Endless Recess

Eu tu| Part 2

Mathew could watch his older brother accomplish what he never could.

It was a daily reminder almost.

He returned home with the best tests, with medals, and promptly received all the praise and warmth from their parents.

And he was always in his shadow.

A part of him was resentful for this.

If he could only be given a chance, a chance in one of the things his parents would actually notice.

He was not the most athletic or the brightest, but he loved music and art, he had won prizes of his own, but walking into the house the first thing you saw were Mason's trophies, not his.

And yet, he did not hate his older brother, he loved him.

He had always been there for him, even when he didn't want him to.

Mason never left him alone and the moment he was afraid or unsure, his older brother was always there to lift him, to give him a much-needed hand.

The support he lacked from their parents, the friendship he lacked due to his shy personality.

Mason was the greatest brother he could ever ask for.

He did not hate his brother.

But he was sick of himself.

Why was he so fragile? crying because someone spoke to him a little too loud, was he just a child like Mason said?

He was larger than a child, smarter, and had more numbers on his birthday than one.

And he stood in that dark hall, tears falling to the cold floor.

Desperate, he began hitting his leg, the frustration and anger grew larger with each hit.

Stop! STOP CRYING!!

He yelled in his mind, pleaded, begged.

Eventually, his body listened and he began to breathe normally again.

Exhausted, he collapsed on the ground.

He rested on the floor, staring at the white ceiling in contemplating silence.

His entire body felt the punishment of his earlier workout, and his head was fuzzy, tired.

But the least he wanted to do was sleep.

Mason.

he remembered when children, how Mason would appear always in the direst moments.

When he was five and fell into a running river, it was Mason who rushed to save him.

When he was eight and he wanted to carry his own birthday cake, it was Mason who was ready to grab it before he lost balance and almost ruined it.

Then at twelve, Mason teaches a lesson to a pair of bullies, before he could do anything for himself.

Fourteen, he gets into a fight with their parents because Mathew had poor grades compared to his.

Mason had always been there, whether he likes it or not, to protect him, to help him.

When would it be time to do something for himself?

In the silence of the great hall, a sound was heard, somewhere in the distance.

Mathew stood up immediately, it sounded too far away to be coming from inside the hall.

Just to make sure he searched around for something to defend himself with and found Mr. Landon's crooked lead pipe, resting on the floor near the wall.

He rushed to it and grabbed it with both hands as if his life depended on it, for all he knew, it did.

The weapon in hand he now raised it prepared to swing at anything and paid close attention to his surroundings.

His eyes searched for any shadow or figure, but all he saw were the tables all around the hall.

Maybe I'm imagining things?

He thought, rationalizing that maybe his emotions had gotten the best of him and he was just hearing things.

He lowered the pipe for a moment, but as if commanded by something, he heard the sound once again.

It was heavy and plastic, bouncing in the distance, it almost sounded like...

" A basketball?" he whispered.

There was no way he could be hearing that, it came from the other side of the barricaded door.

He walked up to it and moved the blankets away carefully, so he could take a peek into the first floor.

Doing so, he was glad that no corpses were waiting for him right at the door, but after looking into the hallway, he realized, there were no corpses at all.

How is this possible?

He thought, getting a little bit daring and getting dangerously close to the broken small window of the door, but as far as he could see there were no corpses.

Then, a basketball appeared seemingly out of nowhere, the ball bounced on the ground of the garden and kept going all the way off Mathew's point of view.

Someone was inside the school, and he didn't think it was anyone from their group.

I-I have to tell!!-

His body turned around to run back upstairs but stop as the thought crossed his mind.

Mason...

Thousands of thoughts crossed his mind right at that moment, feelings of anger and shame, of weakness and pity, the desire to prove what he was capable of.

While his mind ran through the possibilities and the fears, his body desperately tried to run upstairs, to get as far away from potential danger as it could.

But after a few seconds of hesitation, the decision was made.

Mathew turned around once more and began to take down the barricade.

His heart was on his ears, his hands had a sloppy hold on everything he grabbed.

