The van rattled, clunking along the road and jolting every now and then. Every time the vehicle went over a pothole, Leon's stomach lurched. He glanced around - there were eight other people crammed in to the back of the van. They were in David's van. David Waters. Leon didn't know him that well, but he knew that he was very good friends with his now deceased father. None of the teenagers knew why, but according to David, they were targets of the state. He told them if their lives meant anything to them, they would get in the van, shut up and wait for further. Most of them did as they were told - those that didn't would die, or so David said.

They had been sat in here for over an hour now. Around half an hour ago, the van had stopped and David had got out the van for a while. Fifteen minutes later he returned with a whole load of gear - a couple of tents, some sleeping bags, dozens of water bottles and several cans of food that would probably last two weeks between the group, if rationed. He threw all of this stuff in the back of the van beside the teenagers who were sat, silent. Nobody questioned him, for some reason. Maybe because they just didn't care anymore. He returned to the drivers seat without an explanation and continued driving.

As he sat there, the events of the night ran through his mind.

8:54 PM
Midcreek Park.

Leon was sat on a park bench beside Benjamin. They both had a view of the town from where they were sat. They could see the school, and the lights eminating from it. It was the prom today. They weren't saying anything, but they could tell both of them were thinking of school. After a while, Benjamin broke the silence. "I wouldn't have gone anyway. It's stupid." Leon shrugged, lighting a cigarette and placing it in his mouth. "I don't know. I would have probably went." Leon glanced back at his friend. "Don't know who with, though." Benjamin smirked. "I heard you-"

Benjamin's sentence was shattered by one of the loudest sounds that Leon had ever heard. He spun around and looked back to the school. Well, there wasn't a school anymore, just a huge cloud of smoke. It was a long distance away, but Leon could see the smoke was coming towards them at a rapid pace. "Holy fuck!" Benjamin and Leon leaped from the bench simultaneously.

They both stood still for several seconds, before Benjamin suddenly began running towards the flames. "What are... you..." Leon began to mumble. Benjamin spun around and glared at him. "My family, man! You're family." Leon stood still. Numb. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Minutes passed like they were hours. In the distance he heard a gun shot. He turned his head and looked over - it was Benjamin. He'd been shot by a soldier, who was running off in another direction. Leon ran over to Benjamin and leant down to see his friends face. Benjamin looked up at him with fearful eyes before taking one last action in his dying breath - yanking his chain from his neck and handing it to Leon.

Just then, a hand rested on Leon's shoulder. He looked up, it was a man - a man he vaguely recognised. "We need to get out of here... now." David said.

Leon sifted through his pockets. He hadn't checked what was in them, and although it was of no great significance, he thought he might as well, to pass the time. There was a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, naturally, as he always carried that sort of thing with him - there was his house key, which he no longer needed, so he dropped it to the ground. Finally, there was one last thing. The chain that Benjamin had worn on his neck. Of course he was completely torn apart from losing his brothers and his father, but, deep down, he missed Benjamin most of all. Leon took it and solenmly placed it around his own neck. He sighed and rested his head back, only to be jolted forward again as the van stopped.

Several seconds later, the back doors of the van burst open. "Alright, ok, everyone out!" David yelled, his throat clearly damaged from having to shout constantly. The teenagers all began to pile out of the van. Leon looked around and realised that it was now very dark, probably around 10PM. He couldn't quite tell where they were at first, but he soon realised they were in the heart of a forest. Probably one of the nature reserves. "Listen, I don't have time to explain..." David shook his head. "This is a mess..." he muttered to himself. "Okay," he snapped, when he had organised this thoughts. "Take these supplies, and go out in to the wilderness. Do not contact anyone... in fact, give me your phones, all of you." It was a little of a strange request, and at first, they were reluctant to hand them over. "Listen, if you have your phone, you can be tracked. There are soldiers hunting you down. Give them to me." After some time, and some convincing, they had all handed over their phones. One by one, David snapped them all.

"Okay... right..." David put his head in his hands, trying to figure the situation out. "Look," he threw a very simple-looking phone in Leon's direction, who caught it. "I'll be able to contact you on that phone. Turn it off, only check it once a day. It's not being tracked, but we have to be safe. Just- just stay in the woods and don't talk to anyone, okay?" He turned and ran back to his van. "I have to go, but I will contact you. Okay..." Soon, the van screeched off down the dirt road and left the teenagers dumbstruck.

Leon stood with the phone nestled in his hands and looked at the gear on the floor. "Right..." he said in the most controlled voice he could muster before lifting two of the rucksacks on to his shoulders. "We better get out of here."

Raffy was exhausted, cold, and miserable. Not to mention a stirring of rage bubbling in her gut. Sticks and leaves crunched underfoot as she travelled away from her house and towards a small, insignificant gas station on the outskirts of town. It was a little, run-down building with absolutely no one there, not even a clerk to man the store. Almost all residents used the other gas station that was positioned conveniently in the town.

There the manipulative redhead waited, checking her phone every few seconds for a new message. The Cox heir was waiting for someone in particular, an anonymous enemy. She began to grow impatient when thirty minutes flew by. "If you're going to blackmail me, do it right." Raffy hissed to herself, polluted air filling her lungs in an exasperated gasp.

The sizzling rave began to boil in her stomach. She had had plans for tonight, important entertaining plans, that she had to put on hold for an amateur blackmailer who wasn't going to show! Raffy had prom with Derek, her friend's crush! This "date" was essential to her plans to put Selena in her place. Now, she won't be able to make it to prom.

Raffy was feeling a lot of things, but worry wasn't one of them. It wasn't the first time someone attempted to blackmail her. Every good businesswoman had their share of enemies, after all. Raphaela was prepared, though. She dug into her purse and felt the cool metal of her recorder. She flicked the rectangular on button and a moment of static crackles before all was silent. The Cox child grinned smugly, leaning on a grimy post as she continued to play the waiting game.

Her smile vanished, however, when the rickety gas station began to wobble and a too loud boom assaulted her eardrums. Worried that the roof would collapse, Raphaela Cox began to run. She didn't look to see what happened, she didn't wonder what could have happened, she just ran further and further away from the town. Muscles burning, lungs aching, and a sharp pain in her ribs prevented the redhead from running long. Hopeless and frightened, frustrated tears began to dribble down her face.

Then she heard the squealing wheels of a car. A van pulled up next to her and the windows rolled down smoothly. A man sat behind the wheel, an anxious and impatient scowl on his face. "Hurry, get in, we don't have much time."

Now Raffy wasn't stupid, but at this point there was not much that she could do: she climbed into the back. Seven teenagers, a stop, and an hour later, the van pulled into a forest. The whole ride there, Raffy didn't think or say much. She felt numb. She knew she should be more saddened by her parents' deaths, but the only thing she cared about was herself.

"Alright, ok, everyone out!" The voice jolted her out of whatever she was doing and she numbly, lethargically, squirmed out of the van. Raffy didn't bother listening to him and instead chose to blankly glare at a stepped on mushroom. When her phone was rudely grabbed from her hand, she snapped,

"What do you think you're doing?"

David, as she discovered his name was, repeated himself reluctantly. "Your phone can be racked." And then he broke in half.

"Oh." Raffy couldn't muster any other response. He then got into his crappy car and left, leaving them all alone.

Belatedly, Raffy realized she must be in shock. It was the only explanation for this numbed feeling. But she can't be numb right now, she won't allow it! Her survival is relying on her manipulative nature - that is the only thing that will keep her alive.

"Right...we better get out of here." Leon said and Raffy nodded in agreement.

"Yes, we need to find somewhere safe for the night." She muttered in faux care.

Lillah had been out for a jog. Another prom avoided and she honestly felt bad about it--if she only felt like she fit in better, she'd attend her last chance at prom night. However, she had no friends to go with nor even a date. She wasn't even asked, and she didn't have the courage to ask... So, with all the stress settling in as the sun set, she decided to run just as the doctor suggested. The cool sweat jumping off her figure with each stride and the loud rock music blasting into her wasn't exactly relaxing, but it gave her sore muscles to worry about instead. She wasn't thinking about her shitty high school experience--she was only lost in the run.

