Lenovo Back to School Entry (Zombie Academy)

First Day Back

The drums of war beat down upon Urana's chest. It became a constant pressure that surrounded her heart and bit down to let itself be known. She could feel Miranie's eyes piercing into her back like two icy daggers. Why did they put him with us? I can practically feel his fear, hear his labored breathing hot against my neck.

Upon meeting her gaze, Zenya nods to Urana, twirling her daggers nervously. Everet, to her left, stares dead ahead, his hand tightly coiled around the hilt of his sword, his knuckles as white as the stars above. The stars. Night. Dangerous time. Zombies come out in droves when the stars twinkle above. Heaven's light attracts them like moths to a flame, starving to reach a place their cursed souls will never enter beyond staring through pearly gates.

Night's cool breeze bit through the holes in Urana's tattered leather jacket, courtesy of a fat Zombie with iron-like claws. The air was laced with the rancid stench of death and entrails, making each breath a calculated one. The cursed, gut-wrenching, scent of rotting flesh was potent here. The undead must be near, she thought whilst listening for the shuffling of feet and the loud moan she had been trained to hear before a wave. The street lights offered little assistance as they buzzed and flickered, casting a yellow glow over the concrete jungle before them.

One of the best things, if you could call it that, about coming in after a wave had passed through was the abundance of cover. Turned up cars with their billowing smoke were particularly strategically sound. Setting cars on fire had become a particularly useful distraction. That was what they had expected to walk into but before them lay nothing more than a deserted street. Not a single car was parked on the side of the road or stopped in the middle of it; nothing. It was as if the people here never even tried to run. Cowards. Fools to think anyone would come for them.

When is the wave going to start? Urana asked herself and was promptly answered by the loud eruption of digital cannon fire; the usual signal. And so it begins.

"Go time." she muttered under her breath after flinching at the sound that ripped through the air, sending lightning through the sky, illuminating the street momentarily before descending back into the dull twilight.

"Where are they!" Miranie yelped, his anxiety leaking into the air and threatening to infect the others.

After taking a deep breath, Urana turned to Meranie, with a grimace, "Meranie, they're not just going to drop from the sky." God, why did I get partnered with this oaf, "So just try and keep it together, Mkay?"

Even though Zenya rolled her eyes and held up her guard, Urana could sense that she too was feeling a slight wobble in the knees. Everett's posture was tighter than the two had ever seen before in years of training and multiple runs. If the team didn't shake off some of this anxiety Urana knew they were going to die for sure. Don't they know by now there's no need to worry when the axe will fall? But I suppose just knowing it was going to was enough to strike fear into even the strongest of hearts. For all four of us knew that today we would die. We will not make it out alive. That was a hard thing to swallow.

"They should smell us by now," Everett grumbled as he tossed his sword from hand to hand to loosen up his grip and return the dexterity he had squeezed out of his fingers.

Then a loud moan tore through the air, grabbing the groups attention, "There you go boys," Zenya mused, her smirk fading slightly when she remembered where she was.

"Go time," Urana grunted with a slight chuckle and stalked forward.

The three followed, allowing her to move forward and take point like usual, leading them forward as the moaner limped towards them. His broken leg trailed behind him, holding on by mere cartilage. His jaw unhinged as he screamed, broken teeth flashing in the light of the full moon.