Influenza Z

10. Just Like Levi

Chapter Ten ● Just Like Levi

            Levi’s eyes sparkled along with his smile. He was actually smiling. Just a second ago he feared that he would never smile again.

            He looked at the saw that was on the ground and shuddered at the fact that he almost committed suicide. If he had accomplished it, Levi would never have done anything again.

            With newfound energy, Levi threw open the stall door and emerged from the cramped space. He made sure to grab his saw. The three boys looked back at him with a startled expression at his sudden movement. Levi just nodded and sarcastically saluted them with his free hand before exiting the bathroom.

            Almost immediately, a Septic charged at him. Without panicking, Levi sliced at it with his newly favorable weapon. It nearly horrified him to admit it, but it had become easy to kill the Septics. He no longer felt any remorse, as if the zombies were never real people with real personalities and real families.

            To Levi, he was the only person that mattered at the moment. In his eyes, he was the only person with a family waiting and counting on his safety.

            Levi stepped out of his own thoughts and back into the world that was facing him. He realized he had just made it to the staircase entrance. Only one more Septic stood in his way. Levi’s grip on his weapon tightened as he prepared to annihilate the last Septic.

            However, the saw practically fell out of his hand when he realized that we was standing before Mr. Kidd.

            At least, the creature had once been Mr. Kidd. Now, his usually youthful bright face was dull and gray. His formerly curious eyes were only filled with hunger. The Septic’s eyeballs feasted on Levi, and Levi had a feeling that this was only the beginning of the feasting that was about to occur.

            Levi urged his arm to move and slice Mr. Kidd, but he was frozen in place. It had always been so easy, just killing another Septic. Suddenly, though, the reappearance of his English teacher reminded him that these Septics were people. They once had lives, families, and desires. Just like Levi.

            A tear formed in Levi’s eye and it rolled down his cheek. He had survived so much, and his family was just outside the main entrance, but he knew this was where it would all end. Even though he never turned around, he could hear the Septics charging from behind him. He was surrounded.

            Shaking Levi’s thoughts and stopping Mr. Kidd from attacking, fire alarms from all over the hallways resonated at once. The Septics covered their ears and shrieked. Levi took this small moment of opportunity to slide past Mr. Kidd. He didn’t know how, but he had made it to the staircase.

            Levi tried to dodge the oncoming Septics instead of kill them. While he avoided infection, he listened to the unfamiliar voice on the loudspeaker.

            “Students of Lakeview High. The—ringing because—intentionally set on fire. …reduce the spread of Influenza Z—only a few minutes—collapse.” The Septics were regaining their vigilance, so Levi had to fight again. He couldn’t hear some of the words over the hum of his saw, but he still grasped the message:

            He only had a few minutes before the school burnt down with everyone in it.

            Levi inferred that someone, a police officer perhaps, used the PA system on the first floor to inform the students and staff of that message.

            At first, Levi did not smell smoke or feel heat, but as he made his way down the staircase and to the first floor, he was hit with a wave of smoke. The heat caused him to sweat, and his bloody clothes began to stick to his body.

            Coughing, Levi dropped to the ground and crawled underneath the smoke. This helped his lungs, but the school was only getting hotter. The smoke thickened, and Levi had to squint just to see a few inches in front of him. Fortunately, the smoke had seemed to distract the Septics. He physically could not see any, but it sounded like none were attacking.

            His theory was disproved when his hands brushed an upright leg without a foot. Levi screamed and scurried farther away from it. It scrambled wildly, but it did not find Levi. It appeared that the loss of vision was not only affecting the healthy, but the Septics as well.

            Using only his knowledge of the school, he crawled to the main entrance. Dozens of healthy students and teachers were shimmying out of the doors, which caused a backup. Levi could hear the Septics groaning behind him, and wished everyone would hurry. Smoke consumed Levi’s lungs, and he no longer tried to be discreet with his coughing.

            Abruptly, the person next to Levi screamed. Through the black fog, Levi could see teeth sinking into a leg. Levi began to push people out of his way.

            Extreme heat and sunlight met Levi’s emerald eyes. He scrambled upright, hacked, and tripped down the stairs. A stinging in the back of his thigh suggested that he hurt himself, but Levi was too focused on getting oxygen into his lungs to care.

            Just when Levi’s eyes began to adjust, he was attacked and felt arms tightly gripping him. Instinctively, Levi turned on his saw, but he realized that this feeling meant that he was being hugged. He rubbed his eyes with his dirty hands and opened them.

            His mom, dad, and sister were tightly embracing him.

            He returned the embrace and listened to the weeping of his mother. He felt the eyes of a police officer on him, but the police officer attended to some of the other people exiting.

            An African-American couple, two twin girls no older than thirteen, and a Caucasian woman ran up to the Hartell family. Levi recognized them as Grant’s parents, Grant’s little sisters, and Cassidy’s mother. He presumed that since Cassidy’s mother worked in a nearby school, she had arrived here faster than her husband.

            Levi’s eyes suddenly swelled at the realization that he would have to tell them about their children.

            Grant and Cassidy were neighbors, so their parents were friends. It made sense that they had found each other and had come to Levi. Reed lived with his dad, but his parents were generally uninvolved in his life. It did not surprise Levi that neither of them was here.

            Mr. and Mrs. Bellamy stared at him with hopeful eyes. Levi did not reveal any emotion because he hoped he would not have to say anything.

            “Is Grant okay? Where is he?” Mr. Bellamy finally asked.

            Levi sighed and his lip quivered, but no tears came. He was tired of crying. He opened his mouth to speak, but no vocalizations came out. “Grant… Grant is…” Levi swallowed. “Grant’s dead. I’m really sorry.”

            Levi looked down so that he would not have to see their reactions, but he heard Mrs. Bellamy’s wailing and it made his stomach turn.

            “Levi?” began Cassidy’s mother. Levi looked to face her. He almost told her that Cassidy was dead too, but he realized that he did not know that for sure. He did not even know if she was infected. His face immediately perked up.

            “Mrs. Fairchild, listen to me. Cassidy’s okay. I will make sure she’s okay,” Levi told her.

            She squinted at him in confusion. Levi escaped from his family’s embrace and made his way back to the burning building.

            “Levi, what’re you doing?!” Liliana demanded.

            Levi just looked at her. “I’ll be back, just hold on.”

            With that, Levi reentered the flaming warzone.