Then, among her music, she thought she heard thunder. She didn't give it much thought; though, when she glanced up at the clear sky, Lillah slowed to a stop. Breathing heavily, she pulled the ear buds from her ears and looked around. What was that? she thought, realizing she hadn't seen any lightening either. Just when she was allowing herself to think the boom had merely been a sound affect in her music, the foulness of smoke reached her nostrils and she breathed deeply to confirm her uneasiness. "What the hell?" she uttered and quickly turned to run back toward the stench, her ear buds swinging over her shoulder.

It was getting stronger, the smell of smoke. As she grew closer to her home, she could feel the temperature of the air rise. If it were possible, her heart-rate increased even further. "Shit!" she gasped aloud before following up within her head, What's going on? It was growing harder to breath and her eyes were stinging when she could finally see...what was left of her house being burned to the ground. She only slowed down when she saw a figure stumble out of the front door, doubled over and coughing. Oh thank God, was her first thought.

She opened her mouth to call to her father when a hand clamped over her mouth and pulled her back. Scared, she lashed out, but the man was ready for that and hugged her arms so she couldn't hit back. She could kick, though, and she stomped her heel into his foot and followed up by throwing her head back into his nose. With a groan, her captor released her and she ran for home--but he caught her by the wrist and pulled her back. "No, wait--" he had protested, his attention over her shoulder. She cursed at him, trying to pull away; she was ready to strike again when his next words had her stopped in her tracks. "They'll kill you."

Lillah had blinked at him, pausing in her struggle. "Wh-what do you mean?" she panted as she turned to look back at her home. Two men had appeared beside her father and...and they were dragging him back towards the flames. They had oxygen tanks or something, because they had a lot more energy than her father did. She gasped, forgetting about the grip on her wrist, and moved to run to his rescue. When she was pulled back, she gasped and shoved at the man. Between the run, the smoke, and the heat, though, much of her energy was gone. "Let me go!" she pleaded, fighting the dizziness. "I have to help him!"

"You can't--we need to leave," the man answered, though his command was drowned out by the terrifying screams of a grown man being burned to death.

"N-no," she fought weakly, gasping as if there suddenly wasn't enough oxygen in the air. She felt lightheaded--it was all too much. Gray dots danced in front of her eyes, growing bigger and darker...And then she was out.

-

The young woman awoke to a jolt. She was sitting against the cool metal of the inside of a van. There were other people--no, other students. At first, she opened her mouth to speak, but she stopped herself. They each had such pale, sober faces. Even the German Shepherd seemed down. She recognized most of them--particularly Henry and Raven. Her gaze lingered on the other girl's face for a moment before she looked down at the van's floor. She pursed her lips, recollecting the night's events.

Lillah wouldn't allow herself to bawl her eyes out in front of these people, but she couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her light eyes and silently rolling over her cheeks. No, no, no, she thought over and over again. She clasped her hands together tightly, her knuckles paling as she tried to stop herself from shaking. Every now and again, she'd draw in a long breath and just as slowly exhale. Otherwise, she was lost in her own angry clusterfuck of thoughts.

Eventually, she felt the van roll to a stop and after a delay, the doors opened to reveal the man who had probably saved her life. She quickly wiped at her eyes and gave herself a moment to collect herself as he ordered everyone off the van. She was on autopilot all of the sudden, which was common when her depression acted up. Apathy set in, replacing the anger momentarily and she found herself complying well enough. She handed over her phone, which her ear buds were still attached to and watched quietly as it was destroyed.

And then he recited some lines, and the man was gone and one of the students spoke up--taking charge for the moment. Lillah only remained quiet, standing there and looking bleakly at the supplies they were left. She didn't have the energy to protest or even voice her concerns.

Raven was silent throughout the ride. Choosing to stare out the window blankly. Her eyes glassy with un-shed tears. Though she tried to focus on the fast moving scenery she couldn't. And against her will, she was driven into the past.

Raven had been over her friend's house. Caroline's to be specific. Brianna had gone to the prom because her dream guy, Drew Williams, asked her. Raven honestly didn't want her to go. Something about it didn't feel right. Probably because Raven just didn't like the thought of prom. She'd argued with a full heart about her feelings on Brianna's decision.

That's what drove Brianna actually. It was, after all, her decision. So, here they were. 2 girls sitting at the house watching horror movies and eating ice cream. Well, Caroline was smoking but you get the point. They'd been there for an hour watching the cheesy movie. Raven kept glancing at the wall clock every minute. Praying Brianna would just hurry up and leave.

Caroline's laugh interrupted her from, once again, looking at the clock. Raven glanced at her friend. "What?" She snapped. Her british accent thick with her anger and worry, all aimed at one person. Caroline tried to control her laughter before she took a drag managing to smother her giggles. "Your so worried about Brianna your about even watching the movie." She suddenly sobered up. "You love cheesy horror movies."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm worried. Brianna is out with freaking Drew. The Drew Williams. School man whore and douchebag." She scoffed shaking her head in disbelief. "What the hell is she thinking? Why does she like him? So many guys to choose from but nooo, choose the douche." Caroline was silent while a Raven raged on. Listening while smoking.

After Raven was done Caroline took one last drag before putting out the cigarette. "Well....if it's bothering you so much then why don't we go piss her off? Ruin her little 'date'." She made air quotes at that word. Then, Raven made a terrible decision. "I'm in." The 2 girls left the house after changing from their pajamas. They took Caroline's shitty car and drove to the school.

Raven winced silently as she remembered the next part. The car having stopped as their 'saviour' went to get supplies. She barely noticed when he'd come back. Having gotten pulled into her next memory.

Raven and Caroline arrived in front of the school. As soon as it was in sight the car screeched to a halt. The school was in flames. Raven felt her heart stop and her stomach starting doing twists trying to escape the dark feeling that settled there. Holding on tight. The feeling of dread. Raven heard Caroline make a choking sound in the back out her throat. But, she was frozen, unable to move.

The feeling was gone quickly as Caroline, out of nowhere, jumped out of the car with a speed that Raven was honestly surprised by considering Caroline was pretty high at the moment. "Caroline!" Raven yelled out in fear and grief seeing Caroline running towards the school full speed. Raven, without a thought, ran after her."CAROLINE STOP PLEASE!" She screamed after her.

Tears were blurring her vision and this caused her to trip. Raven wiped her eyes quickly standing up only to see Caroline run into the school right as it blows up. "CAROLINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Raven screamed out in pure grief, sadness and pain. She fell to her knees, tears running down her red cheeks. She didn't know how long she was there, might have been a few minutes She wasn't sure.

She shakily rose to her feet and ran. She ran with all she had. Away from the school, away from civilization, away from everything. She doesn't remember what happens next. All she remembers after that was waking up in the van with other teens. She was thinking. 'If they're gonna kill me, bring it on. I'm not going down without a fight.'

That thought was quickly dispersed when none of the other teens seemed panicked about the fact they were kidnapped kinda. They were panicked and upset about the fire of course. They drove for a while until they reached the forest where they were told to get out. Raven then put on her poker face. The guy asked for their cellphones and Raven didn't hesitate to give it to him. She had no family she cared about and her only friends were dead. Who would she call?

She tuned everything out looking to the ground. Then, she heard the sound of the van leaving. Figures, of course he'd leave. I would, she thought. Then, one guy was over here trying to play leader. She eyed him with distrustful eyes. She then realized that to survive she had to stick with them.

For now. She had no-one, no-one to look out for except for herself. She wasn't gonna risk her life for no-one. Especially people she didn't even know really.

Justine didn't understand. And for once, it wasn't just the language she was so confused by, this time. The entire night had baffled her entirely. Yes, she got the concept of the whole "prom" thing; dress up nice and dance with people who didn't talk to her and then go home. Nothing special. None of those people cared enough to dance with her. Not unless they expected her to live up to their slutty idea of a French girl. But this was just wrong.

The town looked idyllic from the hills, in the last of the warm California sun. And yet, she still sat in the comfort of her brother's old jersey, waiting for her younger brother to join her with the ball. She'd promised that she'd help him train, so he could try out for the football team in his school. Apparently, the two games were similar, but she paid no attention to that. She'd been waiting for him to come running up the hill with the ball so they could play. He never came.

The explosion was something out of a film, something that couldn't be real. It shouldn't have been real. The rumble of the buildings crashing down without a care where they landed. Burning and crushing her home, her parents, her baby brother. She had been hysterical for a while, screaming and cursing and swearing. Begging for it not to be real as the ashes of what should have been her livelihood scattered. And then she knew. She had to call Michel, or Arnaud, to get them to come for her, to fix everything. So she'd followed the road out of town, trying to find a phone to use, with the few dollars in her pocket, all she had to do was find one.

