news, but if anyone's got a yearbook layin' around that could at least give us a rough estimate as to the numbers, though we can probably assume in some bathroom or classroom there's another group of people arguin' if taking the legs off of desks is a good idea or not." Elliot Springfield, ever the optimist.

"There's just one issue with the cafeteria idea - which, I mean, a change of location is solid - and that's the fact that the cafeteria is bigger than the lounge which means we have no way of knowing how many are in there, if any, and we'd have to protect it, right? It might be a good option, but not if we don't have something to put between us and them. Hence..." Elliot gestured towards the table like she was presenting a prize on The Price is Right, the finest in programming for the discerning individual who was ditching school.

"It's not like we're suggesting we play baseball with the fuckin' things - the creepers being the ball - that's stupid. But when all you've got is a blunt object made of sheet steel, that's better than offering your arm for the taking. Some of ya'll are scared or whatever, but we can't stay here forever. If you're scared, use it. Not to get into a science lesson but fear and adrenaline and fight-or-flight are kinda connected, and I'm not sayin' we fight. I don't know any of you particularly well but like it or not we're in this together right now, and I'm not particularly keen on losin' anyone."

"You don't have to like me or anyone else, but the way I see it, so long as we're all here, we're all responsible for one another."

Somehow, Elliot figured the response would be the collective people in the lounge calling her an idiot. Whatever, she'd been called worse. But from where she was standing, this was essentially a super serious group project where instead of pass or fail it was life or death - and Elliot was not someone who liked to fail group projects.

[CaliforniaState]

Location: Teacher's Lounge -- Group Discussion

---

Words were only getting them so far.

It seemed with every wave of new ideas there was an equally proportionate voice that eroded away at any thought of entertaining an idea. It was clear as day the anger was wearing thin on the faces of the many teenage high schoolers in such a cramped room. Unfortunately for Xan he had exhausted all of his usefulness for the time being, despite being quite the introvert and avid PC gamer, no matter of zombie portrayal in media would help him survive this. He had no provisions to offer in the beginning unless you count a crumpled paper bag with apple slices with brown discolorations.

Saying the heat wasn’t getting to him would be nothing but a farce. All the talking and closed airways was turning the room into the sauna. Surely dying in a sauna would have been better than being torn to pieces by the undead, too bad they couldn’t just feed exhaust fumes from Jaden’s car into the room. At least that would have been less painful than this. Elvina’s sudden tongue lash was equally as hot as the rising temperature in the room. She had a point, seniority in this case was anything but helpful. But then again none of this squabbling was getting them anywhere either.

And so, the carousel of arguments went on and on while even Xan’s patience began to wear thin. Just as he was about to join the disorder, Elliot spoke up once again. There was some sort of soothing property to her speech, something he only read in comics when Scott Summer or Stever Rodgers spoke to rally their respective teams together. It was about time everyone put their differences aside and worked together to get out of this room at least. Taking the first steps out of the rest of the crew, Xan walked towards Elliot. Taking his place adjacent to her he looked at the rest of the lounge and raised his arm as if being called on by the teacher. “I agree, lets just get out of here. After we find a way outside you don’t have to stick around if you don’t want to. We can get that far at least, right?”

[mickilennial]

After solidifying a plan, the students among the teacher’s lounge had decided it was best to tread carefully.

Until they found a way to uplift the lockdown, they were pretty much stuck. But at the very least, they could count on the numbers of… infected students and faculty members being predictable. Rosemary had taken charge, though her no nonsense attitude hadn’t exactly been taken as well as it could have been. But when the panic settled down, it seemed there wasn’t any sign of people jumping ship. They were still relatively a strong group for the numbers and anxieties they had. It was still some way to the cafeteria or even the offices, but for all that they could tell there wasn’t a horde they needed to outrun sulking in the corridors. They didn’t have much for “weapons”, but in case things went to hell they had a clear path back to the teacher’s lounge.

It wasn’t like the assembly in the gym. Things could have turned out fine.

Fitz looked cautiously to Alex and Xan, though the small cheerleader despite her gutso did wish they had a better plan than “run like hell” if and when the proverbial shit hit the fan. The group that had joined her along to the cafeteria was larger than the one that opted to stay behind in the teacher’s lounge, but it still didn't curb her own hidden anxieties. However, a glimmer of hope seemed to reveal itself when someone with phone in hand excitedly muttered something about the cell reception getting better. Maybe they could make some text messages or calls before they got to the cafeteria?

