BRAINS: with a side-order of Flesh., Siagrrl [best e reader for epub TXT] 📗

lined them or it was natural, but either way they were better than mine. Her physic was a little less impressive but effective all the same. Tall, 6’9 would be my guess, lean, and quite muscular with a noticeable olive tan. She wore a zipped up school jacket – navy blue, two parallel dark red strips on either side and the school logo printed at the top left hand corner – with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, and adjustable navy blue cargo pants (navy blue, white and crimson being the school colours). She was all the tomboy's in the universe rolled into one. 

“Hey,” Was all she said, smiling at me. “Nice. Good to know I'm famous.” Her strong and deep voice penetrating the uncomfortable silence. “You alright to walk?” She sounded genuinely sincere.

“Hm? Oh, yeah.” I shrugged, taking a step forward. "I had a bit of a rest, while these guys toddled off without me."

“We should probably head back to the infirmary,” Ms Faeshar said, which sounded more like an order. The others all nodded in agreement. “And discuss our situation.”

Delevan entered my line of sight once more and faster than I could object, picked me up bridal style and set off down the hall back to the infirmary, with the others following close behind.

“Hey!” I protested. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I'm not stupid. We weren't gone that long, and you fell behind pretty fast, so your still in pain and all.” Delevan smirked. "What? You wanna walk?"

I stared solemnly from my bleeding leg and back to the still unmoving corpse on the floor. “No.” I admitted. “Not really. But if you weren't stupid," I said loudly. "then I wouldn't have been in this situation in the first place."

Chapter 6 - Backtracking. [Updated]

“What to do…what to do…” Back in the infirmary - again, I took the empty bed to sit on. “So, um, just before this whole zombie-apocalypse-people are-dying-everywhere thing hits me, what the hell are we supposed to do?” Mercy, who took the bed opposite me, replied, “Dunno. It hasn’t really hit me yet, either.”

Loved how she said yet.

Hope was perched on the nurse’s desk reading some mystery novel – the whereabouts of where she got it from still unknown – completely oblivious to the world around her, and Faith eyeing her like a vulture and its prey.

She was wary, I'll give her that much.

Ms Faeshar and Mr Tranchen were out in the hallway arguing about something, and Delevan was sprawled out in the middle of the floor with his arms covering his face.

“Mercy,” I queried. Figuring the other two would be less open to idle chit-chat.

She looked up at me with an expectant gaze.

“What happened?”

She gave me a nod as if she expected this question - which she probably did. I would've.

“We’re–” she said, jerking her thumb in the direction of Faith and Hope, “part of the Astronomy club. It’s not unusual for us to stay at the school overnight – or even over the weekend for that matter, to conduct star sightings and projects.”

“Ah.” I said, not sure how to respond. Not that I had time to. Ms Faeshar burst into the room with the most terrifying expression on her face. Some people you do not want to aggravate.

“And just how do you propose we do that!?” She yelled furiously, striding to the end of the room. “The first time got us nowhere, and it's getting worse out there!” She stopped and spun around to face a just as angry faced Mr Tranchen.

“Do you see any other choice?” I flinched at the way he said that – as if she was just a child, unable to comprehend our situation.

“We don't have time to be arguing like this, Darcy. It's not happening, end of discussion!” she spat.

They both suddenly went quiet as they noticed five pairs of eyes all staring in their direction.

Delevan broke the silence with laughter. “Darcy Tranchen? What a stupid name.” Mr Tranchen’s face turned the colour of a beetroot and reminded me of a kettle on the stove – just about to blow. Surprisingly though, he said nothing, but if looks could kill, Delevan would be killed thousands of times over.

Saying nothing, he turned on his heel, storming out of the room.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, suddenly – even if in Delevan’s case, it was nothing to begin with – and approached Ms Faeshar.

"Don’t worry about him, Miss!” Hope egged. “He’ll be back; We're all just stressed right now.”

I wasn't so sure about that. I mean,sure I went a bit crazy back in the cafeteria, but since calming down I've felt . . . rather normal. That's not to say that I wasn't bothered by all this. But I'd only seen two so-called 'zombies,' and only one of which attacked me. There hadn't been any speak of the outside world, other than the speak of their first attempted escape.

I felt like some lucid dream that, at any moment would just end.

“She’s right,” Faith agreed. “But regardless, we need to do something; we’re just wasting time sitting here.”

Ms Faeshar stayed quiet for a minute, contemplating something.

Suddenly there was a loud crash.

“Everyone’s eyes darted to the door.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Sounded like–” Mercy started.

 “A crash?” Delevan said.

“Duh, Captain Obvious! I meant from downstairs!”

