Cheap wine sloshed about in the dark green glass as he tilted the container upwards, spilling the sour drink into his mouth. Bitter red liquid ran down his chin, splattering his shirt below.  He let his arm drop limply. The bottle clinked against the floor as he looked around the empty hall.  Moonlight snuck in through glass paneled windows around him, bathing the ground in an eerie whitewashed light.  Trash was littered here and there.  The refuse was kicked up against the sides of the lockers that lined every empty space of wall in the building.  He felt the cold, lifeless embrace of the lockers behind him as he arched his back, letting the tingly feeling rush into his numb ass.

He took another swig of wine and let his free hand fall to his wooden baseball bat at his side.  He pulled the bat up and placed the bottom of the handle on the ground, propping his arm up as he shut his eyes and imagined the school during a normal day.  His fellow students would trample the halls in an effort to make it to their next class, trying to sneak in a bathroom break, or make out and grab ass in a dark corner.

He and his girlfriend would sneak off behind the basement stairs, right after third period when their paths crossed as if the fate of their class schedules had allowed them to suck tongue and grind genitals through blue denim.  He would always hold her gently by the back of the neck as his tongue slipped into her mouth, and she would rub her hips all over his.  It was simple enough, but to them, it was the world.

Kristy. Her smile always brought warmth to his heart.  Maybe it was young love like all the adults around him claimed it was, but he didn’t care.  It was love and that was enough.  She would always harass him about his future.  She cared about him more than most in his life.

“What are you going to do when you get out of high school?  You can’t just smoke weed and play video games your whole life, silly.”  She always smiled when she talked to him, but his answer was always the same, not just when she asked, but when anyone asked.  His parents, his teachers, his friends, it was always the same answer.

“I don’t know… It just never seemed like it would matter to me.  Every time I think about it, I just go blank.”

Of course, Kristy was the only one happy with the answer.  She was always happy to be with him and him with her.

He let out a long sigh and took another swig of cheap wine, wincing as red booze washed over his tongue and down his throat.  It warmed his belly on this cold night.  Fall was sweeping across the land, evicting summer from its month’s long hold on the city.  The summer had been a long one too.  Not once was he able to see Kristy, and it had eaten at his heart all summer long.  He had hoped to find her here tonight, on the last summer day before their senior year started.

He didn’t know what he was going to do with his life, but he knew who he wanted to spend it with. He had saved up enough to buy her an engagement ring.  Nothing special, but it would be enough for her.

Justin had called him stupid for trying to get married so young, “Dude, what the hell?  You’re not even out of high school yet.”  Justin punched his arm, “Do I need to call you stupid again?  Cause I will.”  Justin adjusted his favorite Mets hat on top of his head.

He rubbed his arm, “It just feels right, you know?  I can’t explain it, but it is the only thing I can think about in my future, the only thing that takes hold every thought.  Not college, not a job, but just being with her.”

Justin smirked with the corner of his mouth, “Yeah?”  Justin punched his arm again, “Just don’t break her heart then, huh, or I might have to kick your ass.”

He punched Justin back and then the two of them wrestled to the ground.

He was able to see Justin throughout most of the summer.  They had been camping in the nearby woods when he had lost track of Kristy, and this whole damn mess started.  Justin was the best damn driver left around and with him at the wheel they were able to stay alive and prosperous for most of the summer.  They were there to kick ass and take names, but names didn’t matter anymore. 

“Take the bat, man.”  Justin handed over the wooden bat.

“Why?  Wouldn’t the machete be better?”  He took the bat from Justin’s hands and looked it over.

“Dude, you were always good at baseball.  The only reason you stopped was cause all the jocks kicked your ass the first day of high school.”  Justin smiled, “We both know it.”

He nodded and chuckled a bit, “Yeah, and where we’re you, hmm.  I thought you were supposed to watch my back?  Instead, I got a black eye and a split lip.”

“Well, you can’t blame me.”  Justin leaned back against the nearby wall, “I was getting hit on by Hannah, plus she gave me a little sumpin’ sumpin’, if you know what I mean?”  Justin raised his eyebrows several times before he got punched in the arm.  Justin reeled back, “Psh, it’s not like Kristy didn’t come and give you special treatment either.  She definitely took care of your boo boos with EXTRA love.”

He shrugged, “I guess that’s true.  Can’t complain there.” His thoughts drifted to memories of his first time with Kristy, slowly visualizing her naked body while he stared into space.

Justin turned his Mets hat backwards and took the machete in his hand, “Shall we?” He gestured to the abandoned store in front of them.

During that summer they raided stores and fought off other scavengers that would do them harm, but it couldn’t last, nothing good ever did.  He got separated from Justin one day while they were ransacking a hospital for meds. They were quickly ambushed and separated. That was the last that he ever saw of his best friend.  There was a part of him that hoped he would find Justin here at school on this night as well. It was the only place left he had to look.  Who knew what happened to Kristy and Justin?  Hopefully, both of them were long dead by now.  That is the best fate one could expect these days.