Those with siblings in the school certainly thought so.

[Carlyle]

ᴋ ᴀ ʏ ʟ ᴇ ᴇ ᴊ ᴇ ɴ ɴ ɪ ɴ ɢ ꜱ

---

_{Location: Teacher's Lounge, Stockbridge Academy}

Date: March 6th, 2019

---

Part of Kaylee wished common decency hadn't vanished in the wake of the crisis that they were now facing, though she couldn't blame her peers for their reactions, either. She was playing the moral high ground to a group of cranky (and growing) teenagers that had, until recently, been running on two meals a day and were cooped up inside a gymnasium waiting for an evacuation that never came. They were all scared; hungry; tired, even. Each of them had the right to look out for themselves and themselves only when their classmates had an all-you-can-eat-buffet moments ago.

But, damn it, if they were going to get through this thing, couldn't they at least look out for their fellow peers? The growing snatch-and-grab at the remaining few granola bars they found was only going to add to the tension. Maybe they could've split it among everyone, instead of giving their share solely to the underclassmen?

Nonetheless, Kaylee chose to let the matter rest for now, partly because of the reaction to her suggestion, but also because the group seemed to be settling on a plan of action. Provided nothing would go wrong on their way to the school cafeteria, then they would have more food than they could bargain for.

Or so Kaylee hoped.

---

_{Location: School Hallways, Stockbridge Academy}

Date: March 6th, 2019

---

Kaylee was always a bit of a risk taker. Though, trying to compare stolen bases or taking bad hits in a softball match to traversing the halls of the dead would've been comparing apples to oranges. Failing to score a run or hitting a foul ball didn't lead to being munched on like a snack.

Truth be told, she was nervous, despite having volunteered among others to make the trek to the cafeteria. It wasn't unusual for Kaylee to put up a tough front in any "high-stress" situation, and yet, she could never truly hide the cracks. Her thoughts ran at a million miles per hour; her hands repeatedly clamored the metal table leg she held for defense; her eyes darted at any possible sign of danger. The softball star was riding on the edge, as most, if not all, of them likely were.

"So, uhm," Kaylee spoke up, keeping her voice at a minimum to not draw attention to the group sneaking their way through the abandoned hallways."I'm aware that we need the food and all, but isn't the cafeteria stocked with food service cans? How exactly do we transport cans of that size, especially when some of us probably don't have the carrying space for them in our bags or if we get caught out in the open somehow?"

"It's just a thought, but maybe we should check out some classrooms along the way, grabbing whatever spare backpacks we can find. So we don't have to try shoving them into messenger bags or carry them in our arms, y'know?"

---

[@Everyone]

[Bartimaeus]

Cash Kattner

---

_{Location: Stockbridge Academy, Teacher’s Lounge}

Date: March 6th, 2019

---

Cash sighed as he stood up.

He supposed it was to be expected - the quarrel their group was undergoing. Everyone’s nerves were shocked. They were all on edge. Even him, he noticed, as his hands continued to tremble. He’d seen some shit before, but the scene that played out moments before he would find himself in the teacher’s lounge was gruesome. He shook the thought from his head.

He was glad at least that those of the group weren’t completely debilitated by their fear - well, most of them. They seemed like a reasonably tough bunch. He turned to face the middle of room, having kept an ear open as he mingled amongst the outskirts of the group. Personally, he wouldn’t mind gathering their sanity for a little while before making a decisive movement - but it seemed the group had mostly decided their course of action.

He’d join them, of course - they didn’t say strength in numbers for no reason. But how much that mattered when they were - assumedly — outnumbered themselves...well, he didn’t want to think about it. Plans were all fine and dandy, but when shit hit the fan anything could happen.

At this point -- he only had one plan - survive.

Easier said than done.

---

_{Location: Stockbridge Academy, Hallways}

Date: March 6th, 2019

---

Cash crept forward, the sole of his sneaker pushing against the floor as he peered cautiously around a wall full of lockers.

Nothing.

He felt himself release a quiet breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding. He motioned behind him that that hallway seemed clear, aside from a haphazardly placed stray shoe. Unfortunately for them, there were far more halls than just the one.

