Death's Little Angels (12 page)

Drew looked up to the heavens. “Thank you….”
He quietly muttered out of what breath he had left. Everyone looked
relieved to see a new set of survivors.

“
Glad we got to you guys
in time. I am out of rocks. How long were you guys out here son?”
Mr. Freeman directed towards Drew.

“
Not long Mr. Freeman but
it felt like hours. If you wouldn’t have come… We would be one of
those…
Eaters
out
there.”

“
They are not
Eaters
they are
called
zombies
,”
a girl by the name of Olivia Gates snapped. She flipped her dirty
blonde hair as if to wait for a challenge from Drew or anyone
else.

Olivia Gates was the best friend to McKenzie
Ward who was found eating the principal earlier. Olivia was also
the girl who ran for every extra curricular office whether it was
Student Council or Beta Club and usually won. She was the most
favored of all the popular girls who was envied by many even the
cheerleaders. Olivia was a decorated ballerina and would travel to
New Orleans to train on the weekends. Her 18 karat golden necklace
with ballet slippers dangled freely from her neck. She swung her
shoulder length hair over her shoulders again and waited for a
challenge from Drew. Drew observed that she was just affected by
the outbreak as everyone else; her right cheek had speckles of
blood splatter on it.

“
According to the
internet, they are called
Eaters
and what does it matter? Those things have moved
us to the top of the food chain!” Drew shouted. He was at his wits
end. All he wanted to do was get home at this point and get in his
bed.

“
From what I’ve seen so
far, girls like you die first,” Sue Ellen snapped. Everyone turned
to look at her, even Mater was stunned.

“
Now is not the time
Olivia and no more insults Sue Ellen.” Mr. Freeman turned his
attention back to Drew. “Anymore students or teachers with
you?”

Drew shook his head. He turned back towards
the cafeteria and gave way to Royal and the others inside.

“
What are they doing
in
there
? And you
guys were outside out
here
?” Mr. Freeman quickly glanced
back and forth between Drew and the window panes, which separated
them from Royal and the other students that were safely nestled
inside the cafeteria.

Mr. Freeman, followed by Olivia and the two
other female students, went to the cafeteria and pulled on the
doors, which opened its arms freely. Drew’s mouth fell wide open.
He followed Mr. Freeman inside and secured the door quickly once
every one was safely inside. Drew walked up to Royal nonchalantly
and hurled a swift punch to the face. Royal fell into Kaleb who
caught his fall. Kaleb grinned widely as he assisted Royal who held
his face. Drew ran once more and tackled both Kaleb and Royal
knocking them over onto the cafeteria tables.

Drew fought with Kaleb on the tables while
Royal rolled over groaning and grabbed his nose. Mr. Freeman
stepped in and pulled the boys apart. The teacher was big and broad
shouldered like a linebacker. He pointed at Kaleb and then at
Drew.

“
You two stay in your
spots and do not move! This is unacceptable and if school was in
session you both would be reprimanded!” Mr. Freeman angrily
stated.

“
They left us out there to
die!” Drew shouted. He winced at the pain in his lip. He brought
his hand up to inspect his face. Kaleb sneakily grinned and licked
the blood that trickled from his nose. Tarynn walked towards the
center of the confrontation.

“
And there will be signs
in the sun and moon and stars and on earth a distress of the
nations because of the roaring of the sea and
waves
,” Tarynn pointed at the window where
the rain fell down beating angrily at the pavement,
“
people will faint with fear and with
foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the
heavens will be shaken…. Luke, chapter 21 and verses
25-26.”

The room fell deathly silent. It was not
until now that everyone knew that the time had come that man was
being punished for his actions.

Mr. Freeman stared at Kaleb and then Royal
for what seemed like infinity. He shook his head. He glanced at
Tarynn and his face softened.

“
Tarynn, I thank you for
that scripture. I do pray that we all make it out of here safely,”
Mr. Freeman said as he turned his attention back to everyone in the
cafeteria. “Now, our school or possibly the entire town is
apparently under some biological warfare attack. I came back
through to see if there were any survivors. There are a host of
buses boarding out front to get everyone out of here.”

“
I need to get to my
Mee-maw and sisters,” Drew interrupted. Drew’s request signaled a
wave of pleas from the other students asking for their parents and
significant others.

“
Sorry son. We are headed
to the Fairgrounds Center. That is the location that has been set
up for us to evacuate. The National Guard is reportedly already
there. We need to move and move fast guys. Whatever is going on out
there is spreading fast. Pick up anything you have that you can use
as a weapon or protection. Backpacks, sticks…” Mr. Freeman noticed
the Sock-a-bats, scissors, and knife that Drew and his group was
carrying. He nodded his head in approval. “Let’s go. Not much time
left.” The teacher quickly headed towards the door with Drew, Sue
Ellen, and the others following closely behind.

“
We are staying…”Royal
said as he shielded his nose. Drew stopped in his tracks and
glanced back in disbelief.

A look of desperation
crossed Mr. Freeman’s face as he noticed another
Eater
straggling along
outside in the rain. He turned around to face Royal.

“
Son, listen. I am the
adult here and know what’s best. There are a gazillion of those
things out there. If you don’t come with me now then surely you
won’t make it out of here alive.”

“
My parents instructed me
to stay put in the event of an emergency.
Here
at the school. They won’t know
to look for me at that ole’ musty Fairgrounds Center,” Royal
blasted. He became confident as the followers behind him
agreed.

“
I don’t have time to
argue boy. We are leaving now and I suggest you come.” Beads of
sweat were evident on Mr. Freeman’s forehead.

