The Argument

[Lina]

'From all the people . . . why did it have to be Meryl?' Lina lamented. She knew that Meryl would never go with them to the South. Stubborn as she was.

But maybe . . . she could convince her herself?

Meryl was kind to her and she listened to her too. She was keenly aware that Meryl wanted to be close to her and maybe she could use it to her advantage.

"Do you know the way there?" Lina asked, voice careful. She exchanged silent glances at Jin, telling him to leave it to her to talk to Meryl. He seemed to catch her meaning.

"Yeah . . . ," Meryl replied, unsure. The knit on her brow tightened. "Why?"

Lina looked at Jin first, asking for his permission to tell Meryl the truth. It was the only way to convince her.

Jin only gave a court nod.

Lina took a deep breath and explained everything to Meryl on how Jin had explained it to her. She was keenly aware that the others hushed to hear her speak, and the more they heard Jin's story through her mouth, the more their faces crumpled in both curiosity and disbelief.

When Lina finished, silence took rounds in the room.

"And you believe him?" Meryl said at last. A single hard sentence to end the matter.

"Eva gave him weapons and told him about the upcoming apocalypse. What proof do you need?" Lina said.

"Apocalypse?" Charlotte couldn't believe her ears, and she huffed a denial laughed. "Like the end of the world or something?"

"Does that mean we will all die?" uttered Emma, face white and horror-struck.

"Don't believe every word she said," sneered Lily. "That girl has been absent from school for a month. Who knows what happened to her and she lose a few screws on her head."

"But . . . Eva knew what would happen . . ." Olivia muttered in a weak voice.

No one paid her any mind, and the girls argued. In comparison, the boys went to Jin.

"She gave you weapons?" Leon was quick to ask. "Like guns?"

Jin nodded, and he showed the gun Eva had given him.

George's eyes widened. "Whoa. It really is a gun."

Jin held up the gun, a sleek black automatic revolver, and the boys' eyes widened in awe.

"Whoa. Eva gave you that? Why?" Leon asked, stepping closer to get a better look.

That was the question that Lina wanted to know. Why Jin? Eva wasn't supposed to know him. He just transferred here a month after she disappeared from school.

So why him? Lina couldn't help but think. Even Jin didn't know the answer as to why she picked him.

"Is this real?" Ethan scrutinized closely.

"Of course, it's real, idiot. It's heavy," Leon said, weighing the gun in his hand.

"Let me have a go." Ethan snatched the gun to marvel at it.

"Me next." Noah clamoured over.

Ben sneered under his breath. "Bunch of retards. Haven't you seen a gun before?" he uttered in a low voice.

No one paid him any mind.

"Do you have any more of this?" George suddenly asked. "This would surely come in handy."

Jin's expression changed. Lina took note. His face was serious before, but something about the glint in his eyes that sent shiver down her spine.

"No." Jin snatched the gun back. "I only have one of this," he said, emphasizing the 'I' part.

"Shouldn't the one using it know how to use it, though? I used to go hunting with my father. I know how to use a gun," Ethan said, and Lina knew that the boys were going to covet the gun.

"Huh? The aim is the most important. I used to be in the archery club once," argued Noah.

"Archery and guns are different," Ethan argued back.

Lina saw the tightness around Jin's mouth, the barely suppressed anger in his eyes.

"Guys. It's Jin," Leon said, diffusing the tension. "It's HIS," he said in finality and faced Jin with a question, "Do you know how to use it?"

Jin nodded with a straight face. "Yeah. Want me to tell you how I killed someone with it?" he said, his grip on the gun tightening.

Ethan took a step back and raised his hands. "Hey, man, I wasn't trying to take it from you," he said, sensing Jin's tension. "But you got to admit, this thing will be a lifesaver if we run into any trouble out there. Another one will be useful."

Lina repressed a smile when the others looked away. She didn't know if what Jin said was the truth or not, but it seemed to work to discourage the boys from stealing the gun from him.

"That's decided. He keeps the gun," Leon said, stifling a laugh despite the situation.

The other boys nodded in agreement, and Jin relaxed slightly, lowering the gun. The boys gathered around, eager to take a closer look and learn more about the gun and grenades that Jin had.

Lina was grateful that Leon still had his sense of humor even in these difficult times. It helps. It really did. It calmed the others, and he often poured cold waters on heated arguments when they arose.

"Could you stop clamouring over there and participate at the matters at hand," Meryl spat. The whip was in her voice again, every word a stroke.

"What?" George asked, baffled.

Ethan scowled. "What is your problem again, Meryl?"

"The problem is . . . what are we going to do? Are we going to decide our fate to some random crazy woman who we don't even know? Go into that mansion and risk finding nothing. No food, no water, no security. Or go to the north in a certain place that is safe and protected by the military?"

"Meryl . . . are you sure that the military camp had something in there as well?" Lina asked, voice calm. But underneath, she hoped her response would rattle those perfect teeth of hers.

Meryl was surprised. Maybe because she was taking Jin's side. "Lina, you should know that my father never jokes about this. He is a senator."

"Yes. Let's just say that there is a military camp in the north. But how are you so sure that they would take all of us in?" Lina fought to keep the scorn out of her voice and failed.

". . . T-that . . . they're the military," Meryl reasoned. "Of course, they would let us all in. We're civilians. It's their duty! They have a responsibility to protect us, to help us survive!"

Lina shrugged. "Sure, in an ideal world. But this isn't an ideal world anymore, Meryl. It's a world where resources are scarce, and the military has to make tough decisions about who they let in. You might enter because your father is an important figure of the sates. But what about the rest of us? Let's be real here. Money no longer holds any power right now."

"But we're civilians," Meryl insisted. "We're not a threat to them. Why wouldn't they take us in?"

"Because we're also not an asset to them," Lina replied bluntly. "We don't have any special skills or knowledge that would make us valuable to the military. We're just more people to feed and shelter, and that's something they might not be able to afford."

Meryl had run out of words, and she was filled with a vast sense of helplessness. "So, what are we supposed to do then? Go south? We might not be able to find anything there. Eva might not even be there."

"I'll take my chances," said Lina. "She gave Jin weapons and six liters of water. I think she had the mansion equipped with weapons and food if she already knew about the upcoming danger. I would take my chances on a single woman than a group of military who we don't even know what would do to us once we're there."

That worked. Lina saw the faces of everyone lit up. Just one more push, and she might actually convince Meryl to go with them and lead the way to the mansion.

When her eyes spotted Jin, however, he looked away, and Lina felt her heart constricted in pain. Was there something she said? Was she out of bounds?

Meryl was gasping for words when she saw that no one was standing up for her. "Go if you I will. I'm going to the north." At this point, her stubbornness to admit defeat was the only thing ironing her ground. "Who's with me?"

There was silence for a moment, the weight of their situation settling heavily on their shoulders. They knew that they would have to make some tough choices in the days and weeks ahead if they were going to survive in this harsh new world.

Leon was the first to react. He scratched his head and went to Jin. "Sorry, Meryl. I'm going where the weapon and fighters go."