This day started like any normal weekday. I woke up at 6 am, showered, styled my hair, put on my makeup, chose a cute outfit, and grabbed an apple on the way out the door heading to the way to the bus stop. As a junior in high school living with her mom in a low-income area, I didn’t have much choice but to take the free ride on the giant embarrassing yellow bus. I’ve tried hiding under a hoodie, a sunhat and a ballcap with sunglasses with no success. Those from my neighborhood, nicknamed ‘da hood’ by assholes at school, left me alone. It’s when the bus gets to the school, the cheerleaders and some of the jocks line up at the entrance and clap with very loud cheers welcoming us back to school...since we are the most likely group to get knocked up and drop out. The music thumping my ears sadly didn’t shut them up. I hope they die.

 

After the ultra embarrassment at the entrance, I fast walk to my locker only to find the words ‘Don’t get knocked up today!’ in white spray paint on the green metal door. Awesome. This day is going just fucking swell. My first class today was Chemistry of which I already have the books I need in my bag. I just kept walking shaking my head in frustration. Sadly I know why I’m being targeting. My mom decided it would be cool if she was interviewed by AJC as a culture piece since she was a local (she attended Fulton High School) and a single mom. She had to drop out as she got pregnant with me but has since received her GED, attended college and is now an ER nurse at Grady. The article was supposed to inspire women to pull themselves out of the funk and do something with their life. Instead, the article creating a nonending torrent of harassment and bullying all day long for me. Yay me.

 

As I was walking up the staircase, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I jumped, pulled my earbud to find Jake with his chin on my shoulder walking behind me like a clown. I popped his cheek with my palm “You know I hate getting startled you jerk.”

He lifted his head and began to wrap his arms around me from behind, “Awww, someone needs a hug today.”

I quickly stepped up two steps to escape his bear hug, turned my head and stuck my tongue out. “Not today, I don’t want my outfit to get wrinkled.” His smile turned into an evil grin as slowly started to lower himself into a crouch, ready to pounce like a black panther. “Don’t you dare Jake.” I stared at him hoping my face showed how unhappy I was he was going to pounce, which I could tell was not working. As I turned to run up the rest of the stairs and heard his sneakers squeak, I knew it was inevitable I was about to be bear-hugged before I reached the top of the staircase.

 

Jake was on the track team, hurdles. He was way more athletic than I ever hoped to be. The second to the last stair I saw his hands out of the corner of my eye coming around my sides. I may have squealed when he interlaced his fingers on my stomach. We came to a stop at the top of the stairs looking like a circus act. His 6-foot frame circled around me, his chin on top of my head, arms around my stomach and his feet on the outside of mine. I was now completely trapped in the skinniest bear hug in history, but it did make me smile. Jake always knew how to make me smile when I was down. “Okay! I give!” I begged him to let me go or we’ll be late for class. At that exact moment, Ms. Lincoln opened her classroom door and glared at us. “Makayla, Jake. Do I need to separate you two and give you ‘the talk’?” Jake’s hands shot straight out to the left and right. I’m sure he looks like a scarecrow behind me. “No, ma’am. Just heading to class. Yep to class we go.”

 

The warning bell rang as I reached our Chemistry door but something didn’t feel right. I started to feel prickles down my spine and a strange ache at my tailbone. The room was dark through the frosted windows and instead of the murmur of students talking I heard shuffling and grunts. Jake came up beside me, placing his ear on the window, “Sounds like someone getting down and dirty in there. Wanna sneak a peek?”

I popped his cheek again and whispered, “Listen! Those aren’t sex sounds, it’s more wild animal sound. And by now there should be at least 20 students in there.” Right as Jake turned to me and flipped his eyebrow up in a curious expression, the window was slammed by a shadow hand. Jake and I both jumped backward, that’s when I noticed the dark fluid slowly seeping under the door. As the hand slide down the window, it left streaks behind and I instantly thought of horror movies...the bloody handprint never was a good sign.

 

“Jake let’s get out of here, that’s either a really bad sign or a horrible prank. Either way, I’m not sticking around. We have to go tell the main office and pray it’s a prank.” I had been backing up the entire time until my back was touching the lockers behind me. When the lock swung on my back, it snapped me out of the daze I was in. Instead of backing up with me, Jake had moved to open the door. “I have to see, just a crack”

As he opened the door the smell hit me in the face like a boxer's right hook. Urine, shit, vomit, and death. I screamed and ran as fast as my short legs could take me towards the front of the school. Although in the back of my mind I was worried about Jake’s safety, I knew he was faster than me so I didn’t look back.

