BRAINS: with a side-order of Flesh. by Siagrrl (parable of the sower read online TXT) 📕

are human, and they have an escape plan – unlike us at the moment – then chances are we won’t be on the school grounds for too much longer anyway!” Faith snapped, shrugging away from Mercy’s hands and sticking her head back out the window.

“ARE YOU GUYS SURVIVORS AS WELL?” Faith hollered down to them.

The group stopped and turned back, curious as to the whereabouts of the owner of the voice.

“Oh!” I exclaimed as a thought hit me. “It’s till night time, so they probably can’t see us up here!”

Faith nodded, “Right. I didn’t think of that.” She pulled out a small hand torch from her skirt pocket, flicked the ‘ON’ switch and shoved her hand out the window, using the torch as a beacon.

“UP HERE!!!” She yelled again.

The small group, made up of about 4 stopped and waved back up to us.

“Yes!” Faith smiled. “They saw us! We have to get down there to them!”

“But how?” Ms Faeshar queried. “I don’t know about any of you, but I sure as heck am not going back down those

hallways.”

Hope nodded in agreement. “Me either.”

“We could climb down, I guess,” Delevan suggested. “It is only the second floor.”

“Well in a school of flesh eating zombies and amateur explosions,” Mercy added looking at Faith, “I’m sure I could think of worse ideas.”

Mathieu pitched in. “Wait. I have an idea.” With that he stood up to window, clambered stiffly onto the ledge and jumped from the window.

“Mathieu!” Faith gasped.

“Is he nuts?” Mercy cried.

We all circled the window and peered down at Mathieu who stood at ground level peering up at us, unscathed.

“So he lands on his feet? What is he, part cat as well, now, or something?” Delevan smirked.

“JUMP DOWN!” Mathieu ordered. “I’LL CATCH YOU!”

So much for staying quit, it’s like they all want to be found and eaten alive.

“THE INJURED ONE, FIRST!”

All eyes were on me.

“That’d be you, Alexis.” Ms Faeshar said bluntly. “It was nice knowing you.”

“I HEARD THAT!” Mathieu shouted back up. “ALEXIS HAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!”

“She’d be nuts to jumped down from the second story, into the arms of a damn flesh-eater!” Delevan spat.

Well, it’s not like we had any other ideas. So when Delevan’s back was turned, I climbed the window sill, knocking my leg accidentally as many times as possible, and jumped from the second story. I felt the wind rush to greet my face and I felt like I was flying, just for a moment, then I blinked, and it was over.
There I was caught and cradled by Mathieu at ground level.

“I’m alright . . .” I noticed.

“You sound surprised.”

I just shook my head. “You can put me down now.”

Mathieu put me down and instructed one-by-one for the others to follow suit. Delevan being reluctant, and last, of course. When we were all safely at ground level, and Delevan finally stopped glaring daggers at me, we headed for the small group that had also decided to make their way over to us, but stopping dead still when they saw Mathieu.

“It’s alright!” Ms Faeshar called out to them. “He’s safe.”

The small group exchanged glances but were still reassured by Ms Faeshar’s words.

“We have two sets of keys to school cars in the parking lot.” The tallest one said when they reached us. About 6’2 the guy must be a senior. In the faded light I could make out a light brown shade of hair and a serious and unmoving face, with a dark scar across one side.

“But if we want to be safe. We have to leave now.”

What’s worse than being stuck in a zombie-infested high school in the middle of the night, with people you either don’t know, or know well enough not to trust them with your life?

Being carried piggy-back style by one of the people you don’t know, out in the open in the midst of a zombie-infested high school, of course.

“Um,” I mustered. “So, uh. . .”

“Roger.” He finished for me. “My name’s Roger.”

“Right! Roger, uh look you don’t have to carry me like this, you know. I mean it’s really not necessary.”

Even though I was on his back I could tell he was smiling. “Oh, really? So you want me to carry you another way? There’s always bridal-sty-”

“No! That’s not what I meant! I mean that you don’t have to carry me at all!” I interrupted. Roger just laughed.

After our two groups met up, we introduced ourselves – quickly, mind you – agreed on the plan, and headed for the car park. Roger, the tall dark haired, tanned one didn’t so much as offer to carry me, as he did order me to take it easy. The other three – Kieren, Mio and Gahnt – were all from Roger’s senior class that had stayed back to do volunteer work around the school during none-school hours.

