[A/N:
Hello everyone.
A new episode of Alex in high school.
Will he save Emily? Will he manage to collect all 7 Dragon Balls?
Comment, donate Power Stones, and if you can, hit the heart button on my profile.]
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At the High School.
The word, "Emily?", vanished into the dense air of the hallway, suffocated by the panic that gripped Alex's throat. The swaying figure lifted her head, her eyes, clouded by torment and fear, did not reflect the familiar sparkle Alex associated with Ron's daughter. No. This was not Emily. She was a stranger, just another student trapped in that nightmare, and her plea embedded itself like a dagger in Alex's chest.
"Help me, please," the girl begged, her voice a trembling thread, barely perceptible.
Alex stared at her intently once more and understood the reason for the young woman's profound fear. A trace of blood just above her elbow. A bite.
An icy shiver ran down his spine.
Alex was aware of what awaited the young woman: death and, subsequently, reanimation. There was no hope. Only an inevitable end, followed by a monstrous awakening. That young woman was irremediably condemned; she would transform into another ravenous mouth, another soulless predator.
He knew that if the virus manifested as he had witnessed in his visions or in the first cases he attested, he could have amputated her arm to try to save her, but Alex did not know how much time had passed since the bite, and he also did not feel capable of carrying out such an action.
"Could I do something like that to save someone?" Alex wondered. "What should I do with her?"
His hand, almost purely by instinct, firmly clutched the combat knife.
An echo of the visions that, in their moment, had revealed the raw reality of this hell, whispered the action he should take. But his mind resisted.
"How could I do this? How could I take the life of a person who was still pleading, who was still experiencing fear?"
Sonny's lifeless face, with that hideous bite, projected into his mind, the guilt still latent.
No more deaths if he could avoid them. Not by his own hand.
A gasp from the young woman caught Alex's attention. She was in such precarious condition, but the beads of sweat revealed that the virus was slowly taking effect, weakening the girl.
Time was running out.
Pleading, negotiating, comforting… none of that would be useful to save her. But it would serve to protect her, and to shield himself from a decision that would tear his soul apart.
"Come with me," Alex said, his voice hoarse, trying to instill a calm he did not possess. He approached with extreme caution, extending a hand. "What's your name?"
The young woman looked at him, her eyes still filled with terror, but a spark of relief crossed her face upon hearing a human voice that was not screaming.
"Li... Lily," she stammered, her voice barely a faint breath.
"Lily," Alex repeated, nodding, trying to make the name sound comforting. "I'll take you to a safe place. You'll be safe there."
Lily looked at him with suspicion, but the dread in her eyes was greater than the uncertainty. Furthermore, sporadic gunshots were heard in the background, which further increased her fear.
She approached him.
Alex held her gently, guiding her down the gloomy corridor. Every step was torture, a premonition of what was imminent. It was not a safe haven for her, not in the sense she understood, but it was a place where her transformation would not endanger anyone else and where he would not have to be her executioner.
He found a small, discreet classroom, with a wooden door. He pushed it open, revealing an unoccupied space, illuminated by the flickering lights that blinked intermittently.
"Here," Alex whispered, assisting her inside. Lily collapsed against the wall, her eyes fixed on him, still pleading. "Stay here. You'll be safe."
The falsehood burned his throat.
"What's your name?" Lily suddenly asked him.
"Alex," he replied.
"Alex, will they come to help us soon?" Lily asked with a glimmer of hope.
"Of course, Lily, we just have to wait a little longer," Alex comforted her, feeling guilty.
"Alex why did my friend attack me earlier?" she asked, her tone of voice a combination of sadness and fear.
"There's a virus that's making some people violent," Alex replied.
"What a relief! I thought he hated me… Alex, my arm hurts a little. Can you help me?" Lily asked, lifting her arm slightly while frowning from the pain.
"Of course."
Alex quickly took some water from his backpack, cleaned the wound, and bandaged her arm. Additionally, he gave her a painkiller to alleviate her pain. He knew it was a waste of medical supplies, but it broke his heart to witness the young woman's condition.
"Everything's ready, Lily, now the pain will subside. Also, take this chocolate bar… it will give you some energy," Alex said, handing her an already opened chocolate bar.
"Thank you very much, Alex," Lily said, trying to force a smile, she took a small bite of the bar and set it aside. "It's delicious."
