The day started off normal enough, breakfast then I dropped the kids off at daycare. It wasn't until about fourth period, as I was about to begin discussing chapter four of Frankenstein, that things got weird. Sarah and Billy, from my fourth period class, were staring at Sarah’s phone, as usual, and I had to take it away. But when I asked her to had it over she said that I had to see what was going on. I didn’t really care about whatever latest snap story they were giddy over, probably something about the Senior Variety Show they had last night. I told her to just hand it over or she’d have to go to the principal, but she just looked at me, wide eyes and her and Billy stood up and walked out.

That rattled me a bit, but I pushed through and had the rest of the class focused on Frankenstein’s reaction to the creature when the principal came over the intercom putting the school in lockdown. She didn’t say her typical this is an ALICE drill, so the kids were a bit freaked out, but we sheltered in place for a bit. That’s when Christian showed me the video on his phone.

It was disgusting, but clearly fake. I told him it had nothing to do with the lockdown and to relax for a bit until the drill was over. Though, honestly I’m a bit freaked out, thus I’m writing this down. Probably get a good laugh out of it later.

11:30 AM

The kids are starting to complain about missing lunch, and I’m not really sure what to do. I’m sure the school will just push lunch back a bit. I tried to check with the teacher next door, but he brought his kids down to the computer lab. There hasn’t been any more announcements and the kids are starting to get anxious. A few have been trying their phones, but none of them seem to be working. I tried to text the daycare that has my kids, but nothing. I’m getting a little concerned.

12:00 PM

I’ve decided that the school is not going to be making any more announcements. Maybe this wasn’t just a drill. I’m going to get the students out of the school, then I’m going for my own kids. I hope this phone thing is just localized. School’s wifi isn’t working either, so I’m not all that confident that it’s local.

12:30 PM

Holy shit. Holy shit. We left the classroom about a half hour ago and I’m still shaking from this shit. My hallway, typically a quiet one anyway, was empty. Downstairs it was fucked up. I left the room with 18 kids, Sarah and Billy had left earlier and the other five kids from the class had been out with the flu, so I had 18 when I left. We all got out, but I do not know what happened on the first floor. Blood, so much blood.

Where the fuck were the police.

I sent the kids home. Most of them had cars or hitched rides with their friends. Six of them told me that their parents aren’t home and want to come with me. I don’t know.

12:40 PM

Went to the town hall to find help, someone to contact the kids’ folks. I knew when I opened the door that whatever had happened in the school had spilled over to the town hall. This is fucked up.

I keep trying to reach my kids’ daycare, but nothing. My wife isn’t responding to my texts either. What a fucking week to go to Boston.

There was a noise in one of the offices in the town hall, so I went in. Big mistake. Nothing was in there, but there was a lot of blood. Whatever had been in there was gone, thankfully.

1:35 PM

Got to my truck at the far end of the parking lot. Other side of the damn school from where we came out. I turned on the radio, and we listened.

Mostly just music, but NPR was reporting a sudden uptick in violence. After a bit of searching, I was able to find a DJ who was taking calls from people.

They’re saying it’s zombies. One person said that they came down stairs to see their toddler eating their cat. I don’t even know what I’d do.

I feel like shit, but I have to leave the kids. I have to get to my own children.

1:43 PM

I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave those kids alone in the parking lot. I’m pretty sure that this has to be some War of the Worlds shit, and I told them so too, but I couldn’t abandon my students. I mean if it were my kids . . . my kids. I’m dropping my students at one of their houses that’s on the way to my kids daycare. I just hope I’m not too late.

2:30 PM

I left the kids at one of their houses, no one was home, but they promised to lock the doors and get in contact with one of their folks. I left them my cell number, not that I’ve been able to use it much, still can’t reach my kids’ daycare or my wife. I’m still 20 minutes out from the daycare. The roads are mostly empty, lets hope they stay that way.

3:00 PM

They’re not there. I got the to the daycare, but it was empty. It’s her house, so I figured she’d be there no matter what. I don’t know where to go from here. I saw some people on the road, wandering. They looked like they were in shock. The whole way the radio is talking about zombies. I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it. There has to be another reason.

First, my kids.

I’m at a loss for where to go from here. They didn’t leave a note, but I know my daycare provider has kids in the high school and elementary school. If I were her, that’s where I’d go.

