Hey guys hope you like this chapter, tell me what you think of the new cover I made, I hope you all like it.

Anyways enjoy!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter Eight

The School

Melody's P.O.V

"We'll be there soon," I lowered the radio down to my side, not sure what I had just agreed to do. I turned the radio off before he was able to thank me. I didn't want to hear it. I turned around slowly, my eyes on the floor and my arms limp at my side.

"I guess we're going to school."

I bit my lower lip and scrunched up my face. Why the hell did I just agree to help him? Oh yeah, I'm an idiot that's why. I shook my head slowly, allowing my rash decision to sink in. A trip to the school couldn't possibly be that bad. Especially if it's right down the road. Fuck me I'm dumb. When I was younger I promised, I'd never step a foot in a high school ever again. All it was was a hellhole filled with crazed teenagers. And now its going to be a hellhole filled with raving lunatics wanting to kill us. It shouldn't be too hard. Fucking sarcasm sucks.

"Why?" I looked up, curious as to who the soft voice belonged to. I looked at the three of them and found Zoey shooting daggers at me. Why? Why what?

"Wha-" before I even had time to finish she threw her hands in the air and cursed.

"Don't fucking what me! Why did you agree to help him!" She shrieked, her small fists shaking at her sides. I was shocked at what she was asking me. Sure I may have called myself an idiot and questioned my actions but I would choose the same decision over and over again. How could she expect me not to help him?

"What you think we should just leave him there?" I asked oblivious as to why she was acting this way. If anything I expected her support. Who am I kidding? I can't expect anything from her, I just met her for fuck sake!

"I'm not risking my life to help some idiot cop who somehow fucking locked himself in a fucking basement!" Ice would have been surprised at how cold she was being. Well of course I didn't expect her to come with me, but I certainly didn't expect her to act like this!

"No one asked you too! I'll go on my own!" I mentally cursed at her. How could she be so heartless? How could anyone be this heartless?

"Good! I hope you fucking die!" I stepped back subconsciously, shocked into silence by her words. Her eyes softened ever so slightly, as if regretting her harsh words. No sooner however did she recompose herself. She shot me with one last icy glare before storming away and disappearing into one of the rooms.

The three of us stood in a dead silence, no one knowing exactly how to react. After a few moments Robyn brushed past me, muttering something about 'idiots' and 'buffoons'. She followed the same path as Zoey and eventually she too disappeared from sight. I guess she wasn't too happy about my decision either. I don't understand why they're getting so worked up over this. It's not like I'm forcing them to go.

I looked down at Alan, sitting on a black office chair staring up at me impassively. It would only be a matter of seconds before he too began insulting my intelligence. I folded my arms across my chest and prepared myself for a flurry of abuse.

"I guess it's just you and me, huh?" He spoke slowly and casually, not averting his gaze from me for even a second. I furrowed my brows in confusion and allowed perspiration to trickle down the side of my face before being maliciously wiped away.

"What?" I asked dumbfounded. I lacked the necessary skill to form logical statements at this point. So instead I let my mouth hang open.

"You didn't really think I'd let you go on your own did you?" Surely he wasn't implying what I thought he was. He couldn't possibly be! In retrospect he should have cursed me out and stormed away like Zoey and Robyn had done. How mentally incompetent do you have to be to even consider coming with me? Then again how mentally incompetent do I have to be to agree to go in the first place.

"You're coming with me?" I phrased each word slowly and carefully, afraid that he may scoff at the idea and indicate that he meant something different entirely.

He nodded his head slowly, shifting his gaze from me to the floor. Why would he want to come with me? I brushed my hair back and out of my face and sighed in confusion. I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, envisioning all possible outcomes.Unfortunately several of those outcomes involved my painful and gruesome death. A situation I would rather not find myself in.

I shook my head slowly, severely attempting to repress a headache. That's the last thing I need, an annoying pounding in my head while I'm running for my life. In a matter of seconds, the loud pound of drums began their decent and I soon found myself clutching the sides of head, cursing softly. I never could react well in a stressful situation. And I think I've just about reached my limit.

