Ms. Sissa eventually returned and explained they would be allowed to grab frogs from the dumpster out back. As they arrived out back, with gloves and safety bags to carry the dead frogs, John noticed one dumpster was marked toxic while the other was simply a regular dumpster. John got a crazy idea to get revenge on a bully who had ruined the life of many. While Ms. Sissa wasn’t looking, he grabbed the two frozen frogs from the toxic dumpster.
Nova still hid behind Kyle. “Tell them what you did? Talk. They deserve to know.”
John knew had to no place to run. He had to take responsibility. “Fine, I’ll talk.”
The group prepared for the truth.
Chapter 23 – Just A Prank
John sat down on the main office couch with his head lowered. He had already explained the trip to the lab, but not what he did following taking the toxic frogs. Before him stood Mo, Brand, Nova and Kyle, their backs against the front desk, side by side. Outside zombies could be heard clawing against the office door and wall. This new development made them all forget their life was in constant danger. They desperately wanted to know why John did what he had done. He put their lives at risk and caused the deaths of hundreds. They were growing tired of his stalling.
“Just finish talking,” Mo said. “Don’t make us force you.”
“We won’t get violent,” Kyle said. “He’s not guilty until we hear all of his side.”
Nova scoffed. “Oh please, this is his fault.”
“Still, give him a chance to talk,” Kyle said.
“He’s our friend,” Brand added. “He saved my life. John is a good person.”
Mo was finding it hard to hide the disgust in her face. “Saved one life and lost hundreds, including my sister’s.”
Brand couldn’t argue with her. He understood her anger. “Let’s just let him finish talk.”
Mo stumped her feet against the floor and shouted,” We’re the ones doing all the talking!”
“It was a prank,” John softly spoke out. He raised his head, making eye contact with them. “I’ve been tortured by Hector. He’s a horrible person no matter what anybody tries to say. I took those two infected frogs, hoping whatever they had would spread to Hector and cause him to freak out. It was his turn to learn how to be embarrassed. I helped Ms. Sissa place the frogs in her class that morning. Her seating chart was hard to read, so I wasn’t sure if Hector’s seat was on the front or back row, but luckily I had two frogs. From what Brand has said, the frog attacked Hector and he turned into a zombie. It then started to spread and now we’re here.” A tear streamed down John’s face. “I didn’t want this to happen. I just wanted a bully to get a taste of his own medicine. The scientist said they were testing an energy drink not some kind of insane zombie virus.”
Kyle held his hand up toward John. “Wait, you killed Hector?”
“I wasn’t planning on doing so. It was a mistake.”
Kyle folded his hand in a fist and placed it in front of his mouth. “He was my friend.”
“I’m sorry,” John said.
Kyle turned away. “I can’t even look at you.”
This was Brand or anybody’s first time seeing Kyle crack.
“I didn’t want any of this,” John said.
“I hope we all make it out alive because we all deserve to see you arrested,” Mo said.
Nova rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe I once liked you.”
Brand understood all of their pain and anger, but understood John made a mistake. It was a stupid one, but Brand simply couldn’t sit back and allow them to outcast him. Brand drew some inspiration from his father and prepared himself to take an unpopular but needed stance. He had to be brave.
Chapter 24 – Burger For A Good Time
Nova underestimated the shallowness of teenagers. She always had friends growing up but that all had change since her weight gain. Nova packed on the pounds during a summer vacation at her grandmother’s house. The southern woman feed her endlessly, fried foods almost every night. Nova was too busy enjoying her summer to notice she had become a bit heavier. Once she started high school, her classmates did a great job pointing it out for her though.
Her freshman year she ate even more out of boredom, loneliness and depression. Once the summer hit she vowed to get back into shape but ended up working to help her family pay the bills. She spent most of her nights flipping burgers and also eating them on her break. She now sat alone at lunch, pretending she was enjoying a salad and watching John across the cafeteria.