“
Can’t the buses come back
here to pick us up? The car rider line is back here,” Royal pointed
out the window. The car rider line was where the parents picked up
the students who did not ride the bus or go to the after school
program. “I do not want to risk getting scratched or bitten by
those creatures.”

“
That was already
discussed. It’s chaotic towards the front right now. The buses
won’t be able to make a round back here.”

“
I am staying put. I have
seen what those creatures out there will do to you,” Royal
snapped.

“
Your choice son,” Mr.
Freeman said. He turned to look at all the students before settling
his gaze down on Drew. “If you want to live, then come with
me.”

Drew tightened the grip on his knife. He
observed Sue Ellen and Mater nod their heads in agreement. They had
Drew’s back no matter what. Beetle secured his glasses over the
bridge of his nose and hit elbows with Billy who crouched down in a
stance as if he were about to start a race.

Tarynn raised her fist towards the heavens
and brought it back to her chest closing her eyes and whispered
another countless silent prayer. She left her bible on the table as
Kaleb made a loud scowl. “Don’t worry you are going to need this
more than me,” Tarynn said as she patted the bible and walked over
towards Drew and Mr. Freeman.

Drew noticed he was missing someone in his
original group.

Where is Cookie?

“
Wait, Mr. Freeman. We
can’t leave Cookie. Where is she?” Drew asked.

“
I’m here. I’m coming,”
Cookie said as she slowly made her way to the front of the
cafeteria. Her head looked funny from the missing hair that
the
Eater
had
chomped off. “I had to sit down for a minute. I haven’t fought like
that in a long time. Thank goodness for that Vaseline.”

Drew noticed that Cookie
was not her usually spunky self. He could understand how draining
it would be after fighting someone. He had wore himself out by
tackling those two dud heads that had left him out to die. He could
not imagine how Cookie must have felt fighting off an
Eater
.

“
Are you alright?” Drew
asked.

Sue Ellen and Mater turned
around and stared at Cookie. They all noticed that when Cookie
turned her head there was blood on her shoulder on the side where
the
Eater
yanked
half of her hair out
.

“
I’m fine…” Cookie
breathed deeply. She looked around at the bamboozled
looks.

“
You don’t look fine,” Sue
Ellen added.

“
Well missy! I don’t think
you would be fine if an
Eater
zombie scalped you alive! Now would you!” Cookie
blasted. “The blood is coming from where my tracks were ripped out
idiots!”

Cookie took her place up front by Mr.
Freeman. Sue Ellen and Mater looked at Drew with curiosity. He
shrugged it off and took his stance behind Mr. Freeman as well.
Drew turned around to get a glimpse of Royal and his goons one last
time. There were some students who seemed as if they wanted to
leave as well but did not move. Royal raised his hand and saluted
Drew.

“
Follow my lead.
Remember…. Run quick and run quiet!” Mr. Freeman
demanded.

Tarynn spoke swiftly but
with assertion. “
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,


I will fear no evil, for you will
be with me
….”

Mr. Freeman signaled the go by nodding his
head. He bolted through the door leading the students through the
courtyard in the howling rain. The wind fought against the group as
they scurried along briskly along the sidewalk shielding their face
from the brutal force of the weather. Everything else that followed
became a blur.

No humans towards the back
of the school were seen alive. A couple of mummified corpses were
piled up ahead near the door that led to the front office, where
the buses were located.
Teachers
…. Drew figured. It looked
as if they were trying to make it into the building before they
died.

Drew heard a low cry at
the edge of the building before reaching the door. The cry sounded
weak but was overshadowed by hoarse gurgling moans. Drew stopped
and noticed a group of
Eaters
huddled over another child feasting away over the
last bit of life the student had left.

“
Keep moving! Don’t stop!”
Mr. Freeman yelled over the mad, raging winds.

The teacher’s loud,
booming voice alerted one of the
Eaters,
whose neck snapped up
quickly to see that there was more than enough food to go around.
The
Eater,
who
looked to be no more than twelve-years-old,
jerked up unsteadily from its now doomed soul. The
Eater
reminded Drew of
how his mother would walk whenever she came home in the wee hours
of the morning intoxicated. The
Eater
limped along lazily with its
entire leg nearly eaten through. It waved it arms out towards Drew
like it was trying to flag someone down.

Drew glanced back towards
the cafeteria and noticed that an army of
Eaters
had congregated at the
windows and door. It looked like the entire seventh grade had
flocked to the den of sheep.

Drew felt a strong jerk,
which pulled him within the confinements of the hallway and out of
the harsh weather. The
Eater,
who was after Drew, tripped onto the side walk
and fell into the door. Drew jumped back and continued running
towards the double doors that led to freedom. The horrid moans and
screams that he heard at the beginning of the school day got louder
as he got closer to the gym.

The gym and office were up ahead on the
right and a second hallway adjacent from the office led to the
eighth grade hall. The sweat trickled down Drew’s forehead and into
his eyes causing them to burn badly. As Drew neared the gym, the
gurgling moans were deafening accompanied by a loud thumping sound
at the door. Thick congealed blood pooled at the edges of the gym
door. Drew dared not think what could have gone on behind the
closed doors of the gym.

Before making it to the
office, Drew observed a teacher lying in the hallway being devoured
by three
Eaters.
The teacher’s muscles caused the body to wriggle as
the
Eaters
hungrily savored their meal. Drew brought his hand up to his
mouth to fight the nausea that easily made its way up into the back
of his throat. He continued on walking quickly and stopped before
passing the front office, which looked like a butcher room. Small
bloody hand prints were plastered all over the window. Splatters of
blood were everywhere. Papers were scattered on top of the desk and
stuck to the floor by clotted blood. Chairs were overturned. The
phone was dangling over the counter still swinging
slightly.