"Who can tell me about prions"
Ms. Reese says breaking me out of my dissociative state,
Staring directly at me.
The classmates in front of me turn their bodies facing mine, some chuckling with big grins.
I slump in my seat hoping to take the heat of their glares off of me.
"Surprised she came today"
Snobby Ashley says between gritted teeth, preceding to flick her long, brown hair off her shoulders in my direction.
"Surprised daddy hasn't paid to get you off from coming to school,
he should know you aren't really going to excel anyway"
I hiss back, sinking yet again into my seat.
Clearly fed up from years of torture.
Her friends gasp and chuckle at my response.
"Ladies, do we have a problem?"
Ms. Reese says completely stopping her lecture; peering at us from under her glasses like she were a librarian.
"All good"
Ashley peeps at me again,
flicking her hair one last time.
I couldn't do shit but roll my eyes.
The time slowly passes as Ms. Reese continues to ramble on about diseases,
Staring at us with her ancient eyes
None of paying attention, yet she still goes on and on.
There's three minutes left of class,
The last class of the day I think, relieved.
Only one more month of school and I'll never have to deal with these people again.
"Attention"
A raspy voice says coming from the school intercom, breaking my thoughts.
"I need all student and teacher faculty to report to the gymnasium immediately;
Under no circumstance should anyone leave this building
regardless if parents are here or not.
once everyone is here we'll talk more"
The speaker ticks off as voices start to fill the room.
"I'm fucking bouncing"
Ashley annoyingly whimpers to her friends.
"What's going on?"
Rodrick, the quiet kid of the class who only sleeps and reads apocalyptic stories asks.
"No clue, but we need to all line up single file and find out"
Everyone staggers to the door,
Pushing each other in and out of line to see who can find out what's going on first.
The rooms getting hotter by the second as everyone's panic and voices fill the room.
I peep out the window,
Watching the May weather blow the trees side to side
The sun beating down on the grass as insects buzz around the windows.
Nothing seems out of place,
but deep down I know somethings not right.
"Why don't I have service"
Ashley screeches out stomping her feet, basically beating her phone up.
"Oh, calm down you're such a damn drama queen"
Her friend says nudging her
"Don't fucking touch me"
Ashley spits out,
Clearly aggravated by the heat and delay in getting out of school.
"Okay class, lets go"
Ms Reese informs us,
Opening the class room door;
She leads us out as we follow one by one.
Hitting the doorway I look around at the other classrooms preparing to leave. Most wearing panicked faces as they bite their nails and try to get service on their phones.
"What do you thinks happening?"
I overhear two of my classmates talking
"I heard it's about that incident where that
guy tore off and ate that man's face, do you remember?"
The girl nodded her head,
I could hear her swallow the fear.
Envisioning the news 6 months prior to now,
The shock and terror everyone felt when a man went cannibal tearing the flesh off another man,
Taking 11 shots to the chest before he died.
We arrive at the gym doors,
Voices already start pouring out of the nearly packed room as we approached.
Students and teachers spread out on the seats and dusty gym floor,
The principle wiping his sweat off as he stares at the floor not making any eye contact with a soul.
My class took our seats in the blue and yellow bleachers as more students appeared in the room,
Adding more mass to our popular, well known gym.
"Watch your big ass head"
Ashley and her friend nickers behind me.
I throw my elbow back,
connecting it to her shin
"Owe"
she grunts out pain instantly rubbing it.
I turn my back facing her "oops".
"Students"
Our short, stubby weak principle says through a farrow voice.
I see some of the student body look at each other in terror recognizing his feeble voice.
"Students,
We'll be having a mandatory lock down issued by the government"
Now, even the teachers are joining in on the fear looks and gasps.
"What about our families?"
Mr. Rivers, the music teacher, shouts out in confusion.
"Hopefully there can be arrangements made for that"
he peeps out quietly,
"But I'm not finished"
Mr. Pablo says pausing,
Taking a deep swallow before presuming his speech.
"There's been some type of out break,
It's not yet known if the virus is airborne or what,
But we've been asked to keep everyone safe and locked in doors until further notified"
My stomach sinks hearing those words actually leave his mouth.
"Are you fucking serious?"
Ashley yelps out.
I spot Roderick pop out of his seat,
beginning to pace back and fourth;
The gym gets louder as people panic,
Holding their cellphones up trying to connect to any service.
"So what type of virus?"