Oh God, what the hell am I doing?!

Come on! you are doing something stupid and YOU know it!

This will end badly, you will f**k this up, Mathew!

He heard the voice of his fear trying to stop him, or so he thought, could be the voice of reason?

As his hands moved the chairs and table away in a hasty manner, everything that he had witnessed, all of the close calls with death ringed on his ears and pop up in his mind.

The countless faces of the death launching themselves to him, tearing open his flesh and breaking him down piece by piece.

He closed his eyes as his entire body trembled with fear.

I'm not a coward! I'm not a coward!!

Then, the distinct sound of a rubber fall bouncing on the ground made all the noise and voices in his head go silent.

When his eyes opened again he realized the barricade was down, by simply moving his hand forward he could step out of the dining hall.

He took a couple of deep breaths and tighten the grip on his lead pipe.

I'm not a coward.

He thought, stepping forward and crouching, he opened the door to the hallway.

First, he made sure there was nowhere around.

Looking around he felt the disgust and stench of the dry blood on the walls and floor invade his senses, he realized the mistake of going out unprepared.

He squinted his eyes and took a hand to his mouth, it was so potent it made him tear up in a matter of seconds, he was about to turn around.

You should breathe it all through your nose, you will get used to it soon...

Annie's words came like a whisper, he hesitated for a brief moment but ended up lowering his hand and taking in the whole stench of his putrid surroundings.

He gaged, then swallowed hard before throwing up, he tried to focus elsewhere, there was not a single corpse anywhere around, some lockers were open to his left, someone was walking to his right, the ball had blood on it.

His eyes widened as he immediately moved to a nearby column, pressing his back on it and holding the pipe close to his chest.

He looked in the direction where the figure was walking, making sure his own body wouldn't be visible.

Peeking, he saw the crouched body of a man with his body covered from head to toe in ragged cloth, it was as filthy as the corridors themselves, brown and muddy just as the few patches of visible skin, oily even.

The person held a purple javelin in both hands, it had been used recently, it still had leftover dark innards from some corpses head.

Someone, someone else is alive!

A tiny smile grew on his face, other survivors were hiding around the city, every time he looked at the deserted buildings that never changed, it didn't mean that there was no one looking back at him.

He moved forward to engage the stranger when once again, doubt invaded his thoughts.

In a world like this, could that person not be a potential ally, but an enemy?

The weapon he had was a spear, it could easily get through anything they had and would make quick work of the entire group if whoever that was behind those wraps was proficient enough.

Could there be others?

He spared a glance at the blood on the floor that came from the bouncing ball on the garden, it was a clear red, fresh.

That blood had come from something or someone, recently.

Did he throw the balls? He thought as he returned his attention to the figure, now dangerously close to the door of the dining hall.

Time was running out, he had to do something.

I will approach, and, if he does anything suspicious, I run inside and call for help.

Mathew cautiously moved from behind the pillars, never looking away from the stranger.

Who stop walking and looking around when he reached the door of the dining hall, the man stood straight and looked through the window of the door at the insides of the dining hall.

This is the moment

Taking a deep breath, Mathew closed the distance between them, approaching the stranger from the back, once he was close enough to hit him if anything was to happen, something clicked in his head when he glanced at the javelin in his hand once again.

The symbol of the school on it, meaning, it was taken from the coliseum.

As the stranger seemed satisfied with what he saw, he turned around to suddenly be face to face with Mathew.

They both stayed silent for a moment, looking at each other in shock.

Then, the stranger strikes.

Mathew barely reacts in time to raise his pipe and avoid the javelin hitting him on his head.

"W-WAIT!" He shouts in panic.

But whoever watches him through the wrappings ignores him, instead choosing to try and impale him.

Mathew jumps back and barely avoids the point of the spear going through him.

He has no time to rest as the stranger tries to constantly hurt him and Mathew is forced to remain at a distance.

Time seems to slow down, as everything gets blurry, tears, fear.

This person is trying to hurt him, or to be more accurate, kill him.

His entire body hurts thanks to the workout early that day, and he can feel his reflexes dulling each passing second.

