Once everyone finished their supper, they cleaned their dishes and headed straight for bed. Ryan received a sleeping bag from the storage room and followed the group to the second floor. Yuna explained how they had cleared up the classrooms to use as bedrooms—one side for the boys and one for the girls. There was also a bathroom at the end of the hallway in case of emergencies. Soon enough, the group split up and went to their restrooms, promising to see each other again in the morning.

  After finishing up, the two groups made their way to the classrooms for the night. As Ryan could predict, the classroom was mostly empty—a couple of desks bunched up together by the walls. Mike and Taylor had already boarded up the windows, but the moonlight still creaked through, touching the white tarp on the floor.

  Taylor walked over to the locker by the desks and pulled out two sleeping bags, while Mike dragged a couple of desks over to block the door. Ryan did his best to help before laying his sleeping bag on the tarp-covered floor.

  Taylor and Ryan exchanged more pleasantries while Mike closed his eyes, already attempting to tune them out. After Taylor turned off the lantern, the room went dark, save for the moonlight in the night sky, as everyone closed their eyes and tried to sleep.

  Ryan tossed and turned in his sleeping bag; the small size made it uncomfortable for his body. The gentle wind blowing through the cracks didn’t help either. Even though it didn’t directly hit him, goosebumps and hair rose on his arms and legs. Ryan’s body shivered; he couldn’t take it anymore. He unzipped the bag and got up, rubbing the back of his neck. Ryan glanced over at the other two guys as they slept soundly. How they could was beyond his comprehension. He tiptoed over to the desks and took them down, one by one.

  They were lighter than he thought they’d be. Once he took care of that, Ryan looked back to check if he woke them up. Afterwards, he creaked the door open and left the classroom, closing the door behind him.

  Once he finished doing business in the bathroom, he made his way back to bed. Ryan had been in there for longer than he thought, but wanted to get it out of the way and make a fresh start towards a brighter day.

  As he approached the door, he stopped in place.

  “Are you sure?” A muffled voice spoke from the other side of the door. Ryan could barely hear it, but he immediately recognized Taylor’s voice. “Didn’t you mention earlier how—?”

  “Yeah. I only let it slide with Karin, because he was dying from starvation and dehydration at the time.” He picked up Mike’s voice as well.

  “We can always keep an eye on him instead. Though I doubt he’ll do anything dangerous—”

  “We don’t know that for sure. We just met him and don’t know any of his intentions. For all we know, he could kill us in our sleep or steal our supplies and leave us for dead.”

  “That’s true, but would ditching him be the best idea?”

  Ryan froze. It was like time had stopped. More likely, they were talking about him. He was certain of it. They had to, right? Who else could it be about? He lowered his hands and stared at the floor.

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  After all this time spent together, they don’t even trust or like him. They thought he was suspicious? For what? Ryan knew he wouldn’t do something like that, but he had no proof of it, either.

  Why did you save me then?

  Figuring it’d be a bad time to go in now, Ryan turned around and walked away.

  He sat on a bench by the wall and stayed quiet, lost in thought. The moonlight behind him didn’t make for good light, but his eyes could adjust and spot objects on the side. He rested his hand on his cheeks, when another light source flashed from the corner of his eyes. Ryan could barely make out the phone, still tucked into his pockets, as he reached down to grab it.

  The blue light caught him off guard, and he had to shield his eyes from the sudden impact. The dark corridor didn't help much, as staring at it only gave him a headache. It was a message from someone he didn't recognize. It wasn't important either. He figured using another light source would help alleviate the mood a little, and he wouldn't have to worry about wasting the flashlight batteries.

  The phone's battery was also low, as usual. Ryan put it on battery-saving mode but was still surprised by how long it lasted. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the signal bar change. It kept flickering between one bar and none. His face lit up, slowly taking this in. Something dawned on him. How could he have forgotten about it so soon?

  Ryan was technically at a higher level than before, so this didn’t seem all that far-fetched. He was getting signal; there was a possibility for escape. He couldn’t let this opportunity slip by, but he also didn’t know how or where else to go for high ground, either.

  Ryan could wait for the signal to magically flick back on and time the phone call, but the chances of the line cutting in the middle of the conversation were too high a risk. He placed a hand on his chin; there had to be a better solution to this. His face lit up, and an idea popped into his mind.

  The school building had multiple floors. If I can get to the roof, the chances of getting a higher signal would increase. Ryan got up from his seat and pumped up his fists, but paused shortly after. Wait, isn’t the third floor boarded up? If I remember correctly, they warned me specifically not to go up there.

  He bit his thumb. They already didn’t trust him, so breaking their promise would dampen things. Nobody had checked there, so it was uncertain who or what lurked in the darkness. On one hand, Ryan could potentially put everyone in danger by taking the barricade down, presumably getting themselves killed. On the other hand, if he could reach the top and get in contact with authorities before his phone died out, they’d all be saved. He figured no one else had their devices on. This could be their break. They wouldn’t have to stay out here much longer.

  Ryan walked over to the end of the other hallway and approached the barricade filled with desks, chairs, and tape. His heart got caught in his throat as his hands trembled. He looked up. So many possibilities and what-if scenarios ran through his head at once. There were many ways this could go wrong. The stacks weren’t in his favor.

  He could probably navigate in the dark, but there was still the potential to run into a horde of zombies, or worse. If the signal wasn’t great on the roof, then he’d have put his life on the line for nothing. If there were more than three floors, it would be difficult to traverse, especially at night time. Had the others tried it with their phones? Ryan never thought to ask them, but hadn’t seen any on them since they all met.

  He shoved his hands in his pockets and pulled out his phone again. He squinted his eyes at the percentage bar and sighed. Ryan didn’t want to wait for a miracle, especially since he was running out of time, but he didn’t have the energy or heart to go through with the plan. He put the phone away and trudged back to his new room.

  With a glimmer of hope, Ryan and his new allies, united in their mission, set out to find high ground and a strong signal. Or perhaps, an escape route from this labyrinth of uncertainty. Ryan's body, still recovering from the day's ordeal, was a testament to its fragility. His muscles screamed in protest, and the idea of pushing himself further was daunting. For now, safety was their only priority.