Terror By Night

Chapter 5

I would hate to be in the principal's shoes at this moment. The weight of responsibility, lives possibly hanging in the balance. I can see it in her eyes. She keeps sweeping the room with her gaze, counting all the potential lives that she holds in her hands. Her shoulders bunch, back rigid. She's wearing her pantsuit like armor. She keeps pulling on her jacket, straightening the already straight crisp lines. I know she's taking a moment to compose herself. There has to be more to say. She mentioned some kind of plan. I really want to hear the master plan to save us all.

Zoe's weeping softly. I need her to get a grip. I can't focus on her tears when I need to hear what's involved with this so-called rescue plan. I console her the best I can. "Listen Zoe. We're going to get through this. Principal Mooreland said the government has a plan in place. Let's find out what it is before we panic. I'm not ready to consign to defeat yet."

She sniffs and nods. "You're right. No falling apart. Just because some jokers decided to crash earth doesn't mean we're all going to die. We have a military and soldiers and things. We can kick some alien rear end." I laugh. I can't have her falling apart on me. We have to be strong and stay focused.

Once the noise level has decreased enough to be heard, Principal Mooreland addresses the assembly. "As I said, there is a plan in place. Buses have been coming in all morning. Special fortified areas are been erected. Most communities don't have the facilities to keep all the young people safe. A few larger buildings such as stadiums and domes are being retrofitted to meet your needs, along with their smaller surrounding buildings. Everything should be ready in the next couple of days, at which point, you will all be relocated."

Chatter begins anew once we process this news. We're going to be relocated soon. The bombs just kept dropping. I start searching frantically for Nolan with my eyes. He nearly bolted because we were separated across a room. What will he do thinking we could be potentially separated across the state, or country even? We've no idea where these facilities are located.

Others are getting the same frantic feeling I am, and Principal Mooreland can sense control slipping. She plunges on quickly, hoping to keep people distracted and listening. "We are navigating unfamiliar waters. It may not be perfect, so I'm counting on all of you to step up and help one another the best you can. We are doing our best to keep communities together and located within close proximity to home. But as safety areas are filled, people will need to get placed where ever there's room."

For a fraction of a moment, you could hear a pin drop. Then explosion. The room erupts in boisterous outcries. No one wants to be shipped off to parts unknown, far away from our families. This has escalated so quickly, my head spins. Sent away? I don't want to be packed off somewhere with thousands of strangers. Nolan, Zoe, and I have to find a way to stay together. And what about our families? How or when would we see them again? Are they going to be safe? It's all too much. I squeeze my eyes tight and feel a prickling behind my lids. I refuse to cry. I refuse to give in to fear. I refuse, I refuse, I refuse, I repeat to myself over and over. I won't live in fear of the unknown. We will find some way to stick together. We're together now; it can't be that hard to keep it that way. So maybe the three of us end up out of familiar territory. I've wanted to go someplace new. It's what I've been working toward for years, I remind myself. It looks like I'm getting my chance, and it won't cost me anything. Nothing I plan to pay at least.

The principal tries again to regain control, but everyone is too shocked and beside themselves with fear and anxiety. Girls run across the room to their boyfriends, people yell and many cry. I take one deep breath, then pull myself up. I grab Zoe's hand. "Come on."

"What are you doing Layken?" she asks while she sniffs and rubs her sleeve across her face to dry her eyes. She's trying hard to put on a brave front, but I can see what it costs her. She tries and fails to rid her eyes of their glassy appearance.