CHAPTER 4
"Which way did he go?!?" Ruby panicked, as the three rushed through the halls, trying to track the way Nicole was taken.
"Nicole!" Perry called out, to no answer. Finally, after barging into the second last room in the hall, they saw him leaning against the wall, hands bloody. Overall, he seemed fine, though.
"Nicole?" Ruby walked forward, her expression and tone saying it all.
Nicole groaned, slowly opening his eyes. He ran a hand through his curly brown hair, but when it pulled on some hairs, he looked at his hand. He froze.
"What.." Nicole slowly stared up, looking at Ruby, Perry and Christian who stood towering over him.
Ruby crouched down, looking over his face for any injuries. He didn't seem harmed, so Ruby let out a relieved sigh.
"What the hell was that? What just happened?" Ruby slowly stood up, and backed away towards the door to close it.
"I don't know.. I blacked out for a second.." Nicole rubbed the side of his head a bit, standing up.
"...This is getting really damn weird." Christian chimed in, leaning against the wall, listening.
"You have blood on your hands, by the way." Christian announced quieter.
"I noticed," he calmly replied, looking back and forth between both palms.
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Nicole was trying so hard to get the blood out of his hair, even Ruby and Christian ended up helping.
"This is a waste of time, Nic." Christian sighed, backing away from Nicole, who was sitting on a desk, helplessly.
"The colour is gone, but the smell is still there," Perry voiced, turning her head away.
Nicole ultimately sighed, his curly hair wet due to being washed, many, many times. There were only limited water bottles available, and they used all of them. On Nicole's hair.
"Whatever, not like there's many people around to smell it anyways." He gave a defeated sigh, his shoulders slumping.
"Aren't you guys hungry?" Ruby asked, sitting with her chest to the back of a chair, her chin in her palm. "'Cause I so am." she added.
"Ruby, are you always thinking of food? Or is it just you mention it a lot?" Nicole pointed out.
"No, not just you. Trust me, as someone who's always with her, she's never not hungry.
There was silence between the four as they enjoyed the unusual— and unsettling silence spreading throughout the city. Silence like now, was something they never thought they'd experience, especially in a busy city, a city that's bustling even in the dead of night.
Perry was spaced out, letting questions and theories roam inside her head. She stood with her elbow on the windowsill, her eyes gazing over the once bright city.
Ruby was sitting on the chair behind the teacher's desk, wearing a pair of heart sunglasses she found on the floor, on her head.
Nicole? It was no secret that he was a book guy. He was struggling, and trying to read a classic literature book without his glasses.
Christian was just walking around the classroom, trying to find something to entertain himself with. It wasn't too fun to find something fun to do, though. Well, mainly because there weren't many fun things to do.
"These glasses are so..— ugh." Ruby wrestled the glasses which got stuck in her hair, forcefully trying to rip it away and out of her hair.
"Ruby— do you need help?" Nicole asked, putting his book down on his lap, as he heard Ruby struggling. It looked painful.
Ruby shook her head, attempting to give Nicole a convincing smile.
Eventually, Ruby managed to get the glasses untangled from her hair, but broke it in half. "Ugh whatever, those glasses needed to learn a lesson anyway." Ruby huffed, throwing them aside.
"Shouldn't we move from here? How do we know it's safe?" Christian butted in, changing the subject completely.
"I mean, how can we be sure it's any safer out there?" Nicole debated, sitting on top of a desk again. Christian exhaled, knowing Nicole had a point. Not like he'd argue with their safety in this situation.
"Guys, seriously though, aren't you hungry—"
"Ruby, are you really that hungry? It's barely.. 10?!" Christian's voice slowly trailed off into a more surprised one as he realized just how much time had passed by.
"Yeah, I'm hungry because it's been 6 hours since I ate, Christian." Ruby gave him a sassy eye-roll, leaning against the teacher's desk.
"Huh…" was the only word Christian managed to utter.
Perry finally snapped back into reality when she felt a firm grip on her arm.
"What the.. What are you doing??" Perry tried to snatch her arm back, but Christian's grip seemed to stay.
"You're coming with me." he bluntly stated, dragging her to the door of the classroom. Christian stuffed a backpack in her face.
"What— just take Ruby or Nicole. Why me?!" she was starting to get a bit irritated with Christian's behavior. He didn't reply.
"Just come, stop whining. Do you want food or not?" he asked, shooting her an annoyed glare.
"Uh, actually—"
"I don't care, you're coming." he interrupted insolently.
After checking the halls to see if it was safe to go out, he dragged Perry out, and turned into another hall. There was a vending machine.
"You don't need me for this." Perry still tried persuading Christian despite already being out of the classroom.
"Stop complaining already." Christian stabbed the plastic barrier with a knife, planting his arm inside to drop down snacks.
Perry reluctantly crouched down and started taking the snacks out and stuffed them in. "Still didn't need me for this." she commented again, but this time was obeying.
When they got back, Christian tried opening the door, but it seemed locked. He banged on it, instead of shouting, since that would be digging his own grave.
"Guys?" he tried calling out.
"Did they lock us out??" Perry scoffed, knocking aggressively on the door as well.
"Guys!" Christian called out once again.
Perry leaned against the door, sighing in defeat. "Is this some sick prank or something?" she spoke, but got no answer.