There is so much fear going through his mind that he can't even scream, he tries but nothing comes out of his mouth.

The stranger moves too quickly and thrusts his javelin directly at Mathew's head, he manages to avoid losing an eye, but the point of the weapon hits him on his right eyebrow and goes up to his forehead, creating a large red wound that sends blood flying.

He lets out a pained scream and by instinct swings his lead pipe at the now exposed man, hitting him on the arm and forcing him to let go of the javelin.

In the movement, Mathew lets his pipe slip out of his hands and it flies to a nearby locker, crashing into it with a loud sound.

Blood? I'm b-bleeding?!

He takes a hand up to his head and gently touches the open wound, immediately regretting it as a wave of pain washes over his entire body.

He screams once more and moves further back, now standing in the burned garden, hunched over as several drops of blood fall to stain the floor.

Mason, Mason! Help me!

His breathing is erratic, his hands shake as tears join the blood on his face, he hears something and remembers that he was in the middle of a fight.

Looking up, he sees the stranger holding a makeshift knife made with broken glass on his left hand, while his right arm hangs limp, where he had hit him.

Before he can do anything else the man runs to him and jumps ready to strike with the weapon deep in his neck, Mathew manages to hold his arms before that happens and both end up falling on the ground, the stranger on top of him.

The sky was dark and cloudy, lightning struck faraway places as thunder resonated loudly all over the school.

"MATHEW!" Brook shouted from a window on the second floor "HELP! SOMEONE ITS GONNA KILL MATHEW!!"

He started to yell as he rushed through the hallway.

Kill? Am I going to die?

"Gabriel!"

A feminine voice came from the hallway leading to the back door of the school, Mathew looked down as the stranger on top of him looked back.

Another person had appeared, on her shoulder a net still holding a pair of basketballs, just like the stranger she too had her entire body covered by cloth wrappings, as filthy as the stranger, dark blonde hair tied in a ponytail.

"Help me get this fucker!!" The stranger, who apparently was named Gabriel, shouted back at the girl.

But instead of her, a pair of other figures rushed out from somewhere out of Mathew's vision, obstructed by a pillar, both wearing similar clothes to Gabriel and the girl, holding javelins and wearing full gear from the football team.

However, both of them halted their advance out of nowhere.

"What are you waiting for? there are-" Gabriel said returning his attention to Mathew and looking ahead, seeing why the others didn't move.

The horde was marching towards them.

All the noise had caught their attention, dozens of corpses slowly and silently made their way from the front of the school to the back where the fight was happening.

"MATHEW!" Mason yelled.

He looked up at the windows and saw the panic and anger in his older brother's face, who immediately ran through the hallway followed by Jose, Emma, and Mr. Landon.

"f**k! HURRY!!" Gabriel shouted at the pair who no longer moved "f**k!"

Gabriel returned his attention to Mathew and began pushing the knife down, dangerously close to his neck.

The strength began to fail his body as the adrenaline quickly got depleted, Mathew lost more and more resistance as the edge of the knife became inches away from his throat.

Everything came to a halt.

The horde, the others, his brother, Gabriel.

Like if God had given him a chance, but in reality, it was simply the last remains of adrenaline in his bloodstream.

What do I do? He asked himself.

I can't hold it for much longer, I will die.

The pain from his open wound, the pain in his heart for leaving his brother behind, the pain in his hands, for always not failing to act fast enough.

But if he was doomed, if there was nothing else to care for.

He would stop thinking, for at least once.

And he would try to act.

He spits on Gabriel's wide-open eyes, making him grunt and weaken his attempt at ending Mathew's life while also staining him with the blood of his open wound.

Taking advantage of the moment, he lets aside all conscious thoughts and simply, let's go.

Moving by an inexplicable force he moves Gabriel from on top of him and kicks him.

"Gabriel!" one of the other guys snaps back into reality and rushes forward with the javelin in hand and ready to thrust.

He attempts to hit Mathew, but he waits for the last moment before stepping aside, grabbing the weapon with one hand, turning around fast enough to force him to move with him, and then jumps.

