Influenza Z

3. Prank

Chapter Three ● Prank

            Once the two Septics entered the janitors’ closet, they shambled around the cluttered space. As they walked, they furiously sniffed, invigorated by the scent of humans. However, even though the smell was so pungent, no one came. Not many people ever ventured through the hallway outside the closet because this was deemed the janitors’ area.

            After minutes of incessantly banging into cleaning supplies and the door, the Septics sat on the ground and slouched. Despite this, the sound of footsteps outside the door caused the Septics to rise.

            “Hello?” a masculine voice asked, accompanying the footsteps. “Marsha, is that you? Did you lock yourself in the closet again?”

            As he spoke, the man stuck his keys in the doorknob and opened the door, unprepared for what would await him on the other side. Once the door was fully ajar, he stared at the two lovers before him, who were looking at each other.

            “Ugh. Not you gross kids again. Always trying to find private time to make smoochy-smooch in the—“

            The custodian shut up as soon as the ‘gross kids’ faced him with their rotting, peeling faces and dripping, yellow teeth. All that the custodian could do was scream as they shredded him with their mouths.

            A female janitor emerged from the end of the hallway when she heard the cries of her helpless coworker. The girlish Septic shot up her head at the sound of another victim. The rather overweight janitor barely made two steps before she was on the ground, having her skin rearranged by the Septic’s teeth.

            This initiated a chain reaction. Janitors from all over the hallway came to save their friends and became Septics in the process.

            Once there was no one left to infect, the Septics made their way to the end of the hallway, where they were greeted by a door. Angrily, they trashed their bodies against it, making minimal progress. When their shoulders would touch the metal bar that allowed the door to open, the Septics would quickly recoil, letting the door close in the process.

                                                                ●●●

            Levi, Grant, Reed, and Cassidy closed the door behind them as they reentered Mr. Kidd’s classroom. The number of students inside had diminished by about fifty percent, since many were still roaming the hallways.

            Once the four sat in their seats, Levi spoke. “I texted my mom asking if everything was okay. She said she saw on the news that Zombie Disease had reached our county but it was quickly taken care of before it could spread,” he notified his friends.

            “Taken care of? You mean, like, the people were—” began Grant.

            “Yes, Sherlock, they were killed,” answered Reed. “Where’d they find the disease?”

            “Some arcade in a town my mom’s never heard of,” Levi responded.

            “Oh. Serves those people right, then. Anyone who leaves their house to play video games deserves to be infected,” joked Reed.

            Even though laughter erupted from the four, it left behind a palpable aura of fear. Before anyone could address this feeling, the PA system clicked on again.