Outside the gym, first-person POV.
"They should be with the police captain's son," George commented.
"Shouldn't they be watching everyone," Amy grumbled upon hearing what George said.
"Well… I guess it's kind of similar to me," I said, looking at Tim in an embarrassed tone. "By the way, is it safe to stay here?" I asked Tim, trying to divert the conversation.
"It would be best if we left right away, but the car we brought is parked on a dead-end street due to traffic jams caused by the protests… We could go out and get a car, but there's a risk we'd run into some criminals mingling with the protesters."
"We should stay here," Yuki said, her trembling voice reflecting her nervousness at Tim's comments.
"As the lady says… I propose we stay here for a few hours. Besides, with the presence of the military guarding the entrances, no danger could arise."
"You're right. We'll wait then," I said, analyzing her words.
"Understood, miss."
"Have you been able to contact my father?" I asked Tim, worried.
"An hour ago, we were able to contact him, but the telephone networks started failing recently," he replied. "Don't worry, miss, he was fine. Just anxiously awaiting his return," he added, noticing my nervousness.
"I hope to get home soon."
"Tim, I'm back… Miss, we can finally find you," said Rony's father, noticing Tim first and then turning to me with a big smile.
"How are you?" I asked worriedly.
"Very well, miss, and you?" he asked back in a calm tone.
"A little scared," I replied.
"Did you find an emergency route?" Tim asked him directly.
"They have a service gate, but it's chained shut, and there's a guard watching over it. Besides, it's in the opposite direction from the car, so it's not convenient for us," he replied.
"I see. What about the soldiers?" Tim asked.
"They're just covering the entrances, but…"
"What?" Tim asked.
"I heard them talking about a curfew. I think we should go," Rony's dad commented.
"It's safer here for the time being. Knowing the military, the curfew will be imposed at 7 p.m. We should get out of here before then… It's 5:30 p.m. If the military can't clear a safe path, we'll leave on our own," Tim said confidently.
"I feel like we're in a Mission: Impossible movie," Amy commented excitedly.
"Amy, this is serious," I rebuked her.
"Sorry… You know I don't like being down for so long," she said, sounding embarrassed.
"Tim, which entrance is closest to the car?" I asked.
"The car is near the main entrance, so we should wait near there," Tim replied seriously.
"Okay, let's wait there then. Besides, we'll be safer with the military around."
An hour later.
"Oh! I'm bored!" Amy exclaimed, lying on the living room tables, her legs jerking, clearly uneasy.
"We'll be out soon," I commented, uncertain as I continued trying to call my father.
Since we met up with the men my father sent to protect me, we spent most of our time trying to contact people outside the city center, but the phone networks were still down, and even short-distance calls were no longer working.
At first, we thought it would take the military less than an hour to clear everything, but all we'd seen them do since we arrived at my classroom was talk on the radio, and occasionally they'd go out to patrol the perimeter of the high school.
The worst part was that in the distance, we could see some areas with fires. Emergency sirens were also constantly blaring. We also saw hooded people fleeing from the police on the street in front of the high school.
All of this was making us very uneasy.
Even Tim and Rony's dad were already checking the map on their phones, planning an escape route, given how difficult the situation was.
"At least we could see the awards ceremonies. Everything's almost over, and we're waiting for the military to clear the way," Amy commented.
"It's safer here, and besides, we'll be among the first to leave when the military opens the gates," I said, looking out at the classroom window that overlooked the main entrance.
"Guys! I was just checking the foreign streamer's video again, and I noticed something that might be related to what the game guy said earlier," George said, quickly getting up from his seat and approaching us.
"What do you mean?" Amy asked, frightened. Yuki leaned closer from her seat to see what George was going to show.
"Look," he said.
In the video, the young woman was seen presenting new content for her social media channels. She was accompanying a group of firefighters who responded to a rescue at a residential building. In the first few moments of the video, it was clear that she was merely documenting the actions of the firefighter squad.
However, as the broadcast continued, she seemed uncomfortable. She even seemed to have witnessed something that terrified her, but due to the camera angle, we could only see her reaction.
After that point, she began to calm the viewers. At the same time, she seemed to be trying to convince them that it was all a setup. However, the broadcast didn't last much longer, as something shocking happened in the final minutes.
After a horrified scream, a body fell from the stairs, right behind the young woman. Terrified, she turned around, and we could see how the person who should have died from the fall, or at least been in serious condition, got up and threw himself at one of the building's neighbors. After that, the feed became difficult to analyze.
We only saw the girl running with some neighbors, fleeing from those people who seemed crazy. They tried to leave the building, but found the exits blocked by the police.
Finally, the video ended, and we were all shocked.
I had seen fragments of the video Amy had shown me before, but now I see it differently.
With the seriousness of the events happening near the high school and coupled with that comment from the kid in the game, it seemed like things were more complicated than they seemed.
"My father knew about this," I thought, surprised, looking at Tim and his dad with suspicion.
"Emily, is this real?" Amy asked, clenching her hands, trying to control the trembling.
"I don't... I don't know," I replied, my voice shaking, and I had so many doubts right now.
"Those looked like zombies, right?" George asked, panicking.
