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a sharp sting above his elbow as it scraped against a jagged shard of glass.
    His feet hit the carpeted floor softly and he glanced warily around even though there was nothing remotely alarming about it. The classroom smelled musty, as if the door and windows had been closed for a few weeks. Small chairs were turned upside down and sat atop equally small tables.
    Matt glanced down at his arm. The glass had left a deep gash in his tricep. He grimaced and wiped the blood away as best he could; there was nothing else he could do for it.
    The door knob turned without a squeak and the door itself opened just as quietly. The hallway outside was dark and the walls were bare of artwork. Despite the absence of children’s artwork it looked like a pretty nice school, Matt thought. There were still large banners hanging on the walls, silently encouraging children to read and eat plenty of vegetables.
    Matt could see Taylor, Jenna, and the baby through a set of glass double doors, but when he looked at the doors he saw they could only be unlocked with a key. They would all have to come in through the broken window. Matt knocked on the window and pointed towards the classroom he’d just come through.
    Taylor nodded his understanding, but when Matt returned to the classroom they weren’t there. He looked outside and saw them walking from the car. Jenna was now carrying the bag she had stuffed full of formula and diapers, while Taylor carefully scanned three hundred and sixty degrees around them to make sure nobody approached unnoticed.
    They’d just reached the window when Matt saw a dark figure approaching from the baseball diamond.
    “I see someone,” he whispered. “Hurry up.”
    Jenna handed the baby to Taylor so Matt could take her hand, pulling her through the window. Then he reached out for the baby and handed her to Jenna. The figure was closing in, cutting the distance between them rapidly.
    “He’s getting closer,” Matt said warningly. “Come on, Taylor.””
    He held out a hand to Taylor, not taking his eyes off the approaching man. Now that the person was closer, Matt could see him better. He was wearing a red bandanna and a black t-shirt that had a red silhouette of a man running with a cleaver. Black and white clown makeup covered his face so that his lips appeared to be stretched into a permanent black smile.
    “Fuck,” Taylor muttered.
    Matt glanced back at Taylor. His duty belt had caught on the edge of the window. Now he was half inside the window and half out.
    The dark clown was only a few strides away. Matt reached out and grabbed Taylor’s legs, flipping him through the window and onto the classroom floor with a thump. Matt raised his hammer, ready to strike.

 
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER EIGHT
     
     
    “I’m not here to attack you guys. Can I come in?” The clown said.
    Taylor stood up and put the sights of his rifle squarely on the dark clown’s chest.
    Matt wanted to say no. The guy gave him the creeps. Who runs around wearing clown makeup? He looked the dark clown over but he had no obvious signs of infection or bite marks.
    He sighed. “Okay. Come on in.” He couldn’t sentence this guy to being out on his own among all the infected just because he wore creepy makeup.
    Taylor lowered his weapon but the tension never left his face. He was just as nervous as Matt. Matt braced himself against the windowsill and offered the dark clown his hand.
    “Into the hall,” Taylor said, once the clown was inside. He motioned for Jenna to stay in the classroom with the baby.
    Once the three men were in the hallway, Taylor closed the classroom door behind them, still not taking his eyes off the dark clown.
    “Stop right there and put your hands behind your back,” Taylor said.
    “Fuck you, man.” The clown didn’t even pause. “I didn’t do nothing wrong. I just need a safe place, like you guys.”
    Taylor stopped walking and pulled out his Taser with his left hand. A red dot appeared on the back