Chapter 8: Finding Schoolmates!

"It was Tommy," I said.

"T—Tommy—hmm!" I swiftly placed my hand over Emily’s mouth, stifling the name that was about to escape her lips. Her muffled exclamation was cut short as my eyes locked onto hers, a silent plea for quiet.

"Yes, it was Tommy Brooks, and I saw him alive," I whispered as I slowly removed my hand from her mouth, allowing her to process what I had just revealed.

"H...He is alive..." Emily’s voice trembled, her lips quivering with a mix of disbelief and overwhelming emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over as the reality of my words sank in.

"We should join him," I said after a moment of hesitation. Emily nodded immediately, her resolve firming as the possibility of reuniting with Tommy filled her with determination.

It was no surprise that she wanted to reunite with her boyfriend as soon as possible. That was why I had offered in the first place. If I were alone, I might have chosen a different path—perhaps found a car and driven away from this place without looking back. But Emily was with me, and her safety and happiness mattered. She would feel safer with Tommy, and he could take her to her parents, providing the comfort and security she desperately needed.

Now that our decision was made, the challenge lay in how to enter the gymnasium. If Tommy had any sense, he would have secured the entrance, leaving the back doors as our only point of entry. Fortunately, the infected weren’t surrounding the gymnasium. They were some distance away, milling about aimlessly in front of the building.

Our plan was straightforward: we needed to get out of the car, sprint in a straight line to the back of the gymnasium, and call out to Tommy to let us in. But there was a catch. My time-stopping power would only last ten seconds, and that wouldn’t be nearly enough time for Emily and me to reach the back door, even at a full sprint.

I paused for a moment, my mind racing as I rummaged through the front storage box in front of the passenger seat. There had to be something useful in there. To my surprise, my fingers closed around an old-model phone. It was a relic from a bygone era, but it might just be the key to our escape.

"Does it work?" Emily asked, her voice tinged with hope.

"We can’t call anyone with it; no SIM card," I replied, examining the phone closely. But then, an idea began to form in my mind, and a smile crept across my face.

"I think I have an idea, Emily. Just stay there," I said. Without waiting for her reply, I stopped time, the world around us freezing in an instant.

I quickly opened the car door and stepped out, raising the phone’s volume to its maximum. Pressing play on a music track, I hurled the phone toward a small patch of grass some distance away from us. The phone landed with a soft thud, the music blaring loudly in the frozen silence.

Returning to the car, I resumed time, and the world sprang back to life. The music from the phone echoed through the air, drawing the attention of the infected. They turned their bodies toward the source of the sound, their movements jerky and uncoordinated as they began to shuffle toward the phone.

It was a hard rock song, its loud and aggressive beats doing an excellent job of capturing the infected’s attention. Emily quickly understood what I had done, her eyes widening with realization.

Slowly, our surroundings began to empty as the infected gathered like a flock toward the phone, their focus entirely on the blaring music. After a few minutes, I carefully peeked out of Emily’s side of the window, scanning the area for any remaining threats. When I was satisfied that the coast was clear, I nodded at her.

"Now," I whispered.

Emily opened the car door and stepped out, crouching low to avoid drawing attention. I followed closely behind her, my heart pounding in my chest as we moved with careful steps toward the gymnasium.

The infected were dozens of meters away, their attention firmly fixed on the phone. They didn’t notice us, their senses overwhelmed by the loud music. We were invisible, ghosts slipping through the shadows.

"Run," I whispered to Emily. She didn’t hesitate, breaking into a sprint as I bolted behind her. Our feet pounded against the ground, the gymnasium looming closer with each passing second.

After a few more seconds, finally we reached the back side of the building and there was no infected around fortunately.

I stood there for a moment, watching Emily’s chest rise and fall as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Stay here," I whispered, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Let me check if it’s safe."

She nodded weakly, sliding down against the wall until she was sitting on the cold floor.

I approached the door cautiously, my heart hammering against my ribs. Raising my hand, I knocked softly on the large door. Three gentle taps, then a pause. I pressed my ear against the cold metal, straining to hear any sound from within.

"Tommy," I whispered. "Tommy, it’s me, Ryan."

Silence.

I waited a few seconds, then tried again, slightly louder this time but still keeping my voice low. "Tommy—"

The words died in my throat as I suddenly found myself staring into a pair of eyes that had appeared in the small gap between the door and frame. They weren’t Tommy’s familiar blue eyes.

But these eyes... they belonged to someone alive....

The eyes disappeared as quickly as they’d appeared, and I heard the unmistakable sound of furniture being moved, heavy objects scraping against the floor. Chairs, maybe desks—they’d barricaded themselves in. Smart move, actually. I would have done the same thing.

The door finally opened with a soft creak, revealing not just Tommy but a group of students, all wearing the same school uniform Emily and I had on. Some faces were familiar from passing in the hallways, others were complete strangers. But seeing them alive, seeing their relatively clean uniforms and the way they’d organized themselves, filled me with a relief I hadn’t expected.

Tommy was there, standing slightly behind a tall, broad-shouldered classmate I recognized from the football team. Tommy’s usually neat hair was disheveled, and there were dark circles under his eyes, but he was alive. He was studying my face with a confused expression, his brow furrowed as if he was trying to place me.

"You are..." Tommy squinted, tilting his head slightly. I could practically see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to remember my name.

Really? We’ve been in the same classes for the last year man...

I mean, we weren’t best friends or anything, but come on. I was about to say something when I felt Emily’s presence beside me.

"Tommy..." Her voice was soft, almost breathless.

