The Explosion

Chapter 14

Lily and Zoe walked down the empty corridor, Zoe's head resting on Lily's shoulder as they spoke.

"I can't believe this is happening." Zoe said through tears. "How is this possible? I mean, come on. This is the type of thing that we'd decide a 'step by step plan of what we would do in this situation' for. Not actually live it!"

"I know, Zoe, I know." Lily didn't know what to say; the situation was beyond anything that Lily had ever believed possible. Ghosts? Yes. Mind reading? Very possibly. Whatever this was? Well, that didn't even need considering. No. But hey, this was a thing now and they would just have to somehow live with it.

"Do you think this has happened to the whole world? What if we are the only ones left?"

"Us as in children?"

"Yeah."

"Then goodness knows what will happen to society. Pregnant teens, fires, deaths."

"What is it is just our town?" Zoe asked nervously.

"Then thank goodness we have adults to get back to."

"Yeah." A look of realisation dawned on Zoe's face. "Oh."

"What?" Lily asked, suddenly very worried.

"I just realised why I felt so weird seeing Sam."

"Um, why?"

"Everyone in sixth form went on a trip, remember? Sam certainly looks older than sixteen and she definitely isn't an adult. Why wasn't she on the trip?"

"So, you're saying that everyone seventeen years old is gone?"

"And some sixteen-year olds."

"Why does this even matter? We're getting out of here soon and there will be plenty of adults there waiting for us." But a horrible feeling was building up in Lily's stomach.

"And if we aren't?"

"What?"

"If we aren't out of here."

"Why would you say that? Why wouldn't we get out of here?"

Zoe's brow furrowed as she replied. "I just have a bad feeling."

Lily took a deep breath in and slowly let it out again, trying to clear her hot head. "Do you think we are trapped here?"

Zoe seemed to take a moment to think before coming out with her answer. "I don't know."

They walked the rest of the way in silence until they reached the two vending machines. They were against a wall; one right in front of a wide window and one just to the left of it. Lily walked up to the closest one – the one on the right – and scanned its contents. She turned around to Zoe with a regretful look on her face. "There's no dark chocolate bounty." She said shaking her head in fake disgust.

"Gosh." Zoe replied, crossing her arms crossly. "That is truly disgraceful."

"It is. I think we should throw it out the window."

"Oh yes."

Lily took a step back and thrust her hand out, saying, "Boom!"

Zoe then laughed and repeated the action with a "Hi-yah!"

An eye widening crash played itself out in front of them as the vending machine flew backwards and through the window with a huge smash and a thud. Their hands clamped over their ears and they half turned their bodies away in an automatic action of protection. When the sound finished Lily and Zoe both turned to face each other and Lily said in disbelief, "You must have really disliked that vending machine."