A changed world

We watched as the front gates fell, leaving the school completely defenceless. Students ran out but something wondered in. Something that wasn't living. For once, I believed something that the government spoke of. I couldn't help but to think about my parents and whether they were ok.

10 HOURS EARLIER_

"That's the last of the unboxing," I grumbled to myself as I threw the last box out of my new house and onto a pile of many others. I had just moved to America, I was born and raised here but I spent a few years with my mother in Japan, but now I'm back here with my father. Getting used to speaking English again is definitely difficult but I'm working on it.

"All finished now, sport?" my father asked as he joined me in the kitchen. 'Sport' a nickname I grew to love and hate, I love it because it's a generic nickname from father to child, however, I hate it because it makes me feel like I'm some kind of activity to keep around. I know it means nothing like that and it's just my father trying to be a good father, but I'm just not so used to being addressed like that.

"Yes. Did my uniform arrive?" I asked him, clapping the dust off my hands and then closing the door, joining him at the dining room table with a glass of water.

"Unfortunately no, but the headmaster said he will allow you to go to school in "casual attire" today," he informed me, doing little bunny quotations when he was obviously quoting my new headmasters decision.

"Gee- how generous," I mumbled sarcastically before standing up and saying good night to my father before going to bed.

2 HOURS_

6AM rolled in quickly, I spent most of my evening staring up in the ceiling, it was different, everything was. I was finding it difficult to adjust.

"Time to get up, Willow!" my father called through the door, I groaned and got out of bed. I groggily wondered into the bathroom and washed my face before returning to my room and pulling out ripped jeans, a crop top, underwear and trainers. After changing into them, I found myself looking in my dad's wardrobe, he had so many leather jackets.

"Would you like one?" he asked, drawing my attention from his clothes and to his figure in the doorway, his hair was messy and his clothes were creased. In one hand he had a steaming coffee and in the other was a rolled up newspaper.

"Can I?" I asked him, unsure as to whether he was joking or not, my mum used to do that. She would offer me a pair of boots or jackets but then fall back and refused to allow me to borrow any. My fathers choked laugh pulled me out of my thoughts as I watched him place the stuff down and knock me out of the way, he moved the jackets aside for a while until he pulled out a nice leather jacket that seemed to have only been worn once or twice. He put it against my shoulder to measure the size and hummed with approval before going over to a draw and rummaging through it.

A couple moments pass and then he gives me the jacket and a pair of leather fingerless gloves that quite clearly matched the jacket. I put them on and he nods happily.

"They definitely suit you more than me," he smiled and patted my head before passing me and grabbing his stuff again, "come get breakfast."

We ate together and talked for a while, soon the place I couldn't get accustomed to, became my favourite place. I felt as if me and dad hadn't been separated for so many years, being like this just felt natural, it would've been better if mum was here to nag us about whatever, like my fathers messy appearance, or my choice in clothing, or the dishes we just left to soak in the sink. But knowing both of their relationships aren't the greatest, just makes me lay off on that three character happy family scenario.

1.5 HOURS_

"Have a great first day at school, kiddo!" he yelled at me as I left the safety of my home and started walking along the road that lead directly to school.

It didn't take me long to get there. A large building with beautiful architectural designs hit my vision as I walked through the gates and to the building. There were students everywhere, they were wearing uniforms that resembled those that I was so used to in Japan, but these ones had ties as well. I could feel their judging gazes fall upon me as I passed all the groups, suddenly I remembered something my mum told me: "if you feel they're judging you, then walk with high hopes and confidence and show them that you aren't an insecure girl who can be easily brought down by their words."

So I lifted my head up a bit and walked with confident strides, ignoring the gazes that were burning through my back.

"Hey kid, I think you've gotten the wrong school," someone approached me with a hateful glare.

"I don't think I have," I replied swiftly before stepping around her and continued on into the building, a teacher noticed me and took me to the headmasters office.

"Hello, Mr Gray? Yes the transfer student is here with me," the teacher announced, popping her head through a small crack in the door. From what I could see, there was another person in there, he looked extremely bored and tired.

"Send her in," a deeper voice told the teacher, she turned and opened the door wider, gesturing for me to enter. I did and the headmaster stood up and introduced himself.

"You must be Miss Willow Lanes?" he asked, I nodded.

"Yes, I'm Willow, its nice to meet you," I gave him a respectful nod and shook his outstretched hand. He beckoned me further into a room where I took a seat in the chair next to the boy and in front of the desk, the head master returned to his seat behind the desk and leaned forward in interest.

