Genesis just shrug her shoulders and so look arround. Seems like no one have any clue whats going on. Step by step i’m fighting myself throught the crowd. Suddenly there is some move in front of me, Genesis and Corin strat moving and… Sabrina? What… i sigh, ok why the hell should she hear of me? this could have been to good to be true, if someone would really listen to me.
For a moment i hestiate, should i follow them? At least Genesis face doesn’t look happy aboout it and i can see how she grabs Sabrinas hand. Something seems to be on…i sigh again and starting following, but trying to keep a little distance
I’m about to tell Scooter off again for complaining when there’s suddenly the sound of an alarm coming from the town. It seems to be coming from the school which we happen to not be that far from. Then there’s a crowd forming and I look at Scooter, motioning my head for him to follow me. Maybe if we just kind of blend in with the crowd it won’t be so suspicious. So that’s exactly what we do.
Carefully we maneuver our way through the people until we come up behind a boy (Devon). I get close enough that I can say something, ignoring the looks I’m getting from Scooter. “Think it’s gonna blow?”
Scooter:
I can’t believe we are doing this, we were suppose to stay out of the way but here we are right in the thick of it. I just keep quiet and try to keep my head low as Rinley says something to someone, shaking my head a bit.
The crowd is getting dense the more i try to came forward and follow my friends. Suddenly i hear a vioce and i turn arround. I look at 2 boys i have never seen before. " I don’t know" i look at them and shrug my shoulders
" Are you guys new in the city?" i ask them… they must be my age, but i know the most of them here.
“So, where’s this cousin supposed to be? Do you know where in the school the alarm is coming from?” I question Corin once Sabrina and I have caught up with him.
I look back for Devon, but the school building now obstructs my view. I’m sure he’ll catch up, I think to myself, looking back to Corin, awaiting his answer.
CORIN: holy cow, she actually followed me is the first thing that crosses my mind, and then I realize Genesis is asking me a question.
I’m elated that she decided to help me. I look around, deciding what now.
“Wendy went inside to turn off the alarm. She found the janitors keys yesterday, and she said there are breaker boxes in the janitors room.” I look around at the windows and of course they are all closed. I decide to head for the nearest door to check if its unlocked the way the gym had been.
“I’m worried about her. I hope that whoever set off that alarm is friendly…” I leave the implication hanging in the air.
“Let’s find a way inside… I think the gym isnt an option right now. Wendy pulled the door closed and knowing her…she locked it.”
I smile at Genesis and check the handle of the entry door I’m now in front of…
Damn! Locked.
I see that kid Eve and another boy I’m not familiar with standing down at the end of the hall.
He yells at me a question about how to turn the alarm off.
I guess that means it wasn’t him, or that he is smart enough to try and make me believe it wasn’t him. It could have easily been Eve too, she was following me earlier and I dont know what her motives are at all.
But at least they dont look like they want to fight…which is a great relief to me. I realize I’m still clutching the knife and I probably look more threatening to them than they do to me right now.
I lower my arm and sheath the knife again. I yell over the alarm in response " yeah! It’s down this way." And turn towards the janitors room, not waiting to see if they follow me. I have to get this alarm off NOW!
and they aren’t my problem at the moment, this sound is.
I race down the corridor, pulling the keys from my pocket as I go. I dont know which one is which, and so when I get to the door I start trying them all in the lock.
Damn! Wrong one…how about this? DAMN! This one? No…no…
CLICK
the lock turns over.
I’m inside.
I look at Sabrina who has graciously followed, holding onto her baby sister. “I hope she’s alright.” I’m talking about Fenella. I think of her as the alarm blares on, Her poor ears. Our poor ears. It’s not so much how loud it is for me anymore though, it’s how annoying it is after hearing it for so long and up-close
Corin answers me about his cousin and I look away from the baby, watching him as he looks around. He didn’t answer me about where the alarm was actually coming from, only that there was a way to shut it off.
I could tell that he was worried about Wendy, I knew her name now, and that’s really the whole reason I’m still here to help. “I think that’s why the crowd is all anxious. Whoever set it off could be dangerous.” I’m not sure I feel there is a threat, however.
