Nightmares Become Reality

13: Home

My POV

Finally! After hitchhiking, traveling by foot, and battling my way through zombies I made it home. I went home, took a shower, changed and got on my bike riding to school with a bag full of weapons. When I reached school I hid my bike and snuck inside. I looked around and snuck to the hatch in the janitor's closet closing the door behind me. I walked through the dark halls, it was surprisingly cleaner since the last time I've been down here. I stopped and listened, voices echoed down the hall. I ran to the gym door then stopped. I drew in a breath and opened the door, everyone was down here. I was shocked to see them all. I kept walking scanning for Anna and my other friends. As soon as I spotted them I approached them calmly. I stopped a couple feet away from them, they didn't notice me yet. "Hey Anna" Anna turned around staring at me. I smiled as she did giving me a bear hug "Laura!" I hugged her back "It's good to see ya guys again."
"How was LA?" I gave her a stern look "Anna"
"What? I'm curious" I rolled my eyes. "I'll tell ya later. How's everyone here?"
"They're doing fine" Andrea reported. "Isabelle's been burning the zombies and I've been helping the hunters with more ammo by drawing them. Anything I create comes to life"
"That's awesome! So everybody found out what their birthstone does"
"What about yours?" Isabelle asked. I shook my head "I don't know yet. I think I know, but I don't know for sure if I know"
"Ok Laura, you need to stop doing that"
"I know, but I can't help it." I sat on a table in the center of the room and we all talked about random things then got down to planning. Suddenly, Anna's phone went off. One glance and she was shocked looking at me "Laura!" I couldn't help but laugh "Did you give Mark my number?!" She shrieked. I was now lying on the table laughing my head off nodding. "Why I outta!"
"You better answer the ph-ph-phone! Ha hahahaha!" I couldn't stop laughing. She answered the phone leaving to a quieter area, I followed.

"Hey Mark" she said calmly. I asked her to put it on speaker with the motioning of my hands. She put it on speaker while he was talking "*mumble mumble* gone"
"What?"
"Laura's gone. She left LA six days ago. I've been trying to reach you, but you weren't answering"
"Stupid phone! Sometimes my phone doesn't ring so I don't know if anyone's calling or texting." I told her to be quiet. I asked in the best Australian guy voice I could do "Who did ya say was gone?"
"Who's this?" Mark asked. "Oh no one really. Just someone who returned home today" I accidently slipped on the last sentence letting my voice out. "Laura?! You made it home?" I laughed making my hands into fists putting them in the air looking up "YES!" I looked at Anna. She was glaring at me. I couldn't stop smiling "What?"
"What did you have before you got home?" I thought for a moment. "Food. Pop. From home" We stared at each other for a few seconds before she shook her head. "NO MORE POP for you missy!" I laughed as she pointed at me with her short index finger. "What the hell is going on?" Mark asked unexpectedly. "Well" I started "It's a looong story" I giggled. It was faint, but I heard giggling. Not here, but there in the background on the phone. "Be right back" I left the room going back up to the hatch entrance. I took a breath getting ready to open the door. I took my gun out, put in my music, and charged out expecting zombies. None were seen, anywhere. I ran all over the school and saw none. I went outside and found all the zombies there along with Angela. "ANGELA!" I shouted. She turned around smiling "Laura, what an unexpected surprise"
"Where are you taking those walkers?"

"I'm taking them with me. I've decided to let you live. After all you ARE the one who says killing someone is way too easy"
"So you're going to make me suffer" I whispered. She nodded "You know, I was thinking about starting with your favorite band. But I changed my mind, I like their music and besides. You don't know them. And I can't reach your friends down below" She gasped happily "But I CAN reach your family and new friends" She clapped turning around walking away from me. "No!" I ran, until something held me back. She turned around looking at me disappointed "Laura Laura Laura," She sighed, "What are we going to do with you? Alright, let's make a deal. I leave your family alone and hurt your new friends instead" The smell of the corpses holding me back was disgusting. I felt as if I could pass out any moment. She ticked me off so much "I've got a better deal. You leave my family AND FRIENDS alone and you and I can settle this woman to woman"
"Oh but did you forget, we're not women. We're still young, don't know what's right or wrong"
"Than that rolls you out cuz I know what you're doing is definitely wrong" She smiled "Bite" One of the corpses holding me back bit deeply in my right shoulder. I screamed in agony. She laughed "Don't worry, she's healthy. You won't turn, you didn't think I would create them all to have the lucky bite. After all, they're only human"
"Dead... is what they are."
"I'm willing to make ONE more deal. This one you can't refuse. I leave your family alone and take your new friends. No harm shall come to them."
"But?"
"But what?"
"What's the catch?!"

