No One Save Me...

It was seven o’clock on a dreary, grey morning in the state of California; the time when every high school student's alarm clock abruptly stirs them from their slumber. Groaning, a certain student named Rebecca rolled over to the edge of her mattress, grabbed her bedside lamp and bashed the alarm clock until the small device was scattered in pieces across her unkempt bedroom floor. Rebecca gave a hefty moan, burying her face into her pillow; it was too early for loud noises. She attempted to recall the dream that she had previously been engulfed in, but to no prevail. After a few more moments of rattling her brain for an answer, she mindlessly dragged her weary body out of bed, forcing herself forward into the ensuite bathroom.
"I feel like a fucking zombie today…" Rebecca sighed to herself, rubbing her tired blue eyes open whilst stripping off from her pj’s and stepping into the shower. She wondered what today would be like as she allowed the warm water to caress her pale skin. "Another day in hell, sat in various classrooms with a bunch of mortal peasant…" she laughed humourlessly to herself as she started to wash her long, back hair.

Her thoughts suddenly began to change direction as she recalled the tall, mysterious, black haired and brown eyed senior in her after-school Media class. Rebecca had had a crush on the beautiful boy since the moment she laid eyes on him. She would approach him, but she was reluctant to do so; she felt almost ‘unworthy’ to disturb him… He was always busy during class, he never openly spoke to anyone unless he was told to or was approached by another one of the students. It’s not that Rebecca was shy or anything, it was the fact that the boy always seemed as if he was deep in thought that kept her at bay. She absolutely hated it when an individual interrupted her private thoughts, so she believed that the older boy would feel pretty much the same way.

Smiling like a total idiot, Rebecca reluctantly dragged herself out of the shower and began to dress in her black, ripped-up denim jeans and Blink 182 tee. It was a Monday, meaning that she would have Media after school; most people would complain about having to spend another period after school in a cramped, stuffy classroom, but Rebecca couldn’t be any more willing.

~~~~

The bell that signalled the start of a long school day rang out through the hallways as Rebecca made her way to her first lesson. The day was going to be a drag; Rebecca couldn’t wait for this day to be over.

Six hours of the school day eventually passed and the end of school bell finally began to ring. Clutching her text books tightly to her chest, Rebecca set of to her Media class. As she briskly set off towards the secluded classroom, a bunch of Jocks began to run past her, purposely knocking into her and causing her books to fall in a crumpled heap on the dirty floor. Cursing under her breath, Rebecca bent down to pick them up; her arm stretched out in order to rescue the last one but someone else had beaten her to it.
Rebecca looked up through her veil of jet black hair to see the mysterious boy from Media knelt in front of her. Their eyes locked instantly and it was difficult for her to tear her eyes away from his dark brown ones.
"Um… You dropped this." The boy smiled awkwardly as he handed her the book. Unaware of her staring, Rebecca continued to study the boys beautiful face, as if in a trance.
"What? Is there something on my face..?" The boy panicked as he began to let his hand roam freely over his face, causing Rebecca to snap out of her daydream and giggle sweetly.
"I uhm.... thank you… and uuh, no, your face is fine… trust me." Gingerly, she outstretched her fingers, taking back the book she had previously dropped. The boy smiled, allowing Rebecca to take the book back.
“No problem, and good! It would have been like the pasta salad incident all over again! On time last semester, I was walking around with a-" he stopped himself mid sentence, blushing lightly as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Uhm… Sorry, I was rambling, wasn’t I? My name's Christian by the way… Christian Mora, but, I prefer to be called Christian Coma; that’s why everyone calls me CC." he laughed shyly.
"R-Rebecca," she smiled nervously, allowing CC to take her hand and help her to her feet. “It’s nice to meet you… you’re in my Media class, but… Well, you never talk.” Rebecca blushed as she kept her eyes to the ground, beginning to walk with Christian to Media.
“Well, no one in there has ever really caught my attention as interesting… till now…” CC muttered the last part, unaware that Rebecca heard him.