As he checks a door with no luck I start looking at the windows. “I don’t suppose you’re privy to breaking a window and climbing in?” It honestly seemed like our only option as I try another door further down that was locked and return to him, Sabrina, and Fenella with disappointment.
Corin seems to barely notice me as we start to walking around the building. I smile to myself, watching to see how Genesis responds to him.
Genesis turns to be with a tone of concern about Fenella. I look down at Fenella who’s content and asleep. "She’s fine don’t worry"
I watch as Genesis turns back to Corin to discuss where they’re going to check and just stand there. There’s really nothing I can contribute so I just watch the two figure out what to do and go about it. Genesis goes off to check the windows and as she returns I see in her face that there was no luck. “Everything locked?” I give her a sympathetic look.
When Genesis suggests that we break a window, I shake my head no.
“Wendy has the keys, and I was hoping to keep the school intact, in case we need to all move in here at some point.”
Just as I finish saying this, the alarm shuts off.
“She did it!” I say triumphantly, pulling Genesis into a spontaneous and very brief embrace. I release her almost as soon as I’ve touched her, but it’s too late, I’ve made a fool of myself again. Damnit.
I run my fingers through my hair anxiously and turn, only now noticing that Genesis’ friend (with a baby, who is the girl’s sister if I recall correctly) is also here and she is smirking at me.
“Oh, hey there.” I say to the girl with the baby.
“So… yeah, now that the alarm is off, I guess Wendy should hopefully be right out.”
I look around, running my fingers through my hair again…Genesis looks like she licked a toad.
Great…not exactly how I wanted that to go…
“Let’s go see about this crowd now that the alarm is off.”
Is all I can think to say to break the tension of the moment.
I start to walk back towards the crowd of kids, leaving Genesis and her friend to follow me (or not) at their own pace.
As I walk away, I snack myself in the forehead…stupid stupid stupid…
Sabrina tells me that the baby is just fine and sort of hangs back as Corin and I try entrances with no luck. “Right-o.” I nod at Sabrina’s inquiry.
“Yeah that’s what I thought you were going to say,” I blurt with a roll of my eyes as Corin denies my itch to just break in. I guess we do need a secure building if we all have to live in one place, not that I’d want to live in one place with all the kids in this town. Definitely not in the school, at that.
Like magic the alarm goes dead and I find myself swept in closely by our town savior for like two seconds that felt like forever, in his excitement. As brief as it was, I still stand bewildered and blushing especially when I realized he hasn’t even realized Sabrina was there. And worst? He doesn’t even give me a chance to react!
I tuck a curl behind my ear, not even sure how it—all that looked to Sabrina. “Odd chicken, that boy…” I say something my mother would retort and quickly look away. “Shall we?” I question, ushering for her to go ahead of me in Corin’s trail.
Genesis and Corin continue conversing. I hear the tone change in Genesis’s voice and I feel I should interject when the alarm suddenly stops.
I watch in amusement as Corin suddenly embraces Genesis. As soon as it happen was as soon as they separated, Corin gave me a darting look, finally realizing I was standing there.
He gives me the most uncomfortable look and I realize what my facial expression must have been like. I feel my cheeks getting hot with embarrassment. I just want out of here as quick as I can.
I jolt when Genesis speaks to me. “Hmm…Yeah let’s go” . Oh why did she have to usher me in front. Hopefully I can come up with some excuse to get out of there soon. I follow Corin, periodically looking at Genesis and we walk back to the other kids.
I frown as the girl asks me not to tell on her, insisting it was an accident. Apparently the two girls know each other. The other seems to know where it is and is off to find it. I look back at the first girl, and just shrug in response. I don’t know what the deal is but I figure it’s not my business to tell. It’s not like we have a police anymore. Or even a teacher to put her in detention or anything.
I’m about to start walking down the hall towards where the younger girl ran, but the alarm goes off before I’ve gone more than a few steps. So I stop and turn back around, not sure what to do now. Mostly I just wanna leave and go back home, but for some reason I don’t feel like just walking away. I don’t wanna look suspicious either.
“I’m Vern,” I end up saying, sticking my hands in my pockets rather than hold one out. I always felt awkward with polite greetings and introductions even before the virus, now it would just feel weird. “You’re not from around here.” It’s not really a question. Even though I don’t talk to people, I know pretty much everyone my own age at least by sight if not always by name.
