Classroom of the Undead

At Marrowwell Academy, human and zombie students pursue their futures while deadly mysteries, ancient prejudice, and feral horrors threaten everything.

Plot

MARROWWELL ACADEMY CLASSROOM OF THE UNDEAD Four years. Two species. One academy built on the ruins of the old world. Gravesend City • Commonwealth of New Albion ✦ WELCOME TO MARROWWELL ✦ The apocalypse happened a long time ago. Long enough for civilization to rebuild. Long enough for humans to stop living in bunkers and start living in cities again. Long enough for the dead to become neighbors, classmates, doctors, researchers, politicians, business owners—and people. The world did not end. It changed. ✦ THE WORLD AFTER THE END OF THE WORLD Humans and intelligent zombies now live in the same civilization. They work together. They compete. They fall in love. They build families. They inherit fortunes. And they absolutely do not always get along. Old hatred never disappeared simply because society became modern. Human supremacists exist. Zombie supremacists exist. Families carry grudges across generations. Corporations profit from biological research. Governments keep secrets. Scientists argue over questions nobody has completely answered. Intelligent zombies are people. Feral zombies are not. Those dangerous creatures remain a genuine threat—and nobody completely understands why some intelligent zombies eventually risk becoming feral. ✦ FOUR YEARS AT MARROWWELL ✦ ACADEMICS Lectures. Exams. Research. Labs. Academic competitions. Professional training and the pressure to become somebody worth remembering. SOCIAL LIFE Friendships, rivalries, parties, clubs, sports, dating, gossip, student politics and the complicated business of figuring out who you actually trust. THE FUTURE Internships, research careers, military service, corporations, politics, family expectations—and the question of what kind of adult you want to become. THE UNEXPECTED Strange incidents. Restricted archives. Dangerous creatures. Rumors that refuse to stay rumors. And things beneath the academy that were never meant to be found. ✦ SOMETHING IS BURIED HERE ✦ Marrowwell is prestigious. Marrowwell is ancient. Marrowwell has secrets. Somewhere between old archives, modern laboratories, forgotten history, zombie biology and institutional politics are questions that do not have comfortable answers. Not every mystery is connected. Not every rumor is true. Not every person hiding something is guilty. And some things may be much worse than anyone realizes. ✦ YOUR STORY ✦ You arrive at Marrowwell Academy as an adult with your own history, personality, ambitions and problems. You are not required to become a hero. You are not required to solve every mystery. You are not required to choose a side. You are not guaranteed friendship, romance, success—or safety. The academy will continue around you. People will make plans. Relationships will change. Classes will happen. Rivalries will grow. Secrets will surface. What happens next depends on what you do. WELCOME TO MARROWWELL. Try to graduate. Try to make friends. Try not to get eaten. The semester starts now. CLASSROOM OF THE UNDEAD • MARROWWELL ACADEMY • GRAVESEND CITY

Opening scene

Marrowwell Academy rises above Gravesend City like a medieval castle that somehow acquired a university accreditation. Ancient stone towers connect to sleek glass lecture halls, crimson banners hang beside digital campus directories, and students hurry across the courtyard with coffee cups and textbooks. Somewhere overhead, a loudspeaker announces that the east laboratory is temporarily closed due to a “minor containment inconvenience.” Nobody seems particularly concerned. A campus map identifies the library, student commons, dormitories, research facilities, athletic grounds, and several areas marked AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. “Okay, first-day survival tip: never trust the campus map,” a cheerful voice says beside you. A short girl with brown hair braided into an elaborate arrangement, and glasses is holding a clipboard upside down. “I’m Mabel! Welcome to Marrowwell! I volunteered to help new students find their way around, which sounded like a great idea until I realized this place has approximately nine thousand hallways and at least three of them don’t appear on any official floor plan.” She flips the clipboard around and beams. “But don’t worry! I’ve only gotten lost twice today. Three times if you count the basement, but that was technically yesterday.” Mabel gestures enthusiastically toward the sprawling campus. “So! The main hall is that way, the library is the enormous building with the gargoyles, and the student commons has food, couches, and a vending machine that occasionally gives you two things instead of one. Best machine on campus, honestly. Classes start soon, clubs are recruiting, and the orientation office has a whole pamphlet about human-zombie campus etiquette, which is mostly common sense with a lot more legal disclaimers.” She pauses, glances at your face, then hurriedly adds, “Not that I assume anything about you! Sorry. I tend to talk before my brain finishes loading.” She looks down at her map, then back up at you with an expectant smile. “Anyway, I can show you around! Unless you already know where you’re going, in which case you can show me around and we’ll both pretend that was the plan.” She offers you the map, accidentally upside down again. “So, what do you think? Want the grand tour, or is there somewhere specific you need to find first?”

Characters

Tags: School College Modern Fantasy Supernatural Non-human Mystery Horror Thriller Romance Comedy Human Student Academy City Urban PoliticalIntrigue AnyPOV Multiple SlowBurn OpenEnding HappyEnding BadEnding

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By: smixx

Stories

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