Cash had taken a more helpful role in their departure from the teacher’s lounge - having taken up a table leg from the local soda-puncher - and assuming one of the frontmost positions of their trepidatiously-moving formation. Brave, one might think - but his heart was beating just as fast as anyone else’s.

What would they even do if they saw something in these halls? Sneaking past them didn't seem likely considering there was more than a couple of them. And fighting them wasn’t something he wanted to do. Especially not with a flimsy table leg from a highschool teacher’s lounge. Although, even if it was a rather unsubstantial weapon, it at least gave him something to do with his hands. He gripped the piece of metal tightly.

Despite the current situation they were in, he found his mind wander elsewhere. The group wasn’t entirely together anymore - some had opted to stay behind in the lounge. He’d attempted to talk them out of their decision - but they’d been adamant. He felt a wrong feeling in the pit of his stomach, leaving them there. But even so, he wasn’t going to risk himself if they wanted to stay behind while the rest of the group tried to escape.

His mind was brought back to the hallway as he heard a voice from behind him. Kaylee, she had said her name was. He wasn’t sure about the proposition. She was right - the food containers would probably be quite cumbersome. But searching the classrooms was dangerous. They could make too much noise - or one of the...’zombies’ could be inside one of the rooms. Well, that was assuming someone had managed to get inside one of the rooms - they could very well be locked due to the situation beforehand.

But, if even one saw them it could easily turn into a shitshow.

He turned his head to the side, keeping his eyes ahead as he spoke in a low, husky tone.

“Er, well.. it might be dangerous. We’d have to be real quiet.”

His mind wandered to the cafeteria. He could maybe fit like, one, maybe two of those cans in his backpack, if he left it open. They’d not be able to take many even if- wait.

“Wait, do y’all think they have some carts sitting around in there? If the casters are quiet enough, we could get a ton of those cans to anywhere in the school.”

Maybe someone had a better idea - but it didn’t hurt to spitball. Plus, even if they did get some workable carts and got caught, those that were unarmed could grab a couple of the supplies during the escape and leave the carts behind.

He hadn’t been very vocal before - in the lounge - but he hoped nobody would hold it against him. He had just seen some poor sons of bitches get their faces eaten off, after all. Any idea was worth discussing - unless they just wanted to end up getting their Halloween costumes super early. And permanently.

---

Mentions: N/A.

[CaliforniaState]

Location: Teacher's Lounge -> En Route to Cafeteria -- Group Discussion

---

The arguing that had been going back and forth with no end in sight became muted sounds in the background, something straight out of Charlie brown. His peripheral blurred as if he had just taken off prescription glasses. His vision tunneled on one sole piece inside the room, the clock. Xan watched as the second hand ticked in place, stuck in an eternal battle between the thirtieth second and the one after. It was weird to think time could be static when it had all but coalesced into one giant jump to his senior year here and now. He’d be lying if he wasn’t wishing for time to actually freeze so they could just get their things and head out in the massive heap of a zombie apocalypse, but unfortunately for them their time was running out. With his life slipping away he was finally snapped out of his smoldering gaze when they finally came to a consensus to finally leave the teachers lounge.

The instant he looked away from the clock leaving it behind, the hand started to move again, his imagination? Who knew? A voice he never knew slipped out of him agreeing to make a run for it to the cafeteria with the fearless cheerleader and the softball prodigy. Anything was better than suffocating in a tiny room. His heart throbbed from the adrenaline coursing through his veins causing every surface he touched to reverb the heartbeats in his fingers. Kaylee was the first to speak, suggesting to stop by classrooms along the way. “I don’t think we should grab too many backpacks; it’ll just make it easier for the zombies to latch onto if we get caught” Xan said sheepishly, trying his best not to alarm any of the statuesque beings surrounding t hem. “Although the other classrooms may have better weapons like the chem lab.”

Despite food being mostly everyone’s priority, Xan’s was not. It’s not that he didn’t want to eat but rather he was okay not eating. The human body could survive without food from anywhere between a week to several. Water and finding a way out were his main priority and so while the others foraged for food, he foraged his mind for other ideas to increase their chances of making it out. “Maybe we should just stock up on water and grab whatever manageable cans we can carry” licking his chapped lips in a shaken breath he suggested something else. “Do you think if we managed to kill one of these, we could smell like them and get by easier? You know like find one by itself in a classroom and just close the door behind us.” Xan knew the risks behind trying such an outlandish idea, but if it worked the pay off would be just as great as the risk. Although inspiring students whom probably haven’t even killed a spider would be hard to rally behind killing a zombified human.

