Chapter 5
It had been close to an hour since the departure of Thomas and his friends, and the waiting had begun to stir up concern among the remaining students.
"I wonder what's taking them so long," Christabel said, her worried eyes drifting to Isaac who stood in front of the teacher's table, equally unsettled.
"Don't get too worked up I'm sure they're on their way," Lucy said, trying to calm her down. But then without warning, Selom's school bag slipped from its hanger and fell into the dust bin.
"Well, that can't be good," Samuela muttered.
"Come now guys, it's nothing to be worried about. I'm sure it's just a coincidence," Mary said in a weak but optimistic tone, trying to ease the tension in the room even though she herself was quietly worried about Thomas.
(What's so good about that bastard) Richmond thought, irritated, as he watched Mary touch Thomas's empty seat with a worried expression.
Having had enough, Richmond stood up with the intention of finally confessing his feelings to Mary. He was just about to move when the door everyone had been waiting on finally swung open.
"You guys," Isaac said, walking up to the returning boys with a sigh of relief.
"Look they brought supplies!" another student said, pointing excitedly to the large bags Thomas and the others were setting down.
"Well done, guys. I never once doubted you," Shadrack said with an awkward smile.
Mary, moving to help the boys settle in, noticed that they simply stood there heads down, faces dark while everyone else cheered around them. Before she could ask what was wrong, Christabel, who had been scanning the group, spoke up.
"Umm where is Selom?"
The class fell instantly silent as others, now noticing the same thing, began looking around.
Seeing their faces still gloomy, Christabel asked again this time more directly. "Thomas. Where is my Selom?"
"Yeah Thomas, where is he?" Isaac added, his expression shifting with concern.
The class gossipers Shadrack and Samuela sensing something was wrong, began whispering their assumptions to those around them. Just as Christabel was about to ask for the last time, Thomas replied in a barely traceable guilt ridden voice, "Selom got bitten."
The revelation hit the class like a wall. But before the information could be properly processed, Felix unable to hold back his rage cut in, every inch of his face burning with anger.
"What do you mean bitten? Just tell them the truth, or I will."
"What truth?" Martin asked, pausing just long enough to look up from the last chocolate bar he was eating one that everyone recognized as having come from Selom's bag earlier. He continued chewing with a satisfied grin as the news of Selom's death began to sink in around him.
Before Thomas could respond, Felix pointed directly at him and said, "Well, if you all want to know...."
"Felix, that's enough," Kingsley said, stepping forward to stop him. But Felix ignored him.
"....this cold hearted person right here killed Selom, despite all his pleas."
Some gasped in disbelief. Others shot Thomas looks of pure disgust.
"Is what he's saying true?" Isaac asked, his expression turning serious.
Just as Thomas was about to answer, Christabel tears streaming down her face stepped forward and slapped Thomas hard across the cheek.
"You animal," she said, her voice breaking.
A grin crept onto Richmond's face. Seeing an opportunity, he moved to pour fuel on the fire. "Look at him there isn't even a hint of regret in his eyes. Now will you all believe me when I say this guy is a freak? A psychopath. Nothing but a...."
"That's enough out of you, Richmond," Mary interrupted, her fiery gaze making him flinch.
"You should be ashamed of yourself, jumping to conclusions without finding out what really happened," she added, walking closer to Thomas.
"She's right he really didn't have a choice," Kingsley added in support.
"Oh please, you're only saying that because of your feelings for him," Samuela shot back with a mocking look.
"Come on guys, just chill out" Charles tried to say but was cut off by Felix.
"What are you doing? You and I both clearly saw Thomas kill Selom heartlessly." Felix said, his voice cracking with barely contained fury as he moved to stand with Samuela and the others.
"Even so, if he hadn't done it, none of us would be alive right now," Christian answered, his face straight and unwavering.
"Why why are you all supporting a killer?!" Christabel shouted, refusing to let the matter go.
Richmond, furious that Mary was still taking Thomas's side, picked up a mop stick and said, "I say we let him die."
