Chapter 1: Dance With The Devil
The sharp buzz of the electronic bell sounded from the speakers overhead at Royal Greens High School. Chairs scraped the floor and people moved about as students and staff finished off their lunches and started to their next classes. As the after lunch classes began, a Police squad car pulled into the school parking lot and came to a stop alongside the curb close to the school's main entrance. A pair of students rushing late to class glanced quickly as the vehicle and rushed off as a pair of formidable officers exited the car. The driver, a tall caucasion man with golden blonde hair adjusted his duty belt as he stepped out the door. Flexing his broad shoulders and crossing his arms across his barrel chest, he quickly twisted his six foot four frame left and right, stretching from the drive as he put on his duty cap, ice blue eyes shifting back and forth from the school and his partner exiting the passenger side. A shorter, hispanic man with a short buzz cut, well toned arms and a runners build emerged and slammed the door shut behind him. He looked as his partner and shook his head with a sigh. "How many times do we have to deal with this knd of shit before kids these days learn Allister ? It's making me hate this school Liason gig"
His partner shurged and chuckled, "No idea Shane, but as long as it goes on, and we're working in the district, we'll be the ones taking care of it." He pressed the key fob's lock button and the cruiser beeped as the alarm armed. "Let's go see what the kid has to say."
Shane grunted and the pair of officers marched towards the entrance, a gym class running by as the warm breeze that was custom this time in May whispered by, the smell of freshcut grass floating through the air as a grass cutter moved across the school football field. Reaching the main doors, the pair of officers pushed their way inside and swung right towards the main office. A heavy, middle aged woman sat behind a desk, her eyes moving back and forth as she typed furiously at he computer. Glancing up, she smiled and puhed her chair back, walking to the window. "Thank you for coming officers, please come in."
Al nodded and walked through the office door. "Thank you," he glanced at her nametag, "Stacey, is Mr. Beacon here?"
"Yes I'm here." spoke the tall thin man turning the corner into the office. He pushed his glasses up and brushed a piece of his dark hair off his forehead. "Just finishing lunch." he smiled as he offered a hand.
Both Al and Shane shook and introduced themselves.
"Please call me Rick. I've been principal here for only a few months, so I appreciate you two taking lead on this, still trying to feel out the students."
Al nodded. "Of course Rick. If you don't mind, I'll speak to the young man if you want to take Officer Ram to the locker in question?"
Rick nodded, pointing Al to a room marked "Conference Room A" while he turned to Shane and led him out of the office and out of sight.
Al turned the knob and stepped inside. A long oval table sat center, plush blue chairs spaced around it, all empty save for one near the middle of the table opposite the door. A tall, well built senior gazed up at Al with dark green eyes. He gave his head a slight flick, clearing his long sandy hair out of his face and leaned back, his varsity jackets drapped over the chair. He met Al's eyes and quickly looked away as if suddenly embarrassed and scared.
"We're checking your locker now son, so if there's anything you want to tell me, now is your chance." Al growled.
The kid just stared at the floor.
"Ok then," Al sighed as he took a seat across from the football player. "I can see by the jacket you play football, and Defensive Tackle at that. Tough position, that's where I spent my highschool and university years." Al removed a large ring from his right hand and placed it on the table infront of the young man. "Won the BSC while I played for Ohio."
The kid glanced up and picked up the ring, turning it over in awe as he examined it. The large red stone, the year 2002, and the number 59 that matched his own. He took another minute and handed the ring back to Al.
"What's your name kid?"
"James," the kid said, his voice shaky, "James Main."
Al nodded. "Alright James, I'm officer Cox, I'm assuming you know why we're here?"
James exploaded. "Its not mine! I swear! My teammate Trent asked me to hold onto his bag, I didn't know what was in it! I swear! I dont do that stuff!"
Al held up a hand. "You were holding onto it for him correct?"
James nodded, "Yes."
"James if it's in your locker your responsible for it, this is serious, it could mean no more football."
James was about to reply, his eyes tearing up when Al's radio cackled to life, Stan on the other end sounding flustered and slightly frightened. "Al? We have a situation here, I was just-".
Al's radio cut out. He reached to his transmitter and keyed it twice, answered by static. He turned to speak to James when screams pierced the air around them, followed by screeches and crashing.
