The sun is starting to set, casting an orange glow along the surface of a town in South Carolina. The news of what was happening had been on every tv and radio station that existed. Slowly but surely the signals dwindled as the stations would get overrun or the crews fled. The last local tv station airing in Florence had sent out word that anyone still alive should try to meet at Florence High School as that was where the police and medical centers were being attempted to be set up. It was an old school, the town had been thriving the last few years and becoming larger, which in turn led to the school being added on too.
Double metal red doors burst open as a small crowd of people rush inside. They had made it, the school. And people were here, living people, people trying to help. The school was safe for the time being. Many officers and even a squad of soldiers were set up around the school to protect the survivors. A safe zone of sorts, many towns would be doing the exact same thing or had done already as the populations numbers were dropping rapidly. The gymnasium and auditorium were packed with people. Cots, sleeping bags, whatever could be used as a bedding were sprawled out so everyone could have enough room. People felt safe, they had supplies and protection. But no one was ready for what was to come. Over the course of time the noise in the school had brought walkers from the area. Even the protectors were forced to retreat inside. They thought the doors would be enough. And what was left of the town slept, while guards were posted just in case.
Screams roused Jake from his slumber, followed by gunshots. He was in the gymnasium, he leapt from his cot. Like many other confused citizens. Any patrols rushed off towards the screams, which were coming from the auditorium. He watched the door as people flooded in, trying to escape, the ones who were in the auditorium. There were too many people too much panic, it was almost enough noise to drown out the gunfire coming from outside of the gym. It wasn't dark by any means in the gym, the lights were on but it was still noticeable when a flood of sunlight suddenly shown into the room. People so broken by their own fear had rushed out of the gym doors that lead to the outside. Only to be mowed down by a swarm of walkers that had been just outside. The walkers didn't take long to notice the meals inside and suddenly the panic turned to chaos.
There was nowhere to go, Jake couldn't breathe. Was he having a panic attack? He wasn't sure. Fight or flight kicked in and he bolted. He'd gone to school here, he was a senior. He'd done plenty of crazy pranks to know how to get to the roof access and that was where he was headed. Out of the gym and down the hallway he came to a T intersection, to his left was the hall to the auditorium, he couldn't help but notice the bodies strung throughout the hallway. No more gun shots came from that direction, which probably meant the fight for the auditorium was over and the dead had likely won, so to speak. Many of the bodies looked trampled more than anything, a few walkers wandered out of the auditorium confirming his suspicions, they were heading towards his location, roused by the screams coming from the gym he had just left. "Stupid", he muttered under his breath before turning to his right and sprinting away.
A few others seemed to either have the same idea or just decided to follow him as he noticed people behind him now, following him. Before reaching the roof access there was a sudden scream in a classroom on his right. Grunting he decided if he could help, he should. He peeked in to find a family of three. Jemma, Annie, and Ellis, a walker had broken the the classroom window and was now crawling towards them. "C'mon!", he yelled as he opened the door. The three of them rushed out and he slammed the door leaving the walker to its new home. By now the small crowd of people had caught up to them just before the roof access. Jake noticed also that a large swarm of walkers were making their way down the hallway towards them, following that same small crowd. Jake and a few others, opened the door and ushered people up the stairs and out onto the roof. It was oddly quiet out here, almost like they'd entered a different world entirely. The moonlight shining was the only light out here, it took everyones eyes a moment to adjust from the sudden change.
Most of them were out of breath from the running, Jake caught glances of a few. He recognized a teacher he knew. Mr. Richards and one of his friends, Kate but he couldn't make out any of the others from his quick glance. He leaned against the door catching his own breath. "Hey, do you think we should do something more to these doors?", he asked point his thumb over his shoulder at the doors. Some others nodded, but before anything could be done the doors flew open and a few walkers spilled out. The door being pushed opened had thrown Jake off balance and to the ground where a walker found him and went for the flesh of his neck. There was no scream, just gurgling as Jake drowned in his own blood, being devoured.
