Bastille

Valeria could hear the screams from outside the double chained doors as her group passed once again with a teary eyed Cassandra now in tow. Cassandra knew her way back to the gymnasium better than Valeria for it had been years since the older girl had graduated from the school. The soft pattering of their feet echoed off the walls of the empty halls. They stopped at another set of chained doors which Cassandra shook her head at.

“These weren’t supposed to be locked. These doors are the only ones that lead outside to the walk way by the gym.” She freaked out momentarily before turning to her sister, “We need to go upstairs.”

“Why upstairs?” Valeria asked in surpise causing Cassie to open the nearest classroom door and direct her sister’s gaze outside where a metal roofed walkway ran all the way from the building to the nearby gymnasium. Surrounding the tall building were a crowd of the dead. Hands pounded against the glass as the two girls caught their attention.

“Do you think they can break that?” Valeria breathed out in a terrified voice, watching as more and more bodies gathered at the glass.

Cassandra turned to her just as wide eyed, “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to stick around and find out.”

“Ms. Olson! Ms. Olson!” Valeria heard little Monica cry as she tugged at the older girl’s arm impatiently. Valeria looked down to see the girl in tears.

“What is it, Monica?” she asked in worry. She reached down to wipe tears from the girl’s pale face. Her lower lip trembled.

“I can’t find Susie anywhere! She was holdin’ my hand but then she gots seperated.” Monica was heaving with the force of her crying. Valeria let out a groan as she closed her eyes. She tried to remember when she had last seen the little girl but all she could remember was the girl at the double doors that led outside.

“Cassie, take the rest of the kids upstairs and wait there while I find Susan. It shouldn’t take me too long.” She got down to her knees and put her hands on Monica’s shoulders, “Don’t worry, Monica. Susan and I will be right upstairs. I promise.”

With that Valeria was rushing down the hallway peering into all the classrooms on her way and listening for any signs of the girl. She slowed by the double doors and checked the bathroom before jogging down the hallway back towards the classroom they had originated from. Her ears perked when she heard the familiar sound of Susan’s cries. The girl had done just as she was told and went back to the classroom. When she got to the doorway Valeria didn’t even have time to praise the girl for listening to her directions for beyond the door that led to the play yard was a large group of the stumbling dead. The chair she had shoved under the doorknob was groaning under the pressure of their hands pushing full force forward. They groaned and moaned loudly and slapped at the glass with their palms.

“Oh shit.” Valeria exclaimed just as the wooden chair cracked in half, splinters of wood flying through the air as the door slammed open against the desk behind it. Valeria had just enough time to grab the screaming Susan before flying out the door, the dead just paces behind her. She ran as fast as her legs would take her, her chest was burning from the force of her sprint. The door leading to upstairs was just before her, held open by a rubber wedge. Valeria sprinted through the doorway and directed the child to run upstairs as she slammed the door closed. She had jammed the wedge under the door just as a dead person started pounding it. Valeria didn’t want to think about how long the wedge would actually keep them out, just took the stairs two at a time. As she looked down she saw them bust through the stairwell door. They stood jammed at the bottom for a slit second. Valeria stopped mid step and watched as they bumped into the step but didn’t step up. The group stood groaning, pushing one another and shoving the ones in the front causing their brittle legs to break. One daring undead woman took a stumbling step up as she stepped on one of her comrades. Valeria made it to the top step and heaved out a rattling breath. She glanced down to check on the progress of her followers. They had already made their way to the second flight with ease.

“Shit.” Valeria cried out, running towards the end of the hall where her sister was standing with the group of kids. “Cassie!”

Cassandra looked back at her sister with a smile that quickly turned to a look of fright. The first of the dead had stumbled after her into the hallway followed by another. She ushered the children into the last classroom and was followed by Valeria who did the same as she had with the classroom with the green walls: slid a door under the knob.

“Do you have a plan?” Cassie ashed Valeria who slumped from exhaustion, breathing heavily. The children cried in the background and let out yelps of fear when the banging started on the door. The knob rattled. The groaning of the dead hit her ears like a gunshot.

“Me? I thought you had an idea!”

“I didn’t think they could get upstairs! Did you see how they walk? What the hell is going on? What are they!” Cassie cried out watching the disgusting faces out the window. Their mouths gapped open to reveal bloody yellowing teeth. The one closest to the door was a woman. The same woman who had led her way up the steps. Her limp hair was tangled in a mess of curls, her eyes unseeing as she pressed against the glass. Her skin was a series of scabs and blood, an entire eye missing from its socket. Her lips curled up in a snarl.

“Obviously they can!” Valeria snapped back. The chair was groaning from the door’s pressure. Her eyes looked around at the children and her heart fell. She was about to let down all these children. Then her eyes hit something. A window, and from across the window was the gymnasium.

“I have an idea!” she shouted, rushing to the window. She opened it and looked down. The walkway wasn’t below the window, but it was connected to a narrow ledge to her left. The door groaned once more so she didn’t think twice about pulling Cassie forward. “Go on the ledge and I’ll pass the kids.”

“YOU go on the ledge and I’LL pass the kids!” she stated in horror, pushing herself away from her sister. The sound of shattering glass made the group scream, including Valeria. The dead had broken the glass pane on the door.

“I take that back.” Cassie said, standing on the ledge as her sister lifted each of the younger children out the window to her. They were let down on the aluminum walkway, more undead piling up under them looking up with snarling faces. Valeria was once again down to crying Susan when the door burst open behind her. She let the girl cling to her back as she jumped to the ledge, her foot giving out from under her. Susan screamed and locked her arms around Valeria’s neck choking her. Valeria coughed and held onto the ledge with trembling arms. The dead were at the open window, arms reaching for the pair while the ones underneath snapped at her ankles.

“Grab my hand Val!” Cassie said, pulling at her sister’s arm. Valeria closed her eyes as she loosened her grip on the ledge and took her sister’s hand. She couldn’t lift the older girl up and leant back panting. “Give me Susan!”

“Susan, can you climb up to Cassie?” Valeria groaned, her hands rubbed raw from the brick. She gripped it harder and braced her feet on the grey cement wall. The little girl climbed like a monkey up a banana tree to Cassie who was waiting with open arms. Once Susan’s weight was gone, Cassie lifted Valeria easily. They laid on the walkway for a long moment, eyes towards the blue sky above. Valeria gulped air into her sore lungs. She turned her head to look at Cassie, “Thanks.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Cassie said, jumping up and lifting a groaning Valeria who hobbled after her along the walkway top. Her heart jumped with each step as the aluminum bent slightly with her weight. They reached the window of the gymnasium across the walkway, Cassie’s hands going up to push the window upwards. The window didn’t budge. She beat against the glass.

“God dammit!” she screamed out, smacking it with an open palm before dropping to the walkway on her butt. She cried out, angry tears leaking down her face. Valeria’s stomach turned as she assessed the situation. There was no way off the walkway without: A) returning to the window with the dead inside or B) jumping into a crowd of them below her to be eaten alive. Valeria wasn’t willing to take either of those options. She tapped the glass with her knuckles. It was plain old glass, not the double strength stuff like in a car window.

“Cassie, get up.” She said calmly. Her sister listened without a complaint and went to her sister’s side who was pulling her grey sweater over her head, handing her blood flecked white fleece jacket to Cassandra who held it tightly in her arms. Valeria wrapped the thick sweater over her fist before turning to the window. She breathed out harshly through her nose feeling her nostrils flare out before thrusting her hand forward, punching the window with as much force as she could.