Mr. Brown and the class walk through the vast forest, into the unknown.
The forest that surrounds the big Town of Pineville is not often explored. There have been multiple reports of sightings of a bear.
Thankfully, nobody has reported being attacked... or maybe that's bad because they never came back.
There are multiple main roads of neighbouring towns that connect to Pineville, but Mr. Brown and the class would rather take their chances in the forest with the bear than the a thousand Freaks roaming the main roads to the next town.
Wind blows and branches sway. They stick together holding their weapons, avoiding every suspicious noise they hear.
*Rustle*
*Rustle*
*Snap*
They hear a noise in the bush. Everyone huddles together, weapons ready.
*Mutter*
*Mutter*
Something is muttering in the bush.
"What could it be?!" Cindy whispers.
"Is it them?" Michael asks.
"Shh." Jack shushes them.
The mysterious rustling gets louder as their anxiousness grows.
*Pounce!*
Suddenly, a rabbit pounces out of the bush.
"I-It's... a rabbit." says Jane.
The boys look at each other. They knew exactly what to do at that moment. It is one of those occasions when they all have a unanimous thought.
"CATCH IT!"
"LUNCH IS SERVED!"
"DON'T LET IT GET AWAY!"
The boys pick up stones and throw them at the rabbit, in hopes of catching it for food.
The rabbit, now frightened, whines and runs away, swiftly dodging the stones.
"Hey, watch it!"
"Oww!"
The boys knock the girls aside, running to chase after the rabbit.
"Boys, get back here!" Mr. Brown yells.
"Guys, we have to stick together!" Stella yells.
They call the boys running off to the distance, but they don't listen.
"I'll go after them." Jack sighs as he walks after them.
Meanwhile, Kate glances at Sasha, Stella, Trevor, and James.
She approaches them.
"I-Is Ethan really... gone?" she asks with guilt.
They hold back their tears and stare at the ground.
"We couldn't break the window... we couldn't save him," says James.
"He was pinned to the floor and was bit..." Trevor says.
Kate sees Sasha not even facing her.
She tears up.
"Kate, don't cry..." Stella reaches out to her.
"I'm sorry... It was my fault... If I hadn't tripped..." Kate breaks into tears.
"It's not your fault." Sasha says.
She faces Kate.
"He chose to go back to save you himself." she says.
"I don't know why he's always such an idiot, jumping head first into danger... but he always does it to help other people... no matter who they are... but, I guess, he's just that kind of a person..." Sasha adds.
They all look down at the ground, grieving for Ethan.
"Don't beat yourself up... the reason he's not here... is because he didn't want you gone..." Sasha hands Kate a handkerchief.
Kate takes the handkerchief and wipes her tears.
Jack and the boys come back running.
"Guys, you have to follow us!" Jay says with enthusiasm.
"Did you catch your rabbit?" Jane asks sarcastically.
"Even better, we found a river!" Brock yells.
Without hesitation, Mr. Brown and the class go to the river.
"Water... finally..." Michael looks at the clear water.
"Is it safe to drink?" asks Stella.
"River water, even if it's crystal clear should never be drunk. There's a difference between clear and safe. We can't see it, but there's tons of bacteria and viruses in natural, unfiltered water sources," says Mr. Brown.
"We should always boil it first. Give me that pan, Jane." He takes Jane's pan.
"How do we make a fire?" asks Hailey.
"It's easy. We just need two sticks," says Alan.
Alan picks up two sticks and rubs them together quickly.
"Rubbing them together creates friction which then generates heat." he adds.
After a while, Alan is exhausted before he could even make a spark.
They all stand in silence.
"Nothing's happening..." says Hailey.
"I-It'll work..." Alan fakes his shattered confidence.
"Just use this."
Jane pulls out a lighter from her pocket.
Everyone stares at her.
"Why are you guys staring at me?" she asks.
"I didn't know you smoked, Jane." Cindy says.
"What? You have a problem with that?" asks Jane.
With no further questions, they gather sticks into a pile. They lit up papers from the books and threw them into the pile, making a nice warm fire.
They scoop up the river water with the pan and wait for it to boil.
They sit down to rest and massage their feet after an hour of walking through the forest.
Jack and James are scouting the area to make sure it's safe.
Michael, Alan, and Cindy are drawing a map on the dirt, trying to navigate where they are.
Mr. Brown is walking around trying to find a signal. The lack of signal around the area makes him pissed.
"The coast is clear." Jack says.
