heavenward | n.scatorccio

The locker room door slammed shut behind them, the sound echoing against the walls like a drumbeat in Julianna's chest. Her breath came in short, frantic bursts as she backed away from the door, her eyes wild as she tried to make sense of everything.

What the hell is happening?

The door rattled violently as something slammed against it from the outside. Thud, thud, thud. The sound was jarring, unnatural. It was hard to breathe in here—suffocating, like the walls were closing in on her.

"Is everyone okay?" Jackie's voice cut through the chaos.

Julianna glanced around at the others. Shauna was clutching her arm, eyes wide, face pale. She looked like she was on the verge of a breakdown. Lottie was trembling next to her, her lips pressed tight as she stared at the door, her hands shaking.

"Jules?" Jeff asked, his voice tight with panic.

"I think so," Julianna whispered, though she wasn't sure if she believed herself.

Misty was pacing in tight circles, muttering to herself. "This can't be real. This can't be real. There's no way—"

Her voice cracked, but no one paid much attention.

Coach Ben was the only one who seemed remotely composed. He was standing near the door, his face a mask of concern but with a strange, focused energy, like he was trying to think, trying to figure out what the hell to do next. His eyes flickered toward each of the girls, taking in the scene.

"Everyone calm down," he said, his voice low but commanding. "We're okay. We're safe in here for now. Let's just breathe, okay?"

"I—safe?" Shauna's voice was high-pitched, barely a whisper. "Coach, there's people—things—out there. I saw... I saw someone..." Her words trailed off, and she pressed her hands to her face, like she could block out the memory.

"I know," Coach Ben said quietly, "but right now, we need to focus on getting through this. We need to stay calm."

"Stay calm?" Van almost laughed, though it was a high, broken sound. She ran her hands through her hair. "Our coach just got ripped to shreds in front of us, and you're telling us to stay calm?"

Julianna swallowed hard, her throat dry. Van's words hit her like a slap. Coach Martinez—the one person who had been the other girls steady guide through every practice, every game, every grueling drill—was gone. He never meant anything to her, but she knew it affected the others.

The silence in the locker room was almost worse than the chaos outside. Everyone was thinking it, but no one said it.

What now?

"There's gotta be a way out," Ben muttered, his eyes scanning the room. He stepped toward the heavy sports equipment locker that had been pushed up against the door. The sound of pounding against it from the outside sent a chill up Julianna's spine. The things, those people—they were still out there. And they were getting closer.

"Can we break out of here?" Jeff asked, his voice strained. He was pacing now, back and forth, his fingers running through his hair as he glared at the door.

"No," Ben replied, voice firm but not quite as certain as he'd hoped. "It's reinforced. We'll need to find another way out."

"What about the windows?" Shauna asked, her voice sharp. "We can climb out through the windows."

Ben shook his head, looking at the tiny high-up windows that lined the room. "They're too small. And if they've already gotten to the field..." He trailed off. They all knew what he meant.

Natalie, who had been silent up until now, spoke up, her voice cold and steady. "We need to barricade the door, buy ourselves time. And figure out a plan for when we have to leave."

Julianna's stomach churned. When we have to leave? The thought felt almost like a death sentence. She hadn't really let herself think about the reality of it all, but now it was setting in.

"There's a storage closet down the hall, it has a ladder that leads to the roof," Ben said after a beat, his voice calm despite the obvious tension. "We can move the equipment from the door and make a break for it."

"I'm not leaving," Jackie suddenly snapped, her face pale but angry. "I'm not just running out there to die."

No one answered her. The idea of running, of fleeing, was terrifying. The thought of facing those things outside, knowing there was no safe place left, felt like the worst kind of madness.

But Ben pushed forward, shaking off the doubt in his eyes. "It's our best shot. We can't stay here forever."

He turned to the group, meeting their eyes. "Is everyone with me?"

No one answered at first.

Julianna's heart was hammering, her hands clammy. Her eyes flicked to Jeff, then back to the others. She didn't want to be the one to lead the charge, but she knew that if they didn't act, they'd be trapped here forever.

"We'll stick together," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. She wasn't sure if it was to reassure herself or the others. "We'll make it."

Taissa was the first to nod, her jaw tight with determination. "We'll make it," she echoed.

The others followed suit. They weren't ready to admit it, but they knew they didn't have a choice.

Ben stepped forward. "Alright. We go on three. One... two... three!"

Everyone surged toward the door, grabbing whatever they could—a broken chair, a metal pole, anything heavy—and shoved it away from the door. The moment the last piece of equipment was moved, they all froze.

The pounding outside had stopped.

Julianna held her breath, and for a split second, the world seemed to go quiet.

Then the door burst open with a violent slam.

The first one stumbled in—its face twisted, unrecognizable. Blood dripped from its mouth, its skin slick with gore.

"Run!" Coach Ben shouted, as the room erupted into chaos. The locker room was suddenly a blur of movement, the sound of shuffling feet and screams deafening.

Julianna didn't look back. She grabbed Jeff's arm and pulled him with her, shoving through the narrow hallway toward the storage closet.

Don't look back. Don't look back.

The hallway was chaos. People pushed past each other, trying to move as quickly as possible, but the tight space didn't allow for any kind of real order. Coaches, players, and teammates, all squeezed together in panic. Every door seemed like it could be the next to break open.

Julianna's heart was pounding, and she felt like she couldn't catch her breath. The idea of leaving the locker room—out there—was too overwhelming. But there was no choice. No one was looking back. She grabbed Jeff's hand, trying to pull him along, but he was busy scanning the hallway, his expression twisted between disbelief and fear. She wasn't sure what she was more afraid of—them or her brother's dumb decisions.