"Oh how could I forget! If you can reach them in time they go free with you. If you don't, they come with me and you'll have to fight them along with everyone else around the world" I had no choice, there was no way she'd let this drop. I nodded agreeing to her terms. When the corpses let me go they left. I knew now that their lives were in my hands. I got up going back to the gym underneath. I no longer felt the pain and blood trickling down my back soaking in my shirt. I thought I knew how it would all end, but she changed it all. I was misled on a nightmare, she must've seen how it would end for her. I opened the gym door "There you are! Where'd you go?" I kept walking past them to the table climbing on top of it standing. Everyone silenced down "Everyone. I'm sorry, I'm SO so so sorry. I've been misled by a nightmare of mine. I thought I knew how this would all end, but it doesn't look like it will turn out that way anymore. Our fates were written out for us, now it's gone because Angela changed the rules!" I looked around at everyone's devastated faces. Suddenly, I felt something coming on. Something exciting, a bright idea. It had a beat, a sick beat. I pumped my fist into the air "SO WE'LL BREAK THE RULES TOO! IF SHE CAN BREAK THE RULES SO CAN WE! WE'VE LET HER TAKE CONTROL OF OUR SCHOOL, OUR FAMILIES, OUR COUNTRY FOR FAR TOO LONG! I KNOW SHE'S AFTER ME, BUT SHE'S HURTING ALL OF YOU AS WELL! IF YOU'RE NOT WITH ME THEN LEAVE, I'VE ASKED YOU TO LEAVE SO MANY TIMES AND YET YOU HAVE ALL STOOD BY ME -STOOD TOGETHER!- AND ACCOMPLISHED THIS! YOU KNOW HOW TO SURVIVE IN THIS SCHOOL, BUT NOW IS OUR TIME TO SURVIVE THE WAR! WE CAN'T LET OTHERS TELL US OUR FATES. WE WRITE OUR FATES, NOT SOME DREAM OR NIGHTMARE! WE DO! WE RULE DESTINIES, NOT SOME BOOK OR PROPHECY! WE DO! NOW IF YOU'RE WITH ME IN WINNING THIS WAR SAY AYE!" Everyone shouted pumping their fists in the air "AYE!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?"
"AYE!!!"
"YEAH! NOW, LET'S GO KICK THEIR BUTTS!" Everyone was pumped. I felt proud of myself and everyone here. I got down "Only you would do such a crazy thing" Isabelle said shaking her head smiling. "Thanks. I always knew, with a little bit more of convincing, I was born to be a natural leader"

"Oh my god!" Isabelle stared shocked at my new wound. Andrea and Anna looked at my wound. Anna yelled at me "Laura! When are you going to stop getting hurt?!" I shrugged "Never? I get hurt every day. You should know that" Isabelle asked "How'd you get hurt?"
"It's a bite, isn't it?" Andrea asked. I nodded "It happened outside. Don't worry, I won't turn into a rotten corpse or anything"
"That's good to know" That voice. I knew it. I turned around and saw Bill standing a few feet away from us by Skylar and Sean. Bill had his hands stuffed in his front jean pockets like always wearing a dark green shirt. I ran up to him "Bill! What are you doing here? Why aren't you somewhere else?"
"There's nowhere else for my family to go. And besides, I thought I'd give you guys a hand" I smiled. "You're such an idiot" I went on my tippy toes ruffling up his short, sandy-brown hair. "Quit that!" He smiled saying that. "Ok, down to business-"
"After we heal your bite mark" Anna interrupted. I sighed "Fine" We left the gym going to the nurse's office above. I took off my shirt and sat down on the bed facing the wall. She sat down behind me healing my wound. "You've grown stronger" I told her. "How?"
"You used to not like the sight of... Well, injuries like this. You'd feel sick"
"I'm still not used to it, but I am growing used to it" I smiled. "Done, I got most of it." I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror. All that was left was faded bite mark. "It's going to be a scar"
"One that will never heal" She nodded. I put my shirt back on and hugged her "Thanks"
"You're welcome" We went back to the janitor's closet about to open it until the knob turned. The door opened and everyone was coming out. "Why didn't you tell us it was clear 'leader'?" Caesar asked nastily. "I was going to" I began "We were just coming back down to tell you guys"

"Whatever" He shoved passed me. I rolled my left shoulder a couple times. Anna and I followed everyone to the cafeteria and sat down next to our friends at our table. I sighed "Sometimes I could kill him"
"Who?" Isabelle asked. "Caesar?" I nodded. "I'll help" We got up "Great idea"
"Guys, don't kill him" Anna said. "You're right" I agreed "I'll wait til after the war"
"Who's she?" Bill asked looking passed us. We looked, Angela was smiling entering the elementary. I looked back at everyone in the group into their eyes trying to read them. I fell on Bill's blue eyes last, he wasn't familiar with Angela like I was. He only knew her first name, he didn't know what she's done. "I'll be right back" Isabelle asked "Where're you going?"
"To meet up with her"
"Why not wait here?"
"Iz, I ain't waiting around"
"Can I come with?"
"No" I left.