More screams erupted from the small group, the only way to go was up a ladder that led to a higher part of the school roof. And it was a scramble for everyone to get up. Luckily Jake's body along with two others had most of the walkers distracted. Only a few made their way towards the living. Klaire, a woman in a police uniform leaped into action, taking the baton from her belt and striking at the walkers. Trying to keep them back. She wasn't alone, Wayne was doing the same but with a knife. Which proved more effective at killing them. Once it was their turn to go up the ladder they didn't hesitate. The area the ladder led to was smaller than the one they'd just come from. Jemma, Ellis, and Annie were in a corner huddled together. "I think we're safe here, unless these damned things learn to climb ladders." Klaire said, cracking a smile and hoping the others would as well. However with what they'd just gone through no one was paying much attention. All just quiet, sitting or propped against the edges.
"I can't b-believe... Jake h-he just..." said Kate, a brunette young girl before breaking down into tears and sliding down the small wall she had her back against, with everything that happened there were many emotions bundled inside, and now that she was seemingly safe they all came spewing out, she hugged her legs and buried her face into her thighs. Two young men, who were clearly close to Kate walked over and sat on either side of her to try and comfort her.
Over the next two hours they'd all managed to exchange names. Klaire, the family of three, Wayne, Anthony, Audri, and Patrick. Audri and Patrick knew each other from film school. The three students names were also revealed. Kate, Greg, and Ryan the boys being identical twins. Also among them were Mr. Dane Richards and another teacher Mrs. Falisha Cane. Along with a quiet pair, likely married, they'd only muttered their names not really caring about what the group was talking about, and more about holding each other, Connor and Zoey. Zoey was covered in blood, she was in scrubs, a nurse she'd been helping the injured. After names were given no one spoke, and no one slept, except Ellis. Every once in a while a scream or shots could be heard coming from inside the school as survivors were finally found by the dead.
Once the sun started coming up and giving a faint glow of light Anthony and Klaire went to one of the corners on the roof, "We can't stay here, now that the sun is coming up we need to find a way off this place and get the hell out of here.", Anthony said pointing down at the parking lot behind the school. "Of course we do but these people need a moment after all that." Klaire spouted back. Upon seeing the two in discussion Patrick decided to stroll over. "We can't go back into the city, it's lost. I was in one of those last groups to arrive and we barely made it here, we should go in the opposite direction towards a more spread out area, maybe there will be less of those things." he pointed towards the other side of the school. Both Klaire and Anthony looked to him in surprise both nodding in acknowledgment.
The rest of the group heard the plan as the three of them shuffled over to other side of the roof that overlooked the front of the school as well as the outside of town, the direction they'd decided to head. The sunshine had started peaking the area now as most of the group joined them looking over the edge. They were all filled with dread at the sight and the realization of what they needed to do set in.
Out in front of the school was the interstate, and on the other side of that was the outskirts of town, where they needed to go. Six lanes filled with cars bumper to bumper, here and there a few were overturned or burned from exploding somehow. Cement barriers were on both sides of the interstate and on the inner sides, bloodstains sprawled here and there throughout the lanes, the barriers cutting off any escape for the mass amount of dead that wandered throughout the cars. Some bodies lie motionless, having never escaped when hell on earth began.
"We are so screwed." Audri muttered in disbelief.
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Next Time: The group on the schools rooftop can't decide how to handle the interstate crossing. An injury could cost one survivor everything, and what lies beyond the interstate. Will it be safer or will it prove to be another kind of hell?
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Feel free to critique, I know my punctuation is horrid. The feedback will help for future episodes, I hope. Very little was said this episode which was partially planned. There's so much happening I felt like fewer words said fit better, but that's just me. I don't have anyone to proofread so I'm doing it myself so I apologize for that. No idea on a schedule of releasing these episodes.
Characters can still be created, just hit up the apps blog. They'll get in, eventually. NPC's could stay around and more are likely to show up so if you like an NPC you can claim it as your character if you'd like. :3
Would you like to follow these episodes? I can tag or message anyone with the episodes when they come out just let me know.
Questions~
Too long? Too short? Just right?
Thoughts on the episode?
Suggestions?
Comments
It was just right!!
Loved it (^.^). I really like Kate and Anthony and Jake
Suggestions? Lots of conflict is very dramatic and compelling.
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Oh my god that was so great! You're an amazing writer and I felt so sad and shocked when Jake died even though I'd only met the character for a few minutes. I loved the episode and I just think you should keep doing what you're doing
Loved it (^.^). I really like Kate and Anthony and Jake
Suggestions? Lots of conflict is very dramatic and compelling.
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