Despite Kieren being a senior, he was shorter than 140cm female classmate Mio, and kinda reminded me of a male version of Hope. He had spiky blonde pineapple-like hair, one blue eye, one brown and the stamina of 360 horse-power. He had already sprinted the 200 odd yards to the front school gates and was waving for us to hurry up. He was surprisingly optimistic.

Gahnt to our left gave a short, hearty, heritage German laugh. “Two of you look good.” A dimple appeared in his cheeks when he smiled, and we continued to make our way to the gates. “If not for bad circumstance, you two be good couple.” I felt my face go warm and went to say something, but Roger beat me to it.

“Forgive him Alexis,” He chuckled. “He’s new here and isn’t quite used to social interaction.” He lowered his voice and leaned back a little “Plus he was home-schooled.” I successfully bit back a laugh, though I did hear a snicker come from our right, where Faith, Mercy and Delevan where walking alongside us. Hope was piggy-backing on Mercy’s back, and I noticed her carrying her effortlessly.

I huffed and lay my chin in the crook of Roger’s neck. I took the chance to study my surroundings a bit more. We hadn’t seen any infected since we met up with the new group, so everything was an eerie silent. Ahead of me I noticed Mio. Her build was much like mine, thin, slender and athletic, and her hair was much like mine too. Long, waist-length and pencil straight. She sported the modest knee-length school skirt, whiter than white blouse that almost looked luminescent in the half-baked moonlight, and a long-sleeved maroon blazer. And with the rectangle glasses she sported, she pulled off the genius look quite well.

Upon reaching the gates, we stood in small circle anxiously waiting for someone to take charge and figure out what to do. The gates were locked. And chained and bolted. And how none of us had noticed this before was a complete mystery.

“So, uh,” Mio spoke up after a long minute. “What now?”

“We could jump it.” Delevan said blandly.

Faith slapped him upside the head again. It seemed to be her preferred method for dealing with his – well, whatever it was.

“He’s right.”

Everyone turned to look at Mathieu, who stood an awkward few paces behind us. Keeping his distance. “We don’t have much time. That,” he pointed to the gate. “Is our only way out.”

I blinked. “What do you mean we don’t have much time?” Even in the darkness I could make out the depressed expression on his face.

“They’re catching up.” Was all he said.

We all looked behind him. I think the adrenaline was starting to wear off because none of us had noticed the advancing group of infected that were trailing about 75 metres behind us – noticeable only by a shuffling black outline of numerous bodies. These ones weren’t anything like the ones we’d already encountered. They walked normally, as if they were so confident that we weren’t getting away, and stared straight ahead. Their skin was almost luminous – kind of the opposite of what you’d think a zombie looked like – and then there were their eyes. The pupils and the sclera (the white parts of the eye) were black and the irises were pure white. As they grew nearer I could see their pupils darting from person to person.

Survivor to survivor.

From Dinner to dessert.

Their mouths were twisted into cruel, knowing smirks, and some that were missing half their faces were bearing their teeth as if to snarl at us like wild animals. Though, the term ‘wild animals’ was probably a little too generous a title for them.

About 20 or so metres away then stopped and continued to stare. Our group blinked itself back to reality. Realising we had watched them literally just walk right up to us, we began to panic. I guess I wasn’t the only one terrified and amazed by what I was seeing.

“Wow.” Hope breathed. “What are those?”

Ms Faeshar nodded. I didn’t know why but she did, and then turned to us. “We should hurry.”

I, still on Roger’s back, couldn’t do a thing to stop what happened next. The zombies ran. They charged faster than the Rager’s did. We bolted. We all sprang for the gate and while the others clambered their way to the top – Roger was having a much harder time.

Within seconds the zombies were at the floor of the gate clawing at our feet. Roger had climbed just high enough to keep us safe. Until one of them jumped. A snarling, luminous, zombified teenage boy made a leaping grab for my leg and instead got Roger’s ankle.

“Ahh!” Roger gasped, being pulled back down the gate. He kicked out his leg and connected with the zombie’s face with a loud ‘thunk.’ With the second of freedom, Roger scrambled back up to safety.

“I’m sorry!” I said when we were halfway up the gate, feeling bad that he almost became zombie chow because he was still carrying me. I attempted to grab at the bars of the gate, above my head, to help pull us up but I was just out of reach and it must have looked like I was flailing for help, when Delevan – who was safely at the top of the fence, kneeling on the top bar – reached down and grabbed my wrist.

“What are you doing!?” He scowled.

“Hey!” I retorted, writhing in his grasp. “That’s my question!”

“Pulling you up,