Guts: Ignition

"Well you find your strength in Solutions, But I like the tension

                 And not Always knowing the answers, but you're gonna lose it."

                                      -Monster(Paramore)

June 15, Year 2038

It's been 4 years since the Ignition began.

4 years since I ran from my parents

4 years since I ran from our house

4 years since the world went batshit crazy.

4 years ago, some sort of green lit fire engulfed the minds of people. The Ignition.

Nearly everyone stopped in their tracks.

Their faces contorted to a smile as wide as 4 trucks colliding.

Their minds, taken from them. Their will, replaced by the fire. We call that fire, Gyros.

No one knows where it came from. No one knows why it exists. No one knows how to stop it.

I've been living my life in a desolate school building with my friend Urien and some survivors from our class.

Majority of the survivors are teenagers and children. There were some adults, but we were wary.

"Wirick. We're running out of food." Jessica, the class president made rounds around the room, and reported to me if there were problems

We were holed up in room 304. We boarded up the doors and windows with desks and chairs. But, during these pressing situations such as food scarcity, 3 brave souls go out of their way to grab food from the cafeteria or if their feeling lucky, they run to the 7 Eleven nearby.

"Hey Uri. Up for some shopping?" He grinned.

"Count on it." We stood up from our spot.

"Any volunteers?!" I shouted across the room.

None at first. Just the usual stares.

Then a hand raised.

Our english teacher, Ms. Aria.

"Adults have to be an example at some point in this fucked up world." I Smiled. Ms. Aria has been one of my favorite teachers. She was the one that pushed me to the path of writing.

Too bad we can't do anything about that right now.

"Jessica. Weapons." She unlocked a cabinet.

"What'll you have?" She asked

"I'll take the switchblade."

"You already have that." She pointed to my belt. I was just messing with her. I never part with it. EVER.

"Fine. Give me the pipe." She tossed me an old, rusted pipe I found in the bathroom a year ago.

"Curtain rod." Urien said. He always picks range over lethality. The rod was about as tall as a spear, but it's as thick as a #2 mongol pencil. The tip was purposely deformed to create a sharp edge.

"Ms. Aria?" asked Jessica.

"I'm cool. I have this." She pulls out a Staple gun from her purse. She's always had it for the purpose of putting up banners. I never pegged it as a weapon among ours.

"Alright. Give us the backpacks and pull off the blockade." The only means of escape from this room is the blackboard.

From here, you just have to take the desk out of the way and pull the board to the right. We're instantly in room 305.

I drew up my mental map of the school. It may have been months since the last time I got out of our room, but I knew where to go.

"So, Cafeteria or 7-Eleven?" I asked.

Silence.

"Hey. I'm feeling lucky. lets hit both." Urien's luck is dead on. When he says he's feeling lucky, he actually GETS lucky.

"Fine with me." said Ms.Aria.

We were on the third floor.The entirety of the third floor was safe, but we decided to board up the stairs and stay in just 1 room for extra measure.

The second floor is a different story...

Some of those affected by the Gyros still wander the area. We call them Giggles. One, because of their weird smile. Two, because they giggle when they decide to attack us.

Giggles aren't like Zombies, or infected, or whatever the hell you call those.

They still have their mental ability. They can think, they feel. Whatever. But the Gyros influence has only allowed them to act for the sake of their masters.

They cannot do what they wish anymore.

Caution is needed when approaching these things. They aren't people anymore. They will attack on sight.

"Ok. The moment we get to the second floor, no one lets go of their weapons." Everyone nods.
It's been quiet...So far.
The east side's stairs to the first floor was destroyed so we have to take the west side.
Rooms were devoid of doors, some replaced with boarded up wood.
I can assume that there are other survivors, but it's everyone for themselves at the time.
"Hello." We turned around.
Our principal, Mr. Randy stood before us. He was holding a fire axe. His smile said it all.
"Loitering at school is a no no. You should know that." With that, he rushed at us, bashing the ax at the floor.
It was stuck. With all my force, I bashed Mr. Randy's face in, flushing out previous memories of him.
He wasn't human anymore.
I picked up the fire ax and was ready to go when Ms. Aria aimed her Staple Gun.
"Ms. Aria?" Her face was serious, and for a second, I thought she'd gone mad. Then she fired.
Not at me. But to my back.
Ms. Lauren lay dead with a staple on her eye.
"I never liked her. Dragged on about cats aaaaaall day." True. It didn't help that she taught History. We were barely awake for her classes.
We reached the cafeteria.
"Ok, let's split up. Grab as much as you can." I unhook my backpack and searched the kitchen.
"Youuuuu shouldn't beee here." Oh crap!
The lunch lady was holding a ladle and the huge smile that made Joker look sad.
I wasn't particularly fond of her because of her gruff appearance and horrible personality.
This just takes things to a whole new level. I raised the ax.
She was quicker.
She struck my face with the ladle and kicked my stomach. Her huge legs only furthered my pain. The ax was knocked out of my reach. The pipe was with Ms. Aria. I had to do something.
"Well? How does it taste? Years, and years of cooking, all I hear from you kid is 'Oh god, what is this shit?!' Well I hope you like my shit now!" Her maniacal laugh filled the room. Where are Ms. Aria and Uri?!
They were preoccupied. I have to do something. There was a small chair by me. I grabbed it and turned the lunch lady over.
"That wasn't very nice." She spat.
"So is kicking a student."
I stood up and held my stomach, maintaining my balance with a table. There was a knife. I eyed it and I met with her eyes.
Then, there was the struggle. Her smile, so wicked. Our hands wrestling for it.
I somehow won the knife. I kicked her to the gut and stabbed her neck.
"They said that for a reason. Your food IS shit."
I ransacked the kitchen of what food I could grab, which wasn't more than a few canned goods and chips, and ran to the kitchen door, but someone beat me to it.
"Wirick! Are you alright?" Talk about late reactions.
"Yeah. Just had a talk with the lunch lady. Where were you guys?!"
"Ms Aria got bit by Fergy. He's a giggles now." I managed an "Oh" Unlike Zombie bites. Giggles don't infect others. Really, it was more of a strike to the brain, and we were immune to it. Being bit doesn't really give you anything except a flesh wound to be annoyed about.
"He wasn't in his right mind to begin with. The Gyros just made things worse for him." Ms. Aria added.
It was true. Fergy was a pretty fucked up person before all this shit ever happened.

