On the stairs connecting to the cafeteria.
"David, you must be cautious," Alex spoke in a voice filled with concern and fatigue.
I slowly moved away, Alex's voice fading behind me.
I hadn't managed to hear the whole conversation, and to be completely honest, after hearing that crucial information, my attention completely dissipated.
A whirlwind of data saturated my mind; the military's withdrawal, the containment that had failed, the collapsed hospitals.
Those words bounced incessantly in my skull, fragmenting the last layer of the protective bubble I had sheltered myself in.
Reality was now different. The entire world had transformed.
What were the implications of all this? Were Alex and that other man, David, members of a conspiracy? Perhaps a secret organization that had intentionally released the virus?
For a brief instant, the idea seemed completely plausible, as if it were taken from a movie script. But I discarded it almost as quickly as it came to me.
Alex's backpack wasn't of the latest technology, his weapons were very functional, his attire was that of a man prepared to survive, not to plan a global catastrophe.
This wasn't about a movie plot. This was completely real.
And the truth was much simpler and more terrifying: the world was falling apart, and in some way, they were aware of it.
I continued walking down the hallway, with no clear destination, until I stopped in front of a window.
The night sky over the city was dyed with an ominous orange tone. In the distance, flashes of fire could be seen dancing, projecting ghostly shadows.
The air filled with the muffled sounds of sirens and distant screams that the high school building couldn't silence. I could even hear some screams and voices coming from the nearby buildings within the campus.
Suddenly, the impact of the truth hit me head-on. This had not been a sudden collapse.
Everything had been a slow and gradual descent into chaos.
The marked absence of classmates and teachers at school during the previous week, absences that at the time were interpreted as personal problems or illnesses. However, it's most likely that they were the first to face this disaster, and the first to fall.
The videos on the internet that most of us dismissed as fake news were, in reality, a global warning. If you weren't aware of the anomalies around you, this was an indirect warning for everyone, but no one paid it the proper attention.
The movements of the military forces that were presumed to be 'routine' exercises had been, in fact, preparations by the government to try to prevent the catastrophe. Despite everything, their efforts proved to be useless and only managed to postpone the inevitable.
"They had known about this for several months but decided not to tell us anything… Too many lives were lost due to their incompetence," I reflected in a low voice.
The protests in the last few days and the violent behavior of certain people without an apparent reason had been a beacon in the middle of the storm. A notice so significant that it could have caught the attention of many, but it wasn't enough to pull the population out of their imaginary world.
They were clear signals. One after another. But everyone, including myself, was so absorbed in our lives, our phones, and our classes, that we simply didn't want to perceive them.
I returned to the main hall, feeling an indescribable emotional weight upon me.
George and Marlon continued their guard duty, conversing in low voices.
"I'm not sure… if we should stay," I heard George say, his voice reflecting a deep doubt.
"He's probably thinking about Amy's safety," I considered in silence.
Marlon responded with a notable pessimism: "And where would we go, George? Alex told us that the streets are completely impassable."
Their voices fell silent as soon as they saw me. But there was no discomfort, as we had all discussed this situation on several occasions.
"Did you have any problems on your way?", George asked, clearly worried about my lateness.
"No… I just started thinking," I replied, took a sigh and then said with an almost tearful tone: "I don't understand what happened, we were celebrating just a while ago, but now… everything… is disappearing"
I allowed myself to have a brief moment of weakness, fighting with all my strength to hold back the tears.
My recent reflection and the memory of Sonny had caused me to waver, though only for an instant.
"Don't worry, Emily, we all feel the same way," George told me, trying to console me.
"If it weren't for you, Louis and I would be in the cafeteria or the gym right now, and maybe we would have been bitten," Marlon interjected with a grateful tone while stroking my back softly.
His words provided me with great relief, and after a long sigh, I told them:
"Remember that in a couple of hours you must wake up the next ones for the next guard shift… Also, it's possible that Alex and Tim will return soon with good news."
I didn't wait for a reply. I entered the room and lay down in my assigned corner, trying to fall asleep, but the truth of what I had heard weighed too heavily on me. However, George's and Marlon's words had taken a considerable burden off me.
