With Stars In Their Eyes

Chapter 9: And They All Fall Down

The first part of the day went by quickly. Tyler was still unconscious, but now his heartbeat had stabilized and his color had returned. The children were still clinging to Maggie and Gary had made them a blanket fort to lay in. Joe and Freddie were trying to use the walkie talkies to call for help with no avail. Luna had taken the first aid materials and patched every one up to the best of her ability.

Maggie and Gary were more or less in perfect condition, Adam had a wound on his neck caused by fire, the children had a few bumps and bruises, Joe had scrapes on his legs and a burn on his hand, and Freddie had a cut on his arm that looked a little infected. Good thing they had found the antibiotic cream at the police station.

Once every one had been taken care of, Luna regrouped with Adam so he could look at the wound on her shoulder. It was sore, but not throbbing or oozing. He sat her down on the bench and went over to the pile of supplies to find something to patch her up. The wound was on the back of her shoulder near the shoulder blade, so she knew she would probably have to take her shirt off. Her cheeks grew red at the though of it.

He sat behind her on the bench, examining her. Luna pulled her shirt half way up to try to give him access, wincing as the dried blood pulled at her skin. It was just enough to expose her tender flesh to the air. There was one thing she hadn't thought of while searching for supplies: new clothes. She couldn't keep wearing the same bloody shirt, it was disgusting.

He placed his hand on her lower back, right above her hip. She felt him pour water cold water over her burn, cooling it. Goosebumps raised all over her body and she wasn't sure if it was from the water or his touch. He slowly moved his hand up her side and brushed Luna's hair out of the way. She felt a cloth gently wipe her wound, drying it. Next came the antibiotic ointment; cold but soothing. She felt herself melt a little at its touch. Adam was gentle, moving his fingers in small circles, spreading the ointment over the entire wound. Placing a bandage over the area, he helped her pull her shirt back down.

"We should find you a new shirt." He said turning Luna around to face him, "I think I could use one too." He motioned towards his own ripped shirt, barely hanging on. Not that she was complaining, his muscles were glistening with sweat in the sunlight. He caught her looking and laughed.

"We could check the houses again," Luna said, ripping her eyes away. "Or I bet the school has gym clothes or a lost and found. We haven't really explored yet to see what's here."

"I'll join you if you're going to look around," Freddie said, "I love exploring."

The three of them decided to make a plan. Luna was going to look for clothes, food, water, and anything else that may come in handy. She had the idea to look for a science classroom to see if they had any alcohol for cleaning wounds. Adam mentioned looking for a home economics room to see if they had any food. All Freddie could talk about was finding the locker room so he could take a shower.

The three of them took off towards a door near the one they entered the gym through. Adam went first, just to be safe. The door opened into a women's locker room, or what was left of one. The lockers were mostly hanging open and there was a large gaping hole in the wall, once again going straight through to the basement. As they passed it, Luna stole a peek into the hole. The meteorite had gone through the basement floor and directly into a pipe. There was a few feet of water covering the basement floor. It didn't seem to be rising, but it could present as a problem later, depending on how long they would be there for.

Freddie's dreams were crushed as he tried one of the faucets on the other side of the lockers. No water, not even a drop. But that was the least of their problems. They had enough bottled water to last for a while.  They really needed to look for clothes. It was getting cold at night and every one had torn up clothing. The blankets help, but she really needed to get out of her bloody tank top.

There was a pile of towels, mostly unharmed in a basket near the showers. The meteorite had just missed it, burning the side of the wicker basket. Luna picked it up and returned to the door, pushing it through and deciding to come back to it later.

Adam was looking through lockers, mostly empty except a couple with some clothes. He threw Luna a shirt. It was a little big but clean and undamaged. It was blue with the school's name written on the front. She slipped it on over her tank top and thanked him.

After some more searching, she found a pair of black shorts to replace her leggings and a shirt for Freddie. He looked ridiculous in a women's size shirt, but he didn't complain. Adam was out of luck, nothing there was going to fit him unless he wanted to look even more hilarious. Anyways, guys in crop tops was a thing now. Luna let out an audible giggle at the thought of it.

Freddie gathered the rest of the clothes into a bundle and put them with the towels. There was nothing left in the locker room for them. They weren't expecting much considering there were no children there at night. Hopefully the classrooms had more to offer. Luna had high hopes for the science room, at least.

The door at the far side of the locker room was hanging off the hinges, but it was open just enough so they could all squeeze through with out having to remove it. The hallway on the other side was fairly long and lined with lockers and doors on either side. These must be the classrooms.

Freddie ran forward to start looking in rooms. A misstep forced his foot through the laminated floor and into the space below. They had to be careful where they stepped. Holes covered the ceiling letting in rods of light that were scattered all over the ground. It looked like a post-apocalyptic rave. He pried his foot out of the floor and looked around to see a safe place to step next. Who knew how stable the floor actually was? They could fall into the basement if they weren't careful.

They all slowly ease across the floor avoiding holes and cracks. It took some time, but they finally reached the first door on the left. It was a normal class room: desks, a white board, and books. Nothing that looked important. There was a globe on the floor, but they had no use for something like that.

The next few steps were nerve racking, there were papers scattered across the floor and they had to either step around them or guess what was safe. Luna got about half way across the hallway when she felt the floor creak under her weight. Freddie was already at the door and Adam was behind her, making sure she didn't fall.

One more step and she felt herself being lifted into the air. Automatically closing her eyes, she heard a loud crashing sound and a yelp and found herself suspended in the air, squeezed by Adam's arms.

"Freddie!" Adam yelled as Luna fought to free her face so she could see. A massive hole had opened up in the floor and swallowed Freddie whole. Adam let her go and she fell to her knees looking over the edge. Adam wrapped his hands around her hips to make sure she didn't fall.

Freddie was lying on top of a pile of rubble on the basement floor. Moaning and rolling in place, he grabbed his leg in pain. Luna couldn't tell if he was alright from that far away, but she could tell he was hurting. Adam pulled her back towards him, holding her at her waist. Looking at her, he read the worry on her face and gave you a squeeze.

"We have to find a way down there," Luna said, trying to center herself before she started crying from the shock. "He looks hurt."

Without saying a word, he kissed her forehead, and helped her to your feet. There was something about being kissed on the forehead that was so compassionate, so reassuring and calming. He thought he almost lost her, he thought she was going to be the one to fall.

Not knowing were to start looking for a stairwell, they went door to door, carefully plotting their next moves as to not create another cave in. It was slow and nerve racking, but the only way to stay alive. Adam held Luna's hands from behind her, keeping an eye on every step she took. The floor was creaking with every move, sending sparks through her heart every time.

The classrooms were mostly bare, nothing worth opening the door for. Anyways, that wasn't the goal any more. They were almost to the end of the hallway when they found a door that looked out of place. There was no window and it seemed a lot heavier.

Adam reached for the door knob and twisted, opening it up to a stairwell. Finally, Luna thought. It was pitch black, no holes in the walls and undamaged stairs. They looked like they were solid concrete. She took a deep breath and disappeared into the back abyss.