Thinking of the infirmary she should be getting back, luckily there is no major sickness or wounds to be tended which is rare, the quietness of it all made her nervous. She curled her legs up on the chair and hugged them to her chest tightly as she tried to banish the thoughts from her head, she had to stay positive if not for herself but for the others, if she showed her emotions then it would only make them worry too. Closing her eyes she tried to think of more pleasant times.
He was in the second red chair, next to Sophie. His hair was neat and in it's usual design. He rarely needed to comb his hair, since it usually conformed to the shape it was used to. Jack was usually the one teaching the young children how to do jobs. He had taught one child about computers, and that child could now do more than Jack could. Jack had been working on a project lately, but, he told no one about it. He worked on it in the room designated to be his and Sophie's, so she could have seen him working on it. He had been drawing out schematics for a generator, and grabbing books from locations around the mall pertaining to energy. He couldn't rely on the power in the mall to be on forever, so he would need to create his own source of energy. Perhaps solar panels would work, but it would be a pain getting them onto the roof and setting up the power system.
Jack carried his laptop with him everywhere, in case he needed to note things around the mall. He kept a list of the supplies the "RMK", or as he dubbed the mall, had every week. "RMK" stood for "Redbrook Mall Kids". He opened up a new document on his laptop and began typing something quickly, looking over at Sophie while writing this. He hadn't told anyone about his being mute, since he had thought that his condition was a normality. However, it became more apparent that he was different from others from the day he's first been at the mall. Might as well tell someone about this. Who better to tell about his condition than the head nurse and his roommate? Hee noticed that she appeared to be in distress, so he opened another document and began typing furiously fast. His revelation could wait, this was more important. The new document read "Excuse me, but do you need help?" He hated not being able to voice his question. He stood from his chair and carried his laptop with him. He then went to the girl, tapping her shoulder lightly when he approached. He pointed the laptop's screen towards her. He had a worried expression on his face. She seemed like a nice enough girl, but he rarely spoke to people.
He's smart though. She knew that right away, she didn't need him to tell her that. He like her seems to have trouble sleeping, and sometimes she catches him drawing up designs that mean nothing more than scribbles to her. She mostly leaves him to it not wanting to disturbs his concentration and instead goes for a walk to clear her mind.
She looked up from the chair still hugging her legs tight. He was holding his faithful laptop that never left his side, he had typed something "Excuse me, but do you need help?". He must have seen her musing through her worried thoughts, her expression giving way to what she was thinking. She smiled up at the boy, his expression portraying that of hers only a few moments ago. "I'm fine, just a bit of a headache coming that's all, probably just need to get some rest"
He was not used to having to do stuff on his own, since his grandfather usually guided Jack. He expected to be told what to do from the day he came here, but, he just slipped into the job of Oddjob Leader. Ironic, isn't it? Having a mute as a leader. At first, he had no idea what to do, but he eventually started doing his own things, helping out when needed. He managed to get by being a leader by simply using hand gestures and sign language to those who could understand him. When confronted with a task he didn't know how to do, he would try figuring out how to do said task by learning from a master or from a book.
He looked at her face once she looked up, hoping to not see a tear-streaked face. His laptop was mildly heavy, but, he was strong. He felt relieved that she was smiling, but, he quickly noticed that she could just be hiding her emotions. "I'm fine, just a bit of a headache coming that's all, probably just need to get some rest." She said "probably" which probably meant she knew that rest wouldn't help get rid of a headache's cause. Sure sleep could get rid of the headache itself, but rarely could it get rid of the cause of the headache. Acupuncture could work, but honestly, he would kill her if he tried doing a thing like that. He had many skills, but acupuncture just wasn't one of them.
He erased what he typed earlier and began typing again, with the same speed but not as much haste. "Do you know what's causing your headache? Migraines? Stress?" He could probably figure out how to help, probably. He had some experience in the medical field, but it was mostly physical wounds that could be healed in one or two hours. He wasn't licensed, so he could end up making a condition worse than it originally would have been. And, he doubted surgery would be of much use. His grandfather used to have migraines, but there were usually pills to help.
He then thought to add something, "Would you rather I leave?" He knew that privacy could help, since most people didn't want to be seen in a weak state. He guessed that stress was the most probable reason for her headache, with the new virus and all. He didn't want to pry in her life, unless she particularly wished to talk about her own life. He had listened to the stories of many of the people in the mall, since he appeared as a humble person who wouldn't gossip.
Before she could even reply to Jack questions his hands dashed to the key board again working fast "Would you rather I leave?"He knew. She could see that he obviously understood that there was more than just a headache spinning around in her head, she really had never been good at acting. That was it, that was all it took. She could feel the pressure in her eyes threatening the spill her tears. She was over exaggerating, she was safe, she had supplies and friends around her, that's a lot more than most people these days.
She ran her hands through her hair ruffly avoided looking up at Jacks face. Quickly she reeled in her emotions, forced her tears not to spill, and lifted her face giving him her best attempt at a million dollar smile. "I'm fine seriously just hope I sleep better tonight, are you sleeping okay lately?' That's it she thought, talk about him. Listen to him.
