Then There Were Three

CH 1

I (finally) make it to the school-yard.

It's a-buzz with kids, all scrambling to get to class. There are eighth graders, and sixth graders. Then there's my grade, just stuck in the middle. It's more like the jungle here. We don't care about anyone but our friends, and if someone picks on us, our friends try to back us up. But, when there's something everyone wants, no one is afraid to get their hands dirty.

Except me.

I hate being in fights, especially over stupid things. Like, when school let out last year, the principal called the ambulance because some kid was trampled over by all of the kids trying to get out of school and he ended up having a broken arm.

I make it to homeroom, passing up my friends huddled in the back. I wave at them, and then sit in my assigned seat, waiting for class to start.

During lunch, I sit with my friends, Jen and Olivia, who mostly just want to talk about boys.

I slump in my chair, picking at the cheese on my pizza.

"So, I'll see you guys in social studies." I pick up my tray, breaking their rant on the new boy, Broderick.

"Ok, we'll see you then!" Olivia smiles, and twirls her golden hair around her finger.

I toss the food off of my tray, and hand the tray to the lunch lady, who's old and looks like a raisin. She's just hurrying to go home, I bet.

I head to Science, which is one of the only subjects besides English I actually pay attention in.

Sure, I get good grades, but I'm awful at focusing on things.

"OK class, today is the day you've all been waiting for!" My Science teacher, Mr. Greene announces. He's a scrawny man with glasses and a bit of salt and pepper colored stubble.

Everyone groans. "That's right! Frog dissecting!!" He passes out trays, and sets us up with our lab partners.

Mine is Broderick today, I can't wait to tell Olivia and Jen.

"So, I'll go get the frog?" He suggests. I nod. I'm not getting that thing. I love science, but I don't want to dissect this living frog.

"Can't they be dead first?" I plead. "They will be," Mr. Greene chuckles, "After you dissect them." I squirm in my seat, as Broderick brings back the frog, which is trying to leap out of the container he brought him in.

"You kill him." I hand him the tool, and look away, as Mr. Greene instructs the class on how to kill their frog.

I look over, and see it's dead.

I still don't want to dissect this... poor living creature.

I pick up the tool to open it's stomach with. I begin to feel queasy. I squeeze my eyes shut, and try to open the poor frog's stomach.

"I can't." I sigh.

"You can do it." Broderick motivates me.

"I know I can, I just don't want to." I say. Broderick laughs, "Come on!" He says.

I pick up the tool, when I hear a scream.

"What was that?" A kid in the back asks. Then the lights shut off, flickering as they try to regain their power. I drop the tool, and stand stick straight. "What's going on?" I step back, away from the desk. "Shh. Everyone, into the closet." Mr. Greene orders us all into the tiny broom closet.

We barely fit, but we squeeze tightly together with just enough room left over for Mr. Greene. 

I hear the door creak open, and slow footsteps. I shiver, trying to keep quiet, but my teeth are chattering.

The footsteps come closer and closer, until we can hear whoever it is breathing, or sniffing?

I squeeze behind a mop, and wait for the thing to pass.

It moans, and walks away. Mr. Greene puts his hand up, making sure we don't make any noise until the thing is completely out of the room.

The footsteps become fainter and fainter, until we can't hear them anymore.

Mr. Greene makes us wait 5 extra minutes before we make our way out of our hiding spot to figure out what happened.

The frog on our tray is gone, not even a bone is left.

"Our frog is gone!" Broderick yelps.There's not even a trace of blood.

Whatever this is, it's freaky. It sends a chill down my spine.

Just then, Jen comes in, drenched in sweat, blood specks splattered on her face, her mascara running.

"What happened?!" I ask her. She's trembling from head to toe. "What happened." I demand, an edge in my voice.

She speaks only one word, "Zombies."