"Lily, I'm looking for a classmate of yours… I must leave to find her as soon as possible," Alex commented, putting all his belongings back in his backpack.
"Okay… I'll wait here," she said reluctantly, her gaze reflecting desperation once again.
Alex observed her intently, noticing the beads of sweat forming on her forehead, more abundant than before. Her breathing was irregular, and her skin looked somewhat pale. All the young woman's suffering seemed to transmit itself to him.
"See you, Lily," Alex said goodbye, moving towards the door, trying not to look at her again.
Just as he opened the door and was leaving, Lily asked him something that chilled his skin and made his heart momentarily stop.
"Will I become violent too, Alex?" Lily inquired, looking towards the door with a glimmer of understanding in her gaze.
"No, Lily," Alex denied, without looking back. "You just need to rest a bit, soon all this will come to an end."
Lily only watched his wavering back. She knew. She had understood. However, Alex's gesture deeply moved her; he had assisted her even knowing there was no way to save her. The desperation persisted, but Alex had brought a ray of warmth to her last moments of life.
"Thank you for your help, Alex. You are a truly good man," Lily told him with a tone full of gratitude.
A lump formed in Alex's throat.
He took the doorknob and slowly closed the door. He only cast one last, fleeting glance inside. There, leaning against the wall, was Lily, a stranger, who was now shedding a few tears, but a faint smile adorned her face. The last thing Alex saw was Lily biting the chocolate bar with an expression of joy.
The sound of the door resonated in the silent hallway, a final echo of humanity he was confining. The echo seemed to reverberate with great intensity, but all that was happening only in Alex's mind.
Lily, despite being a stranger, had shown him the profound desperation people felt in those critical moments.
He, ever since he witnessed the military's actions at midday… No, ever since he saw that man attack the woman in the park last Sunday, he had entered an automatic mode of operation.
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[A/N: For those who still remember, Alex saw his first zombie on Sunday, November 15th, and he also killed the zombie and the person who was about to become one.
From that moment on, his responses were very elusive and his actions strange. He only acted alone to save people when necessary. A little strange, right?
Did you think I brought in all those characters from other fiction just to attract more viewers?
Of course not! (wink)]
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His mind always focused on how to prepare, setting aside his more reflective, more human side. He felt as if his future self had taken control of his body with the sole purpose of keeping him safe.
The only thing he could do on his own was to rescue the people he could.
He saved Alicia's family, helped Gerry and his family. He also rescued Travis and other people along the way. He even saved Tommy, Joel, and his daughter from being gunned down by a soldier. That was real, but it didn't feel that way.
His journey to find Emily was the same. He only advanced in a completely automatic mode.
Only now, upon contemplating Lily's desperation, could he fully realize what he was doing.
"I must continue… I must find them," Alex reflected, touched the wooden door one last time, and walked away from it.
The lump in his throat tightened even more. This was the apocalypse. There were no heroes, only survivors making impossible decisions and people left behind, suffering along the way.
"Let's go," Alex encouraged himself.
Alex turned, his combat knife still in his hand, and resumed following Sonny's blood trail.
The hallway, previously in complete silence, now seemed much more ominous, every shadow, a potential predator. Alex moved with the stealth of a ghost, his steps barely a whisper on the tiled floor. His senses were high alert, every distant sound, every creak, a warning.
A guttural moan, this time closer and accompanied by an unmistakable dragging sound, stopped him dead in his tracks. It wasn't a solitary zombie. There were several. And beyond, he heard muffled screams, frantic whispers. Alex pressed himself against the wall, his breath held and carefully peeked around the corner.
A narrow corridor, bathed in gloom. At the end, a group of at least eight or ten students, completely terrified, desperately tried to keep a large classroom door closed, while a dozen zombies crowded against it, growling and furiously scratching the wood.
Two other living dead had already managed to flank the door and were crawling down the hallway, heading towards the rear of the group.
"Help! Please!" a girl cried, her voice on the verge of total collapse.
Alex didn't hesitate for a moment. It was an extremely critical situation. The two zombies in the hallway represented an immediate threat. He lunged towards them, moving with the speed and efficiency of an experienced predator. The first fell with a precise blow of his knife to the head. The second barely turned before Alex knocked it down with a powerful kick and plunged the blade into its skull.
Without losing a single second, he quickly headed towards the door.
"Back! Let me through!" Alex ordered with a strong, authoritative voice, startling the students who were struggling with the door.