She was a bit disappointed with her crush. He made the volcano after Hector bullied him into it. They got a C.
Hector broke her out of her trance as he waved a burger before her face. “Bite it, baby.”
She pushed his hand from in front of her face. “Leave me alone, Hector.”
“Come on baby cakes, eat the burger for daddy, you know you want it.” Hector made a kissy face at her.
Nova looked over at the table of football players who were all winking and waving food at her.
“I’m going to report you, Hector and your mentally unstable friends.”
“And I’ll report you for being a skank.”
“What,” Nova asked in shock. She barely could get a guy to hold her hand.
“The rumor is you do anything for food.” He raised his brows. “And I mean anything. Not my type, but sex is sex.”
Nova had never been so disgusted and embarrassed. It was the first time she heard of the rumor and it hurt her to the core. She got up from the table and rushed from the cafeteria as she wiped tears from her eyes. Over her shoulder she could still hear Hector laughing and mocking her.
“Damn, I should’ve got extra cheese I guess,” He shouted after her.
Nova turned the corner and tripped over a text book somebody left on the floor. A group of girls laughed as they walked passed her. Nova didn’t even bother to get up. She was embarrassed enough already, this tripping incident only adding to the list. Nova just sat their crying.
“He’s a monster,” A familiar male voice said.
She looked up to discover John. “I hate him.”
He joined her on the floor. “Don’t worry; I have a plan that’s going to ruin him.”
Nova remembered the evil she saw in his eyes. “Are you going to hurt him?” She feared his answer would be ‘yes’.
“Tomorrow Hector will cut into a frog that’s laced with some weird energy juice mixture.”
“What?”
“If things work out, this frog will send Hector on an energy trip that will leave him embarrassed.”
Nova forced a smile not really understanding the idea. “Oh.”
“Tomorrow Hector will fall and see how it feels to be in our shoes.”
John stood and helped Nova to her feet. She knew he was kind, but lately his evil side was starting to show.
Chapter 25 – That Damn Frog Kept Going
No actual friends, Nova usually cuddled up to her teachers. One of her most powerful friends was Principal Dweeb. Nova heard endless jokes about his name and it didn’t help that the man was actually sort of a dweeb: wearing big glasses, suits that barely fit him and had a nasally voice. The budget cuts only made him more of a wreck though. Nova usually worked the front desk during her free period and gym. They fired the actual woman who used to work at the front desk due to budget cuts.
Principal Dweeb stood at the front desk fiddling with a bunch of keys. “I’m tired. I went through the entire school making sure I locked all the doors. To be honest I thought I cancelled the pressure wash but then I forgot it was my assistant’s job but she no longer works here.”
“Why must you lock all the doors,” Nova asked.
“They use these giant hoses to clean the school. It’s possible the doors might get blown opened during the wash and I don’t want the halls getting drenched. Most importantly, I don’t want of the students getting injured in the halls or accidentally walking outside while the hoses are on. We can’t afford
a law suit. Heck, we can’t even afford a suit for the school play. They blew their budget on a motorcycle that’s only going to be in one scene.”
Nova knew the man was already stressed but she had a bit more bad news. “The phones aren’t working.”
Dweeb’s eyes widened and he tug at the little hair left on his head. “What?”
“It keeps saying the connection is down. I tried testing the wifi but nothing works.”
He clipped the keys on his pants and cleaned his glasses. “Oh dear, I’m tired.”
“Also, the boy’s locker room has a really bad scent. The coach reported it this morning.”
Dweeb smacked himself against the forehead. “I forgot about the boy’s locker room.”
“What do you mean?”
“I locked the emergency exit in the girl’s locker room then got stuck in a convo and forgot the boy’s door.”
Nova would volunteer to go lock it but she didn’t want to cross paths with Hector. “Oh, that’s bad.”
“Zombies,” A male voice yelled.
Dweeb slammed his hand on the front desk. “I swear whoever is playing in the halls is getting suspended.”
