Chapter Three: Crowd Control

Christian and Alex took deep breaths as the two infected laid dead. The two killed one for each. It wasn't something you'd be proud of but it was represented their great teamwork. The two brothers were always a great team. Christian gave his hand to Jason, assisting him. Jason wiped off his shirt, then picking up his machete he thanked Christian and Alex.

"I'm going to cut to the chase- We need you to come with us." Christian smiled.

"I will, bro. I owe you anyway." Jason grinned securing his fingerless gloves.

"No you don't." Christian laughed as they left the room.

"If you hadn't come, I would've been toast!" Jason lifted the machete above his head.

"Speaking of toast can we stay to eat and then leave?" Alex chimed in, finally getting used to the new horrors of the world.

"Yeah you guys. Totally. Come on, I'll serve you up some chow." He said, with his familiar Jason grin.

The crew that Christian had attached to him ate. They basically were forcing food down their throat. It was now 9 o' clock in the morning. They had time but to Christian time was a limited thing. He had no idea what would happen next nor how many infected around.

He immediately quit. "Damn, we're selfish." He dropped the chicken nugget he was about to devour. "Excuse my language but we have our own food we scavenged and these people will need their food when we leave!"

Zack laughed, "Bro, it's fine. So what's this about us going with you guys?" The charismatic young man, Zackary David Herman, had brown hair, fairly tall, and a smile that would comfort anyone in these dark times.

"I need you guys with me and that's all there is to it." Christian laughed, shoving another fry into his mouth.

"Of course we'll go." Savannah chimed in, smiling. "It's not like we have anywhere else to go."

Christian grinned while peering over to Alex who was laughing and joking with Jason. Despite the laughs, they did seem to be having a serious conversation. Alexis slid her hand into his, edging his attention back into the conversation.

 Before Christian spoke Corey sat down to the right of him, breathless. 

 "So Corey, have you made your decision?" Christian smiled, with the hope his intentions had turned around.

 "Yeah.. Um.. I'll go, but right now we kind of have a problem." Corey hesitantly spoke.

 "What is it?" Christian stood up, sliding his jacket sleeves up and picking up his crowbar. Knowing already what he was probably going to say. The look in his eye spilled all of the information like a breaking dam.

 "A group- horde of infected have broken through our barricades. They have started at the east and they're coming quick!" He spoke with an empty tone.

 "Well warn everybody!" Christian yelled, as his friends rose from the table. 

 The occupants of the cafetorium safety all peered around. Wondering what this crazed boy was speaking about, they began to mumble among their small groups.

 "It will send them in a panic." Corey said, a bit disappointed, not knowing what to do.

 Christian ran his fingers through his hair stressfully. "Okay, get the strongest men to tighten barricades on both entrances! And quick!" He turned as Corey ran with the baseball bat in hand. "Jason! Alex! Gabe!" Christian called his two most trusted allies and his best fighter. "You guys come with me! Zack, take Harlye, Savannah, and Alexis to the back! Keep them in the kitchen." He handed Zack the gun.

 Zack nodded and demanded that the girls follow him.

 The crowds had already started to bustle by the men tightening "security." Now was Christian's moment of truth. He went to the stage that was in the very front of the lunchroom. There he, Alex, Gabe, and Jason awaited. When Corey climbed up there it seemed to seal the group. Christian got chills for some reason. It was his moment of life or death.

 It seemed just as Corey had added to the formation, He yelled. "Everyone! They're breaking through!"

 The crowd wasted no time in acting as almost everyone could have predicted! They shouted and screamed, scattering in every direction. What the small yet wise group had not predicted was that they ran out of the two alternative, one door exits that led directly outside. As soon as the people burst through the door, plenty of infected pounced them like starving, rabid dogs! Tearing each teens flesh from their bones, soon enough there was enough to feed all of the infected outside. The group onstage thought that they were safe, but as the dead rose the still starving infected made their ways through the door. Only one out of two doors was open, which was the good news. It was only opened by a women's skull eaten corpse. They hadn't gotten through the skull so they stopped munching on her and went for the moving targets. 

 What the poor team didn't know was that infected were hungerless to be honest. They ate only to reproduce. The virus dwelled within saliva and blood, but only bred in saliva. The virus spreads so quickly that it must evacuate its offspring into another subject before they die of cluttering; therfore, infected drool. So if an infected subject drips saliva, which without oxygen is a greenish color, the virus dies immediately upon contact with earth. The oxygen within the air is even too much for it. That's why, with a host it will not breath. 

 They breed so rapidly that the only vital organ left is the brain. The rest of the subject's organ's are literally devoured as a clearing space. The virus needs the brain to enforce it's control over an infected body. It is possible to say they could survive without a brain but they haven't adapted that well. The fact is that the virus does in fact adapt almost as rapidly as it spreads. For example: It has adopted the senses of the human brain.  But the group has no knowledge of this...

 The first few infected rushed onto the stage, growling and creaming. The others, alarmed, rushed behind it. Christian was the first to edge the stage, smacking all that leaped onto the stage. Most of the ones he struck had skull fractures and were bleeding from there noses, but the blood was no good to them anyway. As long as he didn't slice a major artery. Corey and Alex were on both sides of Christian using their weapons to further prevent the infected from overcrowding the stage. When they thought they had easily won, the barricades exploded as the doors opened! Jason and Gabe stood back-to-back fighting off infected that traveled up the stairs. The recent infected that had no health problems in their previous lives could sprint as fast as they could possibly but the sick and afflicted limped or walked. The sick and afflicted were outnumbered in this case. Infected sprinted into the small group of young men, brawling for their lives. This seemed to be it. The crowd never died. As they killed one, three jumped on them to replace it... 

 All that Zack, Harlye, Savannah, and Alexis heard were the cynical shouts and screams of names and just plain yelling.