Lockwood Highschool Breach

Chapter 8

Cassidy

Something wet pressed against Cassidy's cheek softly. She groaned and pushed the object away, hands feeling the prickle of... whiskers? Her eyes shot open and she sat up quickly with a gasp. Going to stand up immediately, a sharp pain shot up through her right leg and a headache pulsed behind her eyes, making her collapse. Everything began to spin and she closed her eyes to make it stop, remembering the wreck and the screams of the zombies before she passed out. She laid on her back in the tall grass that kept her hidden while she was out. Opening her eyes again after a few seconds, she turned her head to the side and saw a large dog laying beside her.

It was a chocolate lab, male. Large, floppy ears perked up slightly when she looked at him, his fur a deep dark brown color that brought out the amber of his eyes. His snout was square in shape and he was muscular, wearing a black collar with tags attached.

He started to wag his tail and shuffled closer to nuzzle the girl under her chin. She patted his head softly and scratched behind his ears, accepting that some random dog really had just showed up out of nowhere. Taking the silver circle at his collar between her fingers and flipping it over, she saw the name Oscar engraved on it; no other information provided like you'd normally see.

His ears suddenly went erect, as much as the floppy appendages could, and he looked past her. Cassidy glanced over her shoulder and sat up, the pain scoring through her leg again, causing her to wince. Looking at the glass deep in her thigh, there was only a small piece sticking out. She secured it between her index finger and thumb, biting her lip and taking a deep breath. Pulling with a whimper of pain, it barely shifted at all in her flesh. The grass behind her rustled and Oscar started growling, standing with his tail raised and his body tense. Cassidy looked over her shoulder again and saw a zombie coming through the grass, it's mouth agape at her. She scooted closer to Oscar and grabbed his collar, pulling him back. He snarled and started barking, a loud deep sound.

The thing screamed and swung at him, missing by only a small margin. Cassidy pulled the dog with all her might but he refused to move. She grabbed the glass again and took a few breaths, then pulled it out fast. Blood oozed out quickly and she put her hands over it. Getting to her feet, she kicked the creature in the head, then turned and limped off to the gate of the house she was by, Oscar following. She got into the backyard and tried to open the door. Locked. She turned and looked around for anything that could help her but saw nothing useful. Pressing her back to the door, she slid down to sit and pulled her knees to her chest, feeling Oscar press against her.

Think Cassidy... THINK! What would Anthony or Macy do? Someone with better survival skills? Anthony... She looked up and stared at the grey clouds. He's probably worrying himself half to death. She looked at Oscar and he instantly started to wag his tail, his ears flattening. She scratched his back and he licked her face in return; though by random chance, she was glad she wasn't completely alone. She stood up and walked around the fenced area, moving slowly so that she didn't hurt herself further. Her leg needed to be patched up quick but she had to find a way inside to see if there was anything that would help her there. She ran a hand through her hair and held in a groan.

"Fuck it," she mumbled, walking back to the locked door. She stomped her leg and felt the tingling pain shoot up it; she had to endure it just a little more. Lifting her wounded leg and flexing it, she sent a strong side kick to the door under the doorknob. More blood slowly seeped out from her wound and the pain made her dizzy. She gripped her leg and cursed angrily, hopping on the good one. She let herself calm down and examined the door; the area closest to the lock had splintered and looked loose. One more kick should do... Positioning herself again, she lifted her leg once more. She took a deep breath and concentrated on her mark, gritting her teeth and kicking it hard enough to where the lock snapped through its wooden fixture, the door creaking open. She sighed in relief though her leg hurt more than before. Pushing the door open all the way, she walked in cautiously with Oscar beside her who was sniffing the air. He sneezed and shook out his coat, looking relaxed.