1 A child shall lead them

Riley woke up coughing and covered in dust. His throat was dry and his head was pounding. "What the fuck?" He whispered to himself his mind was spinning. How did so much dust and dirt show up? It wasn't there when he went to sleep last night. He had cleaned it before bed but now dust and grime covered everything. Including him. Miss Shelly would not be happy. The best he could guess either Tank or Slim had come in while he was sleeping and dumped dirt everywhere. He was gonna get them back, it had to be them. No one else was brave enough. As he sat up a cascade of dust fell from him. As he looked around, that's when he saw it. The window next to his bunk was boarded up. Riley like most the delinquents at the group home was a very very light sleeper and there was no fucking way he slept through that. He was just starting to think Tank and Slim hadn't done this when he noticed the bloody hand print on one of the boards. Droplets trailed the floor long since dried to the door. Written in blood under the dust was a message. 'Riley no matter what if you wake up do not open this door' again the question begged what the fuck? BANG! A loud noise echoed through the halls followed by crying and grunting. After 2 tries Riley yanked the door open. "What the hell is going on? Riley mumbled as he slipped his leather jacket on. At the end of the hall a small black boy with a disfigured twisted leg held back a dirty and bloody Miss Shelly with his cane. Her snapping drooling jaws inches from his face streaming with tears. More doors yanked open as Slim, Rat, Alex and Tank exited their dusty rooms to witness events. "Bitch is a zombie." Tank grunted as he tossed the remnants of their caretaker away she landed with a loud thud in front of Riley who lifted a hallway chair above his head and brought it down again and again until it broke. Her once beautiful and even though they at times didn't deserve it kind face now mush and broken bone. It didn't hurt the boys she was killed like this she was after all a zombie who tried to eat Jason. Riley spattered with blood, stood before Jason who now sat in a chair rubbing his twisted leg with his cane. "You okay?" The 10 year old nodded. "I saw about forty of them before I left my room." Jason said tiredly. "Why are our rooms dusty as fuck and why are there zombies like legit zombies here?" Alex asked, waving his arms around. Jason took a deep breath. "Why? How? What? Doesn't matter, it's here and happening. Now we get ready ,and do what we do best." The boys stare at the youngest curiously. "We be "bad", and survive." Before they woke up the 5 boys hated Jason for his genius intellect and none-stop movie and game references but now right here they couldn't be happier. "Food water weapons and safety." Jason stood leaning on his cane. "Dude this place doesn't have weapons, it's a halfway house for criminal children" Alex said. Riley starts walking down the stairs. "Where are you going klepto?" Tank asks Riley. "Kitchen knives are weapons." He replies as he descends. "We need to barricade the bottom floor and make all doors and all but one window impenetrable." He began hobbling to the bathroom. "Why all but one?" Tank asked. Jason turned and smiled. "That's the one they come in and we kill them come on guys why aren't you having fun yet we are literally in a zombie apocalypse dude?"

The boys stacked all the bunks minus the mattresses against all the doors and windows but one. "You know something is bothering me." Jason mused as the boys worked. "What's that?" Riley asked as he passed the youngest boy. "If the horde is up against the house why did Miss Shelly barricade the top floor?" Jason asked curiously. "Maybe some can climb?" Rat asks. Jason shrugs "Until we have something concrete to see we will assume we only have shamblers to deal with." The boys nod in agreement as they finish. "Okay Tank, Slim, take position on either side of the window. Riley and Alex stand knives ready in front of the other two. Now we want to limit the number to two or less coming in to make sure we don't get overrun." Jason taps his cane on the ground. "Why is Tank and Slim holding the window?" Rat asks. Jason sighs. "They are the largest and therefore have the greatest ability to restrain the dead which is what my plan hinges on, ergo they hold the window." Jason replies. "Why are Alex and Riley killing them?" Rat whines. Jason sighs. "Riley already killed one so for all intents and purposes he is our expert and Alex is a little bigger than you and to spare myself your next question you are on reserve and will clear the bodies so Riley and Alex have clear footing for safety should either get tired or injured your in." "So shut the fuck up and let's get this done." Tank snaps. "We listen to boy wonder if he is smarter, we are stronger he says jump and I say where to because personally I don't wanna die so if that is the same for you do what he says." Slim says in a rare moment of speech. "Let's begin." Jason says standing between and behind Alex and Riley. "What are you doing?" Riley asks the youngest boy. "Bait." and with that they open the window.