Nova watched as Principal Dweeb stormed into the hallway and rested his hands on his hips. She could hear screaming coming from the halls which made her a bit uneasy. Dweeb looked down as a frog arrived at his feet. He shook his head and started complaining under his breath about Ms. Sissa. Nova instantly connected the pale looking frog to John. Dweeb leaned over to pick up the frog only for it to bite him and continue hopping down the hall. He returned to the office sucking his bruised finger, opened his mouth to speak and dropped to the floor.
Nova looked over the front desk. “Principal Dweeb? Are you ok?”
He twitched and started to growl. At this moment Nova noticed her classmates running down the halls screaming and others viciously attacking them. Principal Dweeb jumped to his feet and growled out at her. Nova threw a stapler at him, hitting the man in the head. He charged towards her and Nova quickly crawled under the front desk cabinet space and locked herself in. Dweeb growled and clawed at the door, Nova screaming at the top of her lungs for help. She didn’t know exactly what was happening but knew it had something to do with the frog in the hall, John’s frog.
Chapter 26 – Lost and Found
Brand had to set things right. Kyle had taken control of the group but now Brand felt it was his turn. Kyle, Mo and Nova all kept to themselves, doing their best to avoid eye contact with John in the small space. Brand was ready to get out of this school and sitting around being angry at John wasn’t going to get them anywhere. He needed to ease the tension.
“How did you know Nova,” Brand asked.
She brushed her red hair behind her shoulder as she faced him. “Huh?”
“How did you know this was all John’s fault?”
“He explained his plan to me, about the frogs and going after Hector. I witnessed a frog attack our principal.”
“You’re saying you knew about his plan before this all went down,” Brand clarified.
Nova nodded. “I guess you can say that.”
“And you didn’t report him or try to stop it?”
“I didn’t think it would lead to this,” Nova said. “I mean, we’re basically living in a horror novel.”
Brand motioned at John. “Be honest, did you predict any of this?”
“No, I didn’t even know it would work. I was taking a risk, anything to get at Hector.”
“Are you’re saying he’s innocent,” Kyle jumped in.
“No,” Brand quickly answered. “What he did was wrong but we can blame him and both Nova, right?”
“But it wasn’t my plan,” Nova explained.
“You knew about,” Brand pointed out. “You could’ve prevented all of this.”
“I don’t like what you’re trying to do to Nova,” Kyle said. “You’re covering for him.”
“I’m saying he made a mistake and at some point will suffer for it. Nova made a mistake for not reporting him to the principal. Heck, I made a mistake for not making sure the barricade in the cafeteria was extra safe. Mistakes happen and sometimes the results are horrifying, but we can’t just sit here and dwell. We need a new plan. This is the main office.” Brand browsed the room. “There has to be keys to the doors somewhere in here. Now, who’s going to help me look?”
There was a pause but eventually John stood and started digging around for the keys. Mo was next to join in and then Kyle. Brand dug through the lost and found space where he found a mini-video camera. He planned to use it to record some of what was going on inside the school and a message for his fans just in case things went wrong. Brand put the camera in his backpack.
“Wait,” Nova said. “The keys aren’t here. I was here the morning of the attack working the front desk and Principal Dweeb had all the keys because he locked the doors. He clipped them onto his pants before he turned into a zombie and is now somewhere in this school running around with them.”
Kyle sighed. “If we have to search for him it might take forever.”
“We don’t have to,” Nova said. “He forgot to lock the boy’s locker room door. That’s our best escape.”
Brand hand’s started to shake with excitement. “We have a way out.”
“I forgot about it,” Nova said. “I was too busy being angry at John.”
“We’ll get back to John,” Kyle said. “But for now, let’s get to the gym.”
Mo nodded toward the main office exit. “Zombies are blocking our way out. We have to take the vents.”
Brand nodded and cupped his hands together. “Alright then, let’s go home.”
The group had to put aside their anger for now and came together for a plan that could not fail.