I stepped back and slumped against the wall, slowly sliding down until I reached the floor, not once opening my eyes. I didn't want to see anything right now. I can't handle this. I can't handle any of this. How can I? How can anyone? A million thoughts began buzzing around my skull, only aggravating the drums further. Before I knew it tears began rolling down my cheeks as small sobs racked my body.

A pair of arms wrapped around me and tugged me into a tight embrace. The warm and comforting hug consoled me slightly. Enough to eradicate the tears and pitiful sobs. I persisted on keeping my eyes shut, even when Alan's soft voice cooed for me to open them. I refused. Like a child locked in their mothers embrace, the world seemed less scary if I couldn't see it.

"Melody," Alan's soft voice reverberated around the cold hall and efficiently snapped me out of my thoughts. "Mel you don't have to go if you don't want too, I can go on my own." He stated, tightening the embrace. He thought I was scared of going to the school? Even though I was scared it wasn't the main reason for my sudden 'outburst'. Helping the cop was only a small branch in a tree full of worries.

I opened my eyes slowly, adjusting to the brightness of the hall. Being a coward wasn't going to solve anything, it'll just make things worse. I gently pulled away from Alan who seemed less than willing to let me go. I shot him a quizzical look that he returned with a sheepish grin. If it weren't for the circumstance we were in I may have actually smiled at his strangeness. But the concept of me smiling sounded like such an unnatural thing for me to do. The sooner we get this over with the better. I helped Alan to his feet and watched skeptically as he swayed from side to side.

He smiled at me reassuringly but it didn't help reduce the dread I felt. I suppose it wouldn't really matter if he slowed us down, after all it's not like the sick people were very fast runners. If I can remember correctly the fastest one I saw was a few paces slower than a quick walk.

"Do you think we can find a gun before we leave?" I asked hopefully. Having a gun at my side would make me feel so much safer. Even if I would never use it.

"Nahh, Robyn checked earlier. Said the place was locked and looked pretty empty." This alone was more than enough to dampen my spirits even further. This fucking cop better have some fucking answers. I flicked the radio on, deciding it'd be better if I left it on, in case he tried to contact us.

"I guess we should head out then." I nodded briefly at him before spinning around and heading towards the front office. My legs felt ten times heavier once the door came into view. Leaving the safety of the station was a daunting task on its own. Running down the street and into a school that could be infested with sick people, that's a different thing altogether.

I reached for the door handle and clasped my fingers around it. I paused for a moment. Allowing all the fear to pass through me now so I wouldn't hesitate later. It's just a walk to the school and back, nothing more and nothing less. It'll be easy. It'll be easy. It will be easy. I mentally screamed over and over again. Feeling a flutter of courage stir inside me, I squeezed the handle and swung it open.

The bright light of the sun that was previously dimmed by the dirty windows now temporarily blinded me. I stood still, not wanting to stumble forward blindly and find myself in the clutches of a crazed person. After several seconds I opened my eyes once again, still adjusting to the light I squinted and looked around, searching for any sign of life.

When I saw no one I stepped forward and looked down the road where the school was located. It shouldn't take too long to reach. Five minutes maximum. I crouched down low and made a mad sprint for the nearest bushes beside the sidewalk. I looked back and made certain Alan was with me. Thankfully he was, and he didn't seem to be having too much trouble keeping up.

I lay down on my stomach and squirmed forward, making sure I wasn't rustling the bushes beside me too much. A hand wrapped around my ankle and before I kicked out and screamed I remembered Alan was the only one behind me. I looked back at him, annoyed that he had stopped me. He shakily lifted his finger up and pressed it to his lips, gesturing for me to be quiet. He pointed at the bush beside us, keeping a lock on my ankle.

I scowled at him, and followed his finger. I looked past the twigs and leaves and scrunched my face up in confusion. I was expecting to see the road and buildings on the other side, but instead all I could see was what looked like hair. Dirty knotted brown hair. Slowly the hair moved and was soon replaced with a bloodied face staring at me through the bushes. I held back a gasp but instinctively flinched backwards.

