Chapter 8: Finding Schoolmates!
"It was Tommy," I said.
"T—Tommy—hmm!" I swiftly placed my hand over Emily’s mouth, stifling the name that was about to escape her lips. Her muffled exclamation was cut short as my eyes locked onto hers, a silent plea for quiet.
"Yes, it was Tommy Brooks, and I saw him alive," I whispered as I slowly removed my hand from her mouth, allowing her to process what I had just revealed.
"H...He is alive..." Emily’s voice trembled, her lips quivering with a mix of disbelief and overwhelming emotion. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over as the reality of my words sank in.
"We should join him," I said after a moment of hesitation. Emily nodded immediately, her resolve firming as the possibility of reuniting with Tommy filled her with determination.
It was no surprise that she wanted to reunite with her boyfriend as soon as possible. That was why I had offered in the first place. If I were alone, I might have chosen a different path—perhaps found a car and driven away from this place without looking back. But Emily was with me, and her safety and happiness mattered. She would feel safer with Tommy, and he could take her to her parents, providing the comfort and security she desperately needed.
Now that our decision was made, the challenge lay in how to enter the gymnasium. If Tommy had any sense, he would have secured the entrance, leaving the back doors as our only point of entry. Fortunately, the infected weren’t surrounding the gymnasium. They were some distance away, milling about aimlessly in front of the building.
Our plan was straightforward: we needed to get out of the car, sprint in a straight line to the back of the gymnasium, and call out to Tommy to let us in. But there was a catch. My time-stopping power would only last ten seconds, and that wouldn’t be nearly enough time for Emily and me to reach the back door, even at a full sprint.
I paused for a moment, my mind racing as I rummaged through the front storage box in front of the passenger seat. There had to be something useful in there. To my surprise, my fingers closed around an old-model phone. It was a relic from a bygone era, but it might just be the key to our escape.
"Does it work?" Emily asked, her voice tinged with hope.
"We can’t call anyone with it; no SIM card," I replied, examining the phone closely. But then, an idea began to form in my mind, and a smile crept across my face.
"I think I have an idea, Emily. Just stay there," I said. Without waiting for her reply, I stopped time, the world around us freezing in an instant.