Chapter 21: Arrival at Lexington Academy

The car’s engine hummed steadily as we wound through the abandoned streets, following Rachel’s careful directions. Forty minutes had passed since we’d left the relative safety of our temporary shelter. Nobody spoke much during the drive—each of us lost in our own thoughts about what we might find at Lexington Academy.

When we finally crested the hill overlooking the school, I couldn’t help but let out a low whistle.

“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, pressing my face against the window.

Lexington Academy sprawled before us like something out of a fairy tale—if fairy tales included zombie apocalypses. The massive stone buildings rose from manicured grounds, their Gothic architecture complete with soaring spires, ornate gargoyles, and stained glass windows that caught the afternoon light. Ivy crawled up the walls of the older buildings, while newer additions gleamed with modern glass and steel. The whole complex was surrounded by wrought iron fencing that looked more decorative than defensive.

“It’s more like a castle than a high school,” I said, still staring in awe.

I’d seen pictures of elite prep schools before, but seeing Lexington in person was something else entirely. The main building alone probably cost more than most people’s houses. Hell, it probably cost more than most people’s entire neighborhoods. This was where the children of senators, tech billionaires, and Hollywood royalty came to get their education—a world so far removed from my public school experience that it might as well have been on another planet.

“Welcome to how the other half lives,” Sydney said dryly, though I caught her glancing at the impressive architecture with something that might have been envy.

But our awe was short-lived. As we drew closer, the true horror of our situation became clear.

The infected were everywhere.

They stumbled across the pristine lawns, their designer uniforms torn and bloodstained. Some pressed against the windows of the main building, their faces smeared against the glass as they searched for prey inside. Others wandered aimlessly through the courtyard, their movements jerky and unnatural. Through the ornate iron gates, we could see more of them moving through the corridors, dark shapes shuffling past the windows.

The silence in the van was deafening.

Rachel’s hand flew to her mouth, and I saw her shoulders begin to shake. Beside her, Rebecca had gone completely pale, her eyes fixed on the scene before us with a mixture of horror and recognition. These weren’t just random infected—these had been her classmates, her teachers, people she’d sat next to in class just days ago.

She barely escaped the same fate didn’t she?

If she hadn’t that appointment…

“Oh god,” Rebecca whispered. “That’s… that’s Courtney Morrison by the fountain.”

Sydney’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel. She pulled over to the side of the road, far enough away that we wouldn’t attract attention but close enough to get a good view of the campus. When she finally spoke, her voice was flat and emotionless.

“I think all your classmates are dead, Rebecca.”

Rebecca’s expression turned hard.

I found myself staring at the infected wandering the grounds, trying to process the scale of what had happened here. How many students had been at Lexington when the outbreak hit? Three hundred? Five hundred? And now they were all…

“Maybe we should look around,” Rachel said suddenly. “Maybe there are some still inside, waiting for help.”

I could hear the desperate hope in her voice, and despite everything, I found myself nodding. “Yeah, I spent a whole night locked in a storage closet at my school because the infected were inside. It’s not impossible that there are survivors here.”

Sydney turned to stare at us both like we’d lost our minds. “Are you kidding me? Even if there are survivors, what’s the plan? Are you going to save them? Do you expect their parents to swoop in with helicopters and rescue parties?” She gestured toward the infected-overrun campus. “Come on, be serious. If any students are still alive in there and no one has come to save them after two days, it means they’re not worth saving to anyone who matters.”

“That’s not true,” Rachel said firmly. “The whole world is dealing with this virus. Everyone is occupied with their own survival. If we find students in there, I’m sure at least one parent will try to find them. These families have money, resources, connections—”

“How can you be so sure about that?” Sydney interrupted, but even as she spoke, she was already putting the van in gear and beginning to circle the campus perimeter. Despite her harsh words, she wasn’t driving away.

Rebecca reached out and grasped Rachel’s arm, her fingers trembling. “Sister… let’s just tell them.”

“Tell us what?” I asked, looking between the two sisters. Sydney also glanced back at us in the rearview mirror, her eyebrows raised.

Rachel was quiet for a long moment, staring out at the infected-overrun school. When she finally spoke.

“Our father knows Rebecca is at Lexington. If he finds out she’s in danger, he’ll definitely try to save her. Maybe he’s already sent people.”

So her father was a big shot? I should have expected at least that.

“Wait,” I said slowly. “Wouldn’t it have been better to just wait at your house? If your father is going to send a rescue team, wouldn’t they go there first?”

It would have been so much simpler. We could have stayed put, waited for professional help, avoided this entire nightmare scenario.