This small movement however was more than enough to alarm him. My heart raced in my chest as he screamed a deathly sound and and in one quick movement smashed his arm threw the bush, grabbing a lock of my hair. I screamed uncontrollably and desperately struggled against his attack to no prevail. In a flash Alan was standing beside me with his foot in the air. In one swift motion he stamped it down on the mans arm forcing a loud crack to resonate in my ears.

The mans grip fell loose and I found myself curled in a tight ball on the ground. The mere sound of the crack was enough to send me into a state of shock. I squeezed my eyes shut and mentally screamed so as to block out all other noises. Why did I think I could do this?

"Mel we have to go! Others are coming!" Alan's shouts did nothing to snap me out of my shock. Before I even had time to open my eyes Alans' arms were wrapped around me pulling me up to my feet. I opened my eyes, only to see several people stumbling towards us. My breathing picked up in speed and left me gasping for air. Oh no, not now please. This would be the worst time for a freaking panic attack.

I bit down on my lip and grimaced at the metallic taste of blood. I clutched on to Alan for support as a wave of dizziness hit me. I gulped down the bile rising in my throat and squeezed my eyes shut once again. "Come on Mel we don't have time for this!" Alan pressed, shaking me lightly. I shook my head and stepped forward, slowly regaining my composure.

"Let's just fucking run for it!" I seethed through gritted teeth. I ran forward, almost tripping over my own feet. I caught myself just in time and began sprinting away from the bushes, towards the other side of the footpath. I risked a glance over my shoulder and caught a vague image of Alan stumbling after me. He didn't seem to be having much trouble catching up with me.

I continued to run, my chest rising and falling rapidly. After what felt like hours of running the schools high buildings finally came into view. I ran around the side of the building and crashed into the high black gate that much to my dismay, appeared to be locked.

"Well fuck!" I hissed, fiddling with the large lock attached to thick chains. Alan appeared beside me hunched over and clutching his side.

"You okay?" I asked breathlessly. Attempting to catch my breath before the next challenge presented itself. The sooner we got in the school the better. I'm sick of the crippling fear that gripped me every time I saw one of those poor people. "Come on I'll give you a boost." I kneeled down in the gravel and held my hands out. Expectant that he would step in my hands and hop over.

He looked down at my hands and shook his head. "You go, I'll lead them away from here and meet you inside the school after." I scrunched my face up in confusion but decided there wasn't much time left for debate. "Besides, I'm way too old to be jumping over fences." He added, stepping away from the wall.

I gripped the bars of the fence and paused briefly turning around and looking at him curiously. "How old are you?" He raised his eyebrow and grimaced sightly. "I'm twenty six, now hurry up and go before they get here." I looked him up and down one last time. A small amount of worry seeping through me. He'll be fine. I hope.

I climbed up the gate and vaulted over, landing less than gracefully. I stumbled and lost balance, falling down into a sea of gravel. I lay still momentarily, savoring the bliss. My aching joints calmed slightly, but I didn't have enough time to heal them fully. The pain in my shoulder Robyn supposedly 'fixed' was now slowly materializing once again.

I pushed myself up from the ground and gulped in fear. The first few of the sick people had now appeared from round the corner. Alan had succeeded in diverting some of their attention but most of them didn't give up their conquest for me as easily. I looked over the crowd of people and caught a brief glance of Alan retreating from the school, a large group following after him.

I shook off my worry and ran up the steps towards the front doors. I ran into them, turning the handle uselessly. Of course the front door would be locked. Without a second thought I smashed the small window with my elbow and climbed inside, falling into thousands of small glass shards. I stood up, picking glass out of the palms of my hand and watching the blood trickle out.

I let my bloodied hands fall to my sides and looked down the long narrow hallway. Rows of lockers were piled perfectly against the walls, leaving space for the odd door every now and then. I flicked a switch closest to me and wasn't surprised when no lights came on.