[Mao Mao]

---

𝗝𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗞𝗻𝗮𝗽𝗽

---

^{Hallway // Stockbridge Academy}

Jaden cursed themselves when Fitz reminded them of the locked doors and unbreakable windows throughout the school. Yet, there had to be a way out. Because staying at school wasn't an option for them at all. Even if it was for a few nights. They listened to the cheerleader insinuating that the cafeteria was ideal. And then, most of the classmates in the lounge began to leave for the location. Jaden watched and reflected on their next decision: go on their own or catch up with the others. It was oblivious that staying any longer here would result in their death or worse. So, they headed for the door and left the lounge.

There was an immediate breeze of cold for the silent hallways that felt uncomfortable. Earlier, it was the scene of pure chaos and disorder. But now, there was a strange sense of tranquility that quickly got to Jaden. Then, there was the group heading for the cafeteria in the hope of surviving the day. Jaden knew that the food that he had in his bag wasn't going to be enough. However, it meant staying in this nightmare. Looking ahead at one of the main doors, they huffed at the fact that Fitz was most likely right. The only exits were locked for now. So, they quickly made their way towards the others, who were arguing over what to do.

Jaden was close enough to hear Xan suggesting to gather as much water as possible. They didn't know much about the new kid, but he seemed alright. That was until it was ruined the moment when he proposed killing their classmates. Surviving was one thing, but killing somebody was different. Even if they were zombies. That was when Jaden decided to make their presence known to everyone.

"Look, I am not going to murder someone to answer your hypothesis." Jaden responded to Xan's suggestion with disgust but then sighed and looked at the water fountain nearby. "However, getting water isn't a bad idea. Especially if we are planning on staying here."

They dug around their bag, pulled out the steel water bottle, and headed for the fountain. While Jaden was filling up the container with cold water, there was an awkward silence waiting for them to say something. Since they were opposed going to the cafeteria moments ago, it felt fair for Jaden to state their case even if it was unnecessary. "Before anyone says anything, I still plan on getting to my car and leaving when the opportunity. I... I have seen enough to know that being by myself right now is stupid."

---

[Fabricant451]

_Hallway

---

---

Despite Elliot being one of the ones leading the charge for the 'give the people table legs' cause, Elliot herself opted not to carry one out of the lounge. Her whole point had been to let those who wanted them take them; for some people having a simple thing to put some space between themselves and whatever meant them harm was helpful. She understood why some argued against it, but they had more important things to worry about now than whether or not bringing a small bit of help to the seemingly hopeless was a waste of time or not. Eventually, the ones that opted to make for the cafeteria left the teacher's lounge and Elliot counted herself among them. It was bigger, more open, which of course had its own issues to take account of, but staying put and hiding while hoping everything went away wasn't her idea of a good time.

She hoped those who stayed behind stayed safe, at least.

On any normal school day, the drumsticks stuffed haphazardly into her pockets would've been in her hands and banging away on the lockers they were passing, much to the annoyance or delight of the various students unfortunate enough to be in the path of her cacophonous solo - but given the current situation the only thing such an act would do would make a bad situation worse. Who knows who was listening for something loud. Loud probably meant food. Instead she was listening to the tense footsteps of the group. The cautious but swift feet stamping down the floor was a tense reminder of how messed up everything was. Suddenly instead of eavesdropping on gossip about what happened at a party or who did what crazy thing, now the only thing to listen for were sounds that were not exactly...human.

Elliot wasn't paying much mind to the conversation but proximity and volume - she had been bringing up the rear and was constantly checking over her shoulder - meant she picked up most of it anyway. Talk of water, of big cans, of something about smelling and killing? If they were comfortable enough to talk, no matter how softly, then she supposed she was comfortable enough to contribute. "Not so sure the chem lab is your best bet." Elliot piped in, addressing the comment of the guy who had effectively agreed with her back in the lounge. "It's glass which really only works once and that's on a normal person. If you could make some chemicals that'd be different, yeah? Barring the gym, my money's on machine shop for the best weapons. Never underestimate the stopping power of a good wrench."