~~~~

Rebecca and Christian were the only two out of the usual ten who turned up to Media… even the teacher was absent; they thought nothing of it. They knew their teacher was pregnant and had to rush off for check-ups and random tests (her last pregnancy was difficult for both her and the baby). She probably just forgot to mention she wouldn’t be there; as for the rest of the students, they probably caught on that she was absent today so didn’t bother to show. Instead of following their suit and leaving, the two of them stayed in the deserted classroom and began to talk about their interests:
"I play the drums!" Christian grinned, taking a bite from his half-eaten apple.
"I play the bass…" Rebecca mumbled, smiling shyly at the gorgeous boy in front of her.
"HEY! We should start a band!" Christian laughed, lifting his hand up for a bro fist; he was delighted at the fact that Rebecca caught on and fist bumped him almost instantly.

The lesson flew by as they spoke of their favourite rock bands, movies, ext. They completely ignored the flickering lights due to the lightening and thunder outside; it wasn’t uncommon for California to have sudden blackouts during a storm.
"You know, I have never heard you talk before. You just... sit on your own and get on with it." Rebecca said as she looked at CC in the eyes once more, loosing herself in his dark orbs once again. ‘Jesus he's beautiful…’ she thought to herself.
"Well, I'm very… unsociable. I didn’t think there would be anyone worth talking to in this class, they’re all... not like me." Christian tried to explain as he looked back into Rebecca’s bright blue eyes.
"I know those feels feels bro…" Rebecca laughed as Christian threw the core of his apple in the trash can nest to the teachers desk.
"You know, I only have one friend... he's called Ashley." Christian admitted; he’d never really thought about it before, but his life was kind of lonely. He regularly hung out with three other guys from school, Andrew, Jake and Jeremy, but they were more Ashley’s friends rather then his own.
"Well now you have two," Rebecca smiled, finally coming out of her shell and pushing her hair back, away from her face. Christian laughed and looked at the table, smiling to himself; he hadn’t noticed before, but she was extremely beautiful…

~~~~

The clock struck 5pm and the two remaining students reluctantly walked out of school together. *CRASH* Thunder cracked above their heads, causing both of them to jump; they were so caught up in their convocation they had totally forgotten about the storm... Not to mention the deserted school and streets…
"It’s getting dark already..? That's odd... I best walk you home." Christian shivered nervously as he took Rebecca's hand and began to walk, ignoring the rain that was lightly drumming down upon the top of their heads. Rebecca didn’t refuse as CC held her hand in his; she wouldn’t admit it, but she wasn’t the hugest fan of thunder. Not long after they past the school gates, the rain picked up and the pair were soon soaked from head to toe.

Christian was the first to realise that no one was around; lampposts flickered in the deserted streets, causing a shudder to travel down his spine. He pulled Rebecca closer and put his arm around her shoulder; he could feel something was totally off… not even a car had past them during the five minutes they had been walking.
"It’s like one of those old horror movies where a zombie or something comes strolling down the streets towards you wanting your flesh." Rebecca laughed sheepishly; she too had begun to notice something was wrong… there was no one in school, no one outside and no one in the streets. No one had text her during Media, which was unusual and not even the school’s football team could be heard practicing on the lower field… Rain or shine, they ALWAYS practice on a Monday.
Christian wasn't amused by Rebecca’s statement. Something wasn't quite right and it was starting to freak him out.
Suddenly, they heard shuffling behind them. The two of them looked at one another through their long black hair that was plastered to their faces, terror in their eyes. In all honesty, the shuffling wasn’t the part that scared them; it was Rebecca’s previous comment and the fact that whoever was behind them sounded as if they were in a lot of pain…
The two slowly turned their heads to look behind them; about 10 feet away, a man was heaving his broken body towards them, his left leg dragging behind him curiously. The man’s clothes were mud stained and wholes littered the front of his wife-beater. Despite these facts, the two of them let out a sigh of relief; it was just a guy… and the first human they have seen this evening!
"Well, he looks like shit, doesn't he?" Christian laughed sheepishly, relaxing slightly as he frowned at the man stumbling along behind them. The two were about to turn away when, out of the mist, more mindless beings came tumbling towards them.
"Holy shit..." Rebecca and CC whispered together, terror and fear draining the colour out of their faces. Rebecca was frozen to the spot, but Christian grabbed her hand and began to run, dragging her behind him. Neither were sure what was happening, but the only ‘logical’ thing that came to mind was that they had to hide and that they had to do it fast…
"Come on, HURRY!" Christian yelled breathlessly over his shoulder, nearing the end of the street.
Dragging Rebecca around the corner and into the nearest empty alleyway, CC crouched down behind a large dumpster, pulling Rebecca down with him.
"Was that-" Rebecca started, her breath coming out in ragged pants as she cuddled close to the boy beside her.
"I think so…" Christian whispered, fear dripping his words. Thunder cracked again, making CC instinctively wrap his arm tighter around the younger girl beside him… if that were even possible.
"What're we gonna do? We're no where near my house… a-and… and my mum might not e-even-" Rebecca whispered as she looked at Christian through her once blue eyes; they were now grey with fear.
"We'll wait until they all pass, then find the nearest empty shop to hide out in… We'll stay there for the night." he assured her, thinking back to the last horror movie he had watched. He noted how the characters found hide-out in their local Seven-Eleven; there was food and automatic doors that locked. It would be perfect… for now.

Rebecca nodded, too stunned to talk anymore; she had no choice but to accept the plan anyway.
They crouched together behind a dustbin next to a restaurant for another five minutes before the crowd of undead came mindlessly dragging themselves past. The pair held there breath to make sure they wouldn't be heard. As the bodies slumped past the couple, Christian noticed one of the undead as someone he recognised at the back of the group. At closer inspection, terror and grief filled his eyes as he watched his only friend, Ashley, the guy he could talk to about anything, wonder mindlessly past…
Ashley’s arm was missing, he had a gaping cut and the left side of his neck and blood was seeping through the front of his white tee.

He was infected.

