“Well, at least we can add super-hearing to the list of Mr. Isaac’s superpowers. Also, that girl was telling the truth so there are only ten dead instead of eleven! That’s great news!”

Katie tried to cheer her girlfriend up as much as possible.

As the game ended, Mr. Isaac waved his hand, and slowly, the students still alive watched in horror as the ten corpses started sliding into the ground as if the ground of the classroom wasn’t constructed with solid concrete, but rather some sort of liquid.

Soon, all ten bodies were gone. Ten young men and women that walked into the classroom alive would never walk out again.

Caitlin was silent. She was on the way out of the classroom when she suddenly turned and realized only Katie was following her. A look around the room made her realize Zach was on the other end of the classroom.

Even worse, he was flirting with another girl. The two were sitting so close that she was pretty much on him.

Caitlin’s expression snapped to fury. She has already had a terrible day. Whatever courage she managed to muster last night was scorched away by the brutal deaths she just witnessed. And now, her boyfriend was flirting with someone else? She quickly walked over and snapped at Zach.

“Zach! What are you doing?”

“Ah...Caitlin!” Zach smiled weirdly. “Here to join us?” He slowly slid his right hand into the skirt of the girl right in front of Caitlin.

Caitlin’s expression darkened.

“Join you...wait, are you drunk?”

“Ah…” Zach quickly grabbed onto a small glass alcohol bottle on the table beside him and threw it into the trash can, or at least that was what he tried to do. Instead, the bottle crashed into the wall and broke into a hundred difference pieces. “maybe…”

Caitlin stood there, almost paralyzed. She couldn’t believe this was the man who, just four days ago, was calmly and patiently discussing with her how to take down Mr. Isaac! This was the man she slept with! She used to respect his determination and patience! When he had to fight the zombies, she was literally praying for him to be fine! Now...how could he do this to her?

What’s wrong with him? He was fine during the Telephone Game! just minutes ago

“Get yourself sober and meet me at my house.” She put in a last-ditch effort to change his mind.

“Why?”

“To…” Caitlin looked around before whispering in a low voice. “To find a way to deal with you-know-how!”

“What’s the point?” Zach didn't even budge. “It’s not going to work. There is no way. We’re all going to die here, just like those damned fuckers back in Gregory High! The only question is...how much fun we can have before that.”

Caitlin lowered her head. For a moment, she was speechless. She wanted to blame Zach. To condemn him for being turned away so easily. But she knew that wouldn’t be fair. Zach didn't give up easily like a coward. He fought as much as he could, but ultimately, what could you do against an invincible foe? Perhaps giving in to it would be the best thing for her to do…

Suddenly, she looked up at Zach again. Her eyes once more filled with determination.

Just like she told Katie, if she had to go down, then at least she could go down fighting. There was no way she would drink and sleep herself into being an easy, vulnerable pray.

“Goodbye, Zach.” She said quietly before turning and leaving the room.

Katie has been observing this interaction in silence. When Caitlin left, Katie took a step forward to Zach, who, after Caitlin left, has suddenly dropped his smirk. He slowly pushed the girl in his arms to the side. There was no indication of drunkenness in his eyes.

“You could’ve just sent her a break-up text.” Katie said quietly.

“Yeah.” Zach nodded slowly. “I could’ve.”

“Then why go with all this act? Convince her you’ve lost your hope? That hurt Caitlin a lot more than a simple break-up.” Katie frowned, her eyes fierce. There was no way she was leaving with an explanation from the man.

Zach promised he would leave Caitlin to her, not do whatever this mess was.

If Zach was intimidated, he didn't show it. Instead, he reached into his backpack, went through a few alcohol bottles, and then pulled out a bottle of water. He gave it a small drink before turning back to Katie.

“You know, I almost died today. The gal in front of me...I swear I saw it in her eyes. She wanted to kill me and take tomorrow off. And, honestly, I doubt I’ll live to see the weekend.”

“So?”

