45: On the drive to the school, everybody was a little tense. Jeffrey wanted to lighten the mood a little. "Hey, Lowe. Remember when my mom used to read that children's book, 'With What Shall Orange Rhyme?' to us when you'd spend the night when we were kids?"
"Oh yeah, that was my favorite book growing up. That little orange was looking for something to rhyme with orange. My parents never got it for me so I only heard it at your house. That and "Sevender the Ever Growing Tomato' still make me laugh."
"Yeah, my mom had her moments. She'd do all the voices and shit. We couldn't hardly sleep whenever she would do that shit. Oh man, was that fun." Jeffrey's jaw tightened as he apparently remembered some not so fond memories of his mother.
"I think my mother was at her best when I was a little boy. After that, she just kinda didn't know how to deal with me as a teenager. I think she would have been happy if I just stayed five years old all my life."
Lowe looked Jeffrey in the eye. "Well, shit. You were quite a hand full."
"Oh yeah, look who's talking. All I have to say to that is, 'apple sandwich'. 'Nuff said," said Jeffrey.
"Hey, how was I supposed to know what color her hair was?" asked Lowe and they both laughed at the memory.
"Anyway, I know my mom did her best, but it's like she hardly even knows me anymore. I think I didn't turn out the way she had expected. That scared her, but I just had to be me and she didn't know how to handle my transition into adulthood. Like she just couldn't my adult choices because she had her own ideas of what I should do with my life. I hope she can eventually come to see me as an equal and not as her baby anymore. I love that woman and it would just mean the world to me."
"Hey, man. She'll see what you're capable of right now, you know?" said Lowe.
"Yeah, I know." Jeffrey pulled up into the parking lot of Wolf Cub Elementary. They had encountered a few of the Revenant, but the walking dead were too slow to pursue the black truck. "Well, here we are. We should leave the engine running. We wouldn't want to have any possible delays to our departure. That would be tactically disadvantageous. Oh, shit! There's one now."
One of the undead came around the corner of the building and headed right at them. Alex picked up a rock and threw it at it's head. He hit it, but didn't smash it's brain. It fell to the ground. Chadwick then stomped on its throat several times until its head was reasonably disconnected from its body. It stopped moving then, though the eyes continued to follow their every movement. Lowe kicked the head and it turned face down, still attached loosely to the neck. They could still hear its teeth clicking shut periodically.
Alex looked around and saw that the coast was temporarily clear. "We should go in."
"Dude, I'll keep a lookout and be the getaway driver," volunteered Lowe Freq.
"You got it, Lowe," said Jeffrey. Since Chadwick had been in the school previously, he knew where the cafeteria was. He led Jeffrey and Alexander there. Inside was still chaos because the five Revenant were still at large. The Defectors were busy fending for themselves so the three men divided up to locate Sandy.
Jeffrey roamed the halls, checking every door to see what was open. Several of the classrooms were unlocked, but empty. At the end of the hall was the office. Inside was the body of the secretary. He stepped around her desk to check the Principal's office, which was in the back of the office. Bad idea. The secretary was not quite dead yet. She felt better now that food was here. She thought she'd go for a walk now. Jeffrey had other plans. He grabbed a paperweight off her desk and bludgeoned her repeatedly. "No, please. Don't get up on my behalf. I insist. I was just on my way out anyway. It's summertime. Relax." He continued his search.
Chadwick went upstairs. A corpse in a janitor's uniform accosted him. Chadwick backhanded it hard, but it kept coming at him. The zombie still had a mop in its hand. Chadwick snatched it away from him and swung the handle and hit it on the neck, audibly cracking its spine. The ghoul fell clattering down the stairs. Chadwick thrust the mop to the floor and dusted off his clothes. He took one look down the dark hallway and stooped down to reclaim the discarded mop. It was better than nothing.
None of the Defectors paid any attention to Alexander and he made his way through the cafeteria to the kitchen. He saw there was a door leading to a large walk-in food pantry. He turned the light on and spotted Sandy lying on the floor by the bags of flour. She was tied up and gagged with a t-shirt. He went to her and helped her to sit up. He untied the shirt that was around her lower jaw. "Mrs. Ahn, I'm going to get you out of here. I'm with G Bomb, I mean Jeffrey, your son."
Sandy blinked weakly several times. She opened and shut here mouth trying to get it to unstiffen. Alex undid both the knots around her wrists and around her ankles. Sandy futilely licked her dried lips with her equally dry tongue. The dust and dirt on her face was disturbed only by the long-dried streaks of tears. Alex found a measuring cup and filled it with water from the industrial metal sink. He brought it to her and helped her to sip it. Her hands and feet were blue from being tied up for so long. He knew she would have to be carried out. Jeffrey waled into the kitchen then and Alex called him over.
"Mom. Oh, God. You're alive. Are you OK?"
"She's not well. You'll need to help me get her to the truck. Where's Chadwick?"
"He was right behind me. Let me tell him where we are." Jeffrey went out the kitchen door and soon came back with Chadwick. The three of them were able to manage to lift Sandy and transport her to the truck. They put her into the back and piled into the seats. "Now let's make our eggsit and geddon outta here," said Jeffrey. Lowe Freq put the truck in gear and sped off to the amusement park.
"Dude, what was that eggsit, geddon shit?" asked Lowe Freq.
