Free Web NovelChapter 13: Call
The crowd began shifting; a few already began moving towards Mr. Freeman. Mostly injured students, some of the kids who’d surrounded him earlier, and a single teacher.
Mr. Matt. The man kept his head lowered as he moved forward.
Mr. Freeman handed out bats to a few of them. There were only about twenty in there.
He looked back to the students and remaining staff.
"Is that all?"
A lot looked tempted, on the fence about the whole situation. More broke off to his side.
Most of the popular kids, besides Brandon and a boy along with a girl that remained beside him, joined them. They looked at Brandon, perplexed at his choice, but made no efforts to convince him any further.
The girl beside him whispered, "Sorry," then made off with the rest, leaving just him and the boy. He looked conflicted.
It was obvious something was wrong here. Everyone could tell that. It was a matter of desperation now.
How willing were they to latch on to this ray of hope, however weird or twisted it may be? For all they knew, it might’ve been the last chance they’d have of getting out.
The answer, from the growing stream of people shifting sides, was very many.
Each person added to the crowd behind him only made Mr. Freeman grow more confident in his choice.
Miles wasn’t among them. His gut feeling had won him over in the end. It was far too risky to make the call.
Sure, he was potentially giving up on meeting with Henry and Anna much earlier. But none of that would matter if he was dead.
It all seemed far too convenient, strange, and coincidental to trust. Especially after the system’s last message.
’Local anomalies...’
They couldn’t be a good thing if there was a warning attached to them.
He wasn’t the only one staying, either. Besides Mr. Morgan, Brandon and his friend still hadn’t moved.
Neither had Grimm from his spot against the wall. Mia sat languid on the ground, with the class captain, Ryan, hesitantly glancing between her and Mr. Freeman.
Sarah hadn’t gone either; she’d managed to convince her friends to stay as well. Chloe still sat by the dodgeballs, her listlessness gone as she watched the stream of people leave.
There were a few more students that chose to stay beyond her. All for their own varying reasons, Miles assumed.
Only one teacher besides Mr. Morgan stayed behind: Mrs. Kathy, his homeroom teacher. She didn’t seem as unsure as the rest. There was a look of resolution on her face as she watched the remaining students leave.
All in all, their numbers had reduced to a mere twenty-two.
Miles knew there were roughly 150 students in the first year. The number was roughly kept the same through the second and third years, making a total student population of about 450.
A quirk of them following an international curriculum rather than the US one.
Out of the 150 first years, only about eighty had made it into the gym. More than half of them were leaving now; that was without even counting the teachers or staff.
After all, the nurse was leaving as well.
She didn’t seem too proud about it, and explained herself as she left without prompting.
"If there is any chance that rescue is here, they have more supplies. I can tend to the injured better there than I can here."
With that, the movement stopped. Miles had made his choice, and so had everyone else. Mr. Morgan had kept silent throughout the whole process.
It was only once it was done that he spoke.
"Are you sure about this, Freeman?"
Mr. Freeman didn’t answer directly. He merely tightened his grip around the bat before walking towards the door. As he did so, he spoke.
"Let me ask you this: What exactly are you waiting for? If it’s for someone to save us, then this is it. If it’s because you aren’t sure, then are you willing to bring those students down with you?"
Mr. Morgan wasn’t entertaining him.
"I’ve already told you. I am sure of what I saw."
"Then there is nothing more to say."
"Wait!"
Mr. Morgan stopped him before he walked any further. The man looked back expectantly.
"If you make it to the National Guard, tell them we’re still here. Give us a call if you can."
Mr. Freeman squinted his eyes, but still replied.
"Fine, but there’s nothing I can do if they choose not to help."
Carefully, the man pushed open the door, pausing at the corpse still lying before it. He turned back to face those who stayed one last time, then walked out.
Those behind him followed. Hesitant, scared, the injured being supported by their friends. It was a slow process, but soon the gym emptied out.
Only twenty-two remained now. Only seven of which had any skills.
A tense silence fell over those who remained.
Mr. Morgan let out a deep, frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair as he looked around the now vacant gym.
Miles, on the other hand, looked at the storage closet. There were only four more bats left.
Sarah spoke again, this time saying what was on everyone else’s mind.
"What do we do now, sir?"
Mr. Morgan removed his hand from his hair before heading for the door.
"What else? We wait, see if there’s a reply. Thirty minutes, probably. If they don’t call by then, we should try calling them."
He spoke in a resigned tone, shutting the warped doors. He still left them unlocked. Turning, he scanned the remaining students.
"If they don’t pick up, then... we’ll have to think of something else. Check your phones for any news on National Guard or troop movements."
He gestured towards Mrs. Kathy.
"Mrs. Kathy, if you’d please."
Both went to the edge and began speaking silently.
There really wasn’t much to say. Everyone in the room knew that they were taking a bet. Perhaps Mr. Morgan was lying and it really was the principal; there was every chance they could end up abandoned if the guard chose not to help them.
The only option left was to wait, and see if they’d lost.
Miles thought of messing with [Delusion] some more to pass the time. Yet before he could, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.
He pulled it out, almost letting it slip out of his hands in his rush to see it. The caller ID showed a familiar name.
Jayce.