“So, what will hurt Caitlin more when I bite the dust?” Zach shrugged. “Losing a dear friend who fought until the very end, or a disappointing coward who has given up all hope?”

The former was a tragedy. The latter was perhaps an act of mercy.

Katie froze. “But...if you die, Caitlin will never know the truth. She’ll forever remember you as the person who left her when she needed you the most, if she remembers you at all! That...that is so unfair for you!”

Zach glanced at Katie weirdly. “A few days ago, you almost gutted me. And now, you are trying to preserve my memory? Since when…” He smirked. “since when did the great Katie Lockwood start caring about me?”

“I…”

Honestly, Katie didn't know what to say. Yes. When did she start caring? The answer was simple. She never did. She never cared about ordinary people like Zach and she never would. But...there was a part of her that just felt touched. A tiny part of her corrupted, tainted heart was screaming at her.

Zach didn't deserve this. This just wasn’t right.

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All Katie could do was say the most honest thing in a very long time. No jokes. No flirting. No sadistic comments or inappropriate jabs.

“Thank you, Zach. Caitlin may not remember you, but I will.”

This was the least Zach deserved.

Zach was obviously a bit uncomfortable. Never would he realize Katie would do something. “Just…just remember what you promised. Keep Caitlin safe.”

Katie nodded, gave Zach one last glance, and turned and left.

----------------------------------------

Even as Caitlin made her way out of the door, she could feel her eyes watering. A few students saw her. Now, normally, these students, driven mad by fear, would gladly have some sadistic fun on a crying girl. But if there was anything as scary as Mr. Isaac, then this was certainly it.

“Are you crazy! She’s Katie’s girlfriend!”

“Oh! Oh god! Thank you my friend! You saved my life! Here, let me buy you a drink!”

That was the exchanges between bystander students, right before they fled the scene as quickly as possible.

Most of the students in the class only knew a tiny portion of what Katie has done, but that was still enough bodies, of human and zombie alike, to teach them to back off.

Caitlin didn't pay any attention to all the commotion. Instead, she walked across the halls, basically unaware of where she was or what was going on around her.

That was, until she heard screams coming from another classroom.

Screams that everyone else seemed to have ignored.

“God! Mrs. Dent is back! But...she is dead! She killed herself!”

“What the fuck is going on!”

“Oh my lord! God! Give me strength!”

“This isn’t happening! I’m dreaming! I’m dreaming!”

These sounds were all too familiar. These were the sounds Caitlin’s class made when Mr. Isaac first took the dive out of the window.

This could only mean one thing.

The curse was spreading. What was happening to Caitlin’s class and the class next door was making its way to the rest of the school like a plague.

Caitlin’s eyes suddenly turned red. It was one thing to walk across where thousands of innocent people used to be. It was another to listen to the lively voices of these people, knowing that within less than a week, they would either die horrible deaths or become monsters that wouldn’t hesitate to slay their own for a few more days to live.

Caitlin drew her handgun and charged right into the classroom.

30 students were tightly packed inside the classroom. When Caitlin first entered, a few of the students turned to her in surprise.

“What the…” One of the students asked before suddenly coming up with a brilliant idea, seeing the handgun. “are you a police officer? Help us!”

If it wasn’t for how mad she was, Caitlin would’ve busted out laughing. Police officer? How dumb would these students be if they thought she was police? But for the moment, all she could do was look around the classroom.

If she could find this Mrs. Dent, this class’s version of Mr. Isaac, and somehow kill her, perhaps she had a chance of putting down whatever nightmares that would be unleashed.

Deep down, Caitlin was well aware that was never going to happen. She would need a lot more than a handgun to kill an undead teacher. But did she care? Hell no. She was desperate, she was hurt, and she was damn mad.

Perhaps a part of her even wondered if dying here, fighting, would be the best end for her.

But Caitlin’s plan was stopped by one simple issue.

Where the heck is this Mrs. Dent? As Caitlin scanned the classroom, she couldn’t see any sign of a teacher who just came back the dead.

And then, a strange sound came in from above.