Hazel was grateful for two things: chicken soup and baked beans since they practically had a lifetime supply. Her lips were pulled into a small crooked smile while she walked down the aisle, glancing at the shelves that contained the canned food. Her fingernails drummed against her clipboard as she absentmindedly chewed on the eraser of her pencil.
"Yup," she hummed satisfied. "There are enough cans of green beans and tomatoes to hold us over for about a month or two."
After taking a few more minutes to take inventory and jot some notes down on the clipboard, Hazel called it quits and closed up shop. She ran a hand through her full black curls and pulled down the hem of her green plaid shirt. She walked down the corridors of the mall, passing various stores, stands, and whatnot until she reached the daycare center. She had an undying love for children and considered being a caregiver, but she had a knack for food and felt the need to keep these people well fed. To her dismay, the children were gone, but what did she expect? It was getting late and the children were probably in their beds dreaming of a simpler life. Hazel sat on the floor, picking up a stray toy and just staring at it. Hazel wished that she were able to have children one day, but now her dream of a family was shattered. She couldn't bare to think about bringing a child into such a dangerous world. It wouldn't be right. She settled for loving the children that were unfortunate enough to be here, giving them extra snacks or making them fresh hot chocolate, anything to get a smile onto their adorable faces. Hazel sighed with a heavy heart. Children were gifts from God and didn't deserve to be burdened with such an epidemic.
"Poor babies," she frowned as she let her concern and her thoughts run wild.
With an awfull sickness Quincey walked into the social area. The lack of proper food wasn't good for her pregnancy. Sure, there was enough food, but just not all the right things for someone carrying a baby. She knew that she couldn't do anything about it so she didn't really think about it. All she hoped was that the kid would be alright. She let out a sigh as she sat down. On the chair a few meters in front of her Sophie was sitting. You could clearly see that girl wasn't feeling too well. Quincy could catch a few words of her conversation with Jack. Enough to hear that she didn't really want to talk about it. So Quincey just left it.
She suddenly felt a hot flash coming up. Trying to cool down she waved with her hand in the direction of her face. The heath was starting to make her feel dizzy. She wanted to get some fresh air, but she knew that it wasn't possible. She'd be killed of immediately.
He had tried asking a different question, to better understand her situation. He was probably getting close to the source of headache, but then again, nothing was ever that simple. He probably should have stopped, since he wasn't completely sure of his mental state. She started ruffling her hair, a sign of nervousness. So his suspicion was correct, she did have some form of stress. "I'm fine seriously just hope I sleep better tonight, are you sleeping okay lately?" She seemed to be forcing a smile, but, he couldn't be sure. It was obvious to him that she was trying to advert his attention. This tatic would work on most people, since people were self-centered. However, he wasn't one to bother with self-pity and holding on to emotions, or at least that's what he told himself. He erased the previous text and began typing lighly, with a serene smile on his face. "Quite frankly, no, sleep is a pretty hard thing to get for anyone these days. However, I shouldn't be saddened by my condition, others have it much worse than I do. I'm lucky I managed to get here." He was finished. His fingers prepared to tell the girl about his grandfather, but he stopped and decided not to mention that. He shouldn't act as if he was a pitiful type of person.
He didn't notice the other female(Quincey) walking into the Social Area until he turned around and saw her fanning herself, seemingly tired. He thought that she was pregnant, but, it would be quite rude for him to ask. He quickly turned around the laptop so it faced him, then began typing. "Sorry to cut our meeting short, but I don't think that girl is too well." Jack put the laptop on the table next to Sophie and turned it towards her. He didn't care if she looked around his computer, since all of his private information was written in a code that only he knew how to decode.
He walked towards the other girl(Quincey), remembering that he would need another form of communication. He checked his pockets and brought out a sketchbook. He then brought out a pencil and began writing in the notebook. His handwriting was careful and fluid, but he didn't take too much time writing. "How can I help?" He decided not to bother asking what was happening, since that would be a waste of time. He could worry about questions later. His voice would have been calm and collected, that is, if he even had a voice.
She sensed his fingers ready themselves to type more but he seemed to hold back. Strange, what did he want to say? Before she could ponder anymore about it she saw his attention was now focused somewhere else. Just as fast his fingers were hitting the keys at a rapid pace again, whilst swiftly moving to place the laptop next to her, "Sorry to cut our meeting short, but I don't think that girl is too well." She snapped her head up to see him walked towards Quin who was attempting to cool herself down.
She and Quin both worked in the infirmary and got on well. Sophie was getting more and more concerned with the pregnancy each day, no one here had ever delivered a baby and the only knowledge they had on it was from the books they had managed to find in the mall. The food and the living conditions here were far from ideal for a pregnant woman, Sophie never let Quin work too hard in the infirmary, giving her rests throughout the day to try and keep her strength up. Sophie sped out of the chair and reached her just as Jack showed her a message he had scribbled in his sketch pad.