He sits down by the fire, exhausted. Mary, who's also sitting on the dirt, notices his bloody hands.
"D-Does it hurt?" she asks Jack.
"No. It's fine," he replies.
"A-Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Boxing and street fights have trained my fists. Don't worry about it."
Jack picks out the tiny pieces of glass under the skin of his knuckles.
Mary pulls out her handkerchief. She sits next to Jack.
"May I borrow your hand?"
"What are you-" Jack is confused.
She gently and tightly wraps the handkerchief around his hand.
"It should help with the bleeding."
Jack feels awkward in this situation.
"Thanks."
But, nevertheless, he appreciates Mary's kindness.
*Splash*
*Splash*
The class notices fish in the river. After days of eating nothing but a cookie, it would be nice for them if they could catch some to eat.
The students take off their shoes and stand in the river to catch fish while Mr. Brown and the others continue boiling water.
A fish swims near Brock.
"Gotcha!"
He jumps at it. He catches it, but the fish slips out of his grasp.
"Dang it!"
The others are also having trouble catching a fish.
"How are we gonna catch them?" asks Kate.
"If only we had a net..." Trevor sighs.
"Do you know how to tie one, Jay?" he asks.
"I do. But, what are we gonna use to bind?" Jays asks.
"Maybe there's something around we could use..." says Stella.
Trevor looks around at the ground, looking for something to bind to catch fish.
He looks at Thomas sitting on a big rock, taking small rocks out of his shoes.
Trevor has an idea.
"Guys, can I borrow your shoelaces?" Trevor rushes back to the others.
Without asking, everyone gave their shoelaces to Trevor and Jay.
They work together to make a fishing net.
"It's a little small, but it'll work," says Jay.
Trevor and Jay stand in the river, holding the net.
Soon enough, they caught a fish.
"Haha! YES!" Trevor shouts.
"We caught one!" Jay yells.
Sasha takes the fish and kills it with her knife. Stella cleans the fish in the river.
They poke it with a sharp thin stick and plant it in the dirt next to the fire to grill.
They finally found a source of food and water to survive.
Celebrating, Trevor and Jay go back to the river, to catch more, and they did.
After a while, they caught a total of twenty-four fish and boiled enough water to rehydrate.
There is now enough food and water for everyone.
They all feel a little better after a meal.
Suddenly, they hear rustling in the bushes.
*Rustle*
*Rustle*
They stand up from the dirt and take a step back.
"I-It's probably just the rabbit," says Trevor.
They grow anxious once again.
The rabbit comes out of the bush.
They take a deep breath of relief. They calm down.
"See?"
...
...
...
*GRAAAAHHHH!*
A Freak pounces out of the bush and grabs the rabbit. It bites off its head.
"OH, SHIT!"
"NO!"
They step further back.
More walk out of the bush, all of them have their eyes on the class.
"RUN!" Mr. Brown yells.
They cross the river to get away. The Freaks run to chase them.
It's a good thing that the Freaks are noticeably slower than the average person at running.
Mr. Brown and the class run for their lives through the forest.
Even though they're tired, they continue running until they stumble upon a neighboring town.
Hanford, a smaller town next door to Pinewood. It's now abandoned. There is trash all over the road and sidewalk. It seems empty. No threat could be heard lurking around.
"We're at Hanford," says Mr. Brown, catching his breath.
Everyone is tired after running so much.
Suddenly, the Freaks run out of the forest, still after them.
They charge at them.
"Shit." Mr. Brown hides his students behind his back.
Suddenly, there were gunshots.
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*
The Freaks fall to the ground. They were shot dead.
They look around to see where it came from.
A police officer is standing behind them.
They stare at each other.
"Now, what are you folks doing alone all the way out here?" the police officer puts away his gun.
"Oh, thank goodness we're safe," says Mr. Brown.
They approach the police officer.
"Sir, please help us. We need to find a shelter... a safe place from these monsters!" says Mr. Brown.
The police officer fixes his hat in place and walks away.
"Follow me."
Mr. Brown follows the police officer.
"Come on, kids. We're saved."
The students feel a little hesitant before following them.
While walking, they come across a billboard.
"Cool billboard." Alan points.
"Marcus Maine, the four-year UFC heavyweight world champion." Jack shares his knowledge.
"He's so cool. I see all his fights." says Jay.
While Mary is looking at the billboard, a poster with the same picture is blown to her face by the wind.