A pair of gunshots echoed from the depths of the building and police officer Allister Cox new his partner was in serious trouble.
Al quickly stood, moving towards the door while speaking. "James, stay here, do not go anywhere, you leave this room, it will make things very bad for you, are we clear?"
James nodded "Yes officer."
Al leaned against the door, pressing his hear to the wood, searching for any sound that might give a clue as to what was taking place on the other side. Distant screams and sparatic gun shots pushed his heart rate higher as he slowly reached down, un-buttoned his holster, and slid out his sidearm, a nickel plated, wood gripped, Colt Python. Opting for the .357 caliber, Al had long favoured the heavy revolver after a bank robbery gone bad had left a half dozen of his fellow officers dead as the robbers fled, their kevlar vests prevnting Police from stopping them. Since that day, Al vowed that no amount of kevlar or armour would stop him from carrying out his duty and protecting his fellow men and women in blue. Cocking the hammer, Al pushed opened the door, rasied his sidearm, and stepped out into the office.
The stench of blood was thick in the air and it took the experienced officer but moments to see why. Careful not to step in the pool of blood by the door, Al stepped over a facedown body and swept across the room, papers and chairs strewn about, a phone hanging by the cord at a desk and a wet mushy sound. Al quickly determined the noise was coming from Principal Beacon's office and quietly moved towards the slightly open door, the sound getting louder as he approached.
Reaching the door, Al slowly pushed it open while keeping his revolver raised and stepping into the office. Rick lay face up on the floor, a woman on her knees leaning over him. Al circled around for a better view, his pistol trained on the woman as he moved. Reaching an angle where he could see better, Al instantly wished he hadn't.
Rick's face was covered in blood, his glasses broken on the floor next to him. His left arm was missing from the elbow down, the end of the bone stuck out as blood poured from the wound onto the floor, and that wasn't the worst of it. The woman, who Al now recognized as the secretary "Stacey" had her face buried in Rick's chest, his shirt open as she ripped into his flesh with her teeth, blood and gore spilling from her mouth as she feasted. Lifting a thumb, officer Cox cocked his revolver with a loud click.
Upon the noise, Stacey shot her head up, her eyes burning with hate as slowly got to her feet. Taking aim at her center mass, Al worked his best to keep his voice level amid the hellish scene, "Stacey, you need to put your hands on your head, and get on your knees right now."
Al swallowed as he realised Stacey's neck was exposed, showing gristle and bone as blood streamed down onto her shirt, a deep throaty growl emitting from her as he stepped towards him.
"Stacey stop right there!" Al said his voice raising, "I will shoot you!"
Stacey lashed out, an animal like noise escaping her as she reached for Al, stepping over Rick into the growing pool of blood. Then she lunged.
The gunshot was deafening in the confied space of the office as Al fired a heavy round point blank into what used to be Stacey's chest, a large hole smashing through her left lung and sending tissue matter onto the far wall with a splat. Stumbling backwards, Stacey tripped over the office chair and went sprawling onto the floor in a series of spasams and shakes. Al normally would have proceeded to check Rick and call for assistance, but what happened next made the seasonsed police officer freeze in horror.
Stacey slowly got back up, the growling and snapping growing louder as she got back on her feet and lunged towards Al for a second time. In the split second it took Stacey to lunge forward, Al snapped back to reality and fired a second shot, blasting open Stacey's rib cage as the round split her sternum and shot gore and bone through the air. Al grimmaced as he watched intestine fall to the floor as she slammed back against the wall with a pulpy smack, the back of her head putting a hole in the drywall as she collapsed to the floor. Confident she was down, Al lowered his weapon and was about to step forward when the gorwling started again as Stacey rose for a third time, a screech escaping her gaping throat as she charged once more at Allister.
Aiming for her face, Al fired a third and final shot that smashed through her right eye, carving out bone and brain in a splash of flesh and caused her to be lifted off her feet and thrown into the desk against the wall. Waiting for any movement, Al kept his gun on Stacey for a full ten seconds before lowering his weapon to reload. Furiously, Al jammed bullets into the revolver as fast as he could, blood pumping in his ears as he flicked the gun closed. Reaching for his radio, officer Cox was about to call for help when a pair of gunshots blasted from outside the office, closer than before.
Moving to the door, Allister pushed into the main office, the horror of Rick's office still weighing in on him as he pushed on, his pistol up and sweeping as he moved back to his starting point.