Chapter 27 – Together Again
Brand sat with Matt on his front porch as they watched movers pack up the house. There was no more fighting to be done, Brand was moving away and going to a new school. He and Matt spent the last week together as much as they could. Still, in the back of their heads and hearts a dark cloud loomed. They were being split apart and would be tested over the next three school years.
Matt sighed. “Who will I hang out with?”
Brand laughed. “Dude, you’re popular. There’s always going to be somebody to hang out with.”
“Yeah, but it’s not going to be any fun.”
“My show won’t be the same anymore without you helping.”
“I’ll still do my best to be there over video chat,” Matt said.
“I know but it can’t replace you being beside me editing videos.”
Matt pouted. “This is so gay.” He laughed.
“I know. It feels as if my soul is being split in two. Dude, I think I love you.”
Matt covered his ears. “No, don’t say that. It’ll only make this harder.”
“I take it back,” Brand laughed.
“It’s already out there. Heck, I love you back. I’ll keep doing so until we meet back up in college.”
Brand stood. “I hope my new town is somewhat exciting.”
“Yeah, I’ll be looking forward to your next video once you get there.” Matt also stood. “So, this is it.”
“Are we supposed to kiss or something?”
Matt rubbed the back of his neck. “In front of the movers?”
Brand stole a kiss. “I just answered your question for you.”
Brand had been living in this town for two weeks and had yet to find something interesting to make a video about. He knew his fans and Matt were back home waiting for some new content be he was so demoralized. This zombie invasion did something though. It showed him he had strength and courage and that he was truly his father’s soon. Mo, John, Kyle and Nova were all preparing weapons and trying to map out how they would reach the gym through the vents. Brand wasn’t familiar with the school layout so stepped away to record a video.
He sat behind the front desk and turned the cam
era to his face. “Hey, it’s me Brand. If you’re watching this I’m probably dead or you’ve heard about how my friends and I survived on zombie apocalypse on the news. It’s been a really scary time in here to be honest but also a great one. I made such close connections in just two days with these people. But let me start from the beginning.” Brand explained what happened starting from the Hector getting bit up until this moment. “I just want to use the final moments of this video to say, mom I love. Also Matt, even though I knew I was gay I sometimes had a hard time accepting it. I didn’t want to be different, but because of you I learned that I was normal. I love you Matt and sorry I didn’t live.” Brand smiled. “Bye.”
Brand turned off the camera. He wondered if he would be alive to upload it.
Chapter 28 – Just Send Help
Dora wasn’t trying to escape until she found her brother. She didn’t know what was going on, but based on the behavior of the other students they had become zombies. Once the chaos started, she hid inside an incomplete garden shed they were building in shop for the class project. A few others hid with her, but one by one they left and never returned. She got tired of waiting, armed herself with a piece of sharpened wood and went out searching for her brother, Hector.
She paced herself in the bloody halls, not wanting to end up zombie food. Dora didn’t have a plan for what she would do once she found her brother, but she knew he would have some ideas. Though he was a jerk at times, she looked up to her brother and took his advice. He managed to make it to the top of the social ladder and befriend those who were considered popular. She kept walking until she spotted a body ahead, on the hall floor, wearing her brother’s sneakers. Dora rushed down the hall to discover Hector with a hole in his head. He was a zombie, already taken out by somebody else.
Dora dropped down beside her brother as the tears started to flow. “How? You’re too strong for this.”
She was finding it hard to believed she out lived him. A chirping sound from his pocket interrupted her mourning. She dug into his pocket to discover he managed to sneak his cellphone into school. Dora checked to discover he only had two percent battery life. She could call her parents and break the news or the cops and save those who were still inside like her.
Dora decided to do the right thing. “My name is Dora and I’m calling from Harrison High. There’s death everywhere. This isn’t a prank call, but I think my classmates are all turning into zombies.” She started to cry harder as the operator questioned for more info. “Please, just send help.”