Last Dawn of a Horde

Chapter Six: The Fallen ~John

~John~

    “I’m eating lunch here,” I said.

    We arrived at the warehouse with nothing but knowledge that we shouldn’t be poking our heads around outside; about Daniel’s sick death; and about our desperation to find our other classmates. I dropped my satchel on the hay where I usually throw my things over, and gladly everyone here didn’t look like they are so catchy on my things.

    Jules and Stanley met the other group that foraged food, and by the grimace Jules made, I perfectly knew that the food gathered (looted,) wasn’t that enough.

    The rescue troop had separated. Katie, J.D., and Jet sat by their sections. Their classmates were so worried for them. I can see their return was already a big leap of relief.

    Gray was hugged by his nice girlfriend, Kat. They almost strangled each other as they knew that there will be a time that they can’t do more things like that when…Well, it's not a good thought to ponder. Then I saw Leo almost flying down the stairs as he gives Jet a tight hug and kiss on his cheeks. Obviously, that classmate of mine really is enchanted by Jet’s manly charms.

    By the time I was eating heated lunch (by the best friends Noe and June,) with Jules, Stanley, Rolcene, Perry, Miguel, Jet, and Gray, I noticed Adrian and Geno by the stack of hay. I didn’t see them have lunch, and instead, they were sharpening the dulled arrows Jimmy probably made . They even borrowed Jules’ katana to fashion arrows from birch tree boughs they snapped a while ago.

    I filled my stomach with good hazelnut soup infused with parsnips, lamb chop in orange sauce, and a few rabbit legs the girls roasted. I’ve never been satisfied for food before, until now. But there’s a matter to discuss.

    Before Jules can pull himself out of the table to go to his slumbers, I talked to him.

    Rolcene said, “Okay! Plan B for tomorrow guys! Carry on!”

    When he was gone of earshot, Jules said, “What is it that you want to talk about?”

    I cleared my throat. “Are we having salvage team tomorrow?”

    Jules sighed. “Yeah. But have you heard?”

    “Heard what?”

    “Some group of three were out of the base,” Jules said. “Anee and Camille told me that the trio went to volunteer on finding James and the others.”

    The thought itself was dangerous, but it lit up hope in me. “Just as we arrived?”

    Jules nodded. “In case you worry, Mr. Eddington, I tell you we have four cell phones here.”

    My eyes widened. “Cell phones? Some had brought cell phones?”

    We sat by the hay where I stowed my things, and Geno tossed the katana to Jules like nothing bad will happen if the scabbard slipped and the blade slashed its owner’s face.

    Geno stood up. “Thanks! We’ll have lunch!”

    Jules continued. “Four. I know it’s against the school rules, but thanks to Gregory Guns’ puny school policy. One cell phone was available from the second section, one from junior students, and two from us Josephites.”

    Cell phones.

    “Is it ready for use?” I ask desperately. “And hey, the hundred of us here aren’t just seniors?”

    Jules sniggered. “Of course not. About more than half of the count are fourth years. Then the left are assorted. Some students don’t even recognize us, but I let them stay. A life I reject will be a life tormenting my conscience forever.

    “About the cell phones…well, obviously, if you are bringing cell phones at school, you can’t bring your charger unless you want to be obvious,” Jules said.

    “How about bringing extra batteries?”

    Jules grinned. “Stop asking skeptically, John. It’s just some of us don’t really expect zombie infection every day, right?”

    I nod.

    “It’s good that one sophomore and Daniel had constructed a universal battery charger out of stupid wires and junks we found when we cleaned the warehouse. But the charger can only charge one battery at a time, and unless the warehouse’s power goes out when the government sees the stupidity of keeping city electric lines open, we can fully charge one battery for twelve hours,” Jules explains, and takes a good breath after.

    “Twelve hours?” I repeat.

    He nods at me, and then I hear Ella playing with Patricia and Jamie. “Oh oh? I took the letter U! Ask Kat out there! My word should be YOU!”

    Jamie answered, “So? You can’t repeat a word that is already there!”

    Patricia turned to Prince, who was reading a small blue book with a title The Power of Six. “Dad! Isn’t it the rule?”

    I remembered—these girls are calling him Dad since our junior year. In return, Prince heeded the nickname.

He turned to the girls, and he said, “Yeah, you can’t repeat a word.”

    Ella looked smugged, but she elbowed Jamie and they all laughed as they started tickling each other. When Prince met my eyes, he smiled at me.

    “Hi, father,” he said, and he sunk his eyes back to the book.

    “Hello, son,” I said back, trying to smile so he won’t figure out, or anybody else—that I’m emotionally broken far from near repair. I used to call him my son, as we were all calling each other as members of a family as far as we want.

    Seeing my classmates happy ironically stabs me hard on the gut. If I see them in harm…well, you’ll call my condition emotional breakdown, by then.

    Jules chuckled. “You should’ve seen them play chess,” he tells me. “Rolcene lost to Perry by a good triangle form, and Rolcene made Gray really mad at him when he threw the chess pieces all over the place.”

    I smiled.

    “Well, to answer you, twelve hours is long, and we are all scheduled to call,” Jules said, wincing like he was telling me a bitter news. “You want to call your mother? Go with the line. There are a lot of students wanting to have a line to the outside world.”

    “Who will you call?” I asked. “Isn’t calling costs almost six times the cost of instant messaging?”

    Stanley suddenly sat beside me. He was holding a cell phone, which looked pretty battered up like ten owners had used it. “What was fun here, is that some companies are giving free calls and text.”

    “Really?” I asked sarcastically, and Stanley dozes off as he called someone.

    “Well, I’ll call my mother first,” Jules answered. “But of course, the communication companies are keen to notice long calls, so twenty students must call for about…thirty seconds each?”

    I rolled my eyes as I shooed him away. “I need to sleep.”