Written by Deborah Sim
Sam worked diligently on her tenth concentration while jamming to her collection of Gold Panda's electronica. Her mind was greatly occupied by the music, but her hand, as if though having a mind of its own, continued to steadily control the strokes of the bristled paint brush gliding on the canvas. In this manner Sam worked patiently, enduring the constant jab of needles stabbing at her finger joints. Finally, she could not take the pain anymore and decided to take a break. Besides, her eyes were beginning to blur. Sam dropped down the paint brush and rinsed out the palette. Then placing herself three feet away from the painting, she observed her work as she massaged her fingers. She concluded that she must receive some critique from her fellow AP Art classmates and made her way to the nearest cubicle.
“Yo Linda, can you come over to my cubby for a sec?” But no one was there. ‘Probably went to the bathroom,’ Sam thought as she coolly walked over to the next cubicle, while jerking her head back and forth to her music. “Hey Mike, can you...” Also not there. Sam took a quick peek at the remaining cubicles. Not a single person was to be found. ‘Strange...’ she thought. Sam quickly opened the red curtain, which separated the AP from the regulars, and to her surprise found the entire class empty. “Whoa, what the... Where did everyone go!?” Sam took off her new set of Dr Dre 'Solo' and instantly heard screams from outside. Shocked and confused, Sam looked out of the tiny, glass door window, and immediately dropped to the floor in horror. “What's going on here...what are those things?...” She was dumbfounded. After somewhat understanding the situation, she started to panic. “Holy mother of, oh god I'm gonna die! I don't wanna die! I'm too young to die! Is this really happening?! Oh god! What do I do!? What do I do!? Oh my god, oh my god!
She heard a moan from the other room. Sam froze. She told herself, “it's okay Sam, all doors in the art room are always locked from the outside.” She heard the monster wildly slam its decaying body against the door in the photography classroom, which was connected to the office of the the art department. Unfortunately, the office was also connected to the art room. Sam violently began to pray, with tears streaking down her cheeks. Then the noise stopped. Sam opened her eyes, and placed her left ear against the wall. She heard slow moving footsteps. It was walking towards the back of the room. ‘But why?’ Then Sam remembered that there was a door directly connecting the two rooms at the back hall in the art room. As her eyes widened, she also remembered that that door's lock was broken.
Before she could even budge, the creature had made its way through the door. It turned from the corner of the hall and came face to face with Sam. “Oh Shit!” Sam exclaimed. Crazed by the sight of flesh, the creature leaped towards Sam, however Sam dodged in the nick of time. She ran for it and made it to the other side of the room. The zombie, as quick as it could, dragged its deformed figure towards Sam once again. Sam's hand reacted without the brain's command, as it always did with her paintbrushes, and grabbed an enormous pair of scissors lying on top of a desk. Her body, understanding the hand's motives before the brain, moved forward and she stabbed the zombie right through its head. Blood gushed out and splattered all over her face.
Sam was frozen in place covered in blood, while the body lay still on the floor. The stench was unbearable, but Sam did not have the luxury to think about how unpleasant the smell, and sight of the dead creature was. Her first thought was to barricade the entrance, in which the zombie had made its way through. She grabbed two chairs and dashed to the back door only to be stopped by another zombie, who had just entered. Sam gasped. It was too sudden. Sam shut her eyes, thinking that this was the end for her, and waited for her horrific death. However, nothing happened. Sam opened one eye and saw the creature staring, standing before her. She closed the eye and waited again, but the creature did not move. Sam opened both eyes, and looked straight at the monster, which was staring right back at her. The creature then turned and wobbled its way back out the doorway. Sam was shocked and confused. “What just happened!?” Sam wondered. She examined her surrounding, hoping to find the answer to her confusion, and realized the muck that she was covered in. “Could it be that this stuff is anti-zombie!?” Then a light bulb entered her brain. “ I've got it! If I cover all the entrance with this stuff, this entire place’ll be anti-zombie! Sam, you’re a genius!”, and with this statement Sam went to work.
She first barricaded the back door with every desk, and chair she could find. Then, hesitant at first, Sam cut open the body and pulled out a handful of its guts. She rubbed the brownish red gunk on all the doors and windows. Sam thought to herself, “it’s a good thing I have a strong stomach, we Asians eat things as gross as this everyday.” She now moved at a faster rate, thinking as quick as her hands. Sam collected any, and every material she could possibly use as a weapon and placed them in the AP room. She quickly rinsed her hands and hid in her cubicle. Realizing that she had not eaten anything at all this morning, she took out her bento box that she was saving for 7th period, and chucked down spoon full of white rice and kimchi. What she had experienced so far had taken a lot out of her, physically, mentally, and emotionally.
After her stress meal, Sam busied herself sharpening anything with a razor, or a pointy end. The cries from outside had faded long ago, and there was absolute silence as far as her hearing could reach. Then, out of nowhere, there was a loud boom. “Whoa, what was that!?” Before she could think any further she heard the sound of the door knob twisting viciously. “Probably another zombie. If I stay quiet it’ll go away.” And so she would have thought, if it was not for the fists banging at the door and the voice of a human being crying out, “Anyone in there?!” Sam jumped to her feet and dashed to the door. With a broken scissor tightly gripped in one hand, Sam took the risk and turned the doorknob. As dangerous as this was, Sam could not jeopardize her chance of not rescuing possibly the only other person alive. She yanked open the door, and to her delight found not one, but three Central students standing before her eyes.
The three, all in a frenzy, shoved their way in, and the last person slammed the door behind them. Sam stared at them with bewildered eyes. She could not decide whether she was excited to find others human beings, or angry at the fact that they attracted zombies to the art room.
“Um hi?” Sam whispered out in a tremble. The three students just stared at one another, while panting heavily. Then Richardo spoke slowly, taking a giant breathe between every two words, “Its not, safe here. We should, the balcony. Safest, I think.” Everyone nodded in an agreement, as they were finally catching their breath. “How are we gonna get up there?”, asked (blank). “I think the elevator’s the best choice we got”, pointed out Demetri.
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