She panics to get it off. She trips on the sidewalk and falls on her butt.
"Woah, you okay there, sailor legs?" asks Trevor.
Sasha lends her a hand, but Mary gets up on her own.
"I'm fine. Thanks."
Sasha glances at her while they continue walking.
The police officer takes them to the police station which is just nearby the forest.
The station is a two story building with a few empty cells. They enter the station and the students barricade the door.
"You can stay here if you want. No one else is here anymore except me," says the police officer.
"Why? Where did the other policemen go?" asks Michael.
The police officer just blankly stares at him.
"Oh."
They got the message from the look.
"Anyway, y'all can stay here for as long as you need. There's snacks in the vending machine."
The police officer rummages through a desk and pulls out a bottle of bourbon. He sits on a chair and lifts his feet on the desk.
"What's your name, officer?" asks Mr. Brown.
"Philip Gerber. Just call me Phil."
Phil pours a glass for Mr. Brown and drinks from the bottle.
The students stare in confusion.
"Umm... anyway... have you contacted anybody for help? Possibly other officers... or people who have supplies?" Mr. Brown asks.
The police officer lights a cigarette.
"I mean... others have to be alive out there, right? Maybe they could... offer a hand?" he adds.
The police officer quietly smokes.
"Nope." he replies.
...
"Umm... but, we can, right? You know... seek for help-"
"I don't know about you, teach... maybe you missed Robert what's-his-name's radio broadcast or maybe y'all were too stupid to check the radio this morning, about news that everything has fallen into shit, but to cut things short, no. No one's coming."
They're all silent as he takes another huff of the cigarettes and laughs hysterically.
"I mean, you should have heard the guy! He was all crybaby-miss-his-momma's-tits until he let the bastards in, and then it all just went silent."
No one says anything.
They go upstairs to rest. They sit on the floor, not knowing what to do anymore.
"What a useless officer!" Jane complains.
"Shh! He might hear you, Jane!" says Michael.
"It's great that we have shelter now... but, what do we do now? We'll run out of food and water eventually..." Alan points out.
"I wanna see my parents," Cindy cries quietly.
They all sit on the floor. Their fire to keep moving is getting dimmer. They're lost... and completely alone.
"Maybe we should wander around the building... get our mind off things?" James suggests.
They explore the police station, hoping to find something interesting and maybe useful.
Sasha is loitering in the empty hallway, leaning on the wall. Mary walks out of a room. She looks at Sasha with her innocent, anxious eyes, saying nothing. Sasha glances at her as she walks by.
"You need to talk." she says to Mary.
Mary stops and turns around, looking confused.
"Y-Yes?"
...
"You know."
...
"I'm sorry, Sasha. I don't know what you're talking about."
Mary gives a forced laugh.
Sasha stands properly, facing Mary and pulls something out of her pocket.
"I'm talking about this..."
Mary's face turns pale as she sees Sasha holding a pregnancy test. Sasha throws it to the floor.
"That's the reason why you were crying in the stall, wasn't it?"
Mary slowly picks it up.
"It's positive... You're pregnant." Sasha says with arms crossed.
Mary hides the pregnancy test in her pocket, not saying anything.
"What are you gonna do now?"
"I don't think that's any of your business, Sasha..."
"Bullshit."
Sasha shuts her up.
"There's no hospitals anymore... no police... you don't even know if your parents are still alive..."
Mary listens to what Sasha has to say.
"The moment your belly bloats on us while we're fighting or running for our lives, you won't be able to keep up. You'll be dead weight."
"Please, don't tell the others."
"Are you serious? They're bound to find out, anyway. You can't keep this from us anymore."
"Please, Sasha... I'm begging you... I... I don't know what to do..." Mary starts to cry.
"Well, you better figure it out and say something... or I will."
Sasha coldly storms off the hallway, leaving Mary in tears.
Later that afternoon, the class hears gunshots coming from outside. They quickly stand up to peek through the window.
It's Officer Phil. He's shooting a Freak tied to a tree in the torso while laughing.
"What is he doing?! Why won't he just kill it?!" asks Hailey.
"Is he... having fun?!" James is confused.
"Is he nuts?!" asks Michael.
"He's making too much noise. It's gonna attract them to us. We have to stop him!"
Mr. Brown and the class rush outside to stop him.
"Phil! What are you doing?!" asks Mr. Brown.
Phil turns around.
"Howdy, folks."
"Don't 'howdy folks~' us. Are you insane?!" Jane yells.