The young people, their eyes full of panic, looked at him for an instant, completely paralyzed. Alex took advantage of the distraction to push the door with great force, forcing the crowding zombies back.
The space opened just enough for him to slip inside, closing the door with a dry thud, leaving the living dead growling and furiously banging on the other side.
The classroom was complete chaos of overturned desks and scattered backpacks everywhere. The students looked at him, some with evident relief, others with clear distrust. Alex wasted no time.
"We need to move. This door won't hold much longer," he said, his voice calm but firm. "There's a safer area near the main stairs."
A tall boy, his face smudged with soot, asked with a trembling voice: "The stairs? The barricaded ones?"
"Yes. It's the most suitable alternative right now. We can use the existing barricade as a strategic support point," Alex replied, already heading towards the opposite exit of the classroom, which led to a considerably less transited hallway. "Come! Quickly and in complete silence!"
The students, despite their evident fear, seemed to recognize the inherent authority in his voice and the remarkable efficiency of his movements. They followed him promptly, moving like a frightened flock.
Alex led the way, remaining in a constant state of alert for any sound or movement. The penetrating stench of zombies and the palpable tension were felt in the environment.
The journey proved to be extremely tense. The oppressive silence of the high school was like a heavy blanket that enveloped them, only interrupted by their own cautious footsteps and the frightened gasps of the young people.
They passed by closed classrooms, from which muffled sobs or fearful murmurs could be heard. Alex did not stop at any moment, but he was aware that every noise, every step taken, represented an imminent risk.
In a side hallway, a solitary zombie emerged, dragging itself from an open door. Alex reacted instantly, pushing the students behind him and eliminating the threat with a quick and completely silent movement of his knife.
"Move!" he urged in a grave voice, without giving them time to process what had happened.
They advanced for a longer stretch, the occasional smell of blood and the echo of distant gunshots confirming that the outside was a true hell. Suddenly, a muffled scream from one of the girls made Alex turn abruptly.
A zombie, which had been hidden behind an overturned locker, lunged at them. Alex intercepted it without hesitation, his knife briefly flashing in the gloom. The impact was dry and forceful, and the zombie collapsed lifelessly.
"Don't separate!" Alex growled, his patience reaching its limit.
Finally, they reached the section of the hallway that led directly to the stairs. The barricade, although improvised, stood with an imposing solidity: piled desks, overturned cabinets, and firmly secured with ropes. It was a clearly organized job, irrefutable proof that there were other survivors with a well-defined plan.
"Stay here. Crouched. In absolute silence," Alex ordered, pointing to a dark corner near the imposing barricade.
The students nodded their heads, their eyes fixed on him, clinging to his every word as if they were a lifeline. Alex moved with extreme stealth, looking for a strategic point from which he could observe without being detected.
He approached a nearby window that overlooked an inner courtyard. The darkness was almost total outside, but the light from the hallways allowed some diffuse shapes to be distinguished.
And then, he saw it clearly. In the windows of the second floor, just above the barricade, several silhouettes moved with purpose.
They were not zombies. They were people, moving large objects, dragging what appeared to be desks and cabinets, meticulously blocking the entrances. They were fortifying the place. Securing the area methodically.
Alex knew that Emily was in the high school, trapped somewhere. And if the situation hadn't escalated to something worse, one of Ron's men was still there. He could be responsible for building these barricades. "Perhaps he guided Emily's companions to secure this place," Alex reflected. "It could be them."
A spark of relief, mixed with a new and pressing wave of urgency, coursed through Alex's body. Now that he knew they were safe, other complex problems crowded his mind, demanding his attention.
"How will I manage to get them all out of here?" Alex wondered, taking into consideration that Emily would not be alone and that, most likely, she would have some classmates and friends with her.
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[A/N: CHAPTER COMPLETED
Thanks everyone for reading.
I hope you enjoyed it.
The reunion with Emily will be in the next chapter, and you'll also be able to see her perspective from days before in her spin-off.
As I mentioned before, Alex didn't save so many people because he wanted to. And it was also a little strange that David offered her to join his group and Alex didn't accept, even though they had already strengthened their friendship.
Did you notice this? Or did you think this beautiful author was writing without analyzing?
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Read my other novels
#Vinland Kingdom: Race Against Time.
#The Walking Dead: Emily's Metamorphosis from Visions of Future Saga
You can find them on my profile.]