~~~~

The crowd of Zombies finally disappeared, but Christian was too shocked and numb to move. Rebecca knew what had happened… He didn't even have to tell her. She recognised Ashley almost immediately and couldn’t help but feel heartbroken for the young ban beside her. She placed her hand on his shoulder and watched as Christian flinched. It seemed to wake him up.
"Come on…" he whispered, taking Rebecca’s hand and helping her to her feet the second time that day. Peering out of the entrance of the alley, they thankfully noted that no one and nothing was around. They tiptoed down the street making sure not to be heard, glancing in every shop as they passed. Finally the found one that was empty, undamaged, and unlocked.
They crept into the little corner shop, looking around for any undead lurking in the darkness. It was pitch black but it appeared to be empty to their delight. Neither of them had a weapon and were practically defenceless if they had come across one of those… creatures.
Christian barricaded the door with wooden crates and the soda machine; he knew there was a lock on the door, but it was also made of glass… Better to be safe then sorry. Rebecca had helped out by finding the emergency generator and the storage closet; it was full of food and drink so they had plenty to eat whilst they were there.
"We'll crash in here for tonight. We'll be safe, I promise." Christian assured her, wondering down one of the isles and picking up a small hammer that the store had been planning to sell. He picked up another and handed it to Rebecca, who took it gratefully; she knew what it was for and didn’t need, or want, to ask
They cleared some space on the floor in the storage room, shut the door and sunk against the wall and to the floor. For a storage closet, it was surprisingly warm and cosy.
"Eventful day… huh?" Rebecca laughed.
"You laugh at everything, don't you? Even in the most inappropriate of times…" CC smirked; he was glad at least one of them was enjoying themselves. He pulled her close to him wrapping his arms around her embracing her into a hug. Rebecca placed her hand on Christian’s chest whilst resting her head on his shoulder. His heart was pounding quickly, making Rebecca smile lightly.
"Your heart’s pounding…" Rebecca stated, lightly running her fingers over the place where the pounding could be felt the greatest.
"Yeah..." Christian said simply, staring at the wall opposite them.
"We're safe though… right? There's no need to be scared." Rebecca assured him.
"I'm not," Christian whispered quietly. "I'm just-..." Rebecca lifted her head from his shoulder and looked him in the eyes. Her heart had begun to pound too and it wasn’t from the immense danger waiting for them outside. ‘What if he's feeling what I’m feeling..?’ Rebecca thought to herself.
"Just-… what?" She asked, her eyes returning to the beautiful blue colour as they sparkled with hope.

After a few second of awkward silence, Christian pushed Rebecca's dark damp hair out of her face with his finger and cupped her neck in his hand.
"It's just that... I-I think you're beautiful..." He spoke breathlessly; not because of exhaustion, but because he was falling deeper and deeper into her large blue eyes. With that... he gently pulled her towards himself as he leant in... and kissed her. Their eyes closed and Rebecca's hand found Christian's face. They sunk into each other like marshmallows sinking into hot chocolate, kissing passionately.

Nothing and no one could ruin this moment… The moment she had been waiting for since freshman year…