Chapter 30: Cockroaches (5)
Everly poked her head out through the door crack, cautiously peering outside.
The cockroach swarm was coming from the cafeteria’s main entrance; near the back door, she didn’t see any—at least not yet. But time was running out, because she could already hear screaming from the cafeteria hall.
If these were the usual thumb-sized cockroaches, the cafeteria door—reinforced with tape and wooden planks—might have held. But these fist-sized monsters could even scratch the glass, so there was no way the cafeteria’s defenses would withstand them!
Her expression darkened. If she could, of course she would try to save everyone, but she was far too weak. Just keeping herself safe would take everything she had… She silently hoped that James’s “protagonist aura” would protect her—wait, he should be the protagonist, right?
Everly quickly glanced at James’s face behind her. Seeing it, she relaxed and turned back, exhaling slowly.
He should be the protagonist. No doubt about it… Even if Lewis had no fame when he made this film, just looking at that face, he had to be the lead. And James—well, Lewis—this James was some graduate student in insect systematics. Generally, in disaster films, the protagonist’s profession is somewhat connected to the disaster, so they can figure out how to respond and ultimately solve it. By that logic, James had to be the protagonist, and his girlfriend Diana was the heroine.
In horror films, sticking close to the main characters usually meant surviving until the end.
Remembering this rule she had read countless times in horror movie summaries, Everly resolved to cling to the leads from now on.
She pushed open the metal door and went out first, then turned to the two behind her and made a gesture for them to follow.