Chapter 2 (Kids in the Cafeteria)

Chapter 2: Kids in the Cafeteria

Ethan Warren

May 19th, 2022

0 day before outbreak

Minnesota, Armstrong High School

Season 1

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"Leave."

"Leah-"

"They aren't welcome here."

"They didn't do anything."

"Khai, you heard what happened to those people; you know what's out there; and you're smart enough to know it's only a matter of time until they come here."

"Exactly, we need them."

"We need people we can trust. We don't know them, and I'm not going to let them get my sister killed."

We all stood anxiously in silence as we let the strangers determine our faith. I had seen a few of them before. Khai, the short one with curly dark hair and glasses, had geometry with me freshman year, and I recognized Leah's little sister, Amy, from one of my old after school activities from last year. The one I knew most, though, was Calvin Dal Vain. I had gotten into a huge fight with him when we were in 10th grade, and I got my ass kicked. Since then, he has moved on from me and only talked shit to Rudi. Rudi cared less than I did, though. Calvin's presence made me uneasy. He had a reputation for stirring up trouble and causing drama among our peers. However, I admired Rudi's ability to brush off Calvin's taunts and not let them affect him. It was a quality I wished I possessed, but deep down, I couldn't help but wonder if Calvin still held a grudge against me.

As Khai and Leah continued their heated argument, Amy's attempts to intervene proved futile. Frustrated, she retreated to the sidelines, seeking solace in the company of Calvin and a mysterious tall boy whose name remained unknown to me. I wondered what had caused such tension between Khai and Leah and if their disagreement would have any lasting consequences.

"We can work together!" I shouted, allowing my voice to be heard loudly over the others. Leah rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest as everyone's focus rested on me. Amy's eyes widened with surprise as she watched me take charge of the situation. The tension in the room seemed to ease slightly, but I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as Leah's reaction hinted at deeper underlying issues between her and me.

"We can't stay here forever, even if there's bad shit out there. You guys aren't going to be able to get out on your own."

"You don't know that," Leah interrupted.

"None of us want to die, so why should we take our chances? We can get stuff to fight them from the kitchen; I doubt they locked the doors. I bet they have knives; it's not much, but we can't go out there empty-handed."

"Fine, you can stay, but once we get out of here, you're on your own; my sister and I want nothing to do with any of you." Amy didn't agree with her older sister; I could see it on their faces. None of them did, but this wasn't the time or the place to argue. The dead were still outside the door; we could hear them as they walked by. It was Khai's decision for us not to act until things quieted down out there. Leah crossed her arms and glared at Khai, her frustration evident. "We can't just sit here forever," she muttered under her breath. Amy, on the other hand, remained silent, torn between loyalty to her sister and the logic of Khai's plan. The tension in the room grew thicker as the sound of shuffling footsteps faded into the distance. We weren't in a rush to leave. We figured everyone outside was dead anyway. Conner, the boy I didn't know, had snacks in his backpack for all of us. We had basically everything we needed, although the tension between us all made it hard to get good sleep that night.