"That's right scum like him doesn't deserve to live," Martin, Richmond, Christabel, Shadrack, Samuela, Felix and five others shouted in agreement, grabbing their chairs.
At the same time, Mary, Christian, Charles and a student named Mark stepped in front of Thomas, forming a wall of resistance.
(So this is what happens when you decide to help others, huh. Ah well, this is to be expected since most of them are stressed and still clinging to a society that has already shattered. At this point I wouldn't even be surprised if someone argued that the zombies deserve protection because they were once human. How pathetic.) Thomas thought, his expression completely blank as he watched the class tear itself in two.
Then Isaac spoke low, calm and utterly intimidating.
The class fell silent instantly, every head turning towards his tall, commanding figure.
"What's done is done," he began. "There is no way to change the past. Personally, I do not want to blame Thomas he did what the situation required of him. But let this serve as a warning to all of you. Things right now are not to be taken lightly if you want to live long enough to see better days. I have more to add, but first everyone take their seats."
"I promise you the moment I get the chance, I will personally bury you alive," Christabel said through gritted teeth as she moved to her seat.
"Over my dead body," Mary retorted, and after shooting Richmond a sharp warning glare, went and sat down beside Thomas.
Just as the last person took their seat, a low guttural moan echoed from beyond the barricaded door, followed by another, and another. The sound of dragging feet and scratching fingers against wood filled the room as the barricade began to tremble slightly under the weight of what was gathering on the other side. Whatever was out there there were a lot of them.
Panic began to stir once again but Isaac, calm as ever, silenced them with a single look.
Thomas, seeing this as an opportunity, spoke up.
"Most of us are currently not strong enough to hold our own against zombies or fight at all. So our next course of action is to build up our strength and use the zombies on this floor as experience and stamina training, so that eventually we can think about exploring the city."
"That's a terrible idea," Francis muttered.
"And you think we're just going to listen to you?" Richmond asked, disgust dripping from every word.
"Oh yes, you will," Isaac said, his glare making it abundantly clear that he was not joking.
After a week of intense training and zombie hunting, the physical strength of each student had increased significantly, along with their stamina and reflexes so much so that they were able to eradicate all the zombies in the school, turning it into a survivor base, even though no external party had yet come seeking refuge.
Now that the zombie problem had been handled, a new problem had arrived food supplies were running dangerously low.
"Okay guys, we need four boys to go out and get more supplies. Who wants to go?" Isaac addressed the class in a serious tone.
(Yes this might just be the perfect chance to find out the whereabouts of Veronica) Thomas thought, his worry barely concealed, and without a second's hesitation he volunteered himself.
Shadrack, seeing this, sneered and said mockingly, "Oh, my guy Thomas still hasn't had enough he still wants to kill more of us."
"Shadrack, I thought I made it clear that you were all to stop that," Isaac said coldly.
Richmond then got up, pretended to be deeply hurt and shed crocodile tears. "Sorry Isaac, it's just that the other day Thomas tried to push me off the stairs and into a horde of zombies, and my friend Shadrack only being concerned tried to warn the others."
"Oh Thomas, you really are a classless pig. Do us a favour and go die in the slums," Christabel added.
"Nah, you're being too helpful just let him feed himself to the zombies," Samuela added with a smirk as their followers broke into teasing laughter.
(Jeez, these guys really know how to hit a nail on the head) Thomas thought, his expression calm and completely unaffected which only made Richmond frown deeper, quietly cursing Isaac for always standing between him and giving Thomas what he deserved.
Mary was about to snap back at them, but before she could, three hands shot up simultaneously Christian, Charles and Kingsley declaring in unison that they would be going with him.
"Hey, try to be useful and bring back some power banks so we can charge our phones. I've got some downloaded videos we could all watch," Martin called out with a smug look as the four boys made their way out of the class.
"I'm betting 3 biscuits that they all die," Richmond said to Shadrack.