The other train of thought was about service cans; nothing said quality education like technically-food served from can to pan to lunch tray. Elliot had gotten in the habit of bringing her own lunch to school but she was also in the habit of eating her lunch by about second or third period so most days she wound up eating chips from the vending machines anyway. Still, it was arguably better than the alternative, but when the alternative was the only option suddenly its value skyrocketed. "You wanna run with a cart? More power to you, but a cafeteria probably has like...you know those trays they use at buffets to put food in? Or like...smaller containers? Couldn't you just open some cans, put them in smaller containers, and carry them that way? Seems easier than lugging cans around like we're a food drive."

Elliot shrugged, her piece had been said and she returned to the matter at hand. Still, her steps slowed as they approached an adjoining hallway with more lockers along the walls. Halfway down the hall was her locker and something quite important was waiting for her inside. But, the cafeteria wasn't down that way, and she couldn't ask them to stop on her account, but then again...hadn't they talked about classrooms or backpacks or something? "Hey, guys, I'm gonna hit up my locker, got something vital inside. It's that way." Elliot pointed to the connecting hallway to the right. "I'm not asking you guys to come with me, it's not technically on the route but..." She trailed off; while she wasn't asking them to come with her for the sake of protection and/or lookout, she wasn't not asking them, or at least one or two.

"Either way, I'm gonna go for it, if you guys wanna keep heading to the cafeteria, I'll catch up. Or I die. Banking on the former, though. Optimism, yeah?"

[mickilennial]

---

The blonde cheerleader wasn’t too happy about second guessing things or diversions, but at the very least it was better than the situation had been. A few hours ago they had all been at a never-ending assembly, so this was a step up from that.

When Xan suggested trapping a zombie and smearing its guts on their clothes she very nearly smacked him upside the head. As far as she was concerned he had very much played way too many video games. Trapping themselves with a hyped up… ‘thing’ in a classroom didn’t really make sense to her. They didn’t know anything about the infection, and as far as she could tell, there was no knowing if this was like The Walking Dead. And that wasn’t even thinking about the idea of them being able to kill a classmate or teacher they knew to do so.

“You watch too much TV.” She groaned before Jaden, whom she was surprised had decided to join them, asserted the same thing before reminding her that he wanted to get to his car.

Despite thinking Jaden was a complete moron, she didn’t disagree with the end goal. She never did. But before they tried to find out how to release the lockdown they needed to make sure they had enough food before other survivors got to it or enough of the zombie-like-things crowded the cafeteria. While they were in the Teacher’s Lounge they had heard a lot of screams. A lot of not-screams. And everything in-between. It made her nervous, even if she was trying her best not to show that fact. Even as she took lead she was shaking. When Elliot mentioned going out of their way to her locker, with or without the group Fitz stopped in place, looking down the sideway corridor. Her response took a few seconds to exit her lips, but it came out way more terse than she intended.

She had no intentions of splitting up the group, even if they were a pretty big target.

“How far is it?”

[Darcs]

---

^{Location: Stockbridge Academy, Teacher’s Lounge}

^{Date: 3/6/19}

^{With: Everyone}

---

It really did feel like everyone was trying a bit too hard to keep their cool.

Maybe that was for the best? Colmillo really didn't know. She was sure, though, at this point that someone would tell her it was. That it was like, 'better and more practical' or whatever to use their feelings for whatever task at hand the people who wanted to rush out and bash people-- or rather zombie skulls-- wanted. Maybe all of that was for the best? Maybe she should try her best to swallow the fear that she had thought had always consumed her, until she had been dipped into a pure vat of it earlier today-- she felt she hadn't been allowed to come up for air. Like, these discussions were sinking her further into the depths of what she thought she already knew as fear and it made her want to scream. Like, actually scream. But she knew she couldn't. Every few minutes, despite her blank stare, her lips trembled-- her mind was racing, much faster than she could deal with and she didn't think there was anything to do. She didn't want to feel like she was keeping her cool through this-- she wanted to completely explode and be a cloud of mist-- but a hand was wrapped around her throat, threatening to snap it if she showed how she really felt.

The powerlessness was familiar, at least.