"I understand that you've just recently moved back here from Japan?" he asked me.

"Uh-- yes, I just returned," I replied, not really sure as to what he wanted me to say, he just kept giving me an expecting look; as if I was going to tell him my whole life story.

He cleared his throat and opened a drawer and then placed a few sheets of paper on the table. One was an activity and club sign up sheet, the other was my timetable.

"If you wouldn't mind filling in that club sheet and then I'll discuss the timetable with you."

I pick up the paper and read over the clubs: writing club, choir, band, art club, dance class... I read through all of them but didnt find anything to do with martial arts or gymnastics.

"Sir, may I ask why there is no gymnastics or martial arts club?" I asked him, the boy who was sat quietly the whole time snickered but stopped himself when Mr Gray glared at him.

"Well, Miss Lanes, I cannot have a club that allows violence or suggests anything to do with violence, and not many people want to do gymnastics. We used to have the club but it failed pretty quickly so we got rid of it and replaced it with swimming," the old man explained, I bit the inside of my mouth in disappointment before putting a big 'X' through the club box and placed it back on his desk.

"I'm not interested," I shrugged and leaned back further into my seat. Mr Gray looked at me and the paper with suprise.

"I suppose not everything is for everyone," he mumbled to himself before addressing me and pointing to the timetable. Explaining everything to me and how my times will work. He also gave me warnings and recited a simplified version of the school rules to me. The bell rang signalling homeroom and then he asked for the deputy head master to escort me to my homeroom class.

5 MINUTES_

When we got there I was told to wait in the corridor as he filled my teacher in on the situation. The corridors quickly became empty and quiet. I felt out of place and very uncomfortable standing alone in an unknown corridor.

When the deputy head returned he sent me inside the class and the teacher stood in front of a white board called me over. She grabbed my shoulders and started talking over me.

"We are gaining a new student today, why don't you introduce yourself and tell us a bit about you?" the lady asked. I sighed and looked at the class.

"Hello, I'm Willow and I've just moved here from Japan," I nodded at them and smiled before the ground started shaking. Everyone looked alarmed before ducking under their desks, I moved into the door way and watched as pens and books hopped off the desks to the quick and violent bursts of tremors. They stopped quickly and we all emerged back to normal positions. I was sent to a window seat near the middle row of the class and found myself sitting next to a kid with pure white hair and a very dangerous aura.

"Hello," I greeted him, everyone around us who heard, listened in carefully for his response.

"Hi," he grunted back before fazing out of my attention and looking to the teacher who had started announcing things at the front. She was mid sentence about some kind of dance when a small TV pinned into the corner above the door flashed on and suddenly another voice filled the room.

On the screen was the president.

"I am sad to announce that the tremor that you all just felt now was no coincidence or natural fault. It was the leakage of a leathal virus. I must warn you all, if you come across an infected person, do not feel empathy for them, for they are not themselves anymore..." his voice echoed in my ears as i listened and looked out the window. There were two security guards stood on the inside of the gate, yelling at a couple people on the outside of the gate. They were furiously shaking the bars and trying to get in. The image was strange to watch but I dismissed it.

"..They are killers! Dead! Reanimated corpses!" the presidents voice continued. I watched as a scene unfolded in front of me, the two people on the other side of the fence managed to grab hold of the security guards and tore through the flesh with their teeth. The sigh made me stand up suddenly just as the presidents voice said one last word. "Zombies."

Everyone looked at me and I pointed outside to where the security guards were yelling- no, screaming out in pain. Everyone moved to the window to see the scene, some people screamed in shock, others just froze and a couple panicked. I leaned forward against the window, watching closely. But I noticed I wasnt the only one, the white haired boy sat next to me was doing the same thing.

The screaming stopped and the groaning began. The security guards turned around, both their arms chewed off and tears filled their eyes, they couldn't do anything. They were obviously hurting.

"If you see a zombie, or someone infected don't hesitate to kill them-" a voice echoed over the TV's speaker before they were cut off by banging, loud groaning and then screams. The TV switched off and this last bit was enough to make everyone panic and start running around. People filed out of the classrooms and started running out into the courtyard where the two guards were stood. I didn't move from my space and neither did the boy almost like we were daring the next move to be our last.

"You got any talents?" he asked me, both of our eyes were glued to the yard.

"I can fight pretty well," I replied bluntly, that seemed to satisfy him because he grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the classroom and up a flight of stairs.