"The Korean word for egg is geddon. It was a pun," explained Jeffrey. Lowe Freq just rolled his eyes and groaned. They made their way to the hotel where the rest of the plan would take place before the end of the night.
"Oh yeah, that was my favorite book growing up. That little orange was looking for something to rhyme with orange. My parents never got it for me so I only heard it at your house. That and "Sevender the Ever Growing Tomato' still make me laugh."
"Yeah, my mom had her moments. She'd do all the voices and shit. We couldn't hardly sleep whenever she would do that shit. Oh man, was that fun." Jeffrey's jaw tightened as he apparently remembered some not so fond memories of his mother.
"I think my mother was at her best when I was a little boy. After that, she just kinda didn't know how to deal with me as a teenager. I think she would have been happy if I just stayed five years old all my life."
Lowe looked Jeffrey in the eye. "Well, shit. You were quite a hand full."
"Oh yeah, look who's talking. All I have to say to that is, 'apple sandwich'. 'Nuff said," said Jeffrey.
"Hey, how was I supposed to know what color her hair was?" asked Lowe and they both laughed at the memory.
"Anyway, I know my mom did her best, but it's like she hardly even knows me anymore. I think I didn't turn out the way she had expected. That scared her, but I just had to be me and she didn't know how to handle my transition into adulthood. Like she just couldn't my adult choices because she had her own ideas of what I should do with my life. I hope she can eventually come to see me as an equal and not as her baby anymore. I love that woman and it would just mean the world to me."
"Hey, man. She'll see what you're capable of right now, you know?" said Lowe.
"Yeah, I know." Jeffrey pulled up into the parking lot of Wolf Cub Elementary. They had encountered a few of the Revenant, but the walking dead were too slow to pursue the black truck. "Well, here we are. We should leave the engine running. We wouldn't want to have any possible delays to our departure. That would be tactically disadvantageous. Oh, shit! There's one now."
One of the undead came around the corner of the building and headed right at them. Alex picked up a rock and threw it at it's head. He hit it, but didn't smash it's brain. It fell to the ground. Chadwick then stomped on its throat several times until its head was reasonably disconnected from its body. It stopped moving then, though the eyes continued to follow their every movement. Lowe kicked the head and it turned face down, still attached loosely to the neck. They could still hear its teeth clicking shut periodically.
Alex looked around and saw that the coast was temporarily clear. "We should go in."
"Dude, I'll keep a lookout and be the getaway driver," volunteered Lowe Freq.
"You got it, Lowe," said Jeffrey. Since Chadwick had been in the school previously, he knew where the cafeteria was. He led Jeffrey and Alexander there. Inside was still chaos because the five Revenant were still at large. The Defectors were busy fending for themselves so the three men divided up to locate Sandy.
Jeffrey roamed the halls, checking every door to see what was open. Several of the classrooms were unlocked, but empty. At the end of the hall was the office. Inside was the body of the secretary. He stepped around her desk to check the Principal's office, which was in the back of the office. Bad idea. The secretary was not quite dead yet. She felt better now that food was here. She thought she'd go for a walk now. Jeffrey had other plans. He grabbed a paperweight off her desk and bludgeoned her repeatedly. "No, please. Don't get up on my behalf. I insist. I was just on my way out anyway. It's summertime. Relax." He continued his search.
Chadwick went upstairs. A corpse in a janitor's uniform accosted him. Chadwick backhanded it hard, but it kept coming at him. The zombie still had a mop in its hand. Chadwick snatched it away from him and swung the handle and hit it on the neck, audibly cracking its spine. The ghoul fell clattering down the stairs. Chadwick thrust the mop to the floor and dusted off his clothes. He took one look down the dark hallway and stooped down to reclaim the discarded mop. It was better than nothing.
None of the Defectors paid any attention to Alexander and he made his way through the cafeteria to the kitchen. He saw there was a door leading to a large walk-in food pantry. He turned the light on and spotted Sandy lying on the floor by the bags of flour. She was tied up and gagged with a t-shirt. He went to her and helped her to sit up. He untied the shirt that was around her lower jaw. "Mrs. Ahn, I'm going to get you out of here. I'm with G Bomb, I mean Jeffrey, your son."
Sandy blinked weakly several times. She opened and shut here mouth trying to get it to unstiffen. Alex undid both the knots around her wrists and around her ankles. Sandy futilely licked her dried lips with her equally dry tongue. The dust and dirt on her face was disturbed only by the long-dried streaks of tears. Alex found a measuring cup and filled it with water from the industrial metal sink. He brought it to her and helped her to sip it. Her hands and feet were blue from being tied up for so long. He knew she would have to be carried out. Jeffrey waled into the kitchen then and Alex called him over.
"Mom. Oh, God. You're alive. Are you OK?"
"She's not well. You'll need to help me get her to the truck. Where's Chadwick?"
"He was right behind me. Let me tell him where we are." Jeffrey went out the kitchen door and soon came back with Chadwick. The three of them were able to manage to lift Sandy and transport her to the truck. They put her into the back and piled into the seats. "Now let's make our eggsit and geddon outta here," said Jeffrey. Lowe Freq put the truck in gear and sped off to the amusement park.
"Dude, what was that eggsit, geddon shit?" asked Lowe Freq.
"The Korean word for egg is geddon. It was a pun," explained Jeffrey. Lowe Freq just rolled his eyes and groaned. They made their way to the hotel where the rest of the plan would take place before the end of the night.
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