Not ten steps in however, a screech from behind him cause Al to spin, his sidearm up and ready. The sight of Rick running at him from his office, his chest open exposing ribs, caused Al to stare in amazement for a split second before he fired a pair of bullets. The thundering booms rocked the hallway and for a spilit second, Al swore he heard Shane and another man on his radio, but the deafening shots and his own heart hammering in his throat drowned out all other noises. The first took Rick's arm clean off at the shoulder, sending the apendage flying through the air like a bloody snake while the second ripped into his collar bone, causing him to veer into the wall with a crash, spewing blood against the wall and screech as he turned back and continued at Allster. A third bullet smashed into Rick's leg sneding him sprawling to the floor sending more blood to the ground. Crawling now, Rick howled as his remianing arm grabbed Al's ankle as he tried to move his face closer to Al's leg. The fourth shot from the Colt Python smashed Rick's forehead into dozens of fragments and sent brain spewing onto the floor, the top half of the head shorn clean off.
Shaking, Al turned back and ran to the conference room where James still waited and hurried inside, slammed the door behin him, locked it, and sunk into a chair shaking his head in disbelief. He didn't know what scared him more, Stacey, Rick's return from the dead, or that the bodies in the office had all disappeared.
"Sir?" James whispered, "What's going on?"
Al shook his head, "I don't know kid, I don't know."
James just sat there, his mouth open as her searched for something to say. He was about to speak when a loud screeching erupted from outside the conference room and fists started pounding on the door, each bang getting louder and louder as the creature outside tried to get in.
Jumping from the chair, Al moved away from the door, his pistol up as the banging and screeching got louder and louder. Moving James behind him with a free hand, Al was about to fire through the door when the familiar sound of Shane's Beretta blasted from outside the conference room silencing the pouding on the door. Seconds later, the door was kicked in, and Shane stormed in, sweaty and dirty, but very much alive and normal, a teenag girl close behind him. Al opened his mouth to speak when a squeal of tires and a large crash resounded from outside, followed soon after by automatic weapons fire.
SWAT Sergeant Cody Shaer yanked a magazine from one of his vest pockets and pushed it up into the reciever, the thirty round mag slamming home with a clack as he chambered a 9mm round. Raising from his crouch, he brought his MP5 up to bear and centered his sight reticule on a rather fat, balding man, wearing a janitors uniform and missing his lower jar that came tearing around the corner to his right with a loud screech. Squeezing the trigger, Cody put a burst of rounds into his chest, slicing open a large wound sending blood and bone to the walkway and causing the big hispanic man to stumble. Adjusting his aim, the sergeant fired a second pair of rounds into the chin and nose of "Stan" the janitor sending him into the air for a brief moment of peace before crashing down to the cement with a wet smack, his head turning to goo as it cracked in half. He re-adjusted and fired into an oncoming crowd while calling over his shoulder to Corporal Chris Houghton rummaging in the back of the overturned SWAT van. "Chirs! Talk to me!"
A heavy duffle bag came flying out the back doors, followed by another and the Corporal came clambering out with a grim look written across his face. "It's not good Sarge, the ram came loose, the ram came loose from the cabinet, it's not pretty."
Cody shuddered inside, picturing the heavy door breaker crushing his team in the back as the SWAT van had spun out of control turning into the high school parking lot and rolled through the parking lot in a hurricane of metal and debris. He tore the image from his mind as he emptied his clip at the closing crowd and reloaded. "Grab what you can! We gotta move!"
Chris nodded as he slung the pair of bags along with the teams sniper rifle, and pumped his Beneli M1014. He moved up beside Cody and began to fire as Cody ducked back down to reload and pull a frag grenade from his vest. Yanking the pin and standing, Cody flung the explosive into the corwd and grabbed Chris, pulling them down behind the ovterturned SWAT van as the grenade exploaded, cutting down the crowd of onrushing undead in a fury of metal and flesh.
"Jesus chrsit." Chris breathed as the two stood and started moving towards the school.
Cody grunted. "Let's go find our boys in blue and get the hell out of here." He keyed his radio, "Echo-5 this is Delta-4, we're coming in the front door over."