“Hmmm...who do we have here?”

Caitlin lifted her head and realized what was going on.

Mrs. Dent, a woman in her forties, was standing on the classroom ceiling.

Yes. Standing. On the ceiling.

She was upside down, but that didn't keep Caitlin from seeing that her eyes were no more than two bloody holes. Where eyes used to be was now only occupied by the void. Even so, Mrs. Dent turned to Caitlin, as if she was looking at her.

This was defying gravity, as well as a hundred other rules of physics.

No wonder half the class were peeing themselves.

“A good student shouldn’t interrupt another class.” Mrs. Dent whispered viciously. Just like Mr. Isaac, she assumed the persona of a twisted teacher.

Caitlin didn't have time for games as she raised her pistol and emptied the magazine into Mrs. Dent’s body. She pressed the trigger blindly until every last bullet was fired.

A few students found themselves smiling. But in mere seconds, their faith in the power of firearms was proven to be misguided. Mrs. Dent wasn’t even wounded.

Somehow, in the dark, hollow eye sockets of the undead, Caitlin saw a look of mockery.

“Assaulting a teacher…” She said quietly, raising her hand. “isn’t something a good student should do…”

Before she could set her hand down, something suddenly flew in from the door and hit her straight in the neck. The undead, unfazed through a hail of bullets, suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Her neck making a weird crack as it hit the hard floor, sending several students in the front scurrying back.

An ear-piercing screech of sheer agony escaped Mrs. Dent’s mouth as a layer of flames engulfed her body.

“Miss me?”

Katie walked into the room and gave Caitlin a small smile. Deep down, she secretly took a breath of relief. Oh Caitlin! Can’t you just sit back and relax for one second? I was gone for a minute and what did you get yourself into now? Good thing I’m here to save you!

Caitlin turned and saw Katie, and her gaze visibly softened. But before she could say anything, the crisp figure on the ground stood back up. Caitlin watched in horror as Mrs. Dent pulled out Katie’s deadly kitchen knife as if nothing happened.

“Nice weapon.” She commented before suddenly throwing it back at the two girls. Katie did her thing, taking one step forward and taking the knife straight in the left arm like a boss.

“Ouch...” was all she said as she pulled the blade back out and wielded it in front of her in a combat stance.

The room was oddly quiet for a moment.

“I’m sorry.” Caitlin whispered to Katie from the back. “That was stupid. I know.”

“Stupid? Depends on who you ask!” Katie reassured. “If you ask me, that’s the best thing you have done in a long time!”

On the other side, Mrs. Dent stood there, deep in thoughts. Most of the students in her class expected her to just take care of the two intruders with the snap of a finger. That was what happened to five students who defied what Mrs. Dent told them to do when she first came back.

Mrs. Dent snapped her finger, and all five students lost their heads at the same second.

But Mrs. Dent wasn’t as in control as the students assumed. In fact, she was stuck in an awkward place.

The girl, Caitlin, wasn’t a problem. Preferably, she should stay alive long enough for her to be broken. But her girlfriend...she couldn’t be killed. Not with beheading. Not by ripping her apart limb by limb. Even worse, she couldn’t be broken by fear and pain, and she had the ability to wreck a lot of hell if she wanted to.

For now, Katie was, somehow, enjoying all the games. But if Caitlin died...chances were she would go into a frenzy to destroy the games, and she literally couldn’t be stopped. By definition, fighting an immortal in a battle to the death could only end in one way.

For now, Mrs. Dent had to suppress her urges to slay, no matter how much she wanted it.

“Leave now, and I will act as if nothing happened.”

“Leave now? You want me to leave and miss all the fun? I...Caitlin, why are you pulling me back? Oh...fine! You're the boss!”

Mrs. Benson watched coldly as a much calmer Caitlin dragged a stubborn Katie out of the classroom. When the initial madness was over, Caitlin became sensible once again.

Finally, when Katie’s voice couldn’t be heard anymore, Ms. Dent turned back to the students.

“Now, let’s play a game…”