Chapter 32: Cafeteria
"Goddammit, Anna."
Henry swore in the background. He didn’t make any efforts to collect the phone, at least from what Miles could tell.
He whispered gently.
"Hey, Anna. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I’m fine. But Dad is hurt."
She sounded tired, even as she whispered from the other end.
"How bad is it?"
"Like really bad. They wrapped parts of him in bandages. Is he going to be okay?"
Before Miles could answer, Henry interjected quietly.
"Honey, I’ve said it before. I’m going to be fine."
"You’re lying!"
She didn’t sound like she believed him even a little.
"Hey, Anna."
Miles intervened, wanting to prevent the situation from devolving into an argument. One he was sure they’d had multiple times already.
"Yeah."
"You’re in the town hall, right? With your classmates and teachers, right? The mayor’s there too, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Then it should be fine for now; just stay close to Henry. You’ll be fine, I promise."
"What about Dad?"
"They’ve treated him with bandages, so he should be fine for now. You can tell me if anything goes wrong with him, okay?"
"Okay."
Silence settled between them, only lasting a few moments before she spoke again.
"Miles?"
"Yeah."
"What’s happening? I know it’s something bad, but they won’t tell me or my friends anything."
"It’s something really bad. Even I don’t understand it. But if you stay with Henry, it should be alright. Just listen to him, okay?"
"...Okay."
She fell silent again. Just for a moment, before whispering.
"What about you, Miles? A-are you okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I am. I’m in the gym of my school, so I’m fine."
"Why are you whispering?"
"It’s just something I have to do. Don’t want to disturb the others."
Anna didn’t reply immediately, keeping silent a little longer than usual. Then,
"You’re lying too, aren’t you?"
As his mind rushed, trying to formulate a proper answer to her, Henry took the phone back.
Miles could hear Henry placating Anna in the background for a little while, before the man turned his attention back to him.
"No need to worry too much about her. She’s just a little restless, given everything that’s happened today."
"Henr-"
The man cut him off.
"There’s a nurse here, so it’s not as bad as she’s making it out to be. The bandages are probably what’s scaring her. It’s really not that bad."
"Bu-"
"Listen, Miles. It’ll be fine, trust me."
Miles pursed his lips at the notion, deliberating internally for a moment, before sighing. There was no use in pushing further, not when he could do nothing to help from here.
"Alright. How long do you plan on staying in the town hall?"
"Not for long, hopefully. The mayor’s been talking about some rescue operations taking place in the area soon. Says he’s got a friend in the National Guard. He couldn’t give us an exact date, but a few days from now at most."
"Do you think they’ll cover my area too?"
"It’s likely, but hard to tell for sure with how cryptic the mayor has been."
"Oh..."
"Don’t worry, it’ll be fine... probably. You saw the broadcast, right? It means they’re doing something; we just need to wait for now."
"Yeah, I guess."
Henry sighed.
"I know there’s something you’re not telling me about, and I don’t want to force you to. But take care of yourself, Miles. I’ll head for your school if the storm lets up. Keep me updated if anything happens, alright?"
"Yeah. You too."
"Of course. Good night, kiddo. Call you first thing in the morning."
Miles nodded slightly.
"Good night."
The call fell silent for a while before cutting off.
A mix of relief, worry, and guilt pressed against his chest as he stared at the screen. He ran a hand through his hair.
’They’re safe, at least.’
One worry down. Although the thought of Henry’s injury still worried him, it was enough to know they were both fine. They didn’t seem to be facing anomalies there, so that was a plus too.
He had a nurse there and was being treated.
’He didn’t seem to be lying about that, at least.’
The call reminded him of Jayce, so he quickly dialed his number as well.
His phone rang for a few seconds before stopping. Jayce didn’t pick up.
Right before he gave up, a notification pinged on his phone.
A message.
[Jayce: What’s up? Can’t speak right now because of the rules.]
He sighed internally at the sight.
’He’s safe too.’
[Miles: I thought he allowed whispering?]
[Jayce: Don’t want to risk it.]
It was reasonable to want to take caution.
’Maybe someone on their side died too.’
Miles paused only a moment before typing.
[Miles: That’s fine. How are you?]
[Jayce: Fine, mostly. Still in the cafeteria. Were you able to kill anything?]
He hesitated, considering it for a little bit, then answered.
[Miles: Yeah, just one though.]
The app showed Jayce typing on the other side. Then he paused before typing again.
[Jayce: You see why you need to get to the cafeteria now, right?]
[Miles: Yeah.]
The chat fell silent for a moment, but Jayce started typing again.
[Jayce: Is anyone else in there with you?]
[Miles: Yeah, there are.]
[Jayce: That’s good.]
[Miles: We’re gonna try reaching the cafeteria tomorrow. There’s something in the hallways; I don’t know how we’ll get around it yet.]
[Jayce: I’m sure you’ll figure something out. There’s a way out in the cafeteria.]
Miles’s eyes widened at that. He typed even faster.
[Miles: Really?]
[Jayce: Yeah, it’s something to do with the pylon.]
[Miles: Then why haven’t you left yet?]
Jayce fell silent at the message. A minute passed without reply.
Just when Miles was about to start typing again, his message finally came through.
[Jayce: It’s not ready yet.]
[Miles: How?]
Jayce started typing, then stopped. Then typed again, then stopped. He paused for a while before typing once more.
[Jayce: You have family out there, right? Miles. What would you do if it meant getting back to them? How far would you be able to go?]
Miles frowned, his forehead wrinkling in confusion.
[Miles: What do you even mean?]
[Jayce: Good night.]
[Miles: Jayce?]
There were no more replies beyond that. Miles tried a few more times before giving up.
’What was that?’
The bizarre question still lingered in his mind.
’Is that even Jayce?’
It could’ve been another case like the principal. But he seemed fine during the last call, if a bit distressed.
Regardless, it gave him a sinking feeling.
He’d only known Jayce for about a year. Meeting him in class most of the time, he knew only what parts the boy had shown of himself during their meetings.
That he was cheerful most times, athletic, a bit foolhardy with his love life, and that he had three siblings.
His knowledge was shallow. A veneer that couldn’t tell him of the inner workings behind them.
An anxiety rose in the back of his mind, one he had to force back down.
’In the end, it’s a problem for tomorrow.’
One way or another, they’d have to head out to the cafeteria.
He dropped his phone, ignoring the curious gazes on him, as he settled into the rest of his watch.
It passed without incident.
He closed his eyes the moment he saw Mr. Morgan moving to wake those on second watch, very quickly falling asleep.
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