The others had came along in the van, but she'd fought him, screaming and crying for Mamé and Papé and Hugo. But then she had seen the others, sat in the van, looking numb, and conceded, being pushed in to the van quickly before they continued on, in to the night.

By the time they were let out, she was still sniffling, her brain starting to pick up some of what was being said. But the tone was what made her understand. They were all dead, the whole town, and now they had to run. The others around her, she recognised them, of course, but there were none who were really familiar. Nobody to talk to now she was alone in the world. She hadn't had her phone, so she shook her head when he got to her, and he moved on.

Then, things were handed to one of the boys, and the man who had collected them, the strange little rag-tag team that they were, sped away in the van. Wiping her eye on her sleeve, she stepped back, trying to calm herself down, so that she could try to understand at least parts of what they were saying. So far, however, that wasn't working.

Spencer had had his fair share of weird and strange experiences in his life, but nothing came in comparison to this; sat in a van with eight other people, being told to do what he was told or die, essentially. The atmosphere in the back of the van was sober, to say the least. Some were on the verge of tears, others had clearly already cried, their puffy cheeks already stained with crystal tears. Spark, on the other hand, was surprisingly apathetic, or in shock, he wasn't quite sure. He sat, fingers obsessively playing with the lighter that he'd found in his pocket, a nervous habit he'd picked up years ago and never really gotten round to stopping, gaze drilling into the blank metal side of the van, unwilling to stray too far in case someone thought he was looking at them, maybe even judging. Not that he really had to, he'd known most of them in high school anyway, they just weren't very good friends. In fact, by the way everyone seemed to be looking around at each other, it seemed no one really knew anyone... Not that he planned on pointing that out any time soon. Honestly, he didn't even plan on speaking unless someone specifically spoke to him first, determined that he'd probably on drop himself into more shit by doing so, if it was even possible for the situation to get worse. Shaking his head, Spark resorted to thinking back of the events that had just happened, part of him determined that this was just some messed up dream and that he'd wake up tomorrow morning perfectly fine, the entire town still intact.

"Spencer Levi Small get your lazy butt down here right this instance!" His mother's southern twang rang through the tiny house, echoing from the kitchen all the way up to Spark's room, where he sat, lazily strumming the strings of his guitar as he hummed the tune to Cold Hard Bitch by Jet. With a lazy sigh, he pulled himself off the bed, dropping the guitar back on the bed as he ran his hand through his hair, brow furrowing as he tried to figure out exactly what his mother would want. He hadn't done anything wrong, and she'd already banned him from going to prom. What more could one woman want, really? He practically stumbled down the stairs, still not used to the way the carpet was starting to curl upwards at the corners, slowly revealing the old wooden floor underneath, and entered the kitchen where his mother stood with her hands on her hips, undersized shirt revealing just a little too much of her flat stomach for Spark's liking. "I thought we established that you are not allowed to play guitar whilst you are grounded!"

"Sorry ma," was all he could reply, not quite sure how he was expected to respond, other than to apologise and promise not to do it again.
"Sorry?! I'm very disappointed in you, y'know. If I can't trust you to follow simple rules what can I trust you to do? It's despicable! Just wait until I tell your father-"
"Until you tell his father what?" Another voice cut her off. It was his dad, stood tall in the doorway of the kitchen, arms folded defensively across his body as he leaned against the door, raising a curious eyebrow at the woman.
"He was playing guitar in his room again, Levi, what else I supposed to do? Can't think with that racket going on up-"
"Jesus, all this over him playing an instrument? Cut him some slack, Della, you've already grounded him on prom night."
"I am standing by what I-" Della began, face slowly going redder and redder as her husband continued to cut her off, until eventually she was as red as the lipstick she wore.

"Sparky, kiddo, why don't you go for a walk, get some air, yeah?" he paused, "this could go on for a while." He offered Spencer a small smile, which he meekly returned, slowly backing out of the kitchen before his mother could swing an insult in his direction, probably raving about how he was about as useful as tits on a bull, or something equally ridiculous. He quickly grabbed his hoodie and pulled it on, suddenly all too glad he'd never bothered to take his shoes off when he got home, and slammed the door shut behind him. Unsurprisingly, the shouting from the kitchen could still he heard from their pathetic excuse for a lawn, but what else could you expect when your walls were about as thick as paper?

Spencer shrugged it off, shoving his hands deep into his hoodie pockets as he made his way along the uneven sidewalk, trying not to think too much about what just happened when there was a loud bang and the ground below him shook, knocking him off his feet as he tumbled to the ground, turning just in time to see a cloud of black ash coming towards him, the tiny houses surrounding him quickly turning to rubble. Exactly what happened, he didn't know, nor did he really care. He'd already pulled himself off the ground, ignoring the stinging sensation in his leg as he pegged it away from the scene, natural instincts already deciding that, whatever the hell was going on, he wanted no part of it. He was coughing and spluttering, ash of the fallen houses clogging his senses, making him not even want to open his eyes in case he ended up blinded by some sort of debris.

It was only then that the van hurtled down the road towards him, and part of him was positive that it was just going keep driving and that he'd end up roadkill, but then it slowed down, and a man Spark didn't recognise told him to get in if he wanted to live and he didn't question it. He wanted to live, and, unfortunately, the stranger seemed like the only way to ensure it; he bailed in, only taking a second to glance around at all the other familiar faces before sinking back into a seat, the reality of what was going on only just hitting him.


Everyone was dead. That was the truth of it. His mother, who he'd argued constantly with since he was around five, was dead. His dad, who'd spent most of his life since Spencer was born defending him whenever he even did the slightest thing wrong, was dead. The few friends he'd actually managed to make during his time at school were, you guessed it, dead. And for some reason, he wasn't, and he intended to keep it that way.

When they finally all bailed out of the van, the dense foliage suggesting it was some kind of forest, Spark didn't even have a phone to hand over. His mother had taken it off him when he was initially grounded, claiming he could have it back when he 'learnt to have a little more respect', which clearly he'd never managed. With a tired sigh, he picked up one of the rucksacks off the ground, swinging it onto his back as he finally looked around at everyone else, even daring to offer Lillah a reassuring smile, or, as much of one as he could muster up. He wasn't very hopeful for their odds, truth be told, but he'd learn to get over it.

"Prom Night...LAME!" was the Facebook status that Michael DeLorenzo posted as he shook his head. He said, "No you don't sound bitter; much." . Last year his then girlfriend Carrie not only dumped him during the prom, but she hooked up with his best friend Eric. Michael thought going to the Prom this year would've been like asking someone who just got divorced if they wanted to go to a wedding that weekend. His mom Ellen tried to convince him to go, but his father Robert said it was his decision. Besides his dad had his back on this one. Being the Sheriff he made sure Carrie, Eric, and their families had an interesting year when it came to traffic stops. Michael shook his head and said, "Only a few more months and I'm outta here anyway. A chance to start over and make my name on my terms. It's gonna be epic on so many levels."

Michael looked at his clock and said, "Why not? I got nothing else to do." Michael put on his brown leather jacket and headed downstairs. As he did he saw a very unusual sight. Robert was sitting in the living room in his recliner, in his Sheriff's uniform, with the police scanner on, and a shotgun in his lap. This stuck Michael as rather odd because his dad had been off work for over 4 hours, and one of the first things he did when he got home was get out of his uniform and into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. That was usually followed by at least two beers with the Lakers on in H-D. Not to mention the shotgun was a little unnerving, because one thing Robert always tried to do was protect his family from anything having to do with his work. Robert also just kept staring at the family picture taken about two years ago.

Michael approached his dad and asked, "Dad are you all right?"

This snapped Robert back into reality as he replied, "What? Oh yeah Mike I'm fine. Just a little nervous about Prom tonight with the usual fun and games."

Michael looked at him as if he was very uncertain and asked as he sat on the couch across from him, "Fun and games that involve a shotgun?"

Robert replied, "Well last year Denny and his boys got pretty hammered. Which led to them spending a 10 days in lock up after they did some damage downtown. I don't want to be caught off guard again. Call it old lawman's intuition. So where are you off to? I'm guessing by your attire you're not going to the Prom."

