Zombiefied! by C.M. Gray

when you were lost in a maze you should keep to one direction, either the left or the right, and you would eventually get out. I didn’t really understand how that was supposed to work, but right then I didn’t have any other ideas.

    I chose the left-hand tunnel and started running.It sounded like the footsteps were getting closer, although it was a bit hard to tell because I was breathing so hard. I came to another fork in the tunnel and again chose the left side. This tunnel was wider and, instead of little rooms, there were more tunnels branching off it. As I raced past their open, black mouths, cold air blew over me. I ditched my bag in an empty room and kept running.
    But it didn’t seem to matter how fast I went — the person, the thing , was gaining on me. A stitch formed in my side. I could hardly breathe. Then, out of nowhere, I was running on air. My torch went flying. I landed on my hands and knees.
    But that wasn’t the worst of it.
    Before I could get up, there was a hideous screech and an enormous weight landed on my back, squashing me flat.

    â€˜AAAGGHHHH!’ I heard someone scream and realised that it was me. Man! Did I really sound like that? ‘AAAAGGGGHHH!’ I guess so.
    â€˜IT’S OOOOKKAAAAAYYYYYYY!’ screamed another voice. ‘It’s MEEEEEE!’
    It took a few seconds for me to realise that I hadn’t been attacked by a Cannibal Corpse from The Zombie Returns . ‘Sophie?’
    By now she had climbed off me and was dusting herself down. ‘Thanks for breaking my fall. Are you OK?’
    â€˜I think so.’ I was still pretty shaken by the whole thing, but I didn’t seem to have any injuries other than the gravel rash on my palms and knees, which I had scraped pretty badly on the rocky ground. I clambered to my feet, found the torch, and shone it on the ground behind to see what had tripped us. It was a steep step.
    I turned to Sophie. ‘What are you doing down here? How did you find me?’
    â€˜When I realised you’d left History early, I guessed you had gone to Mr Slender’s room to check out the cupboard. I noticed your pencil wedged between the wall and the door, so I pushed it open and followed the sound of your footsteps.’
    â€˜So you believe me now?’
    â€˜Sure.’ Sophie found the Fuzzil, which had fallen off her shoulder, and as she stuck it back onto her collar she muttered, ‘Sorry.’
    â€˜That’s OK,’ I said. Secretly, I was relieved to see her. ‘Anyway, I dunno if we should go any further. We don’t want to get lost.’
    â€˜Let’s go back and check out the other tunnel,’ said Sophie, turning back the way we’d come. ‘The big one with the light.’
    â€˜What one with the light?’ I asked. How did I miss that?
    â€˜It’s just back here.’
    For the first time, I noticed she held a small torch. ‘Did you bring that?’ I asked as I trotted along behind.
    â€˜Nah. Found it in Slender’s cupboard,’ she explained. ‘I guess he uses it when he comes down here.’
    As we walked, I realised that the ground was sloping slightly upward, which I hadn’t noticed while I’d been running. We were also a lot further into the tunnels than I’d thought.
    After a few minutes Sophie stopped before the mouth of a tunnel that branched off to the right. I peered into the opening; it was bigger than any of the other tunnels I’d seen. A strange smell drifted from it and there was a sound too, although one I didn’t recognise. It was a high-pitched screeching sound, like fingernails running down a blackboard.
    â€˜C’mon.’ Sophie began walking down the tunnel.
    Nervously, I followed. Around the first bend, the tunnel widened even further. On either side, old wooden doors were placed at regular intervals, some shut, some slightly ajar. I opened one. Inside was a small room. It was empty except