Chapter 13

            Just when we thought we had gotten away from one danger, we entered another. Instead of mutated monsters, we came across monsters of our own race� We were surrounded and being threatened with the guns they�re pointing at us.
            
              But the more I looked at the people, the more I realized, I know these people. They were from my high school; mainly the boys were holding the guns. I slowly turned my head and saw Mac and Connor at the door, probably the ones who shut them. They were holding guns as well and were mostly aimed at Rick.

              The crowd beside us started to mutter among themselves when the doors were shut. Than silence came after, we waited and the crowd started to make a way for Megan to pass. Megan was well known in our high school. A brilliant, born-to-be leader OAC (grade 13). She looked tired and was dirty. She looked over us before she spoke, �Jenn? Rachel? Callie? Is that really you?�

              Jenn took a step forward, trying to get closer to Megan than being 2 meters away from her. But when she moved, every person holding a gun, aimed at Jenn, making her stop dead in her tracks. �What�s going on?� Jenn demanded after she backed up. �Precautions.� Megan simply replied. �Precautions against what?� I asked see no threat other than that monster outside.

              �Precaution against you.� She simply replied. �For never before have we seen humans enter through that door in three days�� she continued, � And since it�s been at least a five days, we have our doubts about your conditions and � your companion.� She eyed Rick with a hard look.

             ��Addison?� Callie said faintly, for she looked like she was in bad shape. She was still standing thanks to Rick helping her. Her brother, Addison wasn�t too far from her. He was also holding a gun�

              He looked tired and dirty as well, though his face shows pain and sadness. But soon that changed into a face that looked like he was about to cry, a face full of hope. He started to lower his gun, but than someone yelled, �They could be monsters in disguises!� Addison quickly brought his gun up again. And his face of hope was replaced with pain and sadness again�

              �True, they could monsters. But what if they are truly survivors?� Megan announced to the crowd. Everyone than started to mummer, some saying that we�re monsters out to get them, while others we�re saying that we were actually humans. �We shall ask them questions to see whither they are truly monsters or survivors.� She said to the crowd.

               She than turned to us and everyone went quite. �First question. Where were you all this time?� Me and Jenn looked at each other, unsure if this was a trick question. �We were always in the school.� Jenn said. Than I thought about it, �Well, actually. We were outside about 10 minuets ago�� I muttered to myself. Although, I think everyone heard it, for someone yelled, �Liar! We have not seen the outside in days!�

               �You�ve seen the outside? Well, than. Did you get there?� Megan asked, she looked surprised and content. �Well, we walked outside from the gym door and came into the school.� Jenn said sarcastically. The crowd around us started to talk to each other again. �Have you tried that door to go outside again?�

               �Yes we have, and it was mysteriously been covered with bricks.� I said as the group around us started to quiet down. I saw many disappointed faces after I said that� �I see� one more question than. Who is that?� She motioned to Rick.

              �My name is Rick.� He simply replied. ��ok. I�ll have to talk this over with the others.� Megan said as she turned her backs on us and started to walk away. Everyone around us start to talk, no one talked to us though. Callie was looking at Addison as Addison was there still with the gun in hand.

              Jenn was looking around; seeing many of her friends who looked very scared of us. I looked around and noticed that there weren�t just Char-Lan high school students here, but of Iona� my old elementary School. I wonder if�

             Than I saw him, he was trying to get pass the high school students. But he finally made it. It was Eric, my little brother. He�s tanned like I, but he looked dirty still. His dark hair was untended to, and his cloths were unclean. He looked tired,  and yet he slowly walked to me. The look of his face was like he had seen a ghost. And his tone of voice was much the same, �Rachel? Is that really you?� I nodded slowly, like it was a dumb question to ask.

            He than came running at me all happy with tears coming from his eyes. Some people had tried to grab him and others yelled at him not to go. He came to me and hugged me, �Boy, it�s like you haven�t seen me in years.� I said as I hugged him back. He looked at me with his tearful eyes and said, �I felt like it�� And he started to cry happily.

           Megan came pushing through the crowded people and looked around to see what happened. The people yelling stopped when she looked happy, �We see here that they are truly human. They are Humans!� She announced to the crowd. Everyone cheered and started to crowd us. Everyone just seemed to ask us some kind of question; I ignored each one and tried my best to get of the crowd. Like I said before, I�m not a crowd person.

           After a while, when everything quite down, I noticed the gym didn�t look like a gym at all. Instead it had some tents or camps up all over the place. There was a fire going on in some places with people crowded around it. The little kids were playing around with some older people looking after them.