 

I slid in front of the office door, grabbing the handle to stop my momentum. I slammed open the glass doors, out of breath and grabbed the counter trying to steady myself. I looked around but no one was here. The office secretary’s desk was unmanned and her cell phone which was always on her desk wasn’t there. I walked around the counter to look into the side offices to find them empty as well. Maybe they were already taking care of the problem, but I didn’t pass them. As soon as that thought occurred, a groan emanated from the staff bathroom-the only door which was closed. I instantly got the spine prickles again and backed away from the door, back into one of the large desks. I spun and started to go out the door while dialing 911 on my phone and slammed right into Jake. “Whoa! Did you tell them about the zombies?”

 

Zombies? Really? I looked at him like he just said the most stupid thing in the world, which he did. “Those weren’t zombies you idiot. They were dying up there!” I pushed past him to head outdoors for better cell reception. Finally, the call connected and I heard a human voice asking me my name and address and what is the emergency. “This is Makayla Young at South Atlanta High School. People are dying, like plague dying. There’s blood coming out of their eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. They are vomiting, urinating and shitting all over. In the bathroom in the main office and at least upstairs in the Chemistry lab.” “Ma’am, did you say plague?” “Yes, I said plague!” I screamed. “Send those guys in the full suits, you know from the CDC. This is for real.” “Okay ma’am, please calm down and stay on the line with me. I’ve alerted all the emergency services and Hazmat. Are you in a safe location?”

“I’m outside, in front of the school and I don’t see anyone else out here.” As I finished my sentence, the front doors busted open as several dozen students came running out screaming bloody murder. They scattered throughout the parking lot with some running towards the road, others jumping into cars and sped off, hitting other vehicles in their desperate attempt to escape. “Um, I think the only survivors just left the building,” I said very calmly. I slowly turned around to look into the windows and the spine prickles started again. “Please hurry, they’re coming. I can’t stay here.” I whispered into the phone. I looked to my right and saw Jake slack-jawed looking through the windows as well. “Told you, zombies.”

 

I lowered the phone and stood absolutely still. I noticed as Jake moved towards me, those that changed followed his movement. “Hey Jake, want to do an experiment? Move away from the front door slowly, see if they follow you. No sudden movements, go slow.”

He looked at me and nodded and slowly walked towards the windows then to the right away from the door. As I had thought, like an amoeba the entire group followed him. The front changed were slapping their hands on the windows leaving this thick brownish liquid dripping down the inside. As more walked towards the front of the building, they joined the larger group. None broke off to explore or to find a way out. It was as if they were connected with a like mind, a hive mind. A hive mind like ants...oh my god, the carpenter ants were infected. I remember seeing the ant colony from Biology was moved into the Chemistry lab to test why the ants were sprouting fungus fingers.

 

At some point, I had hung up on the emergency operator and sat down on one of the benches. I quickly did a search for zombie ants. Bingo- the Ophiocordyceps unilateralis fungus. However, the ants only grew the fungus fingers until it ate all of their flesh then the ant died and busted open to release the spores to start the process over again. So did it mutate? Will they eventually stop moving and bust open with spores? I was so involved in this thought process I didn’t notice the firefighters and cops pulling up. I snapped out of my stupor when an APD officer grabbed my shoulders and asked if I was okay. I raised my head and lifted my phone to show him the article about the fungus and carpenter ants. “Call the CDC, seriously. I think this is a mutation of a fungus. If I’m right those people will grow fungus, stop moving and explode in spores.” I looked behind me and saw Jake explaining how the changed were behaving, to keep them away from the doors. “Holy shit!” I heard a firefighter yell, “they’re growing mushrooms or something. Call CDC now!”

 

I lost track of time, deep in my own thoughts trying to deal with the constant spine prickling, the nausea of the ‘what ifs’ running through my head. What if Jake and I were exposed but it’s delayed. How would we know? I felt a gloved hand on my arm and looked up to come face to face with a man in a biohazard suit. “Please come with me, miss…”

“Makayla Young,” I whispered.

“Please come with me Ms Young, we need to quarantine you and your friend.”