"Yeah… like the ones in anime," said Yuki, unconsciously hugging me out of fear.
Just as George mentioned zombies, I noticed Tim looking in our direction, as if the mention of these fantastic creatures caught his attention.
Now I was becoming even more convinced that my father and his men might have known about this for a while.
Trying to remember when my father started acting suspicious, one name came to mind: 'Alex'
He seemed to be the one who warned my father at my birthday party.
"Tim, can I ask you something?" I asked suddenly.
"Sure, miss."
"Do you know anything about zom…?" I was asking when an annoying squeak sounded from the nearby speakers.
"Attention students! The anniversary must end immediately! This is a general alert! This is not a drill! I repeat! This is not a drill! Teachers, please guide students to the safe spaces or their respective classrooms!"
"Please take shelter in the gym, cafeteria, cafeteria, library, or your classrooms! Teachers or administrative staff will oversee controlling security in these spaces! From this moment on, the military will seal entrances to prevent intruders from escaping! Once they have the situation under control, the gates will open so you can return home!"
We were all paralyzed with fear, including Tim and Rony's dad.
This announcement seemed very different from before, not only in the message, but also in the way the principal spoke.
His voice was thick with panic, and when a person like him panicked, we should be terrified.
"Wait a minute… What did he mean by escape?" I asked myself, alarmed.
I immediately looked at the main entrance, where the soldiers were now talking on their radios, but they looked much more alarmed.
They closed the gate that gave access to the cars, leaving only the main entrance open. However, unlike the surveillance they had been using before, they were now staring intently at the high school, looking for danger.
"Are you okay, miss?" Rony's dad asked, noticing my gaze fixed on the entrance.
"I'm fine. It just seems like we're trapped in here now," I commented, my shoulders slumped, and my tone was the most pessimistic I'd used so far.
"Don't worry, miss. We'll get you out of here. Besides, with the soldiers out there, nothing will get in," he tried to calm me down, his tone warm.
"I'm not worried about what's coming from outside, but what's in here," I said, a dry tone escaping my lips.
Now panicked screams could be heard from the anniversary venue instead of the music and cheers.
"What do you mean, Emily?" George asked, tilting his head in confusion.
"The lady is referring to the message the principal gave," Tim replied in a serious tone.
"But she only asked us to take shelter in the classrooms. What's the harm in that?" George asked, even more confused.
"Young man, your principal mentioned 'intruder escape,' which means they're already inside," he replied, staring at him with a worried look.
"That means if we try to force our way out, the military might attack us, right?" Tim asked, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
"They wouldn't do it, would they?" Amy asked, terrified.
"I don't think they will, but… it depends on the orders they receive from their command center," Tim replied in a serious tone.
"Could they be protesters coming from outside? Or zombies?" Yuki asked in a low voice.
Her tone was almost imperceptible in normal situations, but due to the state of alertness we were in and the silence that reigned in the classroom, we could all hear her clearly.
The worst part was that no one responded.
There was a tacit understanding we all shared.
Not to talk about it, but to consider the possibility of it happening.
"Why are Yuki's interventions always so direct?" I wondered.
Just as I was about to comment on something to escape this awkward situation, I heard a series of footsteps coming from outside.
"Is anyone here? ... Emily, is it you? Can you help me get to the second-floor infirmary?" said the voice of one of the classmates who had entered the room.
"Sure, Minnie. What happened to Violet?" I asked worriedly. I noticed that Violet, who was leaning on Minerva, was limping and had a wound in her knee.
"When the announcement was made, everyone near the stage panicked. We tried to make our way, but just as we were leaving, a guy approached us and tripped Violet, nearly biting her."
"So, what happened next?" I asked, alarmed, checking Violet for bites.
"Nothing happened. A man saw the situation and started hitting her… I realized this wasn't the only incident where people were being attacked… It seems the protests and fear are getting to people," she replied with a nonchalant attitude.
"Whew… What a relief," I said, feeling calmer. Minnie seemed perplexed by my reaction.
"Let's go to the infirmary quickly, and then we'll go back to the classroom… Tim, would you join us?" I said first to Minnie and then asked Tim.
"Of course, but we need to get back soon."
Five minutes later.
"Fuuu... Vio, have you gained a few pounds?" Minerva inquired sarcastically.
"Shut up! I haven't gained any weight," she replied firmly, blushing slightly.
As we were about to arrive, we saw two classmates also heading to the infirmary.
Just as I was about to ask them about what was happening at the high school, they stopped immediately.
Following their gaze, I saw signs of blood leading from the infirmary.
The trail followed the same direction they were coming from and, after a few meters, faded away.
The hallway was plunged into an overwhelming silence.
It felt oppressive, almost tangible.
Our gazes met; we were all on alert.
"What happened here?" Minerva asked, her hands shaking uncontrollably.
.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it.
Emily now realizes that everything has changed, but she still holds out hope that it's all just a misunderstanding. But what she finds in the nurse's office will change her life forever.
By the way, do you know who these characters are who appeared in this chapter?
Hint: they're from the TWD universe.
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Read my other novels
#The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future.
#Vinland Kingdom: Race Against Time.
You can find them on my profile.]