           There were a lot people in here, at least 1000. Many I noticed were elementary students, and not a lot of older high school students or males� I also noticed there were extra doors. Doors where there weren�t doors before. And the floors were dirty and had looked like they were never cleaned. And there were areas that were blocked/covered, people constantly going in and coming out.

           The smell around here wasn�t too pleasing; it smelled like a garbage dump. But after seeing how this looks like, you could easily understand why.

           The gym wasn�t the gym anymore; it was a camp, a home to the people here.

           Jenn, Rick, and Callie went their separate ways after we were �accepted�. Addison quickly took Callie to a place for her to recover. Never before have I ever seen tears coming down Addison eyes. He was two years older than Callie and was a much more mature type to those around him. Although, Callie says that he�s actually a very funny person when you get to know him.

           Jenn was talking to several of her friends, Jessa, Sarah, Ashley, Tanya, and so much more. Jenn actually looked relaxed, which was good. But you could see how she hated to see her friends in this condition. She�s trying to cheer them up by making them laugh.

           Rick just stood against the wall. Although, many people still don�t trust him so they posted guards near him all the time. Rick would look like he�s thinking deeply. No one talked to him since Megan asked him his name, no one would even approach him. I felt sorry for him.

           As for me, I sat down against the wall and rested. Eric was leaning against me, he was telling me about this area he kept calling the �camp�. He was telling me about the area where people kept going in and out; that was the toilet, the reason why it smelled so bad. He also told me that the place where Callie is the science lab where they made the smoke bombs and treat any wounded people.

          Soon Megan came checking on me, wanting to apologize to me about the way we were treated. �You see, we�ve never seen people walk in through those doors before. So we were very paranoid on how you made it here.� She explained. �I can understand, who in right mind would go out there with a monster like that around.� She nodded in agreement. It was silent for a moment, I didn�t what to say, there was too much questions I wanted to ask her.

          But it was her who broke that silence, �So it true that just an hour ago, you were in the normal Char-Lan, not this twisted version.� I looked at her and she was looking at the young grade 2�s play not too far from us. �I had a theory that in this twisted place, time doesn�t run the same in some places. Like there are people who�ve been here for at least a week or two. While others, have just got here, like you. So I�m guessing that outside time is much, much slower than it is here. And in one classroom, time is much, much faster. So not only has the space move around us, time has too. Don�t you agree.�

           After hearing about the idea, it makes perfect sense. �Yeah, it does. So than, how long have you been here?� She looked at me in the eyes, her tiring eyes, �before I made it to Camp, I was in a classroom for at least two weeks. But when I made it here thanks to a rescue team, only five days have past.�

           Silence came in again, and this time, I was the one to break it. �Tell me. What really happened here?� I asked. She looked down in a sad motion, she than looked forward at those kids playing in front of us. She took a deep sigh. And started to tell me her story.

           �It seems so long ago since Char-Lan was a normal school. But I remember it perfectly, mainly because it replays in my dreams over and over. The bell had rung and I was getting my books to class and started my way to my class. I was about to enter my classroom when all I heard was screaming, horrible and terrifying screaming! I looked down the hall and monsters had appeared and started to kill people around them. Everyone was running, some headed to the outside door but it was locked. I had even seem someone break the window only to see a wall of bricks�

           �I went inside my classroom and closed the door in pure fear. I locked the door� and looked out the window on the door only to see people banging on the door to let them in. But I just stood there, and saw the monsters kill them right in front of me. Blood stained the window� my hands�� She said as tears had fallen down her face. And yet she continued on with her sadden story.

          �We were in that classroom for several of days, surviving off of small snacks or anything we could find to eat. Afraid to go out, for there were always monsters out there. Waiting for us. It was a miracle that a rescue team had come when we were about to starve to death. Although, we got out of the classroom� not everyone made it. Monsters on our way killed some of the rescue team and my classmates over to �camp�.

           �When we got here, I had taken position as a leader as president of the school committee. While here, I told that it was too dangerous to go out there anymore, so the rest of the rescue squad protect this �camp�.� She said as finished her story.

           �Umm� I notice that there are some people missing.� I said. �The ones missing as said to be dead. No one could survive out there.� She said as another tear came down. I felt sad and ashamed of saying that. I looked beside me and noticed that Eric was a sleep. I laid his head down on my lap. Megan looked at me with a happy smile, �It�s good that he�s finally getting some rest. He�s been crying endlessly in fear of what happened to you and Kevin.�

           I looked at her, �Kevin? Where�s he?� She looked sadden and very ashamed of saying Kevin�s name. She looked down again, than to Eric, than me. She said in a very sad tone of voice, �He never made it to �camp�.�

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