Michael shook his head not entirely convinced by his father's story and said, "Nah I'm heading down to The Daily Beacon. I've made friends with one of the staff photographers Brent Parker, and he's working on a photo-archive project for the town's 250th celebration this fall. He said I could come down whenever I wanted and help out with it. I don't get paid for it, but it gives me some experience and it's pretty interesting learning about the town."

Robert nodded and said, "Good for you son. Good for you." Robert exhaled and then just stared at Michael for a moment. Michael asked, "Dad what's going on? There's something you're not telling me what is it?"

Robert shook his head said, "Nothing Michael nothing. I guess I'm just getting a little nostalgic and sentimental that you're leaving soon."

Michael nodded and replied, "Okay well I'm not out of here for another few months, but in the meantime I got some work to do." He stood up and asked, "What time tonight?"

Robert replied, "Oh um you're 18 I trust you. Don't worry about it." This really sent Michael's radar off Robert had always given him a curfew.

Michael started to walk away and Robert said, "Son.." He set the shotgun down and crossed over to Michael and embraced him. Michael wasn't sure what was going on, but he returned the embrace as Robert said, "I love you son. Your mother and I love you very much and we've always been proud of you."

Michael asked, "I love you too Dad. Ah has the draft been brought back and did you just get my notice?"

Robert chuckled and replied, "No son no no. Like I said just getting sentimental." He broke the embrace and said, "Okay get going and have fun." Michael walked away slowly and took one last look at his father who looked as though he was about to breakdown.

Michael began to make his way down the street when suddenly it felt and looked like Hell itself had broken through. Explosions everywhere, the rumble was almost enough to knock Michael down, flames shooting up all over looking like a Michael Bay film on steroids. Michael had no idea what to do, but every instinct told him to run. Michael wasn't the fastest person in down, but his adrenaline rush made him feel he could beat Uslan Bolt.

Just then a van came out of nowhere and fishtailed to a stop right in front of him. The drive shouted, "Get in here if you want to live!" The last time Michael heard that line was in "The Terminator, " and under the circumstances Michael wasn't about to argue with him or ask if he knew Arnold Schwarzenegger. Michael jumped in the van which already had several other teenagers. Michael started to get out his phone to call his dad when he felt something rip it from his hands. A voice said, "It can be tracked" and with that Michael's beloved I-Phone was broken.

The rest of what happened next was a blur to Michael until he along with everyone else was told to get out. As the van sped off Michael looked around and said, "Any minute now I expect to see Rod Serling stroll out and to hear 'The Twilight Zone' theme."

"Don't give me that look, Maxxy. You know you're my number one girl! Ay, look at me. Jesus, you're so cranky sometimes, it's ridiculous." Maxxy strolled a few feet ahead, snout stuck up in the air like a Hollywood heiress in downtown Detroit. "It's not like you could've went anyway! This way it's like a bonding experience. We can both go and have a little fun now," Joe Stark whined into the silence. Maxxy was a big dog despite only being three. Taken in by the Stark family from childhood after an incident involving a dog fighting ring in the town, Maxxy had always been Jojo's closest and most loyal friend. Traits which were hard to uphold in Jojo's presence.

Prom wasn't Jojo's biggest priority. Firstly, it wasn't as if anyone would go with him. Sadly, he attracted the attention of outcasted and retributional males, desperate for a niche instead of the preferred cheer leaders who give head on the first date. Secondly, once entered, prom was a difficult event in which to sneak away from to cause havoc. So it would make sense to not directly attend prom, wouldn't it? His plan was to walk in through the fire exit near the gymnasium using a special magnetic key Jojo had commissioned by one of the science nerds after he had worked out the finer details. From there he would wire up the principal's computer to a spare one still hooked up into the server in one of the rarely used Computing classrooms (this had no relevance to anything, Jojo was just curious to see how it would work and how ling it would take for the admins and technicians to fix). Then he would fiddle around with the water supply and hopefully get the sprinkler system to pour down on the nice and shiny attire of everyone in the prom hall. Not his greatest or most genius plan, but it was simple and highly effective.

The school was in sight, only another half-mile up the road. Maxxy must have forgiven him as she dropped back and licked his hand, to which Joe scratched her behind her ears. "Good girl," he muttered, hand on her head. 200 metres away, the school exploded. He had no idea how long he was unconscious for, but a rather short time was his guess as the events he witnessed after he had woken up would strongly signify that it was at most 60 seconds ago. Ringing clouded his ears and he tried to massage them. He spit out blood. Stumble, fall, stand, stumble, fall, stand. Maxxy was at the back of him, headbutting his lower back to keep him moving. Ringringringringringring. Constant ringing. So loud, and it burrowed so deep into his brain he wanted to break his head open and claw his brain out. He screamed for the writhing pain like an earthworm diving into the dirt. The only thing besides the incessant ringing was a Shakespeare quote, 'Hell is empty and all the devils are here!' Was it Macbeth or The Tempest? Probably wasn't Macbeth, it seemed pretty irrelevant to that storyline. Most likely The Tempest.

Jojo slipped and fell. He didn't know what he slipped on, too busy thinking about The Tempest. Could've been arterial spray and grey matter, but he wouldn't know. He was too busy pondering Prospero and his attitude towards just revenge. A miraculous man, if one really thought about. And a hell of a co-ordinator. Maxxy heaved him to a pair of boots in the middle of the road. Why would there be shoes in the middle of the road? The shoes had a face which controlled where they sat then, he decided as a rough, upside-down face appeared in his blurry peripheral vision. Magic face. The mouth like an abyss of absent nothing screaming loud nothings and gesturing towards a grey lego block. No, a grey van. Swirling colours pervaded his sight. The man wrestled Jojo onto his feet and rolled him into the van, where he crudely seated himself at the side. Maxxy leapt in as gracefully as possible with slick blood drenching the smooth metal floor. She sat on his lap and licked his face, the kind of warm attention that almost made him cry. But he was still wondering what was going on. Was he going to be kidnapped? There were one two two three no one three two wait one two three foive? Other people. He leaned back and let his best friend lick away the confusion of whatever had just gone down.

---

He woke up again when he heard (Jojo grinned at the sounds) of tins and bottles of liquids being flung back. Whatever. He wasn't moving ever again. He was going to sit in that spot for eternity becoming one with the air and one with the atoms in the van. He wasn't moving for jackshit. Except for Magic Face shouting at them and ordering them out of Jojo's beloved van. That would move him. Maxxy padded around on the grass and watched everyone. Especially Hannibal over there, making the plans. She didn't trust him, nor the redhead. She returned to Jojo who was leaning against the van, not entirely in control of his limbs again. "That's one creepy fucker, kidnappin' us and puttin' us in some woods or somethin'. Like he gunna be watchin' us or somethin'," he slurred into the dust cloud growing from the van as it sped away. He turned to the group and eyed them. There was Hannibal, Red Fox, Rosario Dawson, Hit Girl, Rattata, Bandman, and Captain Nixon. Grabbing some of the stuff and squeezing it into the spaces between the folds of a tent and a sleeping bad, he lugged it onto his back and Maxxy clenched a tent between her jaws. "So, Hannibal, what's the plan?"

The Van.

Henry felt like he was floating as confusion and panic gnawed at him. It was painful enough trying to sort out the swirling cacophony of emotions and dark images clouding his mind. The strange exchange he's heard from his radio scanner, the explosion, and then this man who calls himself David showing up with his van, none of it made any sense.

"There's no time to explain, get in the van, or choose to die out here." David told him once the van was pulled over in front of Henry. He didnt know this man, which he found strange because he knew everyone in Midcreek or at least knew them by face.

"Who... who are you?" Was all Henry could manage to ask out of his confused mind, a huge lump was forming in his throat, making it hard to breathe, much less speak.

"Let's just say I'm either friend or enemy. David is what they call me, nice to meet you. Now get in the goddamn van!"

Henry sat at the back of the van, there were other kids who looked just as scared as him. Some of them he recognized, and some of them were oddly familiar but he's never really seen them before. And there was Bee, Bianca Lewis, whom he's been friends with for as long as he can remember. The familiar sight was welcomed, and it took away some of his fears, but that doesnt change anything. The whole town, his family, the people he'd known all his life, all gone, burned to ashes. Henry closed his eyes, hoping to blink back tears.