3:15 PM

I found her son, Jimmy. He was running home from school. Seems he’s been hearing the same shit I have about zombies. He believes it. Says he saw his principal attack some of the students.

3:25 PM

Jimmy and I got to the elementary school and it doesn’t look good. There’s about fifty people wandering around outside. Some are kids. Half of them are covered in blood and some seem to have lost limbs. Maybe there’s some credence to this whole zombie thing after all. If so, I really need to get my kids.

5:00 PM

We almost didn’t make it.

Jimmy and I were able to get into the school around back. I parked the truck on the road so the noise didn’t draw the attention of those wanderers . . . those zombies. No doubts now.

Inside was beyond words. My stomach is churning even now as I write it down. Those small bodies, some were still moving, but most of them were well beyond any help I could give. As soon as Jimmy and I came through the back door, we saw this little girl, sitting in the middle of the hallway rocking back and forth. I walked over to see if she was alright. As I got closer and cleared my throat to get her attention she turned and I saw those eyes. They looked like the eyes of a fish the day after it’s caught. Luckily I stumbled back because she lashed her arms out at me and fell over revealing the stump of her left leg that I can only assume she had been chewing on.

We were able to get away as she dragged herself across the hallway toward us and eventually found Marcy, my daycare provider, and several of the kids she watched. My daughter, her face streaked with tears and dirt, ran to me the minute that she saw me and hasn’t let go since. I didn’t bother with their car seats, with everything that was going on. Don't tell my wife, she’d probably be a bit pissed.

I’m worried about my wife, Alice. She’s still in Boston, and I can’t reach her.

5:30 PM

I never finished the story of how we got out of the school. After we met up with Marcy and the kids, Jimmy was relieved until he heard about Ken, his dad. I guess Marcy and Ken had been on the phone when his office was attacked by the zombies (damn still feels weird to write that). I didn’t hear the full story, but from what I gather, he was at least able to say goodbye to her before . . . well, before the screaming started.

We got a taste of that leaving the school. When I met up with Marcy, she had my two kids, Lucy and Adin, two other toddlers Abbie and Luka, and Marcy’s daughter Sarah. I know she was supposed to have two more kids, but I haven’t worked up the courage to ask about them yet. Lucky for us, Adin is a quiet baby otherwise we’d have been screwed. I carried him and Lucy out of the classroom that they had all hidden in and we headed for the door we’d come in. Problem was, we couldn’t see the light anymore because it was blocked by a mass of bodies. I’m guessing people who had the same idea as Marcy, just a little less luck.

We had to find a new way out, I knew the front was a no go, so we moved to one of the other doors. Most of the school was empty, but we saw a couple of those things, kids mostly (Sarah was barely holding it together, impressive though given that some of those kids were probably her friends). Marcy wanted to leave through the gym, but I’d seen enough horror stories to know that was a bad idea, so we found an art room with an outside entrance. The door was closed and the room was empty, which was good, but there wasn’t a window in the door to the outside. We took the chance and shoved the door open, there was some resistance, but Jimmy threw his entire weight into it and shoved whatever was behind it out of the way. Turned out to be a small child, well what used to be a small child, maybe kindergarten, snacking on the art teacher by the look of her reddening smock. The kid lashed out with his small read hands and grabbed ahold of Luka’s arm. He cried out as Jimmy grabbed in around the waist and pulled him away topping the kinder-zombie.

They never show that in the movies, the little kids, I never thought about it before, but there must be hundreds of kid zombies. Fuck.

We were able to get Luka away, but he was slick with blood. Jimmy held him tight and we all ran to the truck. Not meant to hold eight people, but we crammed in and sped off.

I brought everyone back to my house, less populated street, back in the woods. I’m hoping it will be safer. We’ve secured the house as best we can, we’re all hunkered down in the upstairs bedrooms. We have some weapons, a couple bats, a section of gas pipe, and a battery operated chainsaw. I have my fencing foil and a grinder to sharpen it, but I’m a little worried the noise will attract them.

It’s starting to get dark, and we decided not to turn on any lights tonight, so I’ll get more down tomorrow.

1:30 AM

My phone buzzed with a text message and woke me up. My students had retreated to their attic, and they said there was something down stairs. They want me to come and help them escape.

I looking at my daughter sleeping next to me, I want to stay put and keep her and my son protected. But I can’t help thinking if it where my kids, I’d want someone to help them.