High School of the Dead Feet

Despite the urgency of the situation, you needed to be prepared for your eventual escape. You leaned against the window that looked down upon the back of the school, including the track field and sports grounds. A rustic fire escape lined the second floor of the building. It looked in good condition, if not a tad outdated. This would be your escape route. The second barrier to your success, though, was the fallen students that seemed to attack anything on sight. You needed weapons to defend yourself.

Glancing around the restroom, you noticed an industrial push broom leaning up against one of the stalls. It looked sturdy enough for use as a temporary weapon. With creating a spear in mind, you gripped the stick and gave the head a well-placed stomp, snapping it from the base. A sharp, metal screw revealed itself at the tip of this new weapon. You knew that Rei was an experienced member of the lancing club, a group devoted to learning and mastering the way of the spear. This mere stick could become a deadly weapon in her hands.

“Looks like we found you a weapon.” You walked up to the window, rearing the blunt end of the stick into the glass. The brittle substance shattered, dropping fragments of the glass on both sides of the window. “Was there a reason for that?” Rei seemed flustered by the sudden decision.

You tilted your head in mock confusion. “Obviously, we're going out the window.”

You passed the makeshift spear to Rei, leading the way as you crawled out the window. Stepping onto the fire escape, you could feel the resounding hum of the metal grating beneath your feet. This was unsettling, coming from the solid flooring inside the school. Rei followed shortly afterwards, ducking through the window with her makeshift spear in-hand. You knew Rei was capable of defending herself with that weapon, and that put your mind at ease. But you were still unarmed.

“Rei, I’m going down there to find a weapon.” You scanned the nearby ground, eyeing a stack of sports equipment left out to roast in the sun. There had to be something you could use in that pile. Your gaze shifted to a single fallen students, aimlessly shuffling around the area below. “Can I trust you to keep that fucker away from me for a little while?” You pointed to the zombie in question.

“Y-Yeah…” Rei seemed unsure, but eventually relented. “I think I can handle that.”

Rei climbed down the fire escape first, drawing the undead student into a very one-sided battle. Strike after strike, she delivered heavy blows to her opponent, effectively keeping the zombified student distracted. Just as you expected, Rei was a strong fighter. She was more than capable of holding her own in a fight against these mindless creatures. You slid down the fire escape and zipped past Rei amidst her fight, immediately beginning your search in the pile of sports equipment. Batting gloves, uniforms and random sports equipment made up the majority of the clutter.

And then, finally, you found the weapon you so desired – an aluminum baseball bat.

This happiness was cut short, as you heard Rei shriek behind you. Something primal within you triggered, as you gripped your new weapon and sprinted back to her. The scenery blurred, as you had no less than a second to understand the situation. Rei was hunched up on the ground, using her spear to keep the target undead at bay. This one was your target. You leapt forward, raising your baseball bat into the air. With one powerful movement, you brought your weapon crashing down against the skull of this enemy. Blood flew everywhere, as the zombie collapsed to the ground, absolutely slathered with its own brain contents.

You could hear your own pulse, as your heartbeat raced. Adrenaline was rushing through your system upon the thought of your beloved partner being injured – or even worse – dying. You refused to let fate take hold of your beloved woman.

Taking a deep breath, you turned to Rei who cowered on the ground. “Are you alright?” Although she heard your question, Rei seemed distracted by something else. “I pierced this one right through the heart, and nothing happened… what the hell.” Rei rose to her feet and retrieved the makeshift spear from the chest of her brutalized opponent.

“Smashing its head seemed to work just fine.” While only joking at first, you realized this to be the truth. But you had little time to dwell on this, as the racket caused by your frantic battle had drawn the attention of more undead. They shuffled across the track field as you spoke. “We need to keep moving. The side gate should be clear… it looks like everyone else got caught inside the school.” This was difficult to stomach, knowing many of the students who perished were once close friends. Whatever the case, you refused to let their death mean your own.

You navigated the school yard with Rei, deterring the occasional zombie until you reached the side gate. It was wide-open. Some teacher must have had the foresight to unlock this gate during the chaos, but such a person was here no longer. They had either run away or joined the ranks of the dead. Regardless, you fled the school and worked your way to the outskirts of town. This was where the population waned, and it would be safer to rest and formulate your plans for survival.

There was plenty more danger in the future… but for now, you had succeeded. You were safe, and so was Rei. That was all that mattered right now.