"Hmm, nice. Then I'll bet a bottle of water that only Thomas comes back with excuses," Shadrack replied. Just as he turned to flash Mary a smile, she shot him a cold glare and walked away to help Isaac sort through the remainder of the supplies.
In order to protect themselves from bites, Thomas and his crew wore the firefighter clothing along with masks to filter the stench in the air.
As they stepped into the empty streets, Thomas's eyes quietly scanned every corner, every shadow, every distant figure searching, hoping. Veronica was still out there somewhere. She had to be.
As they walked through the eerily silent streets so silent they could almost hear the blood rushing through their veins all that lay in sight were burned down buildings, plane wrecks, destroyed pavements and debris scattered in every direction.
"I guess things were much more serious down here," Kingsley said sympathetically, struggling to imagine the suffering that had taken place. "May the Almighty God put the souls of those who perished to rest."
Even Charles always in good spirits let out a quiet sigh as he came across a blood stained baby stroller abandoned on the side of the road.
Thomas, upon spotting a dozen zombies ahead, gestured for the others to move stealthily. What none of them knew was that Richmond had been secretly following them the entire time.
With a sinister grin, Richmond slowly picked up an old beer can and hurled it in Thomas's direction before ducking out of sight.
With a loud clang, the can struck the ground right at Thomas's feet, the sound echoing through the silent city like a gunshot.
Thomas watched as the once dormant zombies, after letting out an unusual roar, snapped to attention. "Run!" he shouted, and the zombies wasted no time giving chase.
"Is it just me or have the zombies gotten faster?" Christian said in a panic, watching them take far more rapid strides than before.
Richmond, having ducked behind a crumbled wall after throwing the can, watched with satisfaction as the zombies gave chase. But as the roaring grew closer and the ground seemed to shake beneath their stampeding feet, his satisfaction quickly turned to cold sweat. He pressed himself flat against the wall, barely daring to breathe as the horde thundered past him. Only when the last zombie had disappeared around the corner did he finally exhale, his legs trembling so badly he could barely stand.
After running for about a minute, the group stumbled upon a building with a broken sign that read AU-MAX. Thomas immediately recognized it as a car dealership and ordered his team inside, slamming the door shut behind them.
"Man, I thought we were going to be zombie food," Christian muttered, completely out of breath.
"If I had a gun, I would have taken them all down without breaking a sweat," Charles said, striking a dramatic gun-holding pose.
"A Call of Duty legend in the flesh," Kingsley said sarcastically before turning to Thomas and asking where exactly they were, pulling off his fire coat in exhaustion.
The sun was beginning to set, making it difficult to see through the building. Christian switched on his flashlight and the beam revealed five distinct cars.
An orange Ram, a pink Hyundai, a blue Ford, a silver Porsche and a black American Mustang.
"Sweet," Charles said after a low, appreciative whistle.
"Don't waste time guys we're running late," Thomas said, holding up a silver key that belonged to the American Mustang.
Not long after, the roar of the engine echoed across the city as the vehicle tore through the streets dodging ruined cars, weaving through debris and running over any zombie foolish enough to step in its path.
"Hell yeah now THIS is what I call a man's car!" Charles shouted with pure excitement.
"Whoa Thomas, are you sure you know how to handle this beast?" Kingsley asked, equally thrilled by the wild ride.
"Sure — it's like driving a toy car," Thomas replied with a chuckle.
"What do you mean, like a toy car?" Christian asked, his voice full of dread. "For heaven's sake, this thing is more of a high speed road killer than a toy. You know what I give up. Let me out before I die."
As Christian reached desperately for the door handle, he discovered that Thomas had locked all the doors. And when he heard Thomas casually say "Relax, it's not like I'm going to crash okay I'm a professional" right as the car barely dodged a massive chunk of debris, tears began streaming down Christian's cheeks as he quietly started saying his last prayers.
And with that, the boys disappeared into the sunset leaving behind them a horde of zombies desperately clawing after a car pushing 100 miles per hour.