Our food hunt at the cafeteria wasn’t such a big hit. We managed a few things from the kitchen and some fallen snacks from a vending machine Urien broke.
The nearest 7-Eleven was just across the street. We never dared to venture out of the school. But today was Urien’s lucky day. I took his word. I’m just hoping his guts are right, yet again.
I looked out the window. There weren’t a lot of giggles outside the school
Just an old lady in a bench and the cashier for 7-Eleven outside, near a trashcan.
We could take them.
“On the count of three. One...Two...THREE!”
We burst out the door. Granny Giggle stared at us and got to her feet with an old cane.
She didn’t reach us. Urien had speared her forehead.
Cashier Giggle was much smarter.
He grabbed the trash can and threw it at us.
“I don’t get paid too much for this.” He said.
The can nearly hit Ms. Aria. It toppled to the ground. He grabbed a pocket knife from his pocket and dashed at us.
Ms. Aria was firing, but he was quick enough to dodge the staples. He jumped as Urien struck, evading the curtain pole.
He shoved them both out of the way and kicked my ax to the ground. He raised the knife at me. That’s when I remembered.
I had my own knife. The switchblade. The knife I could’ve used on the lunch lady a while ago if I weren’t too preoccupied from avoiding death.
I unhooked it from my belt and pierced his throat with surprising speed. I pushed him off of me.
“You ok?” Uri asked. I nodded. “Let’s just get some food.”
Before we even made 5 steps inside the building, a gun was pointed to my forehead.
“Don’t move.” I raised my hands and looked at the holder with fear. She wasn’t a giggles. She lowered the gun.
“Oh good. You’re not one.” The girl was about the same age as I am. Her hair was a wavy brunette, and her eyes sparkled blue. “We’ve got survivors.”
From behind the counter, a bunch of teenagers, some of who I recognize, stand up.
Some of them were from my class.
“Wirick! Urien! Ms. Aria!” It was Dianne. Jessica’s best friend.
“D! You’re alright!” And Uri’s girlfriend for that matter. They shared a surprisingly long kiss.
“Dianne, you know these guys?”
“They’re from my class. Wirick, this is Vivi. She helped us escape from giggles and set up this 7-Eleven as our base. Vivi, this is Wirick, my classmate, Uri, my boyfriend, and Ms. Aria, our English Teacher.”
There was a mutual hello in the air.
“We just came from the school We’re low on food. Think you guys can spare?”
“Sure. Luke. Get us some food.” She turned to me. “Bagged or Plastic?” I laughed at the joke.
“We’re going for plastic. Hey, why don’t you come with us? The larger our numbers, the larger our chances to survive.” Vivi contemplated the offer.
“How many are your survivors?” she asked. I counted up to the ones we managed to rack up. “We’re around 8. Most of them from our class and some adults. Dianne, Jessica’s there too.” Dianne’s eyes sparkled with tears and relief and sighed.
“Ohhh, thank god. I thought-“ She was interrupted by a rap on the door.
Jessica. She was bloody to her left arm and held a bloody box cutter with her right hand. With her were Mr. Hudson and Gary from Science.
Dianne quickly let them in.
“We have to get out of here” She coughed. “The school got overrun with Giggles with weapons. We barely got away.” I thought about the other survivors.
“They’re dead, if that’s what you’re thinking.” No...
“We have to patch you up first. Mike! Get me some gauze!” Dianne shouted.
“D... You’re alright.” Jessica hugged her.
After patching her up with gauze, everyone packed up rationed food enough to last 10 days and medical supplies that were scavenged from the run down 7-Eleven.
“We’re getting out here through the backdoor.” Vivi’s second in command, a blond haired guy armed with a crowbar, called Luke commanded.
“Where are we going?” I asked. There was silence. Then, Vivi turned around to face me.
"Anywhere but here."

End of Chapter- Guts: Ignition

Well thats it! I hope you enjoyed your night! We are Paramo- Wait what? What the hell am I talking about?! I watch the Final Riot last night and this happens? XD Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the first part of Guts! We'll see you around Chica- Er, I mean Blogspot.

~S and D