A storm of emotions wrenched his gut, twisted and pulled; he wanted to scream, cry, throw up. He wanted to get away from these people, from this van, from that man David. He wanted to run back home, and go back to his life, that by some dumb luck this was all just a bad prank. His face felt warm, and wet. His body shook slightly as he silently cried away all the confusion, and the fear inside of him.

***
Moments before the explosion.

Henry grabbed his school bag, he wasnt sure why but he felt he might need it later, and then he broke into a run. What you should know about Henry is that he can run fast. He's neither strong nor athletic, but he's got the speed and stamina of a professional runner. It was probably because since he was a kid, he's been running errands for his mother, delivering orders to town in a daily basis.

Although her mother offered to buy him his own bike, Henry had to refused her. He knew she's barely making money at the diner to pay for the house rent, and his education, so he couldnt burden her any more than she already was. Anyway, Henry likes to run, he likes to feel the wind in his hair, in his face, how the world turns into a vibrant blur of colors around him. It calmed him. Somehow it felt like his free just by running, that in a way he's leaving all his worries behind.

But Henry didnt feel any of that now as he run along West Street. Henry ran desperately towards the Diner. It must be the longest run he's ever done in his life, or so what it felt like to him. He has to reach his mother, he has to tell her what's going on, or what he thinks is going on. Every second felt like hours, and his feet felt like they're not moving at all. Please! Let me run faster!!

He's been trying to contact Bee, he tried calling her several times, but she's not answering her phone. So instead Henry sent her a message saying that she meet him at their usual place, hoping that she'll get it before its too late.

***
Back at Henry's room.

He decided to ditch prom, and instead, stayed at home. Listening to his radio scanner was Henry's favorite pastime. It has become his evening routine to listen to police reports, and there's this thing about listening to police officers exchange cuss with each other that piqued Henry's interest. At first it was hard to listen, there were too many unnecessary words and static, but after a while, he's learned to interpret each conversations. But there was nothing that could prepare him for the conversation he had heard this afternoon.

"H1 to V3, over... This is V3, H1, we copy..." The voices were not anyone from the Sheriff's office, Henry recognized, "Confirm positions, over... Roger that, confirming V3 positions... West and North exit, confirmed... #6 and #7 arriving at the local High School..." There was a long pause, "All positions confirmed, over... Roger that... H1, how long to engage the target?... Wait for the signal, it'll be up any minute now, over..." There was another pause, "H1, this is A1, we have something going on here, over... A1, what do you have? Over... We have a situation over at the local Diner near the school, over... Send in someone to handle it, A1 do you copy?... H1 there's a woman, over... What woman?... It appears that she owns the place, she's sending the package away, over... Stop her A1, do you copy? The package must not leave the point!... On a second thought, take her out, I repeat, take her out! A1 do you copy?... But H1... I repeat A1, Take. Her. Out! Do you copy?... Copy that...." and that's when Henry started to ran.

***
25th Street.

Henry kept on running. He didnt care if his feet started to hurt, or whether his lungs were struggling to get air, he just willed himself to move forward.

Henry can see twenty-fifth street ahead, he'll just have to turn that street to reach the Diner. But before he could make the turn he heard the gun shot. "No... No no no no no no no!" His feet gave in under him, Henry stumbled down face first, "No, please, please, please, no! Mom!!!" Henry called desperately, tears now streaming down his face. He tried to stand up, but his strength failed him. And then there was the loudest explosion he's ever heard in his life.

Right after the explosion was when all chaos broke free. Soldiers started to shoot anyone on sight, where they'd come from, he didnt know. Fire raged on to where the school originally stood, spreading quickly by the hour. It was like a scene from a movie he would watch, but this wasnt a movie. This was his town. Hit by a wave of confusion, blistered by panic, Henry stood up, and started to run again. He ran and ran and ran, until a van pulled in front of him, and told him get on it or die.

Leon felt as if he was going to throw up. This was all too much. He had never seen anything of this calibre before, on the news or otherwise. He walked over to the side of the road and peered in to the forest. "I... uh..." he looked back at the rest of the group and tried to figure out what to do. "So, Hannibal, what's the plan?" a voice spoke up. He recognised that it was Jojo, a guy who was pretty well known back in Midcreek for practical jokes, but even now, it surprised Leon that he was making humorous nicknames. "What, me?" Leon blinked. Jojo didn't have to reply for Leon to know the answer. "The plan? Well... you heard that guy, right? Move in to the forest, find somewhere secluded, and stay away from people... not much more to it." He was speaking with an air of confidence, but deep down, he was completely oblivious to what was going on.

Leon glanced up at the sky, the sun was falling rapidly, and soon, it would be pitch black. "I think we should get in there, find a safe place and set up camp... now. Before it gets freezing cold." Leon blinked and turned around, walking towards the forest at a slow pace. If they wanted to follow him, then good, but he wasn't about to stop any of them if they decided to run off in the other direction. Just because he had been handed a phone didn't mean he was responsible for these people's lives. As insensitive as it seemed, he had himself to worry about right now.

Moving silently, ignoring any conversation behind him, Leon began to meander through the forest. He walked for around five minutes, not once checking to look behind him to see if anyone had followed. Eventually, he reached an area that he considered to be adequate. It was a fairly large hill in a clearing of trees. On the side of the hill was a rocky outcropping upon which a stream ran down. The stream ended in a minature waterfall that would be perfect for drinking from. There was plenty of room beside the outcropping for several tents and sleeping bags, and it wasn't near any trees, so they wouldn't disturb any wildlife.

Leon turned around to see that the entire group was behind him in some way or another - some were perhaps not too happy that he had took charge, others looked relieved that they didn't have to. He shrugged off the thoughts and dropped the bags. "I think we should set up our tents here," he announced. Nobody seemed to disagree. "I'm going to get some firewood," he said quickly afterwards, realising that he, as well as a few of the others, would probably struggle to sleep tonight, and a campfire would be a good source of heat to sit around.

In the bags were five 2-man tents. They were only small, so they would only take a few minutes to set up between the group. By the time Leon had returned with firewood, they were pretty much all up. Leon knelt down and arranged the sticks in to a campfire, proceeding to take his lighter from his pocket and to ignite it. When he was done he sat down beside it and sighed deeply, glancing around at the rest of the survivors. There was nobody here he would consider a friend. He knew all of their faces, and he was pretty confident on their names, but some of them he had never spoken to. He pulled his hood up and glanced back at the fire.

Jojo knew Hannibal knew he was being called Hannibal. Hannibal didn't have to know where Jojo's eyes were looking for Hannibal to know he was Hannibal. Hannibal lead the way. Man and dog followed immediately, knowing that the kid in front was the de facto leader (was the phone a symbol of power, much like Prospero's magical garments?) and that survival likely meant following that phone. Maxxy bounded around, doing whatever dogs did in forests, and sniffed around the other lucky campers. None were much too excited to be here, and the thought of an extended vacation in where-ever-the-fuck-we-areville put everyone else in an even more dire mood. "Does anyone know how to use a tree as a compass? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the moss grows on the North, right? And since our cozy little burning inferno is situated in this part of California, I vote to move away. Preferably north, to Canada," Jojo said, not necessarily to anyone, just to clarify his whirlwind thoughts.

Another 3 or 4 minutes later, the woods thinned a little to reveal a small clearing, with a nearby stream. Perfect for a camping spot, if Jojo were a boy scout. But he wasn't. Frankly, he didn't care, so he dropped his load on the thick mossy floor and went for a drink in the stream. It was lukewarm from the California heat, but soothing on his scorched throat nonetheless. All of his injuries were beginning to finally hit him now that his head had cleared and the adrenaline had ceased. A pounding headache like a parade drum, legs cut to shit from the flying debris in the explosion, dried blood from the ears. If only he had a toy gun and a beach, he could've been an extra in the D-Day landings scene from Saving Private Ryan. Maxxy lapped up the sweet relief and finally seated herself with her head on Jojo's lap. "What a day, gurl. What. A. Day," he said, absent minded. Jojo checked over Maxxy's body for any serious wounds, but found only light bruising and small cuts, all of which had healed near enough. "You're a lucky S.O.B, you know that?" he asked, kissing her head. Jojo grabbed a few sticks and lifted himself up, feeling the thick, viscous blood slowly fill his legs and they felt like lead, anchoring him to the very spot. The feeling wasn't going away, so he shut it out and grabbed some dry sticks to drop next to Leon's stack. "Here kiddo, make fire. Let's do it like the cavemen did." Just because it was a truly shit period, doesn't mean he could just stop being sarcastic, could it?

