Brain Dead; A Zodiac Story

❖ Chapter 14 ❖

{Reminder}
The Group's decision is:
Head to Cancer's place

November 27th, 2009
8:35 AM

~Cancer~

I felt nervous, walking down the familiar road that led to my neighborhood, once filled with cheery voices and a bustling atmosphere, only now to be nothing but an empty husk, not a familiar face in sight.

I was leading at the front, hesitating with my steps and occasionally thinking about turning back and abandoning this idea. If I had to be honest, I was much less concerned about safety at this very moment—at least the safety of us—and was concerned about the whereabouts of my mom.

God, it hasn't been too long since I've seen her, but the way this night had gone it might as well have been ages. I was dying to know if she was alright and if she had gotten home safely after I made her storm out. Maybe now she wouldn't be as mad..?

My face scrunched up, doubting my thoughts. I had spent the past few minutes thinking up ways to apologize, but it was hard to apologize when you were right the whole time. I mean, she wanted to keep all those sick students hidden, what was wrong with her?

Frustrated, I pushed forward and picked up my pace, trying to wipe the obviously annoyed look off my face before anyone noticed. I was never really good at masking my feelings unless it involved terribly corny humor—which was not needed right now—so I could only resort to hiding behind the thick coils of my hair.

As I continued to cycle through my thoughts, I felt tense as I felt someone grow close to me and I looked up, struggling to hide my troubled expression in the process.

    "Snack?" Gem held a bag of chips and waved it in front of my face with a smile.

I eased up a little, shaking my head. "Nah. I'm not hungry."

Gem's smile faltered a little, his eyes briefly shifting to his left. "You haven't eaten yet. Did you even eat last night?" He asked with concern.

I hesitated to answer, honestly not knowing if I had eaten. It had been such a hectic night that I was too scared to even think about food.

    "Ah, well Mini wanted a snack, but I told her you might want some and I really don't want to go back and face her so please just take it." Gem pouted, shaking the bag in my face once more.

    "Why not just give it to her...?" I asked, looking over my shoulder only to stiffen at the sight of Mini staring directly at us. God, she could be so intimidating.

Gem pursed his lips. "Because she's greedy and already had a bag of Sour Patches. Just take it, you might want something later."

Still being so insistent, I suppose. Reluctantly, I gave in and accepted the bag of chips from him, clutching it to my chest and hoping it wouldn't pop as my grip on it got tighter upon rounding the street corner.

I recognized my street and my heart instantly jumped, beating twice as fast at the nearly deserted area. Abandoned vehicles were parked crookedly in the middle of the road like everyone had gone into a panic and fled without even considering what essentials they might need. The atmosphere was eerie and it felt odd to walk the streets without hearing a cheerful hello from a neighbor.