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The sun was starting to rise, the orange light starting to light up the night-sky, a ray of pink aligning the horizon. The curtains, however, blocked most of the sunlight, causing the empty classroom to be veiled away from the new day. A medkit lay near the teacher's desk, the other chairs and tables now disorganized, lined as a barricade against the wooden, sliding doors. A couple bottles of water lay next to the medical equipment, still waiting to be used.
Vikk was still resting, eyes closed, chest slowly and calmly rising up and down with every breath. His school uniform was a mess--not that he would pay any mind--loose strands of fabric poking out in some places, stains of blood noticeable on his previously clean collared shirt. Dark-brown hair stayed disarrayed from the day previous.
But he looked nowhere as battered as Pete did.
The taller laid against the wall a few feet away, dark circles starting to form under his eyes due to lack of sleep. Blood was splattered on some parts of his face, skin slightly paler than usual. His right shoulder both numbed and sore from an infected student that had bitten him right when pandemonium erupted within school grounds. He refused to sleep; he didn't want to, in case something was to happen and Vikk would need his help.
Or if there was a chance, he would be the threat of harm if he wasn't careful.
Although he was slightly regretting his choice when he felt his eyelids start to droop slightly from exhaustion. Perhaps a few quick naps would've saved him some energy.
Then he froze, Pete’s breathing hitched in his throat for a few moments. He could feel a scent making its way to his nose, vision growing red. Heart rate rising, he turned to his right to see his friend still sound asleep, head tilted slightly to the right.
That only made his vision worse, the smell only growing stronger. He didn’t notice how red his vision was becoming, the smell of flesh so alluring, enticing, drawing him closer. The muscles in his face twitched, gaze growing sharp and focused. But his mind was so, so cloudy.
His mouth grew closer to the dark-skinned teen’s neck, nearly touching the other’s skin. His heart rate still increased, almost drowning out any other sound. Heading faint whispers, taunting him, encouraging him; Bite him.
Then Pete stopped, starting to see through the haze of his mind, vision slowly returning. Yet the strong urge still remained, and he had to act on it-
He tore his gaze away, sinking his teeth into his own skin. Pete tried his best to stifle a pained cry, wanting so badly to just eat something, anything. His forearm shook, yet he still forced it up to his face, feeling the searing pain soar throughout his arm. The sound of flesh squishing made his stomach lurch, but he still persisted.
“Pete…?” He could hear Vikk start to stir, voice quiet and tired. Crap.
He stopped, slowly lowering his arm, seeing the crooked, bloody array of marks that stayed on his skin. Tears started to well in his eyes, and Pete choked back a sob.
“What did…- Pete!” Now the other could see what happened, not hesitating to grasp the other’s wrist, swiftly observing the somewhat intentional injury. “What the fuck happened?!”
He couldn’t respond, the tears now flowing freely, and he couldn’t stop crying. Vikk let go, standing up and grabbing the medkit, poking through the material, trying to find the batch of bandages. Coming back with a few wraps of the white cloth, he kneeled down, brows furrowed, eyes filled with worry.
“Here, let me see,” he gestured for Pete to lift his arm, and the taller hesitantly allowed access. “Does it still hurt?”
“Y-Yeah, a lot- shit.” Pete swore under his breath, vision blurry, and he closed his eyes tightly. Vikk muttered a quick apology, trying to wrap up the wound as much as needed.
“Almost done, just- just don’t hurt yourself again, okay?” He slowly wrapped the bandages around his arm, trying to apply enough pressure, but not too much to hurt.
“I-I’m sorry, I just felt so hungry, and I almost-”
“I know, I know,” Vikk sighed, although Pete could tell it wasn’t one of annoyance. The shorter teen turned back to look at him, chocolate-brown eyes focused on dark-hazel. He could see the guilt in the other’s expression, and he offered a small, honest smile. “Pete, it’s okay, I’m fine. Really.”
Pete only nodded, exhaling deeply, closing his eyes for a few moments. Only then could Vikk see how exhausted he was, and the growing patch of redness around one of his eyes. He frowned but didn't say anything; now he knew what Pete meant.
Now the sun was starting to peek out of the horizon, and Vikk stood up, walking over to the windowsill, pulling away the curtains slowly, cautiously. His guard was let down slightly when he saw the sunrise, golden light now peeking out, washing away the darkness. If only it would do the same for their situation.
"We need to get to the rooftop." he noted out loud, causing Pete some curiosity.
"Why?"
"We want to be rescued, don't we?" Vikk turned back to look at his friend, "The roof is our best bet."
"And how, exactly, will we get up there? The last thing we need are a horde of zombies following us up those steps," Pete pointed out, walking over to stand next to him. "And we don't really have anything, either."
"Yeah, haven't thought that through just yet." Vikk sighed, looking down at the campus, which was practically flooded by infected, stumbling and running around. He winced at the sight of the blood, reddened eyes, wide-open jaws. "I just don't know how else to get up there-"
He cut himself short at the sight of a firehose dropping right at their level. He yelped, stumbling back in unexpected surprise. Pete's brows furrowed, and he slowly pressed his face against the window. The taller squinted, trying to see.
"What is it?"
"Dunno; a hose just dropped down from a few stories up- wait..." he stopped, starting to open the window.
"Hey- hey! What are you doing?" Vikk gripped Pete's wrist tightly, attempting to stop him from opening the casement.
"I-I saw some other kids up there. They're coming down to our classroom."