Awkwardly leveraging himself down, he noticed his tent had been set up. A thank you would be in order in a moment, but right now was just a moment for... for... what? Recollection? Mourning? The truth was, he didn't feel anything. Sure, he loved his mother and father, but he wasn't entirely sure, and no-one would ever be. Pretending they went on a surprise night-away and decided to leave Jojo to fend for himself was much easier to comprehend than an over-sized barbecue.

"Where's the food? This might be a bit quick, but I'm already tired of all your nasty-ass faces, I just want some chow, then I'm going to bed," Jojo said. Sitting around staring at a fire like a bunch of monkeys in jeans wasn't going to advance the situation any further than jumping into the school fire. According to the rucksack, there were x amount of beans, x amount of canned tomatoes, x amount of tinned tuna, and x amount of some unmarked tin. He sure as hell wasn't going to count. Jojo took an unmarked tin and peeled it back. "Corn beef. Thank God it wasn't apricots," he commented gleefully, spooning half into his mouth and half onto the ground where Maxxy devoured it like Cerberus on a human soul. "Delicious, I may say so myself. I'm gonna go catch some zed's now, so if anyone wants me -" Red Fox and Carrie received a wink "- I'll be in there," he said, leaving the cheery little campfire. Half-expecting them to burst out in 'She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain' at his departure, but if anything the silence got heavier and thicker and soon it swallowed the group like the sea and an over-board crew-member.

Jojo sat in the corner of his tent with Maxxy. She snuggled into his collarbone and rested there. And suddenly the full realisation of everything hit him like a tank shell. His parents were dead. Not getting kinky at a Motel 8, but holding hands together as burnt skeletons in amidst the bones of everyone who's name he ever knew. Tears welled like levees in a hurricane, but nothing lasts for long, and especially not levees in a hurricane. He wept and cried, sobbed and raged. Maxxy would lick away every tear which rolled onto his chin, and as Jojo hiccuped his way into stupor, Maxxy cradled the boys head in her paws and nested his head in her neck.

Raven didn't really remember much, having decided to use the stealth approach. She saw a guy call the leader guy, who she dubbed Leonardo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hannibal or something like that. She was a bit distracted trying and luckily succeeding in making up a game plan on what to do. Mentally going through every movie and book she's ever been in contact with.

Yet, in all, there was one answer. Stick together. Your safer in a group. Or if your manipulative and a bad person you could throw someone under the bus. Luckily Raven is a pretty decent person. When you first know her.

Raven was torn out of her thoughts when Leonardo started leading the group through the forest. Everyone ended up following with Raven behind everyone else.

As she was walking she was stopping every once in a while to pick up sticks. For the fire. She used to go camping with Caroline's family on the weekend. It was fun and she learnt a lot of survival tips from Caroline's dad Frank.

When they arrived at a sort of clearing area Leonardo stated he'd go and get some wood. When he was gone everyone had put up the tents. Raven let them do that and worked on putting up her own tent. She says 'own' sarcastically because she is fully aware she'd have to share.

Then, Leonardo came back and made a fire. Isn't someone a trooper? She thought eyeing him with slight respect. That's all he's getting. Then, he sat down by the fire. Raven was cold, really regretting wearing a top that revealed her stomach.

So, she sat the sticks down nearby and sat on the opposite side of the fire from Leonardo sitting criss-cross. She then proceeded to stare into the flames.

They had all followed the one who had been given the phone, the one they had all appointed unofficially to become their leader. Most of them carried something. Justine tried to focus on the way the weight of the tent dug in to her hands, but that led to comparing it with other things she had carried, which reminded her of traveling to America, pulling a suitcase in each hand and a bag on her back. It reminded her of working on the vineyards, both in California and France. Reminded her of family. Reminded her of fire. She worked quietly to set up their camp, counting in English as high as she could remember, before changing to recite every English word she knew and it's meaning in French under her breath, trying not to think too deeply. It didn't take long enough.

Justine hunched quietly beside the fire, sure that she'd never sleep again. She could still smell it, the entire town burning, with everyone in it. And her two remaining brothers would assume that she was there with the rest of the family. It made her feel sick thinking about that. Her remaining brothers, meaning that Hugo and their parents were gone, forever. Full stop. There was a sinking feeling inside that she didn't want to admit was there.

Of course they were all upset, heartbroken, even, but Justine felt numb now. It was little more than a subtle ache in her head and the frightening idea that she was now painfully alone in the world, fleeing with a handful of people she could barely talk to, even if she had had a better grasp on their language. The fire was hot on her face as she looked at the people around her, all around her age

She grimaced at the way the boy winked at two of the girls, mildly disgusted, before settling on the boy who had lit the fire. "Did not expect your, uh, bad habit to become useful, huh?" She attempted to make conversation with her broken English with a faint smile, letting herself fall back to sit on the grass. It wasn't cold enough to need to huddle around the fire, but she didn't want to be left alone to think about what was happening. She didn't want to think about anything.

Michael had no hesitation in following the guy with the phone. If he wanted to be the leader that was his gig Michael wasn't looking to usurp any kind of given or implied title from anyone. At this moment Michael was just grateful to still be alive, and even though he didn't really know the group Michael felt almost comfortable with them. Mainly because it seemed like no one really knew anyone that well. Michael had a feeling that dynamic was going to change over the next few hours.

Once the tents were set up Michael walked over to one of them and just stared at it for a moment. He felt around his jacket and pulled out a ticket stub from a Bruce Springsteen concert in L-A that was about two years ago. It was one of the best birthday surprises he ever got from his older brother Eric. Eric paid for a hotel room and for a shot at the front row for the two of them. Eric was far from a Bruce fan but he knew what it would mean to Michael so he made it happen for his little brother. Not only did they enjoy the show from the front row, but Bruce actually looked at Michael at one point and sang to him. Eric would never admit it to Michael but the look on Michael's face that night was something he would always cherish. Now though it was just a memory that would remind Michael of what he had lost. Michael dropped the ticket stub in the tent and said, "I claim this land for Spain."

Michael saw that a campfire was getting underway and that others were gathering around it. Except for one guy who was trying to hit on two of the young ladies. Michael just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Michael said, "I'll go get some more firewood. Looks like we're gonna be hanging around here for a while might as well make the most of it,"

Michael walked away and began to gather a few more pieces. When he returned he set them off to the side and joined the others at the campfire. There was an uneasiness in air as the smell of the place they all called home was in smoking ruins now. Michael said, "This evening at home finally makes sense."

He looked around and said, "My name is Michael DeLorenzo and my father is..." that is when it hit Michael like a thunderbolt. Michael closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath as he said, "or was I should say the Sheriff, and yes my mom was Principal DeLorenzo. Anyway he came home tonight and usually the first thing he does when he gets home is get his uniform and into a t-shirt and shorts. Well this evening he just sat on the couch in his uniform with a shotgun on his lap and staring at a family portrait done about two years ago. I was going out and he told me not to worry about a curfew tonight."

Michael shook his head slowly and said, "The way he talked to me. It's like he knew something was gonna happen tonight and that this was his and my mom's last night on Earth. Whatever he knew or suspected he took it to the grave with him."

Michael closed his eyes again and said a silent prayer. When he was done Michael crossed himself and said, "Amen. Anyone else wanna share their first name? We appear to have plenty of time to get to know one another."

Raffy walked in the middle of the group, she didn’t lag as to avoid appearing unsociable, but she didn’t walk into the front and risk the possibility of appearing pretentious. Not many said anything, but everyone chipped in and carried some supply in hand – Raffy chose a pack of food to carry. The expert manipulator surreptitiously observed the members of her group, discerning their personalities in the way they handled the situation. Most were grim, as was expected with the awful truth their parents were dead, but there was him. He took control of the situation, he took responsibility and led the group through the forest – he was the leader, the Ralph, the Odysseus of their little island of misfits. He was the one she should befriend, the one who needed to be swayed first – if she controls him, she controls everything. But she cannot make her move yet. Making her move now would tip her hand, she should wait the night out and then there was the joker. The sarcastic quipping fiend whom seemed to hold onto his self-preservation as fiercely as she did – the class clown was either favored or hated by the class, and if he is favored he will have power. The girl who walked in the very back, all alone, was the loner – she seemed to avoid people and thus was distrustful, she was not needed in the long run unless a sudden personality change leads to her being popular. The foreign woman was not necessary, she could barely communicate and thus would not be able to form strong bonds – communication was key in relationships.

