• The bus made an extreme amount of noise as it rumbled down the the desert highway, crashing into every little bump of hardened sand or rock. The vehicle held tight, however, and the impacts seemed to have no effect what so ever on the rushing pile of junk, as this was probably the most fitting description. All over the bus the pancer was strengtened by tens of metal plates screwed into the metal of the already monstrous vehicle. It looked like a physically mutated schoolbus, which was probably what any person, scientist or homeless, would refer to it as. If there were any of them left, that was. In the glitches between each plate there were smashed holes in the windows, big enough to fit a rifle through. That was probably the plan, too.


    ”Okay, gather ’round, all who wanna live through their first class” roared Group Leader Kyle over the incredible volume of the speeding school bus. The sleeves of his former sweater was now ripped of, giving him a wild look as well as reducing the chances of dying by the dehydrating heat generated by adding extremely hot sun plus metal walls minus aircondition. He took a drag of his inhalator and started explaining. The ”students”, as they were called, turned their heads to the instructor and started listening. The bus driver turned his head to the back of the bus. On his face was a grinning, handsome smile, on top of his raven black, dirty hair lay a blue, bloody drivers cap with a hole the size of a bullet right where the emblem of the bus company should be. The driver was either too dead or too undead to care, so Michael had borrowed it permanently. ”He probably wouldn’t mind, and if he does, i’ll be sure to pass by a note or somethin’. Y’know, tellin’ him how i can’t give him back his hat cus’ he’s all grey and bloody. And it fits me better, by the way.” Those were the words that slipped out of Michaels mouth when he stumbled down the dark alley that night where everything went to hell. After that night, Michael would never be the same. ”’S funny how things get so easily turned upside down when you see your family get ripped apart in front of your eyes.” Michaels explanation was good enough.


    ”Hey, Kylie,” screamed Michael through the noise. ”Where to, buddy?” With a disturbingly stable hand gesture, he waved a hand in both possible directions. The highway splitted into two separate roads. ”Right, Mike,” Kyle roared back. ”To the eastern hotel. These kids are havin’ their first trials here!” Kyle asked the fifteen students to brace themselves. The next moment, Michael started laughing like hell, hit the wheel in a sharp turn and steppet on the gas till’ the engine screamed. ”Don’t mind him, he’s in a good mood today.” Kyle muttered as he regained his balance in the bus seat. ”Here is what we know about them, in case you don’t have your own experience of them already.” Michael turned down the My Chemical Romance CD to a little under maximum volume.
    ”Thanks, Mike,” said Kyle. ”Now, pay attention, ’cus if you don’t, you can and will be devoured.”He drew a cigarette from his front pocket, lit it and stuck it in his mouth. His mouth went from serious to satisfied.
    ”There area lot of things you need to know about them, but let’s start with the basics. Have any of you seen a zombie movie before? Like ’Dead Snow’, ’Resident Evil’ or ’Dawn of the Dead’?” Most of the students, boys and girls alike, lifted their hands with grins on their mouths. Most sixteen year olds had seen one. Unfortunately, the little boy in the middle had not.
    ”How do i explain this to you..” started Kyle. ”You know those monsters under your bed?” The kid shooked his head.
    ”Oh… never mind then. You know those things with blood all over them?” The boy nodded quickly. ”When you get older you get to hit them in the head with bats and stuff.” The little boy smiled.
    ”Okay, you’ll get further instructed when you get older. Anyway,” he turned his head to the rest of the crowd. ”You know how the zombies never die unless you shoot or wack their heads with something in the movies?” Everyone nodded. ”Well, that’s partly true. Truth is you can kill them any way you want, but they wil probably take hundred times the damage that a human could take, they don’t even flinch when you bat them in the nuts.” Some of the boys chuckled. There was less tension in the group, thought Kyle and smiled a little. ”Our smartest kid, Charles, managed to capture some of the ******** and locked them in in a few weeks to do some research. This is what he found out.” He took a deep drag of his cigarette.

    ”They react to sound only. And mostly very loud noises, if you stood close to one and breathed normally without talking, it wouldn’t notice. Don’t get too confident though, ’cus if you’re in there and they notice you, you probably won’t live to laugh about how they suck donkey balls at listening.” Some of the boys laughed, the girls looked more concerned. That’s why they last the longest, Kyle thought. ”Somehow, these ******** never die unless they are killed. Charles was going check the reasons by performing autopusy on none of them. Unfortunately…” He stopped. ”Charles joined the raid on the old army base up in the mountains north of here, for scientific reasons. He didn’t return.” The students looked at Kyle with despair in their eyes. The seventeen year old instructor was their only hope, and they knew it.

    ”T…Then,” muttered a sixth grader. ”Then we should fight! If nothing else, to honor his memory!” Kyle smiled at the boy. ”That’s why, today we give you your first guns!” The boys grinned, the girls sighed. ”Everyone starts with a standard Springfield rifle, early 20th century version.” Kyle whipped up an enormous bag from under a seat railing. ”These are unfortunately not in parts, making them harder to carry around. Their recoil is low, so you don’t have to worry. Their accuracy is okay, but remember; each shot needs a reload.” The boys looked like their teeth would fall out if their grins got any wider. The girls started listening too. ”Today you won’t need to be in combat, only some target practice. Mike here,” He pointed at the drivers seat, getting a reply sounding something like a mixture of a laugh and a cough. ”He’s our best driver. We’ll stay a few hundred feet away, and when they start coming too close, he’ll step on it.” He took a drag of his cigarette. ”Any questions?” Noone said anything. ”We have arrived” laughed Michael. ”Thank you for driving with Undead Highway Services, we hope you had a joyful ride and are ready to smash some skulls in.”
    ”Let’s rock and roll.” muttered Kyle. Michael turned up the audio and started singing along to Na Na Na.