The Traversing Book I

Chapter 8

I wake to the sound of someone banging a pan with a spoon, really loud.

"Get up now!" they say. "Start breakfast!"

So we all get up and stand in lines for the bathrooms. I knew there were a few others in the hall, but we stood and waited and waited. I look around the room. There is some artwork on the wall, and I see that all the desks have been pushed into the back of the room in a disorganized fashion. In the garbage can were some old cups and napkins and it looks like a half-eaten muffin. I tried to look on the floor for any pencils or pens that I could somehow fashion into a weapon. Always think, Kokia, always think.

The girls started to make a standard breakfast of eggs and bacon before I had a chance to tell them that Muslims don't eat bacon. I snuck a few bites of eggs, and managed to swallow them before I could tell they needed salt. I went over to the plate of bacon that was waiting to go into the refrigerator, and picked off the top a pretty burnt piece and stuck it in my sweatshirt pocket to snack on later.

Two guards came in and told us to help load the food into the trucks for men off site. They promptly informed us that anyone who tried to run will be shot, no questions asked. I looked at Amir who was standing by the door, and he had a real concerned look on his face, and kept his eyes focused on me.

After we did what we were told, we all walked back inside the room and I ushered Lolly and Magzi to the back of the kitchen and into the pantry. We all squeezed in there, and I said "I think I have a plan."

Lolly leaned into me and whispered in my ear, "I'm ready for anything. I cannot take this. I miss my family..." 

"I think we all miss our family," I say, squeezing Lolly's hand.

I then bend forward and whisper quietly to her and Magzi, "Tomorrow night when they are loading the meals in the trucks, the guards will be more distracted. We will sneak into the basement and escape out of one of the windows that I'm sure they are not guarding. I only see a few guards at the front doors. It will be getting dusk, and we will have better cover," I say and look at them for their opinions.

"How can we sneak into the basement?" Magzi says.

"I'll figure something out. It'll work, I promise," I say as I peer out of the pantry before we all walk out of the kitchen, our absence unnoticed. 

As I was coming out behind Lolly, I heard a faint noise. I thought, no, it wasn't what I thought. Was it? But yes, there it was again! So I held back and backtracked a little back into the pantry. Beep Beep. Beep Beep. It was a dying cell phone! There apparently are no wireless chargers in the kitchen walls. I looked ahead into the kitchen quickly, and saw that Lolly and Magzi were back in the holding room. I take off my shoes and push some boxes of mashed potatoes and cans of green beans out of the way and start climbing up the shelves. I feel like I am going to fall, but steady myself by grabbing some of the shelving unit attached to the wall. I take my hand and feel all along the top shelf where I cannot see well. Beep Beep. Beep Beep. I was getting closer. Maybe it was a phone someone accidentally left at a meeting before this all happened and the Arena put it up until it could be safely returned. But that would never happen now. I take my hand and feel along the top of the shelf and feel dust and then a few coins that I toss down to the ground. As I was getting to the end of the shelf, I suddenly feel metal beneath my fingers and grasp it the best I could. Seeing that I was losing my balance, I quickly jump down and groan as I landed on the side of my ankle, and I push myself along the wall and look at the phone. I press the buttons on the right hand side, and it lights up. There wasn't a facial recognition lock screen, which I found odd, but nonetheless proceeded to scroll through the news feed. I needed to know what was happening. 

"There has been an invasion of ITAQ, Islamic Terrorists Al Qaeda, and they are invading every major city in the United States. There are hostages and the military has been deeply demolished, including air and naval. We are seeking recruits for a new army to fight and regain control of our United States. Stacie Miller is standing by with a remote feed in the city of ..."