Night of the Living Bacteria [Old version]

Chapter Eighteen (Part Three)

(Jayden POV) 

For the next week, we focused on trying to figure out how we would live. The first thing we did was run to get food from the cafeteria. There was barely enough for the three of us to survive off of for a day. So, reluctantly, the three of us raided our pockets, and what was left of the clean dorms for money. We came back with around fifty dollars, surprisingly.

"I'm glad we decided to check the teachers' desks." Ashley smiles, looking down at the pile of money she had in her hands. "But, now we have to decide who's going to go." Her smile fades into a visible frown

"Someone should stay back, in case the bacteria makes it out."

"Well, Ash is good with magic. As far as we know, that's the best bet we've got at containing that thing." I say, nodding my head towards the frowning witch, as we now call her.

"Yeah, I should probably stay back." She hands me the stack of money, unorganized but neat. "You guys should stick together. I don't know what will happen down there. But, I do know that this school is far out enough for people not to have heard anything." She pauses. "And, the bacteria, that damned jerk, must have been good at catching people. Nobody except us three escaped." She tosses her hood over her head dramatically and waves to us. Olivia waves back. "Good luck!"

"Stay safe, Ash!" Olivia calls, a worried expression on her face.

"I will, but you guys wanna get back before sundown, so you gotta go!" She calls, disappearing into the small dorm building. We nod to her.

"Let's go." Olivia says, determination on her face. "It'll take about half an hour." We walk away from the school, both of us stealing glances back, hoping our third survivor is still okay. Soon, the school disappears from view as we walk over a hill. A shudder runs down my spine as a cold shadow casts over the small town we're entering. I glance up at the sky, watching the storm clouds roll in. Even for early November, there are still thunderstorms and rain. We reach a gas station, and both of us try our best to look like we didn't just walk for nearly an hour. I push the door open and let Olivia walk in first, following behind her. I missed the feeling of being with other people. It was like the three of us were floating away on an island, isolated, alone. I make my way down the aisles, grabbing anything that would survive a while. Olivia walks off, mumbling something about bottled water. I keep looking around, trying to find anything, but not too much. If I bought too many things, people would, A: Get suspicious, and B: I would run out of money. Neither of those things is good. A good five minutes pass by before Olivia walks back, carrying a 6-pack of water and a sad expression.

"We've got everything we need." She mumbles. I nod, unsure of whether I should ask her what happened or not. I decide it's best to wait. We check out, the cashier giving us a weird look, but continuing to check out the stuff.

"It's for something in school." I blurt, motioning towards the food. When we leave, I notice the sun beginning to set, sending the sky into a spiral of purples, blues, and oranges. "We gotta hurry." I say, walking across the street quickly.

"We have about fifteen minutes before the sun sets." Olivia says, checking her watch.

"Only fifteen?" I ask, remembering what Ashley said. She nods in response. Well, let's hope that we can make it in time. I think. "So, anyways, what was it that had you so upset?" I ask, knowing I'll regret it. She pauses for a moment, before responding.

"I saw my parents."