Some students shout out seeking clear answers.
"The incident that happened a few months back,
it's back but it's being contained. There's nothing to panic about"
The principal says,
Not sounding to sure about his statement.
"Let me in, please"
A female desperately pleads behind our gym doors cutting off our conversations.
They shake violently as the gym goes silent at the girls panicked screams.
Rodrick took off running towards the doors when the principal chased after him,
Throwing both of their bodies to the dusty gym floor.
"Please, please they're coming after me I'm going to die"
She continues to plead
"What the hell are you doing?"
One of the teachers shouts,
Helping Roderick up from the ground.
"We can't risk it"
Mr Pablo regains his stance;
Running towards the door to block any of us from helping.
"We have to fucking help her"
Rodrick franticly shouts trying to push Mr. Pablo out of the way.
The principal pushes Roderick causing him to trip over himself and falls on his ass,
all of us astonished of what's happening froze in our seats.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a 45
"I said we cannot risk it"
Rodrick backs down,
One of the teachers pulling him out of Pablo's sight, shooting him a mean look as he brings him to safety.
"Ahhhh. Ple- please Help"
the woman begs again as the door bangs one last time followed by high pitched screams.
The sound of a woman getting torn to pieces.
"This is getting really weird"
Ashley whimpers, this time out of paralyzing fear.
I felt the same.
Panic started to sweep the room even more so as my phone started to buzz
"You have service?"
Ashley peeps in behind me hovering over my shoulder.
I check the screen to see my boyfriend calling.
"Hello, are you okay? What's going on"
"I'm trapped, I don't know what's going on I can't get ahold of 911 the lines busy. I'll die if I don't get help soon"
He groans in absolute agony.
"Where are you? I'm coming now"
I spew to him,
my stomach literally in my ass as the moist, hot room begins to take over me.
"Near mandle bridge,
I rolled my car after swerving to not hit someone. Plea- please, I can't breathe"
The phone line clicks.
"I'm coming with you"
Ashley insist touching my shoulder.
"No, not the fuck you aren't"
I grab my bag and begin stepping sideways down the long bleachers pushing pass students.
At the last step I looked up to see Ashley in tears as she got left behind,
her friend now not even showing her attention at our shock of news.
The principal still guarding the door with his gun out as panic voices carried the weight of the room.
"Where do you think your going?"
Mr. Pablo booms through the microphone causing everyone's eyes to follow my direction.
"Restroom"
I felt a tap on my shoulder to see Ashley following me
"Please,
I've never told anyone but I have a 2 year son at home"
She whispers to me as her eyes fill with tears.
"Just don't talk"
She followed me as I lead her into the locker room bathroom;
It contained 5 stalls, 5 sinks with 3 sets of medium sized windows.
"How do we get out of here?"
I point to the windows setting high up,
"It's a tight squeeze but we'll manage"
"I'm coming too"
A guys voice says behind us as the door locks,
Startling both Ashley and I.
"Listen, I don't care I have to save my boyfriend he's dead right now for all I know. Now please,
just give us a boost!"
Rodrick nods, throwing his book bag down to kneel down giving us a boost.
Ashley steps on his back first,
She reaches the top left window sliding it open letting the cool breeze sweep through the bathroom.
She squeezes through and drops to other side followed by an "oof"
"What do you see out there?"
I ask while stepping on Roderick's back
But she didn't reply as I heard footsteps taking off on the still dead grass.
Peering my head out the window to see nothing but trees and grass.
"Wtf"
I mumble,
Wasting my time on her.
"It's time to get back in here"
Mr. Pablo demands out side the bathroom door.
I push myself out the window falling 4 inches until hitting the warm, brittle grass.
"Can you get out?"
I shout through the window.
Rodricks finger tips appear at the window pane as he boost himself up.
"I said it's time to come back out,
last chance"
the principal says in the back drop as Roderick flops out the window hitting the ground.
We take off running, I can hear a gun shot and the echo of the door hitting the wall from the school and Mr.Pablo shouting
"It's not safe, you'll die out there"
"I- I have a car"
Roderick spits out between his shallow breaths as we run to the front of the school
We make our way to student parking to see the lots still full with student and faculty cars,
But no parents had arrived to pick up their kids yet.
Everything still seemed untouched.
"There she is"
Roderick Points at a blue Mazda,
Panting for air.
He unlocks the doors and we climb in.
"Where now?"
"Mandle bridge"