A few hours later.
My body abruptly startled with a muffled scream.
The morning sun filtered softly through the windows.
For a moment, just for an instant, I came to think that I was in my bed at home. I murmured something about my mother, and how she forgot to wake me up and give me a good morning kiss.
But a sharp pain in my back, along with the palpable discomfort I felt, brought me back to reality without mercy.
The memories of the previous afternoon and night invaded me all at once, like a whirlwind of completely uncontrolled images.
The unexpected arrival of the military at the high school anniversary… Our group that was getting ready to leave… The attempt of the military forces to control the whole situation… The warning message I gave that they decided to ignore… The rescue of Rose… The first zombies… Sonny's sad sacrifice…
"Sonny," I murmured as the rest of the memories flooded my mind.
The conviction to create a refuge that dissipated after a short time… my father's message and Alex's subsequent rescue… Professor Morales, who turned against me… Alex, who saves me, and his sacrifice that almost cost him his life in a similar way to Sonny… my horrible nightmare… my paranoia… and Alex's conversation with his friend David that was not meant for my ears.
I sat up, feeling overwhelmed by the intense magnitude of everything. My head hurt intensely.
For a moment, I felt completely alone, as if all this pain was uniquely mine. But upon looking around me, I managed to see my friends and classmates. They were seated, some conversing in very low voices, others were simply just staring into space.
It wasn't simply a group of people resting; it was a group of survivors, exhausted and traumatized, who were fighting to assimilate everything that had happened in the last few hours. All of them had lost their bubble, just like me, but I distinguished something in their expressions, they seemed to have found out things they should not have known.
I got up from my spot and joined a small group of classmates.
Their faces, intensely illuminated by the light of their cell phone screens, reflected a disturbing mix of panic and astonishment.
A voice, similar to that of reporters, was being emitted from their phones.
Many news reports declared states of alert, generalized chaos.
"In the United States, they are now in a state of total catastrophe… the main cities are burning uncontrollably," whispered a classmate, her gaze completely fixed on a video.
"But the news in Japan is saying that they have everything perfectly under control," a boy interrupted, showing the screen of his device.
"Yes, but look at the videos people are uploading to their social media," another girl said, handing him her phone. "It's the same chaos we have here, only they don't want to officially admit it."
"It couldn't be true," I thought with deep shock. My heart was beating with an uncontrolled force.
Deep down, I was hoping to wake up at any moment and that these memories were only a nightmare that I shouldn't have to live through again, but judging by their comments and the news, everything seemed to be just as I had heard it the night before.
The information I had heard from Alex was confirmed, not through an official military report, but through the genuine fear in the voices of my own classmates.
Right at that precise moment, my cell phone rang. My heart skipped a beat.
The screen showed a photograph of my parents. I answered with trembling hands, trying hard to control my voice.
"Emily, my love, are you okay right now?", my mother asked, in a tone that tried to sound calm, but was tinged with evident panic.
"Yes, mom, I'm okay. How are you?", I replied, struggling to sound completely carefree.
"We are okay… we are safe for the moment. We called you instant the phone lines came back. We've managed to see what's happening in the city and we were very worried about your safety," she said, trying to sound strong, but her voice broke in the end.
"What do you mean by that?", I asked with unease.
"It's no longer just the city center, honey. The creatures… are now everywhere," she replied.
My father's voice suddenly joined the conversation, with a grave and very tense tone.
"Is that true? Are you really okay?", I asked, alarmed, completely kneeling on the floor.
"During the night, thousands of people left their homes with the intention of escaping when they realized the danger. Now the city exits are completely collapsed, just like the center was yesterday. The worst part of it all is that people don't know how to deal with the creatures. The police and the military are having a lot of problems controlling it. But… they have told us that there is a temporary military camp in the city, and a large number of people are trying to head there," my father replied.
"We are doing well… Thanks to your father's preparations we have been able to endure the whole night without any kind of problem. Now the guys are securing the perimeter and improving our defenses… We are just waiting for you to come back soon," my mother said with a tone full of concern.