More was to be said about the group, but there was no time as she had other things to ponder once they stopped for the night. The tents were pitched, the food was served, and a fire was started. Raffy sat silently, choosing carefully to sit next to the Leader Leon – the double L. The Cox heir outstretched her hands towards the fire, resting her elbows onto her knees as she warmed her chilled bones. With the silence stretching across the camp, unbidden thoughts rose to Raphaela’s mind – thoughts of busy parents whom were now nothing but intertwined ashes. What were they doing when they died? What were their last thoughts? Were they of Raffy – were they regrets of impersonal breakfasts and short notes of ‘out late’ and ‘there’s dinner in the microwave’? Part of Raffy hoped so, part of her wished they regretted with every ounce of their being their distance and forced cordiality. But another part desired that they didn’t, that they didn’t think once about her in their hopeless scramble to safety. If they thought of her, if they longed for her, then everything she knew was shattered; her family’s over-independency would crumble and all that would be left was a sniveling girl, alone and desperate for a grasp for control.

“Delicious, I may say so myself. I’m gonna go catch some zed’s now, so if anyone wants me I’ll be in there,” Class Clown proclaimed, throwing a flirty wink at Raffy and some other girl.

Raphaela didn’t know how to react – if she responded with a counter-flirt than she would lose respect, if she reacted negatively than she would make him an enemy, something she didn’t want. She went for neutral, she blinked innocently, but had an artificially warm smile creep onto her face. Hopefully that would satisfy for the time being until her allotted waiting time is over. It seemed the CC – Class Clown – had loosened the group up slightly because another began to make light conversation.

“This evening at home finally makes sense. My name is Michael DeLorenzo and my father is…or was I should say the Sheriff, and yes my mom was Principal DeLorenzo. Anyway he came home tonight and usually the first thing he does when he gets home is get his uniform and into a t-shirt and shorts. Well this evening he just sat on the couch in his uniform with a shotgun on his lap and staring at a family portrait done about two years ago. I was going out and he told me not to worry about a curfew tonight. The way he talked to me. It’s like he knew something was gonna happen tonight and that this was his and my mom’s last night on earth. Whatever he knew or suspected he took it to the grave with him.” This Michael kid was silent, seemingly praying, and then began once more, “Amen. Anyone else wanna share their first name? We appear to have plenty of time to get to know one another.”

Raffy figured this was as good as a time as any. “Um, I’m Raphaela Cox – I go by Raffy. I was supposed to inherit Cox Industries…I guess not anymore.” Raffy laughed weakly, the lie passing through her lips slickly – she still had every intention to owning a company, especially her company, government be damned. She purposefully left out that her mother was a Politian, it was better to avoid raising suspicions, after all.

Raven was just minding her own business when Leonardo-nope, Michael-broke the ice and introduced himself telling a bit about his family. Even going into a bit of a prayer towards the end. Raven felt an foreign feeling settle in her stomach. She hasn't felt it in a long time. It was....pity,

Raven was the kind of girl to grab life by the balls. She was someone who was underestimated. Always quiet and in the shadows when you first meet her. Then, once you get to know her, you see she is a brave and loyal person. Yet, she doesn't like showing weakness. She doesn't like pity.

So, the fact that she's giving it to this guy Michael is strange to say the least.

Then, we have this other chick. Raphaela. Now, this girl was interesting. She introduced herself to everyone. Though, the thing was....she lied. You see, Raven is a manipulator. Lying is her second language. First being Italian. Raven was called the Mirror by her friends. Due to being double sided. 2 sides to her. Alike but one reveals the cruel truth.

Raven has learnt to master lying and she can very much tell when someone else is lying. So, this Rapheala chick was definitely on her 'Watch out for' list.

Raven then decided 'screw it', she'd go next.

"Well, I'm Raven. Not much to tell. No parents to speak of so nothing to really tell so yeah let's leave it at that." She said with a small grin and small wave. She never met her parents having jumped from foster home to foster home. Till eventually she was emancipated. Thank goddess.

Though, she did track her parents down. She was a talented hacker. Hacked medical files and fount them. They were actually wealthy politicians with 2 children already. Perfect family. Understandable if they wouldn't want another. As they probably wanted the whole Apple-Pie life.

Leon rested his brow in one of his hands and sat in silence by the fire. Slowly, people began to gather around him. He was trying to figure out what to do. He had taken the phone, and now he had led them in to the forest. As more time past, he knew it had been a bad decision to make. Now they would assume that he actually knew what he was doing, and those who knew otherwise would think he was a bit of a dick. He rubbed his eyes and glanced up to see that some of the small group were now comfortable enough to socialise. Just as he was noticing this, a voice directed to him caught his attention.

"Did not expect your, uh, bad habit to become useful, huh?" It was Justine, the French girl, who was speaking. She, like Leon, was an immigrant to America, though he was perhaps more fluent with the language than she was. Nevertheless, she conveyed her thoughts perfectly well. He nooded and shrugged. "I guess so," he sighed. "I've had worse habits. Keeps me relaxed..." He shook his head. "But I doubt it would make much of an impact right now." He felt lightheaded. Uneasy. Tense. In many ways, what had happened hadn't truly hit him. He'd been thinking of what to do to keep himself alive for the last hour or so, in a manner he deemed quite selfish and was now feeling quite guilty about it, knowing that he should really have been mourning his family.

The group began to announce themselves - give their names and, some of them, their stories. Leon didn't want to hear any sob stories right now, as he had one of his own to think about, so he was glad that none of them milked the fact their families were now dead. Once several of them had had their say, a couple of them looked over to Leon. "I'm Leon." he muttered laxly, refusing to expand on his short sentence. He didn't feel like smalltalk. If anyone wanted to talk to him, he would talk back and try to be as friendly and open as possible, as, in a strange way, it seemed like even though the group was banded together, they seemed like the sort of people who could easily turn on eachother.

He wouldn't eat tonight, for three reasons; firstly, he felt sick, he doubted he had the willpower to keep any food up he ate, secondly, he believed the food should be rationed, and haphazardly gulping it down like Jojo was wasn't the best plan. The final reason was that the last thing he had eaten was a family roast, something that Leon would wish to cling on to for the hours to come. The last memory of him with his father and brothers. He felt his fist clench around Benjamin's chain as he exhaled.

Lillah followed leader boy's example and took it upon herself to grab another couple of the bags left for them. She imagined her physical strength would come in handy out in the wilderness, but she didn't have much of anything else to offer. Already, the dark thoughts that had been becoming less and less frequent as she approached the end of the school year were coming back in rapid fire.

With a bleak gaze, she followed the group to the clearing by the stream. Her and her father had been camping once, the summer before her freshman year at Midcreek High School. They had been far much closer then than they were at the end. He had teased her about her dependence on technology: "you're not bringing your Gameboy either," he had decided, to which she explained that the DS wasn't a Gameboy. In response, he only added her phone to a list of things she wasn't allowed to have in the woods. Regardless, the trip was fun--disconnecting from the stress of everyday life had really helped curb her depression.

Now it was just amplifying it, and the memories of what once was only hurt.

She barely noticed when leader boy disappeared to gather firewood--otherwise she would've offered to help in order to blow off some of her steam. With her sweatshirt on, she probably looked rather slim; however, underneath the clothing she had toned, muscular arms that could rival the strength of a young man. Soon enough, tents were being set up, but she only dropped the bags she had carried and sat back, seeing but not really observing as the group worked. The guilt of not helping wouldn't set until much later if at all.

Soon enough, they had a fire going as well, and that gave her something else to stare at for the time being. The night was cool; however, she stayed where she was. She didn't want to bond with these people. I want to leave, she thought, though she had no where to go. Keeping her eyes on the fire, she wasn't too aware of the commotion going on around her.