"What are you on about, girly?" asks Phil.
"Excuse me?!"
"Phil, stop shooting your gun! It's too loud. It's gonna attract a horde of them." Mr. Brown reaches out to Officer Phil.
"Officer, it's dangerous..." says Stella.
Phil laughs and massages his forehead.
"Are you... ordering me around?" he asks.
"What?" Mr. Brown is confused.
"A teacher... and a bunch of brats."
"W-Well..."
"Listen here, teach. All ya' pussycats are welcome to leave if you find it too much."
Phil steps closer. His gun pressing against Mr. Brown's face.
"W-What are you-"
Everyone is now afraid. Scared of what he might do.
"But, no one... tells me what I can or can't do... not anymore."
The students get behind each other.
"O-Okay... I'm sorry, Phil... P-Please..."
He glances around at the students and spots Stella.
Phil walks over and grabs Stella's wrist.
"H-Hey! Ahh!" she screams.
They gasp.
"No! Let her go!" Hailey tries to pull Stella back.
"What are you doing?!" asks Mr. Brown.
He pulls Stella away and separates her from the class.
"Let her go, bastard," says Jack, walking over to them.
Sasha and the others pull out their weapons.
"Or what?"
Phil points his gun at them. They stop. They take a step back, afraid.
"Please, let me go..."
Stella starts to cry.
"I don't want to, missy. Here's what's gonna happen... Your friends here are gonna drop their weapons and stick it up their asses, we're gonna drive away in my police car, and you're gonna be my new wife." says Phil while hugging Stella by the neck.
"W-What?!" Stella stands in shock.
"No! Give her back to us!" Kate yells.
"You're a cutie, Korean girl. I hope you make a nice wife for me." Phil snorts and tries to kiss Stella.
"NO! I don't want to!" Stella screams, pushing away his face.
"Disgusting pedophile... I hope you die!" Jane yells.
"Phil, let her go..." Mr. Brown tries to reach out to Stella.
Phil grows a creepy smile. He looks at the fearful face of everyone around him. He laughs.
"Now, I realize something..."
"R-Realize... what?" asks Mr. Brown.
"This is the new world, teach... in the new world, there ARE no laws..."
They huddle up together in fear.
"And anyone with a gun... is a god." he says with a crazy tone.
"You're insane..." says Trevor.
Stella and everyone else is terrified.
"P-Phil... y-you wouldn't wanna shoot kids, would you?" Mr. Brown asks.
Phil laughs hysterically.
"You think I can't?! YOU THINK I WON'T DO IT?!" he points his gun at Mr. Brown and the class.
They scream in fear, raising their hands.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT I WENT THROUGH?! DO YOU KNOW WHAT I AND EVERY OTHER POLICEMEN DID?!"
"WE WERE CALLED OVER TO YOUR SCHOOL AND WERE INSTRUCTED TO KILL ON SIGHT... KILL ON SIGHT! INFECTED OR NOT!"
Everyone gasps after finding out what happened.
"I was doing my duty... that's what I kept telling myself after I killed those kids. But the bastards were too many, we had to flee."
"I was protecting my family... that's what I thought... that's what the Chief said... but, I came home and they were already dead... eaten by those pricks..."
"I killed kids... for NOTHING!"
"But it doesn't matter anymore... I killed the damn Chief... and I'll kill all of you, too..."
Everyone is panicking. He's gonna shoot at any moment, and nobody can stop him.
Jack is thinking of rushing Phil himself to tackle him... or at least, use up his remaining ammo to save his classmates, even if it means him dying.
Phil laughs.
"What are you gonna do n-?"
*Bang*
Everyone flinches. Suddenly, blood spurts all over them.
"-now...?"
...
...
...
Phil was shot in the head and caused his brain to explode.
Mr. Brown and the class stare, horrified.
He lets go of Stella and falls to the ground, dead.
Everyone is covered in blood and mortified, especially Stella.
They turn to see who shot him.
In the far distance, they see a guy wearing a familiar green jacket, holding a gun on one hand and a hatchet on the other. His whole body is completely drenched in blood.
They're all stunned to see who it is...
...
...
...
"E-Ethan?" Jack's eyes grow wide.
"Is that... Ethan?!"
"How..."
"Ethan..." Stella tears up.
He weakly walks toward them.
"I found you, guys..." he smiles.
His left eye is different.
*Thud*
Ethan's body becomes so weak, he collapses to the ground.
...