The change in Tommy’s expression was immediate and dramatic. His eyes widened, his mouth falling open slightly, and without warning, he pushed past the other students and rushed toward her.

"Emily!" The relief and joy in his voice was unmistakable as he wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace.

I stood there awkwardly, suddenly feeling like an intruder in what was clearly a very personal moment. The way he held her, the way his eyes had lit up when he saw her... it was obvious there was history there. More than just casual friendship history.

"Just don’t stay out there like sitting ducks!" The guy who had opened the door snapped, his voice cutting through the reunion. "Get inside before those fuckers decide to come back!"

He was right. Standing in the doorway was stupid. I nodded quickly and stepped inside, Emily following close behind me, though Tommy kept his arm around her shoulders protectively.

As I looked around the room, I couldn’t help but gasp. The gymnasium had been completely transformed into what looked like a survival bunker.

But what really struck me was the people. There had to be at least twenty students in here, maybe more. Some were sitting on the floor playing cards, others were sorting through supplies, and a few were keeping watch at the windows above the public benches. They all looked tired, stressed, but alive. More alive than anyone had a right to be given what was happening outside.

"Wait a minute," came a deep voice from across the room. A senior with brown hair and the kind of build that screamed ’linebacker’ stood up from where he’d been sitting. His eyes were sharp and I didn’t like the way he was looking at us. "Before we start making ourselves comfortable, we need to check them."

"Hey, Liam you dumbass," Tommy shot back, his voice filled with irritation. "Do they look like those things outside to you? Use your brain for once."

The senior, Liam crossed his arms over his chest and smiled, but it wasn’t a friendly smile. "They might have been bitten, Tommy. You want to take that risk? You want to put everyone here in danger because you’re thinking with your dick instead of your head?"

A murmur went through the group. Some nodded in agreement, others looked uncomfortable with the confrontation, but I could see the fear in their eyes.

"It’s okay," I said, raising my hands in a gesture of peace. "I get it. You have to be careful. Check us."

Liam’s smile widened, and he looked directly at Emily. "Let’s start with the pretty one."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees. Tommy stepped forward, his hands clenched into fists. "Get your fucking hands away from her, Liam."

"Easy, tiger," Liam said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. "I’m not going to touch her myself. Hey, Jessica," he called to a girl with short black hair who was sitting near the supplies. "Come check her for bites."

Jessica clearly didn’t appreciate being ordered around—I could see it in the way her jaw tightened and her eyes flashed with annoyance—but she got up anyway. "Come on," she said to Emily, her voice gentler than I’d expected. "Let’s go over there where you can have some privacy."

Emily looked at Tommy uncertainly, and he gave her what he hoped was a reassuring nod. "It’s okay," he said. "They’re just being careful."

But Emily briefly also glanced at me before leaving earning a frown from Tommy who looked at me but I averted my gaze.

As Emily walked away with Jessica, I felt a hand on my shoulder. The guy who had opened the door—medium height, sandy hair, looked like he might be in my grade—was already starting to roll up my sleeves without asking.

"Sorry about this," he said, though he didn’t sound particularly sorry. "But we’ve lost too many people already. Can’t be too careful."

I wanted to protest, to tell him to ask before putting his hands on me, but I understood. Fear made people do things they wouldn’t normally do. Fear made people forget basic courtesy in favor of survival.

He checked my arms methodically, looking for any signs of bites or scratches. His hands were rough, calloused, and I could smell the stress-sweat on him despite his casual demeanor. When he moved to check my neck and shoulders, I had to resist the urge to pull away.

After what felt like an eternity, Emily returned with Jessica, who shook her head at Liam. "She’s clean," Jessica announced. "No bites, no scratches, nothing."

The guy checking me stepped back and nodded. "He’s good too," he said, then paused with a smirk spreading across his face. "Very good, actually."

That’s when I saw what he was holding in his hand, and my blood turned to ice.

Emily’s white panties. The ones I’d picked up from her before fucking her. The ones I’d shoved into my pocket like a damn pervert!

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

The room went dead silent. Every pair of eyes was now focused on either me or the underwear dangling from the guy’s fingers like some kind of trophy. Since Emily and I had arrived together, it didn’t take a genius to figure out the implications.

I saw Tommy’s face go through a series of emotions—confusion, realization, then something that looked like horror mixed with betrayal. Emily stood frozen, her face turning bright red, her mouth opening and closing without any sound coming out.

"This is Sara’s!" I shouted, lunging forward and slapping the guy’s hand, snatching the underwear back before anyone could get a closer look. "Don’t fucking touch it!"

"Sara?" Liam’s eyebrows shot up. "Which Sara are we talking about here?"

I could see the exact moment when it clicked for him. His eyes widened, and then he burst into laughter—loud, obnoxious laughter that echoed off the walls. "Wait, don’t tell me you actually had sex with that whore Sara Clinton! Oh my God, that’s rich!"

The room erupted in laughter and whispered comments. Sara Clinton had a reputation that preceded her—the kind of reputation that made her the subject of locker room jokes and crude comments. If they thought the underwear belonged to her, then my reputation might take a hit, but at least Emily would be protected.

It wasn’t like I was playing Heroes but come on she just reunited with her boyfriend, I am not that of a scumbag to not try to do something when it was my fault to begin with.

Besides, it was exactly because I had loved her that I wanted her to be at least happy from now on even though it will be tough for her. But she will definitely be by Tommy’ side.

I shoved the panties back into my pocket and walked away from the group, my face burning with a mixture of embarrassment and anger. Behind me, I could hear Tommy letting out a long, relieved sigh, and I caught a glimpse of Emily looking at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.