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[color=gray][sub][center][color=#77dd77][b]Location:[/b][/color] Teacher's Lounge -- Group Discussion[/center][/sub][/color]
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[center][i][color=#77dd77]par·a·site | an organism living in, with, or on another organism in parasitism.[/color][/i][/center]

[indent][indent][color=gray]This was the only word that stuck out in the echoes of his mind. It wasn’t the first time he had seen or heard of such a phenomenon occurring, especially not in the insect kingdom. Parasites were rampant in not just insects but all creatures ranging in size and species. Maybe it was just god’s way…no…maybe it was just the universes way of keeping the balance of the world, ensuring that entropy was keeping order. Now there were several kinds of parasites, ones like horsehair worms that lived in grasshoppers or praying mantis’ or the infamous zombie parasite. One in which spores released from a fungus end up attaching themselves to ants, penetrative the exoskeleton and effectively mind controlling the ant. A process that forces the ant to wait for its death while the fungus takes over. Yeah that was more plausible and closer to what was happening now. 

Having survived all of high school, it was Xan’s last year as not just a student at Stockbridge High, but as a senior too. No doubt the gravity of selecting a university and sealing his fate for another four years was looming over him with what only felt like a few months of release during the summer. SAT and ACT prep was being shoveled down his throat; not to mention the impending prom event his parents were forcing him to go to. Who would he even ask? It’s not like he was Varsity team captain of any team or Homecoming king. Thankfully though, all that took a back seat when news started to pour in by the masses of people falling violently ill. At first Xan thought nothing more of it than a one-off coincidence just like when Florida man was high on bath salts and ate that other guys face off. It wasn’t until stories started to mirror each other so perfectly that he himself began to buy into the hype. 

First the fire alarms went out, then the PA system started spewing telegraphed safety messages, preemptively prepared by the superintendent in attempts to keep students calm. Definitely accomplished the opposite when chaos erupted in the halls and the school was put on lockdown. Xan was kind of lost looking off into space trying to grasp the situation. Never had he been in such a precarious position as the one he was facing right now, hell he had been home schooled for more than half of his lie. The most he had to worry about was not burning his grilled cheese while raiding in World of Warcraft. Luckily for him he was sucked back into the real world when some student nearly took him out running from what sounded like one pissed off zombie. Activating his flight or fight response he chose the former looking around for any and all escape routes. His eyes found no exit, instead perhaps something better in the form of Rosemary Fitzgerald. 

She seemed cold and calculating enough to know what’s what. That coupled with her being on the softball team meant she knew how to use a blunt force weapon despite being vertically challenged. Rubber screeched against the floor after Xan floored it to the teachers’ lounge behind Rosemary. He was one of twelve kids who made it inside before they decided to board all the exits and entrances heavily. Taking deep breathes he looked around recognizing almost all their faces, just not their names. Rosemary’s suggestion of a plan was brilliant in that it began to unite the twelve in the room together with hopes of surviving in the allotted time they had left. Someone mentioned a car while Kaylee asked if anyone knew what was going on. Elvina on the other hand vocally displayed her dislike of that idea. Sheepishly, Xan raised his hand in attempts to catch someone’s attention. [color=#77dd77]“I…uhh..I’m not sure if this counts, but I think I know what’s going on. Or at least I’ve seen it happen before just not in humans…”[/color] he knew just how futile his efforts were and how stupid he must have sounded. [color=#77dd77]“Anyways maybe we should see what everyone has on them that we can use to get out of here.”[/color] Whatever they decided, Xan just wanted to survive. 
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