"Copy Delta-4, Echo-5 in on route." Shane yelled over the gunshots that rang behind him as Al took down a third thing that had tried to force its way into the now open conference room, James and the girl stood flat against the far wall, fear gripping them as they watched their classmates and teachers fall one by one. "SWAT's here!"
Al paused to reload as Shane took his place covering the door. "How did they get here?"
Shane shurgged. "Drove I assume, I called for them about ten minutes ago after I saw what was going on outside."
Al noticed the girl wince in the corner, and he remembered Shane's story of what had happened while he checked the locker. The teacher charging at her students, the janitor running with a small child ripping into his back, and the dozns of corpses rising and rushing Shane in hellish screams as they called for flesh. Shane was lucky to have made it back, let alone saving the girl.
"James! You gotta take her ok? We'll clear the way, you stay right behind us!" Shane yelled as the gunshots from outside grew closer. "Understand?"
James nodded and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her in behind the pair of officers as they glanced at each other. With a quick nod, and a quiet "fuck this shit" from Al, the two stormed out of the conference room and towards the front doors, both their pistols up. Careful to move quietly, Al and Shane led the teenagers outside the office and towards the doors.
"It's really quiet." James whispered as they turned a corner, "where is everyone?"
Shane turned to shush him when a teacher wailed and launched from the balcony and slammed Shane to the ground, it's face snarling and dripping with saliva as it went for his neck. Twisting, Shane managed to free an arm and hold the creature off as the others yelled and jumped back.
"Get clear! I can't get a clean shot!" Al cried as he aimed towards the tangled mess that was his partner and the undead. He swung his revolver back and forth, waiting for a chance to fire without killing his long time partner. He was about to fire when a small red dot flashed across the old teachers head for a split second, followed by a loud bang.
The things head snapped sideways and launched brain matter against the wall as Al spun to see a pair of SWAT officers standing behind them, the shooter's pistol still trained on Shane. "You bit?" the young Corporal yelled, "Anywhere?"
Shane stood and wiped the blood off his shirt. "No, I'm good. Thanks."
Chris nodded as Cody turned to face everyone. "We need to go now, those things will be coming back real soon after this commotion."
As if on cue, dozens of wails and moans came from the school as hores of the walking dead came storming through the halls towards all the noise the six survivors had been making. Cody charged on forward as the rest followed in behind, weapons up as they pushed themlsevs to the end of the hall and out the doors into the parking lot.
Smoke billowed from the upturned SWAT van as the group burts outside, Cody pausing only to toss another grenade in the doors behind them.
"The cruiser!" Al yelled as they pushed past the upturned van, the explosion behind them blasting open the door and alerting more of the undead to their location. Dozens more cries from hell erupted from around the school as the entire building emptied itself and came chasing after the six still alive. Chris brought up the rear, pasuing quickly to check their six and fire off his shotgun before turning back to rejoin the others.
The thing jumped from the car beside him.
Hearing the scream, Cody turned to see Chris being mauled by a tall black man, his arms flailing as the things teeth ravaged his neck and face. Shouldering his submachinegun, Cody spat rounds at the undead horror untill it's riddled corpse fell to the road, dead a second time. He rushed and knealt next to Chris as Shane ran back to cover him.
"Go Sarge, get them out of here." Chris passed Cody his shotgun and Glock 19. He reached up and grabbed a grenade off Cody's vest as Shane reached them and grabbed the duffle bags.
Cody shook his head. "Damn it Chris you're coming with."
Chris choked, tears in his eyes as he pulled the pin on the grenade and clasped it tight to his chest. "You know what happens after you get bit, please, I don't want to become on of those things." he cried as he started to shake.
Shane grabbed Cody's shoulder, "C'mon Sarge, we gotta go!"
Cody looked up at the oncoming crowd, wails and screeches pierced the air as dozens of things came running up the parking lot towards them. Glancing down at Chirs on last time, Cody turned and both he and Shane ran to where Al had started the crusier and the teenagers where piling in. As they reached the car, and Shane jammed himself in the front seat, the grenade in Corporal Houghton's hand exploaded, sending scores to the rushing crowd to the pavement in chunks. Looking up quickly, Cody took a moment to watch the stragglers start to stand before ducking down and slipping into the cruiser next to the girl. He slammed the door shut just as Al smashed down on the gas pedal, and the black and white ripped out of the parking lot, dodging a pair of burning cars and smashing through the half open gate before tearing down the road.
