Chapter 56

Inch by inch. Life is a cinch. Yard by yard. Life is hard.

The skeletal-looking zombie creature shuffles towards me like a decrepit, decaying old man. As it gets closer, I notice it has a dislocated jaw, showing its torn tongue and blood-stained razor-sharp teeth. A flame of anger ignites within me. I am sick of feeling helpless.
Then it speaks, and in a voice familiar to me. “Kayla, you did this to me—to us.” The undead creature with Justin’s voice points at more zombies rising from the graves. I see them, and my insides curdle. I swallow hard and take a step back. What had once been Misty, James, and Cole, join Justin. All stare at me with hunger in their eyes.
I stand frozen with both fear and disbelief. What used to be my friends lick their lips and shuffle toward me. The stench is becoming unbearable. It feels like I’m frozen in place and unable to move. I scream at my body to do something. To run, but my muscles are like stone and won’t comply. My heart almost explodes with fear.
My friends are zombies because of me. I let Lucifer free to destroy the world. My friends and family with it. It’s a sharp cruelty of life that a heart can keep beating after it has been broken in two. In my case, a heart that’s been shattered into a thousand pieces yet still beats like a drum.
They inch closer. There’s nothing I can do but watch. Every uneven step they take accelerates my fear.
Just as they’re within reaching distance, I’m thrown by an unseen force. My head smacks against an invisible wall, making me dizzy as an acute pain tear through my skull. The zombies let out ahigh-pitched screech. The hairs on my arms stand on end.
Before I can get to my feet, I’m lifted in mid-air. My body shakes as if someone, or something, is physically shaking me. My brain rattles inside my skull, causing dizziness to rush over me. The shaking stops suddenly. I take deep breaths, forcing the air back into my lungs. The zombies let out painful screams as they shuffle at a snail’s pace.
Again, I’m thrown into the air. This time towards the zombies, my body is about to collide with them when lights flash brightly in my eyes.
***
I snap my eyes open. The very first thing I see is a large beer belly. I then look up into a chubby face with eyes of steel. Tension grows in my face and limbs. My breathing becomes more rapid and shallow. He pulls me roughly to my feet. His cold eyes bore into me, giving me the chills. Staring down at me is Mr. Donald.
“You, Kayla, will not bring the prophecy to light. I will make sure that never happens.” He shoves me back down. My back hits the cold stone wall, and I slide down into a sitting position. I sit in shock, looking up at my history teacher.
“The prophecy has already started. There is nothing you can do to stop it,” Misty taunts from the other side of the room. He whips his head around and gives her a threatening glare. His eyes take on the look of a maniac as his pupils dilate. I can see the pressure he his putting on his teeth by the way his jaw shakes slightly. His heavy feet pound on the floor as he marches towards her in a few long strides and picks her up harshly by her white cotton t-shirt. She dangles in the air. It doesn’t faze her though. Her eyes shine with determination.
“What did you say?” he yells in her face.
She keeps calm and looks him straight in the eyes. “The king of darkness is free. You are wasting your time keeping us here. He is looking for a way into the Land of Harmony, and when he finds…”
Mr. Donald slams her into the wall, the sound deafening to my ears. He drops her, and she crashes to the ground, still with a hint of a smile on her face. Mr. Donald's shoulders slump as he shuffles to the iron bars.
“If you are lying to me, Michael, I will make you pay.” His words are a deathly threat.
For hours, or maybe even days, it’s impossible to tell, we sit and pace the small cell. How much time has passed I am not sure. A young man with warm green eyes brings us food and water. He never speaks to us, but the sadness in his eyes tells us he’s not happy.