Night of the Living Bacteria [Old version]

Chapter Fifteen (Part Three)

(Jayden POV)

I wake up early. When I check my watch, it's around two in the morning. I get up and wander down the paths, leaving the other two to sleep. I walk to the longest one, hoping that I'll be able to get a glimpse of the outside world. The flames in the torches flicker when I pass by, almost like they're dancing. I walk for a good twenty minutes before reaching the trapdoor. When I climb up the small ladder, I'm in absolute darkness. When my eyes adjust to the light, I look down to see the school in front, peaceful yet uneasy. Something isn't right. The three of us know it. I climb back down the ladder, deciding that it's better not to look at the pitiful school. As I walk back, I notice carvings on the side of the tunnels. I ignore them, knowing that I both cannot read them, nor do I have any interest in any more unsettling news. When I reach the main room again, I sit against one of the walls. Why us? Of all people thrown into these situations, why did it have to be us? I think to myself, looking up at the ceiling.

                                                                                              ###

Sunlight from high above us tints the room a slightly brighter shade of gray. It's around six-thirty in the morning. The other two wake up soon after that.

"Why hasn't the bell rung yet?" Olivia asks.

"I don't know," I say.

"I think we all know what this means," Ashley says. "It's probably Saturday."

"Today is Monday," I say. "School should have started thirty minutes ago."

"Oh no," Olivia mumbles. "We need to check on the bacteria."

"Are you saying that it could have been the reason why there is no school on a Monday?" Ashley asks, standing. "If  Olivia's going, we're all going. Who knows what it could have done if that's the case." I follow them down Tunnel 4, an uneasy feeling in the air. When we reach the door, Ashley hesitates. Instead of her leading the way like always, Olivia opens the door.

"Oh my god." I can't see what she's talking about, but when she turns around, the look of horror on her face tells me all I need to know.

"It was the bacteria."