17.1:Is This It?

October 30th, 8:25 AM

Fenton was surrounded by nine children, two angry women, and an Amy.

They weren't angry with him, they were angry with each other. They wanted to leave but the fire made their already problematic situation worse. Fenton was trying to tune out the noises of Annie and Julia fighting by playing with the children.

He had found them when he drove to the lake, hoping that if the fire spread that far he could hide in the water until someone came to save them.

"I think we should stay," Annie shouted. "We 'ain't dying for nothing!"

Fenton groaned and tried to sit still while one of the girls braided his hair. She was wearing a frog costume that was quite dirty as she kept wiping whatever was on her hands on her costume.

"You're pretty," the girl said.

"Thanks, I guess, Nancy, " Fenton said uncertainly.

"If we stay someone else could find us," Julia whined. "This weird guy found us!"

Fenton raised his hand, a habit he had gained from being around the children for a short time. "Hey," he shouted. "I'm still here. Still in the room."

Fenton let out a soft ow, as Nancy pulled his hair too hard and she yelled a loud sorry.

Julia started to cry and all the children watched, scared of what would happen next. It took them a while to warm up to Fenton and didn't trust him until Annie and Julia told them it was okay.

"This can't be it," Julia screamed.

She was hysterical. The past thirteen hours had pushed every part of her sanity and she was about to crack like an egg. "I'm not going to sit here and get eaten or become a fucking baked Alaska!"

Annie hugged Julia and brought her close. Julia wouldn't stop crying and Annie caressed her, rubbing her arm and consoling her. She leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

"Shut the fuck up or leave. You're scaring them."

The kids were watching, scared, wondering what would happen. Like all small children, they looked to the adults for social cues of what to do. Julia nodded quickly and put on a brave face.

"Can we at least go outside," she mumbled. "It's gross in here. We all stink." No one had showered, one of the kids had an accident, and everyone just needed fresh air.

"Yeah… we need a breather," Annie sighed. She finally acquiesced and they all went outside.

The children cheered as they ran into the lake, the fire no longer a threat but simply a new horrible normal that had gotten used to. Fenton stood to watch from on top of a hill to see if there was coming danger while the children played on the shoreline of the lake.

Amy sat next to him under a tree and Fenton tensed up. He had never seen Amy so quiet before. He didn't know what to say when he learned Mark died. He still didn't know what to say now, so he decided nothing was best.

"Do you ever think that Ace was lucky," Amy whispered. "That he missed all of this?"

Fenton grit his teeth. He was still wearing the fake plastic vampire teeth, and he felt like he was about to crack them inside his mouth.

"I think that he's just gone forever Amy," he mumbled. "I try not to think about him at all but it's hard. He was my first real friend."

"Mark was mine too," she trembled. "We met when we were eight. We were gonna be together forever." She started to cry again and Fenton brought her close, and she cried into his chest.

"It's not fair," she sobbed. "

No, it's not," Fenton mumbled.

Fenton did not want to be Amy's emotional support, because he was about to crack as well. He had only slept three hours, candy wasn't a suitable breakfast, and he had seen various corpses of people he knew on his way to the lake.

I wish he was here, Fenton thought. But if Ace was here, would he die in front of me again?

Fenton still felt guilty about not learning enough or being able to do anything before Ace disappeared. He knew it would happen, but it didn't make it hurt any less. He assumed Ace would return eventually, that it would all be a bad dream and none of this would matter.

This will all repeat, Fenton thought. None of this matters, and it will all repeat. The idea repeated in his head, and suddenly he felt liberated. Nothing matters, he thought. So what am I afraid of?

"Amy I'm going out," Fenton announced.

"Please don't go," she said. "I don't know anyone else, and you're not crazy like everyone else on campus."

Fenton thought it was the first compliment she had ever given him.

"I want to leave here," Fenton grumbled. "Julia was right. This can't be it. Do you think so?"

Amy shook her head no but still clung to him, afraid to be alone again. "I'm going to find the others," Fenton said. "I'm coming back and we're leaving together."

Amy grimaced and nodded, knowing that she had no choice in the matter. "Don't die," she mumbled.

They sat for some time in silence, and Amy finally let go of him.

"This fire is so weird," Fenton whispered. "Haven't you noticed it went the other way, but it didn't go any farther?"

"I guess," Amy mumbled. "I don't know anything about fires."

"What if someone is trying to get us out with the fire," Fenton thought aloud. "That's crazy," Amy scoffed. "That makes no sense."

"Is it," he asked. "Dead people are walking."

"It's one thing to leave, it's another to go running straight towards a fire."

"I'm not," Fenton lied. "I'm just going to the training center next."

Amy glared at him and decided not to ask, as she knew it wouldn't get them anywhere. "

Just be careful," she said. "We can't lose anyone else."

Once the children were let out long enough to tire them and everyone could not hear someone fighting for a while, Fenton got supplies from the gift shop. He took as much food and random objects he could use as weapons.

"I'll be back," he told everyone.

"That's what Mary Jane said," Julia whispered to Annie. "He 'ain't coming back."

Annie stepped on her foot so she would stop talking.

"I'll come back with help," Fenton promised.

Nancy wouldn't let go of his leg. She had wrapped herself around him like a snake and refused to budge. Fenton simply stared at her, and slowly she lifted up into the air, off his leg, and across the other side of the room.

"I need to finish your hair young lady," Nancy screamed. Annie and Julia snickered and Amy made a small smile.

"I'll miss you too Nancy," Fenton smiled.

He left and the children began another strange discussion. They debated on if he was a real grown-up because he said he was, but he didn't talk like one. Annie sat in the corner and tried to stay awake, but it was impossible.

She was exhausted and struggled to stay awake, the fear of something happening keeping her on edge. Julia was too skittish, the children were, well, children, and the fire could change course any time.

She didn't win her fight against sleep this time and fell asleep on a life-sized teddy bear.