The Freshman

Chapter Twenty-Two - Snow Worries

Emily's POV

"Ahh! What's happening?" Abbie asked.

"Damn it, the power must have gone out!" Chris exclaimed.

"Do you guys have any flashlights?" James asked.

"No, but there should be some candles in the kitchen drawer..." Kaitlyn said.

Kaitlyn fumbled her way to the kitchen by the light of her phone screen. Eventually. "That's more like it," Chris said.

"Well... I guess this is pretty cozy, huh?" James asked.

"Cozy? This is terrifying! What if we're trapped in here for days with no power?" Abbie asked.

"Don't worry, Chris will channel his rugged New England roots and clear us out of here. Right?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Uh... the thing is, I usually just wait for the snowplows to show up first..." Chris said.

"Are we seriously stuck here with no way to call for help?" Zack asked.

"Oh my God. Oh my God. This is really bad!" Brandon exclaimed.

"No... There's got to be... Is this actually happening?" Abbie asked.

"Guys, this is a nightmare!" I exclaimed. "How long can we last here? We don't even have that much food in the kitchen!"

"Oh no, I didn't even think of that!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.

"Look... if we don't make it out of here... I just want to say that I love you all..."

Abbie started to cry and Tyler pulled her into a hug. "Guys, seriously. We're not going to be stuck here. There are lots of students still on campus," Chris said. "The weather will either let up so we can leave, or a search party will come for us."

"Yeah, Chris is right. So we need to figure out what to do in the meantime," James said.

"Hey, look!"

Chris pressed his face to the window. My friends and I gathered around. "What is it? I don't see anything!" Kaitlyn exclaimed.

"It stopped snowing! This might be our chance to get out of here!"

"But even if the storm is over, where would we go? The roads are probably all iced over," Abbie said.

"But we could still call for help! There are emergency phones around campus!" James exclaimed.

"Wouldn't it be better just to wait? I mean, someone will come eventually, right?" Brandon asked.

"Yeah, but the sooner we make contact, the sooner help can locate us. I say we make a break for it," Chris said.

"I dunno, I'm with Brandon on this one. I'd rather stay here and wait than risk getting caught in the storm again," Zack said.

"Well, maybe only one of us should go, then come right back as soon as they're done," Tyler said.

"That's even worse! If something happens to them out there, we'll have no way of knowing!" Abbie exclaimed.

"Then let's send out a pair who can keep track of each other. I'll go if someone is willing to join me," I said.

"I know there's an emergency phone on the quad near the football field. Let's go together," Chris said.

"Are you sure? You guys don't have to do this," Abbie said.

"I can't just sit around waiting to be rescued. We have to at least try!"

"Come on, let's go while we still can!" I exclaimed.