If only I had done those practice runs around the track as Mrs. Mars had suggested.
Too late to think about that now.
The cafeteria was to my left. Without thinking, I crashed through the double swinging doors into darkness.
It was empty, chairs neatly folded atop tables And dark, lots of shadows to hide in. I ducked behind a table. If I caught my breath, maybe I could make a run for it.
233
Two beams of fuzzy light shone through the windowpanes in the double doors. Phil Collins' "Against All Odds" played in the background.
There was a throbbing pain in my left ankle. I'd twisted it along the way. The ankle had a knot on it the size of an orange. Running would be even more difficult from here on in.
I needed to make a stand. How many zombies could I rap on the nose with a rolled-up newspaper before one grabbed me? That's something they never teach in math class.
Or maybe I could use the zombie death grip. I smiled as I thought of Baron teaching Sybil the grip the night we went to Dirk's house. I was so blinded by jealousy I couldn't see he was doing it to get my attention.
I like Baron,
There, I finally admitted it to myself. He wasn't the kind of boy I wanted to be associated with. He wasn't popular, or an athlete, or a member of any of the cliques Amanda and the it- girls would ever date. He was a geek who thought he was way cooler than he was But I liked him.
And I wasn't aiming low with Baron, as I had once believed. He was intelligent, caring, handsome, and he wasn't afraid to let his feelings show. Baron Chomsky was a real catch for a girl who wasn't bent on impressing those around her. If I ever saw him again, I was going to let him know If I ever saw him again.
Nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide.
The double doors swung open.
I peered around the table. Six shadowy zombies entered.
Sensing my presence, the uberzombies began searching. I dodged them, crawling from behind one table to another, from shadow to shadow, at times narrowly missing being seen. Eventually the zombies spread out, blanketing the room. They were forcing me toward the rear, where there would be no escape.
234
Chapter Thirty - five
I continued ducking behind tables, narrowly escap-ing detection by the zombies, but time was running out. In a few moments there would be no tables left to duck behind.
Nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide.
I reached the wall. The zombies inched closer. It was time to make a stand.
I stood up.
"Over here," I called. I meant to say it loudly, bravely, but my quaking words were a near whisper.
"Mmmm." The zombie moan was a few feet away.
"Hhh!" I let out a tiny, involuntary gasp. The zombie six feet from me spun around. "Here I am," I said with a bit more conviction.
The uberzombie quickly closed the distance between us and corralled me with arms heavy like cement.
I punched him in the nose.
"Yeee!" he screamed, but he didn't let go. His grip was unrelenting.
235
The rap on the nose didn't work on uberzombies, I guessed. "Way to go, Principal Tart," I said out loud. He had beaten me.
The uberzombie's mouth opened hungrily. His lips moved in, and his rancid breath drifted up my nostrils, attacking my senses. The end was near. This time for sure.
When I become a zombie. I'll find Sybil, and well roam the school together, best friends forever.
I consoled myself with the peace in that thought. The room began to spin as the zombie's saliva trickled down my shoulder Then his icy teeth touched my flesh.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something zipping across the room at a tremendous speed. It hit us with fierce intensity. I went sprawling to the floor, but the thing had latched onto the zombie, and they went airborne, traveling twenty feet through the air before crashing into a wall. They slid to the floor. The thing rose, standing over the zombie. It let out a ferocious wail. "Aiiiiiiiuii!"
The thing was Sybil. Her complexion was kelly green, her rage-filled eyes a crimson sea.
Slowly, the uberzombie got up. He was joined by the others. Sybil bared her zombie teeth as they surrounded her. Not once did she look in my direction, but I knew I had been right. Even as a zombie, she wouldn't attack me. Her sense memories were of an abiding friendship