Resistance

Chapter Three

            “Just leave her alone for a while, Emily. We’ll figure this out later.” The instant the girl’s name slips out from Jagger’s lips; she meets my eyes and smirks. Something in the gesture seems familiar but I can’t place why.

            “Can somebody please tell me what happened out there?” I finally say. I wedge my fingers deep in Bullet’s fur, making myself feel less alone, even if my new best friend is of the canine variety.

            Cole whips around, his shoulders rising as his body tenses. “Oh, you mean other than the fact that you almost lost us Jagger?”

            My hand starts to tremble in Bullet’s neck and he rises up higher, helping me conceal it. “I’m talking about why those people tried to attack me.”

            Now everyone’s eyes are on me again, but this time, they look at me in confusion mixed with shock. I didn’t make Jagger come out and help me and in fact, he didn’t even get hurt. I didn’t know he was there and he ran out before I could decide if I was going to live or not.

            “Are you stupid?”

            “Cole,” Jagger snaps.

            “Cole has a point,” the silent boy finally says. He shoves his pale hands into his baggy jean pockets. “How does she not know what just happened?”

            “Maybe because I’m not lying about not remembering anything?” I mutter honestly. They all continue to stare at me, making me feel obligated to say something. Finally, I tell them everything that happened up to the point when Jagger ran out. “This is all I know about myself,” I tell them, holding out the crumpled note. Jagger is the one to read it and when he hands it back to me, his eyes are cold.

            “You’re Sloane,” he says, stepping away from me until he’s beside Cole. “I remember you now.”

            Emily’s eyes grow wide. “I thought I recognized her! You’re the girl who went missing a month ago!”

            Someone about the way Jagger stalks off, exiting the gym and slamming the double doors doesn’t sit right with me.

            “I went…missing?”

            Emily shrugs and everyone is silent. I went missing, yet I was at home when I woke up. What happened to me?

            “Getting back to your question,” the now not-so-quiet boy says, stepping around Cole. “Those people who attacked you aren’t really people. They’re dead.”

            I shoot him a look. If he’s trying to play games with me because I don’t remember anything, he’s not going to get anywhere.

            “Yeah, right.”

            “He’s telling the truth,” Emily calls. “They’re not people anymore.”

            “Yeah, then what are they?” I mutter, crossing my arms.

            “Zombies.”

            Even though I’m not convinced, I don’t respond. When Cole see’s my unsatisfied expression, he stalks towards me, his voice rising without having to be provoked.

            “Why else would we been in school on a Saturday?”

            He did have a point. But even though my brain refuses to believe what they’re saying, I feel like I don’t have any more explanations. Besides, I was unconscious for who knows how long. They must know better than I do, even if they’re tricking me.