((OOC: Wendy is not from this town. She was sent to the countryside to stay at her Cousin Corins house when the adults started to get sick. She has been here many times prior to the demise of adultdom, but usually over summer holiday. Vern may have seen her, but wouldn’t know her name probably, unless by familial reputation. The Graythorn Family is an old family, been in this area for generations.)) @JacksAnnie
Wendy runs towards the rooms form the where the alams comes and suddnely there is silence. I breathe deep and relax, my ears are still ringing a bit.
Then i look at the guy standing in front of me, asking for my name. Oh great, so much for being unseen. I sigh and think for a moment. He hasn’t said a word to Wendy and besides that. What if i tell him a wrong name and Wendy comes back and they find out that i havn’t said to the truth to one of them? This would cause questions and questions… arhg
" I’m Eve" i answer him and do a few steps forward. " I have lived in the center if the city a long time ago, but don’t we outside much. So …" i answer him, hoping that he will be fine with this.
after I’ve shut off the Main breaker for the school the alarm stops. I’m so glad that worked. I was afraid the alarm would be hooked up to a separate system, but lucky me, it’s all running off the same power supply.
I leave the room, locking the door behind me. I’ve left the building power off for now, afraid that the alarm Will turn back on.
As I head back the direction that I came I from, I see that kid introducing himself to Eve. Well, I guess I should Introduce myself to him and see what they know about the alarm.
I doubt very much I will get a straight answer, but I’m itching to know if it was Eve or this guy.
I approach the pair and waive. “Hello there. Got the alarm off, but as you can see, I had to turn all the power to the school off.”
I approach, and notice Eve looks nervous. For all I know, she may always look nervous. The boy looks friendly enough. But also he looks like he would rather be elsewhere.
Either one could have set off the alarm. Or they might be in it together…I’m suspicious of both at this point.
I nod at Eve in greetings. “Hello again, Eve.”
I reach out a hand to the boy for an introductory handshake.
“My name’s Wendy, what’s yours?”
I smile. Better to make friends if possible in the apocalypse.
The crowd is thicker than before, the gathering and the alarm no doubt bringing everyone’s attention to the school. And to think you could hardly get them here on a normal school day, I laugh to myself at the irony. It’s a welcome distraction from the sorrow and confusion I’ve been through over the last twenty-four hours. Hell, the last twenty-four seconds alone were more toiling than the former.
Of all the things he could’ve done, a simple high five or a shout of victory to suffice, and Corin had chose to hug me. Alone, it wouldn’t be so bad, I’d still be bothered, but in front of Sabrina? Seriously? Not that I cared. I just don’t want anyone getting the wrong impression. I sigh, shaking my head.
“I wonder what happened to Devon?” I dare to speak as Sabrina and I drift on the outer edge of the crowd instead of following Corin. We’re not apart of his paparazzi anyways.
I watch Genesis behind me and see her drifting away from the Corin and the bulk of the crowd so I follow, feeling sorry for Corin when he turns around to see we have gone.
Genesis starts to speak to me but I hear nothing as I see her again and she sees me. Oh shit
Oh crap…oh crap… Is my inward dialogue. This kid already knew they weren’t from around here. And it’s been in my experience over the last 2 weeks that people didn’t exactly take kindly to outsiders. Before I am able to step in and say anything though Rinley is continuing and I want to slap him.
Rinley:
The boy turns to look at us before he answers. Then he’s asking us if we are new to the area and I look at Scooter before turning back to Devon and shrugging my shoulders. “How could you tell?” They didn’t exactly look like the other kids that were hanging around. Being in the City for the weeks that they had, well, you could tell there was a different simply by looking at them. About that time the alarm seems to disappear and I look up towards the school again. “Pity. Fireworks could have been fun.”
" Just asking… i don’t know much of the older kids here. And since the virus has happened, some new people comes to the city from time to time. So…" I answer the guy and look at both of them. Something feels a bit strange between them, at least the other one doesn’t look happy. But i don’t want to cause a fight or something.
Suddenly the alarms turns off and i close my eyes for a moment. What a nice slicence. I open my eyes as i hear the guy againand follow his look at the school " Just at the weekend" i answer dry