It's just a nightmare, she told herself, though it didn't feel like one.

The hallway felt endless. The sound of shuffling feet and faint screams echoed through the halls. They moved past broken glass, overturned lockers, and shredded backpacks. It was like everything around them had been torn apart in a few minutes.

Then came the sound of a scream, sharp and unmistakable.

"Move!" Jackie shouted, sprinting ahead with Shauna and Lottie right behind her, their steps hurried but calculated. The others stumbled after them, and for a moment, everything felt like a blur.

Julianna stumbled forward when she heard it—a guttural, snarling growl. The creature came from the other end of the hall, eyes bloodshot, hands outstretched like claws, its twisted mouth hanging open. It was close, too close.

"Get out of the way!" Misty shouted, grabbing a fire extinguisher from the wall and swinging it at the infected person. It barely knocked it off course.

Julianna's pulse spiked when she saw Natalie. She was standing near one of the lockers, holding a chair in both hands, struggling to keep a creature back. The chair had already cracked in one corner, the wooden legs splintered, and the infected man, his face half-shredded, exposed muscles still twitching with life—was pushing through it.

"Natalie!" Julianna screamed, her voice shaky.

Natalie's eyes flicked toward her, wide with desperation as the creature slammed against her. The chair wasn't going to last much longer. The infected's jaws were inches away from her face. Without thinking, Julianna rushed forward, adrenaline coursing through her.

"Get back!" she shouted, not sure if she was trying to protect Natalie or just herself. Her hands felt too clammy to be holding a weapon, but she didn't care.

With a panicked movement, she grabbed the other fire extinguisher away from the wall, copying Misty, landing a series of struggling, awkward bashes to its already mauled face. It didn't have much effect at first, but it wounded it long enough for Natalie to shove the chair back into its chest, sending it stumbling, to which Julianna was able to hit it a few more times, its flesh splatting against the scuffed white floor.

Julianna's heart was thudding in her throat. She hadn't even thought about what she was doing until she was already halfway in the path of danger. That was stupid. That was really, really stupid.

Natalie breathed heavily, looking at her for just a moment before grabbing her arm. "What the hell were you thinking?" There was a flash of something in Natalie's eyes, fear, annoyance, maybe a little gratitude, but she quickly masked it.

"I—I don't know," Julianna stammered. Her voice was thin. "I just—" She couldn't even finish the sentence before the sound of more infected shuffled closer.

"I don't need your help, Sadecki." But Natalie's voice softened, just for a moment, but the mask was back quickly. She pulled Julianna out of harm's way, pushing her toward the group. "Move! Now!"

Julianna followed, her legs shaky, but she couldn't stop the thudding of her heart in her chest. She didn't know why she'd done it. Maybe it was instinct, a reflex born of desperation. Maybe it was the unbearable need to grasp at something tangible, something that felt real amid the chaos. Somehow, she always found herself cast as the martyr, stepping into the role without knowing why. It wasn't purpose—it was a pattern, one she couldn't explain, not even to herself.

But Natalie knew the truth. It wasn't love, nor was it care, though it might have been mistaken for either. It was guilt. Julianna Sadecki acted because the thought of doing nothing was unbearable. She couldn't carry on with her life—not when theirs had come to a standstill. In her mind, her existence felt trivial compared to theirs, as though her life held less weight. To move forward while they couldn't was a cruelty she couldn't condone. It felt unjust, and selfish in a way she refused to accept.

It wasn't devotion. It was loathing, a quiet but consuming hatred turned inward.

By the time they reached the storage closet, the group was breathless and rattled. The door was barely closed when the first infected started banging against it. The room was small and cramped, and the air was suffocating.

"Flashlights!" Coach Ben shouted, sounding more urgent than Julianna had ever heard him. "We need to find flashlights. Now!"

Everyone scrambled through the shelves and boxes, pushing past one another in a desperate frenzy. Shauna and Lottie were rifling through a pile of old equipment, while Jackie was on the phone, trying to dial someone. Her words were a mess, but Julianna didn't even have the energy to care. Her thoughts were also a mess.

"Found one!" Jeff exclaimed, pulling a dusty flashlight from behind a box of training dummies. He twisted the knob and shone it on the others, illuminating their worried faces.

"I need the ladder," Coach Ben said, scanning the room. "There should be one in the back. We need to get to the roof. We can't stay here."

"Are you seriously suggesting we climb up there?" Lottie asked incredulously, eyes wide with disbelief. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I don't care what we have to do. We need to get to high ground before they break through."

Van mumbled, muttering about "crazy plans" but reluctantly helping to clear a path to the back of the room.

Julianna felt the weight of the situation pressing down on her chest. She had no idea what to think. Her mind was still processing everything that had happened so far. How could it all have gone from normal to this?

"Hey," Natalie's voice was quiet, soft, unexpected as she approached her. "You did good back there. I don't know why you put yourself in the way, but thanks."

Julianna looked at her, surprised. She hadn't expected a moment of softness from Natalie. The girl who was usually too busy acting like she didn't care, to actually care. But there it was—genuine gratitude, the kind that didn't need words to say it, just a glance.

Julianna gave a small, awkward smile, not sure how to reply. "I don't know what I was thinking."

Natalie shook her head. "Doesn't matter." She paused before adding, almost too softly to hear, "Just don't get yourself killed, okay?"

Julianna nodded, not sure if she could promise that, but she wasn't going to argue. Not now. They had enough to worry about as it was.

The light flickered in the room as more people fumbled for flashlights. The ladder had finally been found, and there was a silent understanding—there was no time to think about what came before.

But as she glanced at Natalie one last time, Julianna felt something stir in her chest. The others were already moving toward the ladder, and Julianna followed.