Chapter 1

It had been a quiet morning. Four lessons had gone by and I managed to stay awake. None of my friends were in the same lessons as me, so I felt completely alone the whole time.

Just into the fifth lesson, the predicted weather, rain, began thundering down. Although my classmates were in their teenage years, they were still fascinated by the water trickling down the windows. My teacher tried hard to keep our attention but he struggled as the rain turned into hail and thunder began roaring in the distance. A few hypochondriacs began squealing because they were scared, but they hadn't seen the worst of it yet.

Getting frustrated with the lack of concentration, the teacher looked up the weather on his computer. He projected the screen on the board, so everyone could see. He went onto the main weather website but was quickly directed to another website. Breaking News. Gradually people began looking up from their desks to read what was on the screen. And they were horrified. Sounds of electric lighting began crackling in the sky as the other students began crying and hyperventilating. They couldn't believe what they were reading, and I couldn't either. It was surreal, it felt like a nightmare.

"Urgent warning. A virus has spread in a matter of hours, from a science experiment to a worldwide plague. Everyone must stay inside, lock all doors and do not trust these monsters. They will kill you. If under attack, destroy their brain."

The weather matched our moods. We didn't know what to do. The teacher tried to calm us down but nothing was working. The news spread as fast as the disease, from classroom to classroom, school to school, city to city. Dismissing the warning, I could see students and teachers fleeing their study rooms and running out of the school, though it was clear something bad was happening. Immediately pupils in my lesson were doing the same. All I could hear was screaming and it made me feel ill. I couldn't bear to ring my mother and ask her to pick me up because I was terrified for my safety and if she was ok. Would I ever see my family again?

Merging into the crowd of people trying to escape I realised I had nowhere to go. I had got near the main area of the school when I saw vicious creatures piling in from all directions. I was petrified. The screams filled the air, blocking out the thunder and lighting. I could see pools of blood appearing on the ground and realised my best chance of surviving was to head in the opposite direction. But I had to be careful. These monsters were everywhere, biting people and ripping people apart. I even saw one of my closest friends surrounded by them. I couldn't bear to look, as I found myself choking with tears. I ran as fast as I could to the toilets which were up a flight of stairs. I hadn't seen any creature head up there. I burst through the doors and hid in a cubicle. I was breathing fast and shaking with terror.

I stood with my head against the door recapping everything that had happened. The monsters looked like zombies - rotting faces, covered in blood, frail looking and open wounds. What the hell was going on? I grabbed a load of tissues and wiped my eyes and some blood off my cheek. I couldn't bear to look at my phone, but I forced myself too. I had received one missed call from my mother. She had left a voicemail but I couldn't bear to listen to it, incase it would be the last time I would hear from her. I gasped and cried again until my eyes were red and sore. I couldn't imagine how many people were dead already, how many bodies were laying lifeless outside. I gulped and felt queasy. Was I safe up here?