Aside from that. She really couldn't say she was familiar with anything anyone was saying, in regards to the plan for the group. Just as she learned she hadn't really known fear. She knew now, too, she hadn't really known ignorance. She thought she was stupid before, this morning even, for something as simple as not eating as much as she should... but as she thought, she continued to discover how deeply out of her depth she truly was. Half listening to the continued conversations of the group, she mentally scolded herself for how ill she'd been in her thinking to some of her new companions. She couldn't understand all of them, or their thinking, of course. That much was clear. But, she realized they couldn't stay here forever, and despite not understanding it, they were working past whatever they feeling (regardless of how unhealthy it may be) and trying to do something about... all of this. Colmillo wasn't there yet, but she could at least respect it. She needed more time.

Perhaps enough time, that she didn't feel like there was a cancerous side of her that wanted to go around grabbing everyone, and delivering ear shattering screams that they needed to wait, so that they could actually be more chill, instead of just putting on the front so no one else panics and rushing out. She wasn't sure. Maybe that wasn't productive. Maybe acting as quickly as possible was best for her peers. Not her though-- and at least not a few others. She supposed she was calm enough now that she could at least acknowledge that.

Talking to the the shorter girl had loosened Colmillo up a bit. She was definitely feeling less of her typical neurosis after actually vocalizing how she was feeling about all of this. She had said a lot to the girl... probably an obnoxious amount... over the course of a short whisper. Turning a bit, her eyes flitted over to her-- the girl hadn't really responded to her-- her admittedly very silly-- way of communicating. But that may have been a good thing, actually, considering she had requested that no one know she could even speak. Or maybe she was doing her best to ignore the tall crazy stoner rambling about shared psychosis or whatever. Colmillo's eye went back to the countertop, she had turned away from everyone again. They were planning their route and such. Colmillo wasn't going to protest... she couldn't. But she didn't want any part of it.

That being said, she hoped the group the left for the cafeteria would be okay. Whether they were killing people that could be saved or not. They were... all she had, for the time being, at least. She wanted them to come back safe. She wanted to be well enough to help.

---

^{Location: Stockbridge Academy, Teacher’s Lounge}

^{Date: 3/6/19}

^{With: Bill, Tony, Dontae}

---

Whole lot of good *wishing* they would be fine does them, Colmillo.

She wasn't sure how long the group that had left to... go somewhere else? Had been gone. Seconds? Months? Less than an hour? It was definitely one of those, and every option made Colmillo nervous. They had a loose agreement that if things were clear, they'd come back for those who stayed behind. If things weren't? They'd probably die, honestly. But, those who could would probably run back here anyway. That was where Tony came in-- the guy who had some liquor-- he'd be quick enough on the draw to get the door open for whoever came running back, and kick away anything that was biting at their heels. Truthfully? He made Colmillo nervous. But everyone made Colmillo nervous. She wasn't a big drinker, but at least she'd have access to SOMETHING if things took a turn for the worse. That was...

Goddddddddddd...

Colmillo really wished she had a blunt right about now.

Of course such a line of thinking led down another avenue of mental misery for her. Of course it did. She could almost imagine herself being the object of an incomprehensible otherworldly being existing beyond some grey veil, who gained some sick nourishment from her teenage sadness exacerbated by a circumstance as extraordinary as this-- dictating that no line of thought lead her to bliss, purely by the drunken gnashing of its flesh tendrils against the runes of the 5th dimension. She sighed, shaking aside the tangent. She was worried about her step-siblings. It wasn't a priority, and it made her feel like shit for even thinking about it-- but it was more than just them being her friends, or the closest things she had to those here-- she could deal with this so much better if she was high. Hell, she could at least endure the Waiting Room from hell this room had become.

Her mind thankfully drifted. She was sitting on the counter, near the coffee pot (at the rate she was going she'd need to brew a new pot soon), enjoying... her second cup of the stuff? Since the cafeteria group had left. 'Enjoying' it was a bit of an overstatement, she supposed. The simple espresso the lounge's auto-drip coffee maker produced was heavily watered down-- designed to make as much coffee as possible for as many people as possible with as few, non-fresh grounds. While that wasn't a bad if you were attempting to serve hundreds with a single pot (and the grounds were kept in the brew, not passed through)-- this lounge, to Colmillo's knowledge, only served dozens. And the machine was old. Despite the expensive renovations, it seemed the school couldn't shell out for decent coffee for the teachers and staff.