Mommy wasn't coming to look for him, Flynn had figured it out the morning of the fourth day he was alone at the mall. Of course not, he thought bitterly, Mommy doesn't love us. She hasn't loved us since... since... always! Of course it was just the childish side of him acting out, but he didn't know that. Flynn thought he was just like every other adult, just as good as those older kids. He wasn't, but who would break a little kids heart and tell him otherwise? Since last year, it seemed like he just wanted to hurry up and grow up. Be an adult, just like everyone else. In a way, his mother had let him. Pretended to let him make the decisions, to hear his opinions and all that. It was just to please the little boy though, once he pulled the pouty face and stuck out his bottom lip, Mommy would feel bad and try and make him happy again.
He was always quite stubborn, for a child his age. Especially since he always seemed to think he was right, though half the time he wasn't. Things had to go his way, if they didn't, he would get upset. Then he would probably refuse to do anything else. It had gotten so bad once that they ended up just picking him up and carrying him, since he wouldn't get off the ground. Strangely enough, it was like a game to him. Everyone knew that a little brothers job was to aggravate the older kids, attract the attention to themselves but make sure that the others got in trouble for it, or at least that they ended up having to clean up afterwards. Though it had gotten boring after awhile, and he calmed down a bit after that. That was when he took up running out of the house and into the woods, hiding in the trees until he felt like coming back down.
Finally, he stopped bouncing up and down on the bed and settled with crossing his arms and looking unhappy. They had stuck him, a seven year old boy, in a room all by himself. And it wasn't even close to anyone elses room! He was all by himself. Arms still crossed and pouty face still present, he left his room and stomped to where he had recently seen people gathered in the social area.
Hazel's eyes sparkled as she led Elsy to the Social Area. "This is going to be awesome," she grinned. "So, tell me about yourself? Is there anything that you like to do?" It didn't take long for the two of the them to arrive at the Social Area. It was a quaint area that Hazel really enjoyed spending time in. She saw that other people were there too, but she didn't mind. Her eyes searched for Ade, but she wasn't in sight. Figures, Ade was always late.
"You want me to talk about myself?" Elsy asked Hazel. Elsy couldn't believe Hazel had just said that.... Elsy had never talked about herself to anyone.... Because Elsy had never had someone care that much about her to ask about her life. Elsy thought of what to say as they walked to the Social Area. "My favorite color is blue." Elsy said once they got there. Elsy thought it was simple to start with and they could reveal more as they became greater friends. Elsy enjoyed the idea of having a friend. "And I like to read.... It lets me escape this horrible world... Lets me think freely..." Elsy smiled shyly at Hazel.
Hazel blew her nose as woeful tears racked her body with trembles. She grabbed more tissues, wiping her puffy eyes and sniffling. Her heart went out to the characters that were soon going to face immanent death. It was sad, knowing their fates before they, themselves did. She knew that Jack-the man with the beautiful heart-was going to meet his end and that is what made her cry the most, knowing that the love between him and Rose would never prevail. They will never be married, never have children together, and never be able to say 'I love you' to one another. That was what made Hazel's heart ache and her tears flow freely. She could relate to Jack, she knew that she would never be able to have children, a family, and she didn't even know if she'd die tomorrow.
She nodded at Ade's comments in agreement. "He is perfect!" She wept, holding onto her pillow and stuffing handful after handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Why does the good die young?" She asked, wiping her eyes.
She nodded at Hazel, who was crying. She walked to her and asked:
''What's wrong sweetie?''
( sorry short post but I'm very busy at the moment )
He looked at the door, then decided to just leave to the room designated to him and the other girl. He was starting to think that this mall was harder than living alone, but then again, loneliness could be just as dangerous. He decided not to bother anyone else, and to just leave. He walked back to where his laptop was, then left with it in his hands. He made sure not to interrupt anything when he left, walking silently and efficiently. He then, went to room three,put his laptop away, and laid his body on the floor. If someone wanted him, they could find him in the room, but he doubted anyone would want him at this time of day. Unless they needed help with a job rarely anyone was skilled at. He usually went around the mall, listening to the mall's problems and trying to fix said problems. He had heard about the computers, but he quite frankly, didn't have enough time to get working on them. Perhaps he could if he had someone to help, but he doubted anyone was capable of helping.
Now that he thought about it, perhaps it would have been better if no one came to bother him, but he probably wasn't going to be that lucky.
Her envy was short-lived when she heard the sound of Ade talking and Elsy leaving. She shook her head, swatting Ade's arm. "I probably was," she said, giving her friend a scolding look. "That is a sensitive subject, Ade."
Happy with her decision she turned her attention to Hazel.
"It's just the movie making me emotional"
Sophie relaxed slightly and watched the flickering tv screen "I used to love titanic! No wonder your crying" Keira laughed it was true, Titanic could turn anyone into an emotional wreck. Turning away from the screen she glanced at the doorway, should I go find him now?
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