"Will you go to the military camp or stay in Dad's shelter?", I asked upon hearing about the camp.
"We will stay here. Believe me, darling, that place will only be another nest for those creatures in the near future… Besides, Alex mentioned that it wouldn't be safe to be there."
My father made a thoughtful pause and then his voice softened slightly.
"Daughter, we know you must be scared. But listen to me carefully. Heed Alex's every word. He will get you out of there, I promise you. He will bring you back to us, and he will also leave the high school as safe as he can so that your teachers and classmates are safe until we can bring them here."
"Dad, what…?" I tried to ask, but my mother interrupted me, crying. "We have to go, Emily, take care of yourself, please, we love you."
The call suddenly cut off, leaving my heart pounding. The mix of fear, guilt, and a deep betrayal crowded in my chest. My parents not only knew that Alex was there, but they considered him my savior.
How was it possible that they trusted him so much?
I got up from the floor and looked around.
The clear morning light allowed me to see the complete picture of the situation.
Not all the faces were familiar to me. There were new people and other classmates who had left. In the main hallway, I found a visibly exhausted Louis, who had taken over the shift from George and Marlon, alongside a professor.
I approached them to talk.
"Louis, what has happened?", I asked him. "Why don't I see some of our classmates?"
Louis sighed heavily, rubbing his eyes.
"Communications came back around five in the morning. When people saw what was really happening, many went into total panic. They left the school to see if their respective families were okay."
"And we couldn't stop them?", I asked, feeling a knot forming in my stomach.
"Tim tried, but we couldn't force them to stay," Louis replied. "He gave them some homemade weapons he had, some food and water, and then let them go… Also, some teachers and students from other rooms joined us the night before."
"And Alex and Tim? Where are they right now?", I asked, nervously.
"When Alex got up, he and Tim went out with Marlon to clear the patio area," Louis began to narrate. "During the night, the zombies had moved towards the exterior of the high school, so they took the unique opportunity and began to eliminate the zombies."
"That's very good to hear," I commented with great relief. "Are they still out there in the patio?", I asked him.
"Yes, they are still there. They are trying to clear everything as fast as they can because we saw some classmates and teachers locked in with zombies in the other buildings, and Alex wanted to make sure that when we go to rescue them, we are not in imminent danger," Louis replied.
"What happened with the cafeteria? Was Alex able to get into that place?"
"No, we couldn't. We saw many zombies in the cafeteria and in the gym as well," Louis replied worriedly, and after letting out a sigh, he continued his story. "For that reason, Alex told us that once they cleared part of the patio and we rescued the people in the other buildings, he would divide us into groups to be able to clean these more crowded places… He doesn't want to lose anyone else."
The weight of his words sank completely into my chest.
My conversation with my parents, the news broadcasts I had heard, the escape of some classmates, and now Alex's action plan.
Everything had terrifying and coherent logic. There was a reason for each of Alex's decisions. There was a reason for his leadership and his preparation.
My father was completely right; I had to heed him.
He was the only one who had a complete vision of the danger that was lurking. I realized at that moment that my role was no longer that of a leader, but that of a simple survivor.
But seeing how Alex was capable of saving people in these extreme situations, it pushed me to learn from his skills.
Something inside me told me that it would be of vital importance to learn from his knowledge to be able to survive in the future.
.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Hello everyone.
I hope you enjoyed the episode.
I know it's a somewhat thoughtful and informative episode, but it was necessary because what's coming next will only be movement and tension. There won't be time to think.
Emily reflects on David and Alex's conversation, information she didn't know, but which is very important. She also notices the details she didn't pay attention to, but which clearly warned her about this.
In addition, she has a very important call with her parents, which also gives us some context about what's happening in the city. On the other hand, the news warns us that everything is global.
Maybe some of you thought this only happened in or around high school, but no, it's happening all over the world.
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Read my other novels
#The Walking Dead: Vision of the Future. (Chapter 71)
#Vinland Kingdom: Race Against Time. (Chapter 71)
#The Walking Dead: Patient 0 - Lyra File (Chapter 4)
You can find them on my profile.]