Free My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O’Hara

about bouncing back the zombie stare with the trays and then re-hypnotizing the zombies to bring them under his control. He made all the lunch ladies pick up shiny metal trays and get ready for battle.
    The footsteps had reached the stairs and there was banging on the cafeteria doors. For all I knew, Pradeep could be a zombie by now. I lifted Frankie’s jug up to Gladys so she could get zombified too.
    â€œDon’t be silly,” she said. “Someone has to keep their wits about them. Besides, I’ve seen more zombie films than you’ve had hot lunches. Never look them in the eye. Never surrender.” She winked at me and held up her silver tray like a shield.

    Suddenly the fish zombies came bursting through the kitchen doors, all chanting, “Swishy little fishy.”
    One by one, the lunch ladies used their trays to stun them. Then I ran over with Frankie so he could zombify them again. Slowly we were getting more of the kids and teachers on our side and they were picking up trays and joining the fight.
    My walkie-talkie started to click:

    LONG SHORT ,
    LONG SHORT ,
    SHORT SHORT LONG LONG ,

    LONG SHORT ,
    LONG SHORT ,
    SHORT SHORT LONG LONG .

    It went on that long because I didn’t have a hand free to answer it. I handed Frankie’s jug to Sami.
    Pradeep was clicking “Ring Around the Rosie,” which meant … he was in big trouble.

 

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    â€œWe’ve got to help Pradeep!” I shouted to Gladys as she held up two trays and stunned both the school secretaries at once.
    â€œWho?” she asked.
    â€œChoc-Rice-Pops-on-toast boy!” I answered.
    â€œOh, I worry about his diet,” she sighed. “Go—and take little princess with you. We’ll keep stunning these zombies till you get back with the goldfish.”
    I looked around. There was no way we could get past the fish zombies and escape up the stairs. Mr. Walker, the PE teacher, was taking up the whole doorway, and none of the lunch ladies was tall enough to un-zombie him. I had to get to Pradeep. Then I spotted the tiny door behind the kitchen counter.
    â€œWhat’s that?” I asked Gladys.
    â€œOh, that’s an old dumbwaiter from years back. When they used to have big events in the hall upstairs, they used that to send up trays and plates and things.”
    I opened the little door. It was small but just big enough for Sami to fit in. At least I could get her out safely, and then I’d have to run the gauntlet of fish zombies and hope for the best. I helped Sami crawl into the little elevator. At first she clung to my hand, but she let go when I handed her the jug with Frankie inside.
    â€œYou take Frankie upstairs and I’ll come and find you,” I said. I closed the door and pulled the ropes to hoist her up. I could hear a muffled “Wheeeee!” as she rose in the tiny elevator.

    Now I just had to get past Mr. Walker. I had to out-PE the PE teacher. I ran toward him and ducked left, ducked right, and then dived between his legs and out the other side. Yes! I swerved out of the reach of Mrs. Fletcher, the librarian, and then leaped past the Mackenzie twins. This was just like playing Zombie Hero Defender on the computer, but with lots of “swishy fishy” chanting instead of cool laser-blasting sound effects.
    I raced up the stairs and ran along the hallway to the assembly hall, where the dumbwaiter comes out. I opened the little hatch but it was empty. No Sami. No Frankie.
    The giant whiteboard in the assembly hall booted up again. A voice came out of the speakers: “Hey! Moron!” It was Mark this time. “Guess who just dropped in to see us?”
    An image flickered onto the whiteboard. It showed Sami wedged into the science lab trash can. That kid has a bad habit of getting stuck in trash cans. Then the camera panned up and across. There was Frankie in his plastic jug of orange Kool-Aid. Above him was a whole series of bubbling test