I stepped forward slowly, each step shooting a shrill echo down the long and dark hallway. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end as I looked down the hall. My legs began shaking uncontrollably as heat flooded my face. Shaking in my now torn converse shoes I found myself once again asking. Why did I think I could do this?

I took another step forward, and another, and another. Each step intensifying the horrid fear I felt. I reached the first small classroom and peered inside. Completely empty. But it didn't look like there had been any trouble inside. Everything was in perfect order. This helped lighten my mood and elevate the fear, if only the slightest bit. No mess meant no crazy people.

I continued to walk forward, searching for any door that looked like it lead down to a basement. I kept myself close to the wall, bracing myself for any sudden movement or attack. Eventually I came to the end of the hallway and found myself two options. Turn left, or turn right. I shook my head, annoyed that I had to make such a petty decision. I un-hooked the radio and lifted it to my lips, pressing down on the small button.

"Carl?" My voice came out as less than a whisper, but I couldn't bring myself to raise my voice any higher. Something in the back of my mind told me to be as quiet as possible. I breathed out slowly, trying to calm my nerves.

"Yeah I'm here," his gravelly voice came over waves of static. I sighed in relief, suddenly not feeling so alone.

"How do I find the basement?" I asked in a tremulous voice.

"You made it to the school, thank god! Just walk down the first hallway and turn left. Eventually you'll find a door with a sign that says basement on the top. But there's one problem." I held my breath, a million possible scenarios raced through my mind. "You'll need to get the key, which will hopefully be in the principles office." I leaned my head back, soothed that that was the only problem.

"Where's the principles office?" I breathed out, my words echoing down the halls.

"Instead of walking left where the basement is turn right, you'll find it eventually. Good luck."

I turned the radio off and attached it back to my jeans. I turned around and began my decent into the darkness of the right hallway. It was either my mind playing tricks on me or the little light there was was slowly fading away. I looked back and noticed where I came from was far lighter. I hugged my arms around my waist and marched on. Furiously trying to keep thoughts away from my mind.

I reached a door that I could only presume was the principles office as it seemed to be a different door from the others. The wood was darker and the glass was patterned. I turned the handle and silently slipped inside the pitch dark room. Wanting to waste no time prolonging my experience here I swiftly walked towards the desk.

Sifting through each drawer as silently and fast as I could I found the keys in record time. On a ring of around thirty or so, I lifted them up from the drawer and twirled it around my finger. I left the small office and began briskly walking towards the basement. I evaluated the small ring of keys on my way. Carefully reading the label on each. Eventually I came along a small brass key that read basement in bold black scribbled letters.

I stopped abruptly. A small sound reverberated from behind me and echoed around the long hall. Fear struck me like lightening. Scared out of my wits I gradually turned around. I was sure no one else had been here in awhile. Nothing was damaged or even put out of place. If one of those things found its way into the school, surely it would have knocked some things over.

I looked up from the floor and found nothing but an empty hallway. With my breathing picking up in speed and sweat pouring down my face I turned around and hurried down the hallway. I found the door to the basement and jammed the key in the lock, unable to shake the feeling that something was either watching me or hunting me.

I swung the door open and looked down the staircase into the dark pit. "Carl?" I croaked, too afraid to lift my voice higher than a squeak. No response. I placed my foot on the first step. "Carl?" I asked, raising my voice the slightest bit. Still, no response.

My breaths came out in short rasps. my hands shook as I gripped the railing, my eyes wide, searching the darkness. Part of me told me to run, to run and never come back. The other part told me to do the right thing. I'm here. I've come too far to turn back now. I couldn't let a small sound stop me. I went down another three steps. Shaking profusely. "Carl!" I exclaimed, praying for a response.

I froze on the spot as a light breeze swept over my neck and forced several strands of hair to fall over my shoulder. The cool wind was soon replaced by soft breathing. My lower lip quivered in apprehension as I craned my neck to the side. A dark figure stood directly behind me, breathing heavily .