Rachel fell silent at my words, and I saw her and Rebecca exchange a meaningful look. There was something they weren’t telling us, some piece of the puzzle that would explain why two wealthy girls were living in a random apartment.

“It’s not our real address,” Rebecca said finally, her voice small. “We’ve been living in one of my sister’s friend’s apartment this whole time.”

“What?” I was dumbfounded. Nothing was making sense anymore.

“We have a complicated relationship with our father,” Rachel explained, and I could hear years of pain and anger in those few words. “He can’t find us because he thinks we’re living at a different address. But there’s a possibility we could see him or contact him from Lexington. It’s a very secure school with multiple communication systems—even if the networks have been broken across the world, they might still have working satellite uplinks or emergency broadcasting equipment.”

Sydney let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. “So that’s why you really thought Lexington could be a good idea. I thought you were just being dumb when you suggested it yesterday, but I guess you’re not completely stupid.”

She was nothing if not direct.

“Regardless,” Sydney continued, bringing the van to a stop at what looked like a service entrance on the far side of the campus, “I can accept the insane idea of getting inside that school.” She turned to look at me directly, her blue eyes serious. “Are you up for it, Ryan?”

I looked at the three of them at Rachel and Rebecca, then I looked back at the school, at the infected wandering through what had once been hallowed halls of learning.

“Yeah,” I said with a smile. “Let’s do this.”

Sydney parked the car close enough to the parking lot as she went through the opened gates leading into it.

“Before we go in there,” Sydney said, turning off the engine, “we need to be clear about what we’re doing. We’re not here to play hero. We’re not here to save every person we might find. We go in, we look for communication equipment, we try to contact your father, and we get out. Anyone else we might help along the way is a bonus, but it’s not the mission. Understood?”

Rachel and Rebecca nodded, though I could see Rebecca wasn’t entirely happy with the limitations. If there were her classmates in there who had survived this long, who had managed to hide and wait for help that wasn’t coming…

She wanted to help them as well, it seemed.

“Understood,” I said.

Sydney smirked at me and then then nodded. “Alright then. Let’s go save some rich kids.”

“They are coming,” I said as I watched the infected shamble toward us with increasing urgency. “We need to move. Now.”

My heart hammered against my ribs as I counted at least fifteen of them, maybe more lurking behind the vehicles.

Sydney’s knuckles were white as she gripped the car door handle. “You know how to get us inside your school, right Rebecca?”

Rebecca’s face had gone pale. She nodded quickly, perhaps too quickly. “Y—Yeah, follow me!” She practically tumbled out of the car, her school bag sliding off her shoulder. “We need to reach that gate!”

She pointed toward a smaller service gate about thirty yards away, equipped with a card reader and topped with horizontal bars that looked climbable. It was designed for staff who parked in the outer lot—a shortcut to the main campus that normally required a swipe card for entry.

The infected were closing in, their shuffling gait becoming more animated as they caught sight of us. I could smell something putrid in the air—a mixture of decay and something else I didn’t want to identify.

“Let’s stay in a group to help each other,” I said. My voice cracked slightly on the last word, but I pressed on. “If we get separated—”

“As expected of you, Ryan,” Sydney interrupted with a grin. “I knew you were a nerd reading zombie theme books. Do you read manga too, maybe?”

“Not really…” I muttered, glancing at Rachel and Rebecca. Great, now they probably thought I was some kind of otaku who spent his weekends studying zombie apocalypse survival guides. Which, to be fair, wasn’t entirely wrong, but I didn’t need my already questionable reputation taking another hit.

The truth was, I had consumed enough zombie movies, TV shows, and yes, even some books, to know that separation was usually the beginning of the end. Every horror story started the same way—the group splits up, someone gets cocky, and then…

“Here!” Rebecca’s urgent voice snapped me back to reality. She stood before the gate, her student ID card trembling in her hand. The electronic reader blinked expectantly, its small screen displaying a prompt for authorization.

She swiped the card with shaking fingers. A harsh red light flashed, accompanied by an annoying beeping sound that seemed to echo across the empty lot.

Access denied.

“W—What?!” Rebecca’s voice pitched higher. She tried again, this time more slowly, making sure the magnetic strip made full contact with the reader. The same red light, the same mechanical rejection.

“I—I don’t understand!” Panic was creeping into her voice now. “This should work! I use this gate in several occassions!!”

I glanced back at our pursuers. They were maybe fifty feet away now, and I could make out more details than I wanted to.

“Maybe it’s because the parking lot is reserved for staff?” I suggested, though even as I said it, I knew it didn’t make sense. Rebecca was a student; she wouldn’t have access to staff areas.

