Do you ever wake up and feel like you would set the world on fire just to see it burn? This is the exact thought that was running through Jack Donaghue’s head, after being woken up at 7:35 am on a Monday morning by his screaming mother. Jack and his mother live alone in a two bedroom house in one of the most undesirable areas in Dover. It was one of the most undesirable areas mainly because of the sort of people who lived there. On every street corner you could find either an underage dealer, or an overage addict waiting for one. There where petty gang fights every few weeks with at least one person and there bereaved parents ending up in hospital.

As Jack wearily climbed out of bed to get dressed for school, he reflected on the Summer holiday that had seemed to fly past and realised, that once again he had done nothing worth mentioning. Because Jack lived where he did, most parents where unwilling to let there sons and daughters venture into an active war zone, on the fear that they would either be killed on sight or turned into a drug mule. It was this fact that meant that Jack had had nobody over to stay in the holidays. He had spent the six weeks playing on his game console, reading and watching his neighbours periodically appear on Jeremy Kyle. As he was brushing his teeth his mum called him down to catch the bus.

11:40 am

Jack was in the third lesson of the day, blankly staring at the white board, when their was a scream from the corridor. This was not unusual in a school, however this was no simple mock scream of pain or anger. It was a pure cry of terror that twisted the hearts and tightened the throats of everyone in the room. It made at least five people around the room gasp out loud. There was a second of absolute silence, until there came a very low moan. This must have broken whatever spell the class seemed to be under, as they all rushed out of the room and into the corridor. What they found will stay with Jack for the rest of his life, and when they look back on this in years to come, it will seem like the pivotal moment in Jacks existence.

On the floor lay a thirteen year old girl, lying in a pool of her own blood with a teacher on top of her. He had his teeth locked onto the flesh of her neck, and was shaking her about like a rabid dog. Jack caught a glimpse of his hands, and was stunned to see five razor sharp talons stretching from his fingers. As the girl let out a finial choking cough, a boy in the back screamed in absolute terror, as the teacher swung round and roared at them.

The group of thirty year ten students scattered like ants, each forming groups in the panic and sprinting in different directions. Jack was swept along in the tide of terrified children, until he found his way to his best friend, Liam Scott, and their group of friends.

Jack and Liam where huddled in the science blocks of the school with some of there friends. Jack still had a thin film of sweat covering his forehead, but that was nothing compared to some of his friends. A few of them where openly hyperventilating and one was rocking under a desk.

Everyone was talking over each over, babbling on and on about the girl and the teacher.
“Did you see him? He was eating her!”
“Oh my God he’s gonna kill us!”

“Everyone just calm down!”
Jacks voice silenced them all, as he tried to keep everyone calm. Because Jack was usually a quite person, everyone was surprised when he elected to speak.

“How can we be calm! We just saw a girl being eaten by a God damn teacher and we could be next!” This remark was made by Charlie Denis, your typical school kid. Short black hair, SuperDry coat and the newest IPhone on the market. He was usually arrogant and took pleasure from putting others down. It was this fact that led Jack to feel a slight sense of satisfaction that Charlie was panicking.

“We won’t be next because we’re in here and those… Things… are out there. We’re safe behind a locked door.” It was after saying this that a dull crunching sound and a scream came from the hallway.

The boy rocking under the table let out a soft cry of terror, while the rest of the group gasped.

“Everyone stay calm and quite! Liam, with me.” As Jack and Liam made there way to the door, there was another muted cry from the hallway. Ducking low as he turned the handle on the door, Jack peeped out with Liam behind him.

In the corridor, there was a young girl, in year seven by the looks of it, pressed against the wall and being held there by three teachers and two students. The teachers where locked onto the collar bone that was sticking out of her neck. That must have been the crunching sound they had heard. Jack and Liam both gasped loudly in shock, as the now six zombies turned towards the pair. They where all staring at them. As Jack looked deep into the six pairs of eyes he realised something. That there was nothing left of their humanity but the pale flicker of life. Within those dark, dead eyes he saw an overwhelming urge to eat and consume everything that moved.