“What’s the combination?” I asked Grace.
“15-30-27,” She gasped out.
Ethan helped me remove the barricade, and I gently removed the paper from the window.
The scraping we had been hearing was from a student continuously walking into a locker. Luckily, it was in the opposite direction that I needed to go.
I grabbed the other fire extinguisher from the wall—the last one had been a tremendous help—and took a few deep breaths.
“Lock it behind me but leave the barricade down. I’m going to be coming in fast.” I narrowed my eyes at Ethan. “If I don’t return,do notcome after me. My friend Adrian will be here soon.”
“What about, Grace?” Ethan pointed at her with his thumb over his shoulder.
To save the majority, I had to make my point clear. “Try to keep her calm. Put her in the bathroom and block as much noisefrom the hallway as you can.” I dropped my voice to a whisper, “But under no circumstances do you leave.”
Ethan swallowed hard, knowing exactly what I meant. “Okay.”
I nodded. “Lock it.”
I slid out of the door and stood still until I heard the lock click into place.
I managed, narrowly, not to draw the attention of the infected, repeatedly ramming their head into the locker.
I kept to the wall, moving when it was still, stopping when it wasn’t. Lockers stood open like broken teeth. Paper littered the floor. A shoe sat by itself in the middle of the hall.
Grace’s locker was exactly where she said. I could see the band sticker from ten yards away.
I moved slowly, not rushing as I wanted to. I felt a bead of sweat run down my forehead and drip off my nose. I stopped at every flicker of shadow, nervous it would be a herd of the slobbering monsters.
I heard a scrape and froze in place, holding my breath.
Nothing.
I reached the locker.
Listened.
Hands shaking.
Breathe in.
Breathe out slowly.
I turned the lock.
Fifteen to the right, thirty to the left, then twenty-seven back to the right.
The lock clicked.
Too loud.
I froze.
Waited.
Nothing.
I opened the locker just enough to slide my hand inside.