He kicks the man with both legs directly in the stomach, the sheer force of the strike forcing all the air out of his lungs while also sending his body a few feet away.

"Son of a b***h!!" The other man yells as he moves forward to join the fight against Mathew.

However, he stops once more as he locks his eyes with his enemy.

His legs can't move nor do his eyes look elsewhere.

Who is this guy?

He thinks, staring deep into Mathew's eyes, who stares at him through his messy hair, a threatening stare, like watching a wild animal through the bars of a zoo.

The only difference is that there are no bars.

He feels vulnerable.

He feels in danger.

Another scream makes everyone look behind Mathew, the guy he kicked is almost within reach of the corpses who have now stretched their arms and steadily get closer to them.

"MATHEW!!" Mason yells kicking open the door of the dining hall and stepping into the hallway with a lead pipe in his hands.

He squints his eyes and grits his teeth when the stench gets to him but immediately looks at his brother and nearby Gabriel.

"YOU!!" He yells and launches and the defenseless man.

However, the girl launches her basketballs at him and rushes to meet him with a javelin in hand.

She stops as Jose, Emma, and the giant Mr. Landon appear from the dining hall.

Especially when the latter appears, she looks at him with the eyes wide open.

"T-teacher?!" She asks turning the point of her weapon to the ground.

Everything falls into chaos as the guy Mathew kicked raises from the floor and begins attacking the corpses with his javelin, meanwhile, Gabriel and Mathew jump and each other and wrestle on the ground fitting with their fists.

Emma and Jose join the fight against the undead while Mason runs towards his brother but it's cut off by the other javelin guy and they begin to try and hit each other.

Mathew hits Gabriel on his face, being now on top of him he realizes that he too has part of the football gear in the coliseum.

Gabriel kicks him but Mathew doesn't move away, he grits his teeth and pushes through the pain, hitting Gabriel multiple times on the face until he stopped moving.

What is this? He thought, as the world once again seemed to slow down all around him, he saw the beaten man beneath him and then stared at his own hands for a moment, they were bloody and his knuckles hurt more than they ever had.

I did this? He asked himself.

He raised his eyes and looked around, he saw the corpses getting beaten and pushed back by his group and the others.

He saw Emma, her friend, fight with ferocity and determination alongside Jose, keeping the undead away from them.

He then turned to his brother, Mason, they looked at each other for a moment, before he returned his attention to the opponent risking his life.

They attacked me...

He thought as his eyes fell on the makeshift knife at a distance.

They would have harmed us all...

He thought as he stretched forward and grabbed it.

I won't let them...

He thought as raised his hand high and looked at Gabriel who was just then regaining consciousness.

I'm not afraid...

Something begins to grow inside of Mathew.

They should be afraid of me.

Mason was desperate to get to his brother as fast as possible, his head was filled with questions, what was he doing there? who are these people? why are they attacking him?

But none of them mattered, he would make sure his brother was safe and ask questions later.

"Mason! Jonathan! stop!" Mr. Landon yelled at the fighting pair and both turned to him.

"Mr. Landon!" The guy with the javelin, Jonathan, said staring at the teacher surprised.

"We are from the B class! this is just a big-" The girl then looked at Mathew and rushed forward "NOOO!!!"

B CLASS?! They are from our school?!

Mason thought as he looked at his brother again and felt like his entire world came to a halt, his younger brother was about to stab someone on the neck.

"MATHEW STOP!!" He screamed.

Mathew used all his strength to lower the knife and end the life of Gabriel, but Mason's voice made him snap out of his dream-like state, he moved his hand away from the direction of Gabriel's neck just in time to barely graze it, breaking the glass knife on the hard floor of the garden.

"Everyone get inside the dining hall!!" Mr. Landon yelled.

Everyone rushed away from the ever-increasing horde, Mason ran up to his brother who was thrown to the ground by a panicking Gabriel.

He helped him on his feet and almost carried him inside, they were the last ones to enter.

Leaving behind the horde of undead.