FULL LOCKDOWN (Book #1)

𝕿𝖍𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓

I realise that I'm standing outside a classroom. I look at the person yelling in my face and it's my teacher. I'm back in my dream?

"Dean!" she snaps her fingers and waves her hand in front of my face.

"Yeah?"

"Did you not take into account anything I just said?"

Huh?

"Dean," she sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose, "have you been getting enough sleep lately?"

'Sleep', I laugh on the inside. I wish this was about sleep. My mind's constructing everything from my memories, assembling make-believe scenarios, scenarios that remind me of the days I took for granted and will never get back.

"I don't know..." Ms Mills is literally speaking to herself 'cause I ain't hear anything she said for however long I was standing out here for. "Maybe I should call your mum. Maybe that way-"

"No!" I intercept rather too quickly. "I mean, look, it's just stress..about.. I'm getting a bunch of holiday homework and I just... I don't how I'm gonna finish it all in time. That's all."

Just being back here at school, in these circumstances, is quite refreshing actually. I miss it really and to have it wasted or ruined by Ms Mills phoning my mum is plain stupid. I hate what life is at the moment. Those lurkers, Mum, people I know dying right in front of me. It's just, here, in my dream, everything is fine. Everything is normal. If I can't go back to the way things once were then I won't take this mirage for granted. Lame, I know. But it's my lil secret and a second chance.

"I know," Ms Mills supportively nods. "You just need to have a routine, a set time to do something and you do it."

"'Routine'," I fake-smile. "Got it."

"And if you really need to talk, we do have a counsellor on-site," she adds, still sceptical.

Pfft, a counsellor is the last thing I need right now.

"Thank you, Ms, much appreciated."

"Now please, Dean, at least try, if not, pretend to focus, alright?" she gives me a weary smile. "You're a smart boy, I see it. Don't let it go to waste like not doing the homework when I know you can easily ace it."

I nod.

We head back into the classroom.

❖

Break time.

"No mate, I'm telling you, you should have seen yourself!" Bray laughs.

"Bro, your fault," I feel so embarrassed. "You had me gone raving on about that zombie shit. At least give a mate a warning, sheesh."

He gave me a thousand warnings, that's the funny part.

"Dude, don't pin this shit on me." He recalls something and bursts out into laughter again. "But-but-but that part where you told Sam to get back inside was-hahahahahaha!"

"Yeah yeah, fuck off, man," I nudge him.

When the moment dies down, Bray's like, "so..."

"What?" I look at him.

"So......" he raises his eyebrows.

"I don't have fucking telepathy, dude, what is it?"

"When exactly are you gonna get them digits?" he finally says.

"Huh? Who's digits?"

"C'mon now, it's like watching two puppy dogs in love."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I sorta blush.

"Ella's," he rolls his eyes.

"Nah..."

"I, for one, practically see you drool over her. Just get it done already, man, I'm tired of your infatuated lovesick stares."

"I'm not 'infatuated' with her," I correct.

"Mhm, keep telling yourself that."

"I will."

"Okay then."

"...But," I mean, since now we're on the topic, "is it that obvious?"

Bray chuckles, "dude, hella obvious. You're lucky Carmen hasn't noticed or she'd tell everyone."

True. Breaks over. Health class is next.

❖

"Wake up, lovebirds," Jace throws a straw at me. "Time to get planning."

'Lovebirds'? The hell? I lift my eyelids open, adjusting to the world as I now know it. I try to move my right arm but I can't. It's numb. Oh, that's why Jace said that... Ella. She had fallen asleep next to me, on me.

"Sorry," she whispers and moves away.

I'm not sorry.

I stretch my arms. It feels like I have a hangover for some reason. I just feel like a train wreck. So heavy. I need to shower because all my clothes are damp from the cold sweats, but I don't think that that's gonna happen any time soon. Ugh.

❖

"We need to head to the city," I inform the crew.

"But don't you think that's a bad idea?" Amber questions. "With it being urbaner and all?"

"It is but those lurkers are closing in on us. They are like a massive tsunami. We can't go over it, under it, around or through it."

"Um, we can wait here till it passes?" Carmen suggests.

"We could but it's too risky. Even if we were quiet-"

"One wrong move and we're better off dead," Bray reads my mind.

"Right," I nod. "Don't wanna take that risk."

"We can find help or other survivors in the city too," Ella adds.

"We go to the city, then what?" Jace thinks ahead whilst still behind.

"So higher ground," I answer. "The herd will pass through and we get back here – simple."

"City we go then," he agrees.

And city we do go. But when's anything ever 'simple'?