"They said they'd keep the virus contained. We shouldn't worry about it." He threw his legs up on the desk and took the teacher's distraction as an excuse to slack off.
An ear-piecing screech postponed his plans, causing him and many others to spin around to examine the cause.
Mariah's hand was clasped over her thin lips in a terrified attempt at silencing herself.
Her phone, gripped tight in the grasp of her trembling fingers.
He took a moment to question why her phone wasn't in the box with the others while her friends gathered around, wondering the same thing.
What was she watching?
Lucas twisted around Mariah to seize the back of her chair, ducking his head to see the screen and clasping a hand on the desk to brace himself.
His lips parted slowly with every passing second of the recording.
"Bloodied corpses." He recalled breathlessly.
Miss Thomas snatched the phone away from their eyes.
"What are you doing with this?" She scolded. But the shake in her voice gave everything away.
"Do you know what's going on?" Kaine pressed.
Miss Thomas glanced at the blank screen, then back at the awaiting class. "I told you to keep your phones in the box." She repeated.
"What are you not telling us? What's happening out there?" Nicolá asked, jabbing a finger towards the covered windows.
An alarm resonated through the hallway and into every classroom. Miss Thomas lifted her head to stare at the roof, swallowing thickly.
The class went quiet.
"Miss Thomas, is there a fire?" Lily asked, squeezing Mariah's hand.
Lucas shivered, feeling Kaine's breath against the back of his neck, and from behind him, he whispered shakily. "That's not the fire alarm."
Their eyes locked in a mutual understanding.
◇
The Ute screeches to a sudden halt.
Lucas has to catch himself against the dashboard, lest he end up with a concussion. Daryl shoves his door open, coming around to throw an agitated shrug to the cars in front of his.
Lucas scrubs at his drooping eyes and groggily slides out of his seat, "Wha' happened?"
"Radiator hose burst," Dale answers from up ahead, sighing as he circles the RV.
"Great." Lucas rolls his eyes, adjusting his jumper and rolling up the sleeves. The Georgia heat is seeping into his bones but he can't find it in himself to take off the article of clothing.
He rounds the RV himself, waving the smoke out of his face and dropping to crouch beside Glenn.
"Y'all, Jim's getting worse."
He peeks around to see Rick follow Jacqui back into the RV. He had an inkling that Jim wouldn't make it through, one of the reasons he didn't want to join everyone in the RV. Because the virus was unpredictable. It could take minutes, or it could take days.
Lucas watches them carry the man underneath the shade of leaves, created by the tree stretching wide above him.
Looking up, Jim laughs, "Hey, another damn tree."
YOU ARE READING
Changing To Adapt ➵ TWD
Fanfiction❝ People died. Every day without fail. And they stayed dead. But now . . ? ❞ The Apocalypse was a clear reminder that karma comes big. One day civilization was going to get punished for the wrong they committed. But the virus didn't choose between t...
