Flashlight pt. 2

Katie’s family waits together on the bench. More people come to the door of the center. Later, a person in charge passes around a package to everyone. Katie peeks inside the plastic bag. Inside is a flashlight, a blanket, and some glow sticks. Katie closes the bag up carefully, holding it in her hands. Her phone vibrates. Raul: Hey! Did you arrive? She answers to Raul. They text for a few minutes back and forth.

The person in charge passes around a second time to hand out tents. He writes down the names of the people. Jack and Katie share a two-person tent. A second person gives them a prepared meal for tonight. Katie notices her stomach is rumbling with hunger. They eat their meal together on the bench. It is a sandwich. The comfort of food is very good for Katie as she munches on the bread and ham. Everyone around them also eats their sandwich. After eating, people file out of the building into the campsite outside toward the back of the backdoor.

Katie’s family walked to the back and entered the outdoors. There are light poles with lights turned on every few meters. People are setting up tents under pools of light.

“This is a good spot,” says Mr. Heard.

Jake and Mr. Heard set up the two tents next to each other. There are trees nearby in the back of the tents. A light pole is nearby providing light.

Katie takes out her blanket and covers herself as she lies inside the tent. She watches the inside of the tent with a little light that comes from the light pole. The orange tent fabric moves in slow waves as the wind blows against the tent. She watches the tents inside, pulling the blanket to her chin. The blanket feels rough yet warm on her skin. As she tries to close her eyes. She felt her brother tap her shoulder.

“Hey, you awake,” says Jake.

“Yeah, I am?” answers Katie back, proposing to herself on the tent grounds. The blanket slides off her shoulder, leaving her to shiver.

“It'll be okay,” reassures Jake. His face is hard to see in the dark, but Katie knows the expression it must have. His brows were together in concentration and a serious line between his lips.

“Alright, get some rest,” replies Katie, lying back down.

Katie wakes to loud voices that call her from her sleep. She sits up from the tent, hitting her head on the top of the inside. Jake opens the inside of the flap to peek outside. He climbs out and Katie follows him as the voices get louder. A woman screams a few tents down.

“It's the End! We are all going to die!” screams the woman, pacing frantically. People try to calm her down. Katie watches from afar behind her brother’s shoulder. Finally, the woman is called down, and she is led into a tent.

Jake moves Katie back into the tent. They sleep for a few hours. They only say it is morning because the time on their phones still marks the time correctly. It is June 10. The time is 8:05 A.M.

“Let’s go see if there is something to eat,” says Jake, getting out of the tent. Katie follows into the morning. The outside is as dark as it was yesterday. They are led by the lights of the light poles to the main building. Upon entering, they are given a hot bowl of oatmeal with fruit. Katie sits down and notices Jessica two seats down.

“Jessica!” says Katie, waving at her friend.

Jessica came over to sit with them. They chat a bit through bits of oatmeal. Jessica turns her head and points out Raul entering. She goes and gets him. Raul, Jessica, and Katie sit together.

“Our grade went out with a bang,” says Raul.

“Raul! I don’t think you should make this a joke,” says Jessica.

“Hey, do you think we can charge our phones?” asks Katie, changing the topic.

Her battery is at sixty percent. Katie walked to the office center behind the glass wall. She taps on the glass. The man looked up. He opens the glass window.

“Hi, I was wondering if you had a charger to charge my phone?” asks Katie.

The man looks hesitant. Then he leans in, offering his hand. She hands over her phone.

“Only this once,” says the man gruffly.

Katie mouths her thanks and turns back to her friends. They sat down together. After an hour, Raul said they should go near the forest to stretch their legs. Katie goes to retrieve her phone from the office. People inside the center have brought their blankets inside to wait there or relax. It is tricky maneuvering for many people. She follows her friends out the door of the center.

They walk to the tree line, making the most of the time together. They step a bit into the trees. Katie sees from the pine trees the center is like an island of light in the pressing darkness outside. The rough spike of the pines pokes at Katie as she walks along with her friends by the side of the campsite's edge. They hear a noise ahead of them in the trees. Someone bumps into Raul, who is in the front.

“Who is it?” asks Raul.

“It’s me, Roy,” says Roy.

They say “Oh” together and are ready to move past him.

“Is Katie there?” says Roy.

“Yeah… I am here,” says Katie.

“Can I talk to you?” says Roy.

“Okay,” says Katie.

They walk into the pools of light nearest to them. Roy fidgets with his hands. Katie waits under the light.

“Take my apology for being mean to you in school; I was a real fool,” says Roy.

This took Katie aback. After a second, she says, “Alright, I have your apology.”

As Katie walks back to her friends, she notices the air is chilly. She rubs her arms with her hands for warmth. She breathes out and her breath comes out like a mist in the darkness. Her arm hairs stand on end.

Katie presses her flashlight on to guide her steps. The sound of the clicking flashlight is a normal sound in this abnormal time.