ZOMBIE SCHOOL

AUTHOR’S POV

The hunter crouched beside a patch of disturbed earth, brushing aside a few wet leaves.

“Footprints.”

Garrick moved closer. “How many?”

“Several. Small ones.”

Elena knelt beside him.

The impressions were shallow, some barely visible beneath the fallen leaves. Most belonged to children. Others were larger, probably made by adults.

The tracks left the main trail and disappeared beneath a cluster of bushes.

“Could be survivors,” Garrick said.

“Or people who passed through before the plague,” another hunter suggested.

Elena studied the ground. The smaller footprints were scattered and uneven, as though their owners had been running. Near a tree, one trail ended abruptly where the soil had been scraped away.

Her stomach tightened.

“We should follow them.”

Garrick looked at her. “We came for supplies.”

“And if children are out here, we need to know whether they're safe.”

“What if they're infected?”

“Then we'll find out before bringing them anywhere.”

He rubbed a hand over his face.

“You're determined to make this difficult.”

“I'm determined not to leave children alone in the forest.”

For a moment, Garrick said nothing. Then he straightened.

“Fine. Everyone stays alert. We're following the tracks.”

They left the main trail and pushed through the undergrowth.

The footprints led downhill, past a shallow stream and around a rocky outcrop. Twenty minutes later, the trees thinned, revealing a clearing.

At the far end stood a dilapidated building.

Elena stopped.

A faded sign hung above the entrance. Most of the lettering had peeled away, but enough remained to identify the place.

MOUNTAIN VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

One side of the roof had collapsed. Several windows were boarded up, while others gaped open behind broken frames. A rusted swing moved in the breeze, its chains creaking softly.

Elena's chest tightened.

Children had been here.

And judging by the fresh footprints in the mud, some might still be inside.

Garrick drew his knife.

“Stay behind me.”

This time, Elena didn't argue.

They approached the entrance slowly. Inside, dust coated the floor, and overturned desks lay scattered along the corridor. Children's drawings still clung to the walls, their bright colors faded by dampness.

A smiling yellow sun had been drawn beside one classroom door.

Elena barely had time to look at it before a faint sound reached her ears.

A whimper.

She raised her hand.

“Someone's here.”

The hunters spread out, checking the corridor while Garrick covered the entrance. Elena followed the sound to a half-open classroom door.

She pushed it gently.

“Hello?”

Silence.

“My name is Elena. I'm a healer. Is anyone in there?”

Something shifted behind an overturned desk.

Elena stepped inside.

Five children huddled in the corner.

The oldest looked about twelve. The youngest couldn't have been more than four. Their clothes were filthy, their faces streaked with tears, and their eyes widened when they saw the strangers.

A little girl clutched a torn stuffed rabbit to her chest. Beside her, a boy held a broken piece of wood like a weapon.

“Don't come closer!” the oldest girl warned.

Elena immediately stopped.

“All right. I won't.”

“Don't take us!”

“We're not here to hurt you.”

“You're strangers.”

“You're right. You don't know us, so you shouldn't trust us immediately.” Elena lowered herself into a crouch, keeping her hands visible. “But you can tell me if anyone is hurt. I won't come closer unless you let me.”

The boy tightened his grip on the wood.

Behind him, a younger child began to cry.

The oldest girl pulled the child against her side and whispered something in his ear. Her own hands were trembling.

Elena's gaze moved over the group.

“What's your name?”

The girl hesitated.

“Nora.”

“I'm Elena. How long have you been here, Nora?”

“Since yesterday.”

“Where are your parents?”

Nora's face crumpled before she quickly looked away.

“They went to find food.”

“And they haven't returned?”

She shook her head.

Elena swallowed the ache rising in her throat.

“Is there anyone else in the building?”

“No.”

“Did someone get hurt?”

The children exchanged frightened looks.

Then the youngest boy pointed toward the far corner.

Elena followed his gaze.

Another child lay behind an overturned desk, curled on his side. Blood stained his trousers, and his face was so pale that for one terrible moment she thought he was dead.

She started toward him.

“Don't touch Finn!”

Nora sprang to her feet.

Elena stopped immediately.

“Finn is his name?”

Nora nodded. “He's hurt. He doesn't like people touching him.”

Elena looked at the boy's rigid body and frightened eyes.

“Finn, can you hear me?”

He stared at her without answering.

“I'm a healer. I want to help with your leg, but I won't touch you without telling you first.”

His gaze flickered toward the door.

Elena sat down several feet away.

“It's all right. I'll wait.”

Garrick appeared in the doorway, his expression tense.

“We need to be careful. We don't know how long they've been here or whether infected people entered the building.”

“Check the other rooms. Stay together, and don't approach anyone who appears sick.”

He glanced at Finn, then back at her.

“Don't take any unnecessary risks.”

“I won't.”

Garrick gave her a doubtful look before leaving with the hunters.

Elena turned back to the children.

Nora was watching her carefully.

“Did the sick people hurt you?” Elena asked.

Nora shook her head.

“They came into the school yesterday. Some of the teachers told us to hide, but people were screaming everywhere. The other children ran away with their parents.”

She paused, her fingers tightening around the edge of her shirt.

“Finn fell when we were running. He couldn't stand up afterward, so we brought him here.”

“How long ago?”

“Yesterday morning.”

Elena examined the wound from a distance. His knee was badly swollen, and the bloodstained fabric suggested a deep cut. He needed treatment immediately, but forcing him to let her approach could make things worse.

“Did any of those people touch you?” she asked.

“No.”

“Did anyone get bitten?”

“No. We hid until they left.”

Elena let out a quiet breath.

She was about to ask another question when a dragging footstep sounded outside.

Then another.

Her head snapped toward the window.

Garrick's voice came from the corridor.

“Elena.”

She stood and stepped outside.

“What is it?”

He pointed toward the rear windows.

“Movement.”

Elena approached the boarded window and peered through a narrow gap.

Three figures stumbled between the trees.

One wore a torn shirt stiff with dried blood. Another dragged a foot behind him. The third moved with its head hanging at an unnatural angle.

Then it stopped.

Slowly, its head turned toward the school.

Even through the grime covering its face, Elena could see the dark veins spreading beneath its skin.

The same markings she'd seen on the infected traveler.

Her blood ran cold.

“They've found us!"