Colmillo looked down at the coffee that filled her thermos. She had to admit to herself, though. This brown slop was better than the several days old elixir she'd had in it beforehand. She took a sip and let out a soft sigh. Paradoxically, it made her feel more relaxed. Enough so that she felt confident peering around the (much quieter and more empty) room. Aside from Tony, who currently had his back turned to her, glancing nervously into the hallway. There was Dontae, seemingly conflicted at being treated like the baby of the group, having food given to him and being sidelined from the cafeteria expedition, as well as still feeling... everything. And then there was Bill... Colmillo couldn't really get a good read on her. The two hadn't explicitly interacted, she'd scoffed (appropriately so) when Colmillo dropped all of her belongings (now, save for some trash, snugly in her bag by her side) and whatever else she could find in the room on the table before everyone. Like a complete maniac.

And then Colmillo whispered to her that she thought everyone else was crazy.

So, they weren't off to a great start. But Colmillo was hoping to change that. The girl wasn't good at much-- but her family had always told her that she was a great listener. She wasn't really sure that was a skill-- but-- right now, with everyone doing what they could, Colmillo figured she'd at least... try? There were fewer people now... this was probably the closest she'd get to being one on one with someone in a while, so she may as well. Talking to anyone period may have been bad, but crowds were worse. And she wanted to talk to all three of the people she was with. Bill to clear things up, Tony to see if she could Irish up her coffee, and Dontae to offer support-- though, she supposed she wanted to offer some form of support to all three of them. If serving as a sounding board for how messed up all this was could help anyone here would help... well... good! Right? Yes? Maybe?

yES!

So that was good! She had a plan. Something she could do that wouldn't catastrophically ruin everything for everyone.

But she wanted to finish her coffee before she got into all of that. Swinging her legs to her left, she scooted forward and laid on her back against the counter. Digging in her bag, she pulled out her phone and earbuds with at least one functional ear. It still had power, at least. A combination of bumming chargers from her astray step-siblings and simply not using it for anything besides music had left it at a fairly high charge. She had a few playlists saved offline. Opening one, merely titled 'gay' she pressed shuffle and listened to the song that played. Once again, trying her best to process all that was happening without screaming.

_{Let me ignore the world. Just a minute more...}

---

[Fabricant451]

_Hallway

---

---

As far as Elliot was aware there wasn't any de facto 'leader' of the group; they hadn't even been in the situation for a full day it was a bit early to start acting like it was Lord of the Flies. By all accounts, Elliot could've gone to her locker without telling them and doubled back to rejoin the group en route to the cafeteria but all that would accomplish was making her appear selfish while also risking her own well being. Right now, there needed to be trust and a good first step to building that trust was keeping the group as it was informed of her plan, no matter how much they might not have wanted to go for it. It was bad enough some people thought they were better off holing up in the teacher's lounge but that was their choice.

"A little over halfway down the hall." Elliot answered with a simple estimation. How many students really kept track of the exact location of their lockers? It was always just 'close to the math room' or 'near my English class' or whatever. What was important was the number and the combination, not really the location. In Elliot's case her locker was near enough to the room where she took math and it was where she always stopped at before lunch. It had never seemed for far away before now.

"It's out of the way of our cafeteria goal, but I might not get another chance, you know? It's why I'm not asking anyone to go with me. One person can run faster than a group if something goes wrong, right?" Elliot was doing her best to keep her optimism up. Did anyone really know what they were dealing with, truly? No one knew if anywhere was fully safe, but standing around talking about a locker was taking up valuable time. They were in the open, exposed, and in some cases afraid, it wasn't a good situation. The last thing Elliot wanted was to make it worse. "Just figured I'd let you guys know. Just in case."

[alexfangtalon]

---

Alex

Location: Hallway, Stockbridge Academy

Interaction: Hallway Crew

Date: March 6th, 2019

---

Eerie. Eerie was the only thing that Alex could think of to describe these quiet, empty hallways as the group inched its way closer and closer to the cafeteria. There had been so much chaos when the 'zombies' started rising. So many people rushing around everywhere. But now the halls seemed dead silent except for the shoes on tile, the whispered words, that annoyingly and terrifyingly loud water fountain. Alex while keeping an eye out and listening to the others was more invested in trying to text his family after the discovery of better signal had been made. He held the phone in his hands hoping that it would vibrate, every so often sending another group text out. He had gained a little hope that he'd be able to reach them but his hope was yet again waning.