My mind automatically flicked back to the broken window, that Delevan and I had tried to patch back up. “We…” Ms Faeshar started. “We have to get out of here.” Try as I might, I couldn’t detect even a hint of emotion in her voice.

“What? Why?” Hope asked. “Can’t we just hole up here until rescue arrives?”

“No, it’s not safe here anymore.”

She knew something we didn’t. She almost looked depressed. Though I probably would be too if I was in her position.

Faith tapped her foot in thought for a moment.

“Ms Faeshar. Is it possible that this…whatever this is hasn’t spread too far yet?”

“What do you mean?” Ms Faeshar said, eyeing the door now.

“I mean, the military base located on the outskirts of the city.”

“Oh.” Delevan’s face lit up. “You mean the one off the coast? On that little island?”

“That’s right!” Mercy joined in. “The military would be heavily armed as well as safe since their not connected to the mainland!”

Assuming of course that that wasn't where whatever-this-is started, and that they're (if there is anyone there) willing to help us. Ms Faeshar turned around to face us. “How would we get there?”

“Your car?” Hope suggested quietly.

All was quiet for a minute. They new Ms Faeshar had a big car, but they didn't know we'd tried to leave already. Well, one of us did, anyway. “Alright. That’s good. We have a plan. Let’s go.”

I was taken aback by Ms Faeshar's sudden eagerness to do it. How did she plan on opening the gate this time, let alone get past whatever is on the other side? “Well that didn’t take much convincing…” Delevan said, just as surprised as I felt.

Faith shook her head. “Don’t argue with it! C’mon!” With that she edged past him and headed for the door. “Let’s go!”

Hope and Mercy got a sudden evil look in there eyes; all three left the room in a rush leaving the Ms Faeshar, Dee and I to brood over the coming events. Before I could ask Ms Faeshar about her choice, the trio had already come back, and came up with improvised weapons.  

I noticed the shovel from my earlier . . . adventures, leaning next to the filing cabinet. It still had some ominous red mushy stuff attached to it.

“Here, you take this.” Following my gaze, Dee picked up the shovel and handed it me. I tried not to look at the blood splatter up and around the handle.

“Uh, Thanks.”

“I’ll be back.” With that Delevan left as the girls did before him.

Mercy had made a weapon out of a broom snapped in half. Hope had six wires joined together at a base and at the top - it reminded me of a puppets strings. “I can use this to strangle them,” when she received a blank look from me she continued, “or use it as a way to keep their face away from mine so they don’t bite me.” The thought of someone as young looking and fragile as her strangling someone to (un?)death was rather shocking.

Faith, turned up her chosen weapon. “I know I’ll probably make the best use out of this than anyone else here…” A camera tripod that was almost as tall as she was. I hope she didn't plan on swinging that thing.

“Ms Faeshar?” Delevan asked. “You wanna take this?”

I hadn’t heard him come back in. Delevan handed her a crowbar.

“Where did you get this?” She asked.

“From the woodwork room a couple of doors down.” He said simply, obviously proud of himself.

“What about you?” Hope asked. “Where’s your weapon?”

He pulled a small gun-looking thing.

“It’s a blowtorch!”

“What the hell are you going to use that little thing for?” Ms Faeshar asked.

Faith snickered.

That sounded so wrong coming from her.

Delevan pouted. “That’s what this is for.”

He pulled out a deodorant can, and judging by the way he held it, it was full.

“You’re not supposed to have those here.” Faith snapped.

“I think this once we can make an exception.” He smirked.

 “I don’t get it.” Hope mused.

Quicker than you could say ‘fast’ he taped the can to the torch and presented it to us.

“Taadaa! Custom flamethrower!”

“C’mon!” Ms Faeshar sighed. “Let’s get outta here. . .”

Chapter 7 - Alpha vs Omega

We all nodded in agreement and with our weapons, hurried out of the infirmary. Increasingly loud moans emanated from the hallway to our left.


“How did they get up the stairs so fast!?” Hope gasped.


“Don’t stop moving,” Ms Faeshar ordered. “They’ll catch up soon.”


“Right.” Delevan said, on all our behalves.


The others ran down the hallway leading straight from the infirmary, and I snuck a quick glance sideways. I couldn’t see any but I could hear them. Some shuffling, like an early-rising teenager without coffee, and others running; the sound of their feet echoing of the walls.


Snapping back to reality, finally getting over the pain in my leg, I followed suit.

We ran down the hallway, passed the stairs to the canteen, and towards a T-section in the hallway.


“Left or right?” Delevan demanded quickly.


Ms Faeshar didn’t stop and veered right. “The staff room is on the West side of the school.” She explained.