Although she was trying to collect her thoughts, she soon gave up on that: anything she was thinking was a repeat of the night's events or how much she didn't want to be here in any sense of the word. Fuck, she thought, knowing she had to give herself a distraction. So she reluctantly got up from her seat against the tree and walked over to sit by the fire. She settled down just as the comedian retreated into his tent with his dog and a wink that she didn't catch--not that she was looking out for guys flirting with her anyway. She sat halfway between both Raven and leader boy, her eyes flickering to the Frenchie beside him.

She opened her mouth to speak to the young woman she knew to be Raven, but Mr. Michael DeLorenzo decided to declare a speech to the camp instead. She held in a sigh of annoyance, and managed to stare at him evenly as he spoke. It sounded like he was implying that whatever happened tonight was not some random act of terrorism. She couldn't find the strength to dwell on it in that moment, though, and was distracted by his gestures. Is he seriously crossing himself? she thought as his speech came to a close, feeling her anger flare up. She didn't have a problem with the religious types, but she did not enjoy the talkative religious types.

Jesus fucking Christ, just count to ten, she told herself as she looked back to the fire with furrowed eyebrows and her lips set into a straight line, angry that she was angry. So, she drew in a long breath and exhaled, counting up from one in her mind. When she finally reached ten, she licked her lips and allowed her gaze to wander over the other students. The red head called Raffy stepped up and introduced herself--she seemed to be doing her best to stay smiling. Raven went next. Then the leader boy--Leon--offered his name and that was it. The tomboy followed his example.

"Lillah," she finally offered in a flat tone, realizing that if she really didn't want to be dead by morning, she'd have to find for herself some reasons to live.

Spark, as usual, just did what he was told, following Leon as he walked away up the hill, having no idea how to actually survive out in the forest. He'd never been much of a camper, and his parent's idea of a holiday was less fun filled adventures in the trees or sitting around campfires roasting marshmallows whilst someone told ghost stories, more wannabe five star hotels in the middle of the Tennessee, where the only planned activities were arguing with the extended family and wishing you were anywhere but there. He could handle the drunken Uncle that spent more time ranting to himself about how the spirit of real country music was lost than he did talking to his wife (who, by the way, may or may not have been sleeping with her ex husband for the past three months, but that's another story), but he couldn't handle the great big outdoors. He'd tried though, for everyone else's sake. He didn't want to be the useless guy that the group ended up looking after more than anything else. He couldn't stand not being useful, never had done.

When they walked, he's somehow managed to fall in somewhere in the middle, the black rucksack he'd picked up not heavy enough to slow him down. He doubted he'd even taken a bulk of the weight, other people's looking significantly worse than his, but strength wasn't exactly his forte. He'd managed to keep up, anyway, using the familiar crunch of the leaves below his feet as a reminder that he wasn't the only one there, and it wasn't a suicide mission. Not yet, anyway.

Quickly discarding his bag to the floor when they arrived at the clearing, he immediately got to work putting tents up, rolling the already creased sleeves of his hoodie up so it was easier to work, nimble fingers easily navigating the various poles and pull overs, managing to figure out the basic construction without bothering to read the instructions. Tents really weren't that hard, it turned out. It was only when all the tents were up that Leon returned, firewood in hand, and quickly made a fire that everyone gathered round again. Well, all but Jojo, who'd already retreated into a tent. throwing some mild invitation to the girls before disappearing, presumably for the night. Taking a seat roughly between Lillah and Leon, he looked around at the group, fingers drumming nervously against the pockets of his jeans.

Spencer waited until pretty much everyone had gone to even dare to speak up, spending most of his time questioning exactly why they were introducing themselves. It's not like they'd known each other all through high school, hell, maybe even been in the same year... Oh no wait. It didn't make much sense to him, truth be told, but he wasn't about to challenge the apparent social convention just because he was confused and in a bad mood. Besides, he wasn't about to attract attention to himself on the first day, he wasn't that ill tempered, so he just left it to a muttered side comment, "this makes no sense," the chances of anyone but Lillah or Leon hearing him were stupidly slim, impossible, even.

"Uh, Spencer, Spark - whatever you want, really..." He finally spoke up, lifting his hand to do a small, two fingered wave at everyone before dropping it back to his lap, not quite sure what they were all supposed to do now. His gaze flickered around the group once more, waiting for someone else to do or say something, anything, to stop the threat of the oncoming silence.

The whole ride was shared in silence. Henry thought it was for the best... for now. Besides he didnt feel like talking at the moment. There were millions of things going on in his mind, good and bad things, and things that might probably best to keep for himself for awhile. He was too consumed in this grief that he hadnt even noticed the van stopped until David told them to get out. He handed them each of the same bags and then, just like that, sped away.

Henry followed the rest of the group, not really paying much attention to what they were doing, or where they were. He felt so hollowed inside he cant even start to describe. It doesn't matter what caused the emptiness, but that empty spot within himself stung so bad he wanted to find any kind of relief, or just wrap himself up so tight he cant feel it anymore.

Its as if his brain decided to turn itself off that he's willing to take anything just to get his body to function. So when a boy he only knew by face started to lead the group further within the forest, Henry didnt even thought twice to follow him. Other than feeling bad about the tragedy that happened to their town, he's got nothing else better to do. Besides, they could use someone who can lead, and whether that might be from the phone David gave him, Henry felt comfortable with idea of that boy leading the group.

He might not be as efficient as he used to be when he's not in his grieving self, but having nothing else to do, Henry tried his best to do what was asked, or what seemed logical to do at that moment. He joined the boy leader at picking up dried sticks for the fire. He would help with building the tents too, but he's too distracted and clumsy for that kind of work.

Soon enough there was a fire going, and the tents were all up. Henry saw some of the kids gathering near the fire, and around the 'leader', but as inviting the scene looked like, Henry thought otherwise to join them. The fire reminded him so much of what happened today, and that pain he couldnt still handle. So he went and sat a little further away, against a tree by the edge of the clearing, but just far enough to hear the conversations from the campfire.

Working at the diner taught him not to judge people by what they look like or by the things they do. Its what they say that matters the most. Because whatever it is, whether its the truth or a plain lie, what they say is a part of them. So he started observing everyone and made a mental note about who's potentially going to be on his "who to avoid" list.

That boy with his dog sure has his own way of expressing himself, a little rude for Henry's liking, but his instinct tells him that there is something more to that boy other than being, well, an asshole for one, so he's putting him on his "temporary avoiding" list. There wasnt much talking after his little antics, but after everyone was settled in around the fire, it was Michael DeLorenzo who broke the silence.

Henry knew him. How couldnt he? He's probably listened to Sheriff DeLorenzo tons of times talking about his son over his radio scanner that he probqably knew him more than anyone else in the group. Besides, who didnt know about the Sheriff's family anyway? Michael seem a nice guy, so he's not going in any of Henry's avoid lists. After him, some of the kids followed his step, and started introducing themselves.

Raphaela Cox. Henry's not sure about this one. She sound like a pretty tricky person, although what she only said was her name and what she was suppose to inherit like its really important for people to know. Henry personally didnt care. She goes to the temporary avoiding list.

The next who spoke up was Raven. Well, basing on her performance so far, she seem pretty at ease with her lonesome. It doesnt have to do with what happened with their home town, but she just prefers to be alone. She didnt said much aside from saying she doesnt have much to tell, so Henry's still not sure where to put her. Probably on the neutral list.

Leon didnt gave much about himself, but his name. Well, at least he knows his name now. Henry decided he'll know more about him soon enough. Not in any list.

And then, there's Lillah. Of course Henry knew her. She's been a regular customer at the diner. They had exchanged words a few times before, and she's been pretty nice to him. Although there's just something that he didnt trust about her, otherwise she's all good. Not going in any of his avoid lists either.

The last one who spoke up was Spencer. There's not much to be said about him aside from the fact that he looks a little nervous, or was that discomfort being in the group that Henry had seen in him? Well, whatever that was, he seem pretty harmless. He might even become a potential acquaintance, he used the word acquaintance because he's not ready to used the word friend yet. He's also not going to be in any list.

Henry wanted to wait for everyone to speak up first, but judging by the long pause, no one will probably be speaking for a while until someone breaks it again for them. Whatever. "Henry." Henry offered, mustering all his courage to speak up, "Its Henry." He said a little louder so they could hear him from the distance. "My family owns a small diner near the local High School. My mom runs the place most of the time." He said. Henry decided to leave everything else for himself.