Everyone's discussions around him were just causing him to feel more anxious. Kill or don't kill. Search the classrooms or focus on the cafeteria. Hope that a tv show was scientifically sound or just avoid the 'dead' altogether. Split up or stick together. Everything right now sucked. He had tried to debate with everyone what to do before but that only worked to get some of them to come along. All in all, he didn't feel as if getting into a discussion out in the middle of this school with who knows how many walking dead cannibals was a good idea. Until they could get somewhere 'safer' he was just going to do what he thought was best and hope that everything would work out.

He turned to Elliot, "I'm not a fan of splitting up so unless you say otherwise at least I'll come with you. If you say your fine I'm going straight to the shop class for some protection. This many people can't stay safe with just a few table legs." He looked at the rest of the group. There were very few table legs and so many of them. If anything happened someone would likely be screwed. Whether they could bring themselves to attack their former classmates and teachers didn't matter to him. They at least needed more to be able to protect themselves. Before he looked back to Elliot he checked his phone again before begrudgingly putting the source of his hope and anxiety into his pocket.

[Carlyle]

ᴋ ᴀ ʏ ʟ ᴇ ᴇ ᴊ ᴇ ɴ ɴ ɪ ɴ ɢ ꜱ

---

_{Location: School Hallways, Stockbridge Academy}

Date: March 6th, 2019

---

"I doubt we'll get a cart upstairs unless we find a staff ID left behind by one of our teachers that lets us use the elevator. I'd ask Ms. Quinby if we could use hers, like when I would help her carry our equipment to the bus on a game day, but I haven't seen her since before everyone started eating each other."

Ms. Quinby. Kaylee had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts and survival that it hadn't occurred to her that their softball coach could very well be dead or even one of them, prowling the halls for her next meal of human flesh. She didn't know if Fitz particularly cared if whether or not their coach was alive, but to Kaylee, it meant everything. There hadn't been a teacher that the starry-eyed softball star looked up to more in the school, even more so given that Quinby was a former Olympic athlete.

No; you're just being silly. If there's anyone that can survive this, it's her. Kaylee thought, affirming her confidence that Ms. Quinby had to be alive somewhere in the school.

Leaving her worried thoughts behind, Kaylee looked to the others, catching only the tail end of the conversation that carried on without her. "Well, couldn't we just use the sink in the teacher's lounge? Plus, we could always refrigerate some water in the staff fridge if people would rather have it cold." Kaylee replied, before adding on an afterthought. "Could probably use a few more water bottles or cups, though. The BFO near the cafeteria might have some unsold refillable bottles lying around, but one of us would probably have to go over the counter if Mr. Holloway locked the door before all of this."

"Though, before we reach the cafeteria, I agree that we should probably go to the shop class first—for protection. For all we know, the cafeteria is just as filled with them as the gym was, and I really don't want to see anyone else become a human happy meal in case that happens to be the case. Besides, it wouldn't hurt for all of us to have something to put between us and them beforehand, you know?" Kaylee continued, echoing what Elliot had said earlier in the teacher's lounge.

---

[@Everyone]

[mickilennial]

---

“The shop class is in the opposite direction.” Fitz shook her head at Alex, not liking the idea of splitting up between chem lab, cafeteria, and machine shop. “We should stay together, even if we have to go to her locker first.”

Fitz looked back toward Elliot, letting her take lead.

She said it was a little over halfway down the hall, which meant they wouldn’t have to make that much of a diversion. She figured they could check the classrooms adjacent to Elliot’s locker, although she wasn’t quite sure how much noise she wanted to make. She had decided on the cafeteria so they had food for the next few days. Admittedly, Kaylee made a good point that the cafeteria would’ve been where a lot of kids ran to; unlike Fitz’s group who ducked to the right up a flight of stairs, not everyone was as lucky to get away from the scene.

It had only been hours ago, but how many more... zombies? No. Infected. How many more infected could there be since they hid in the upstairs teacher's lounge? The virus came like the flu, she knew that much from hearing it from the news, but the zombie-like symptoms were new. A highly contagious virus that apparently turned you into something that shouldn't exist. How awful. Fitz didn't really want to think about it. Things would end out fine once they cleaned up their plans and ran into other survivors. It was a weird word to use, but Fitz couldn't think of anything else.

The worst part of it was when they did break free from the school what were they going to do? If the school went into lockdown over this then it had to be five-hundred times worse on the outside.

“We can figure it out once Elliot gets her shit. Kaylee... does have a point, but, one step at a time, alright?”