He knocked back the green glass container of wine, not stopping until he chugged the whole bottle down.  He gagged a few times but finished chugging it anyway.  He let his arm drop to his side.  The bottle clanked against the dirty floor. Kristy’s face was all he could picture in his mind. He sniffled as a tear streaked down his unwashed face.

His head shot to the side as the sound of an empty soda can stole his attention.  The can rolled out of a dark, open doorway and out into the quiet hall, the tiny taps of metal shook him to his core.  He stared at the doorway for a few moments expecting the worst.  Nothing stirred within the room from what he could see.  He stood up using the bat as leverage, glancing out of the nearby window.  The trees were still, so wind was out of the question.  Something was here. There was no other explanation.

He wiped the tear from his face with his sleeve.  He felt a bit woozy as he took a step towards the doorway.  He looked at the wine bottle in his hands.  He didn’t know how badly drunk he was until he stood up.  The wine had definitely taken hold of him.  He hurled the wine bottle at the doorway.  It crashed into the doorframe and shattered into hundreds of pieces.  The crash of glass rang out into the hall like a gunshot, echoing down the locker lined halls deep into the school.

The sound of shuffling feet quickly came from within the classroom. He drunkenly strode over to the doorway and peered inside, crashing into the frame. There was a figure shuffling around, stuck in a cluster of desks. The moonlight above beamed down on the tree outside the class’s windows, casting the figure in shadow.

He entered the room carefully, making sure his balance wasn’t affected by the alcohol. He had done this dozens of times and now it didn’t even faze him. It almost seemed natural to him. He raised his bat into striking position and closed the gap on the figure shuffling about.

As soon as he was close enough, he spoke out to the figure, “Hey, corpse bitch, I got a present for ya.”

The figure turned around and wheezed out a long-drawn breath.

His bat dropped a little and his hands shook as he saw who the figure was. A Mets hat was loosely fixated to the rotting scalp and greasy head of hair. He knew instantly it was Justin. There was no doubt in his mind.

Justin raised his arms up awkwardly and tried to walk past the desks, but he just kept ramming them like a broken machine, bashing into them, failure not even present in his half-decayed mind. Justin’s left arm was severed at the elbow. Strips of skin dangled about from his stump as he wheezed again.

He looked away from his best-friend. It was something no one ever needed to see, but somehow, he knew that this was the fate of his friend. He had a weak hope, but something always told him that Justin was just a walking corpse now. His eyes teared up. There was only one thing left to do. Only one thing he could do.

“I’m sorry, friend.” He swung the bat at Justin’s head.

A dull thud sound filled the room.  Justin reeled backwards for a moment before he renewed his mediocre assault.  Justin’s cheek was smashed in, while his jaw hung loosely beneath his head. Thick slobber poured from Justin’s damage mouth. He looked away in disgust.

His head snapped around as he heard the sound of a door being bashed open in the hall.  A massive crowd of moans traveled into the room. The dead had made it into the school. The horde of shuffling feet and wheezing hunger drowned out all other sounds, and they were headed straight towards the classroom.

He looked back at Justin’s corpse. It’s arms still raised, still trying to get past the clump of desks.  He needed to hurry, he still had one more person he hoped to see tonight.  He swung once more with all his might. He closed his eyes at the last second, not wanting to see his friends helpless face as he pulverized it. His bat crunched down on Justin’s head with a squish. The sound of undead bodies shuffling into the room hit his ears. Justin crumpled to the floor and he quickly turned around, swatting the nearest decaying head with his bat.  Chunks of rotting flesh flew at the walls of the classroom, spattering science projects with gore.

He was too late. They were already pouring into the class.  The first one dived at him, its mouth full of chipped and rotting teeth. He swatted it away with his bat and it flew into a toppled over desk. The second one rushed him head on. He easily kicked it aside onto the first corpse. He raised his bat high. He just needed to get out of this room if he wanted to find Kristy. He just needed to push through.

He was about to bring the bat down on the next one’s head when he became paralyzed.  It was her. She was finally here in front of him. After all these months, he had finally found Kristy. It was her in the flesh, rotting flesh, but her nonetheless.

He smiled at her and his bat dropped to the floor with a wooden clang. This was a moment he thought would never happen. You rarely see anyone after you lose them these days, but both his best friend and girlfriend in the same night. It was fate. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and now he could.

He pulled the engagement ring from his pocket and got down on one knee. He held it out to her. “Would you marry me?”  He said swiftly as she wrapped her arms around him in a sweet embrace. He felt her cold body press against his, just like she used to. Her hips grinding into his. She sunk her teeth deep into his neck.

“That must be a yes.” He smiled and started crying with pure joy. He was going to spend the rest of his life with her. His envisioned future was coming true. They crashed to the ground and he looked over to the clock on the wall. The minute hand had just passed the midnight mark. Even though he had a terrible first day of high school being bullied, he always looked forward to seeing his friends. He had always loved back to school day.

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