“N—No, Rachel always parks her car here whenever dropping me in car…” She trailed off.

Sydney was already moving, her athletic instincts taking over. “We don’t have time for troubleshooting,” she said, throwing her bag over the gate. It landed with a soft thud on the other side. “Let’s climb.”

Without hesitation, she backed up a few steps, then ran forward and leaped. Her fingers caught the top of the gate, and she pulled herself up with the fluid grace of someone who’d spent years in gymnastics. In one smooth motion, she swung her legs over and dropped down on the other side.

“Show off,” I muttered under my breath, but I couldn’t help being impressed. Sydney made it look effortless.

“Come on!” She called from the other side. “What are you waiting for? They’re right behind you!”

Rebecca turned to look back and let out a small gasp. The infected were close enough now that I could hear their labored breathing and the wet sound of their footsteps.

“I—I can’t!” Rebecca’s voice cracked as she jumped up, trying to reach the top of the gate. Her fingertips barely grazed the metal bars. “I’m too short!”

She was only a few inches shorter than Sydney, but Sydney had the advantage of athletic training and, frankly, better upper body strength. Rebecca was more of the studious type—probably spent more time with her nose in textbooks than hanging from monkey bars.

“I’ll help you,” I said, crouching down in front of the gate and bracing my hands against my knees. “Climb on my back.”

Rebecca looked at me with wide eyes, her cheeks flushing red. “Are you sure? I mean, I don’t want to hurt you…”

“Trust me, it’s better than becoming zombie food,” I said, trying to inject some levity into the situation. “Besides, you probably weigh less than my backpack.”

She nodded reluctantly and carefully placed her hands on my shoulders. “S—Sorry!” She stammered as she stepped onto my back. Her weight was actually lighter than I’d expected, but the angle was awkward, and I had to grit my teeth to keep from losing my balance.

With my boost, she was able to reach the top of the gate easily. I felt her push off from my shoulders as she pulled herself up and over, landing with a small “oof” on the other side.

“Your turn, Rachel,” I said, turning to face her. But she was frozen, staring at the approaching infected with wide, terrified eyes.

“B—But…I don’t think I can…”

We don’t have time to decide who goes first.

“It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Before she could protest, I reached out and lifted her up, wrapping my arms around her knees and hoisting her toward the gate. She let out a surprised “Kya!” that was oddly cute despite our circumstances, her face turning bright red as she grabbed onto the bars.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, realizing how forward my action must have seemed. “I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s fine,” she said breathlessly, pulling herself up and over with more grace than I’d expected. “Thank you.”

Now it was my turn. I took a few steps back and ran toward the gate, jumping as high as I could and grasping the top bars. But as I pulled myself up and I was about to swing my legs over, I felt a cold grip on my ankle.

“R—Ryan!” Rachel’s panicked voice rang.

I looked down to see a woman, maybe a teacher grabbing onto my leg with surprising strength. Her fingernails were broken and dirty, and there were dark stains around her mouth that I tried not to think about. Her eyes were completely white, rolled back in her head, but somehow she’d still managed to latch onto me.

I kicked hard with my free leg, managing to dislodge her grip, but immediately another infected grabbed my other ankle. This one was stronger, his grip tighter, and I could feel my arms beginning to tire from supporting my body weight.

“Run!” I shouted to the girls. “I’ll catch up!”

From their side of the gate, I could see another problem emerging. A small group of infected—maybe five or six—were shambling toward them from the direction of the main campus buildings. They were trapped between two groups now, and I was hanging from a gate like some kind of demented piñata.

Sydney was scanning the area with the calculating look of someone used to solving problems under pressure. “There!” She pointed toward a maintenance shed about twenty yards away. “We can hold out there until—”

Her words were cut off by a loud crash from somewhere in the distance, followed by the sound of screaming. Whatever was happening in the city was getting worse, and we were stuck in the middle of it.

I gritted my teeth and kicked harder, finally managing to break free from the infected’s grip. My shoes scraped against the metal bars as I hauled myself over the gate, landing hard on the concrete below. My ankle throbbed where the infected had grabbed me, but I didn’t think anything was broken.

“This way!” Rebecca called. “The main building has reinforced doors. If we can get inside…”

But even as she spoke, I could see more infected emerging from behind the campus buildings. They moved with that same jerky, unnatural gait, and their numbers seemed to be growing by the minute.

“Then let’s go!” I urged them. Without waiting for a response, I sprinted toward the main building, my eyes scanning for the closest entrance.

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