Delaney J. Ren's Story

Adrien

Fate was a cruel mistress. One moment, Adrien was sitting in his seat, regaling those around him with stories of his old school where he had recieved the nickname of "the Surgeon". All was going swell, and he felt like he was finding his spot in the school's society easier than usual.

And then the bus crashed.

Had it not been for the fact that Adrien compulsively stuffed his bag full of every single supply he needed for every period of every day, the bus flipping on its side and the resulting collision with the metal wall would probably have broken his arm, but the assorted books and supplies absorbed most of the impact. Didn't mean it was any less painful.

After the initial shock, Adrien recovered quickly, if "recovery" is the correct word. The EMT that dwelled deep within him activated itself once more, waking him up considerably. The rain, now turned to hail, was beating on the side windows of the bus, threatening to break through. If they were damaging the glass, human bone was at risk.

"Everyone, please, calm down!" He shouted out among his panicking schoolmates, "Calm down! Everyone, grab something hard and make your way slowly to the-"

It took Adrien a minute to notice that no one was listening, pretty much everyone trapped in their own world of fear. He grimaced. Lamb to the slaughter. Choosing instead to follow by example, Adrien grabbed his backpack, held it over his head, and began trying to maneuver between the seats and the scared teenagers to get to one of the emergency release hatches.

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The mornings were always easier on Carter. Every morning he was able to escape his reality for about an hour and be someone completely different, completely free from his life. Well, perhaps not completely free. The reason mornings were so easy for Carter was because every morning, Carter would wake up at least an hour and a half before anyone else in his house and he'd get ready for his typical morning ritual. He'd wake up before the sun was creeping over the horizon and he'd slip on his Nike's, a pair of sweats and a hoodie. He'd then tip toe his way down the stairs and out the back door that led out to the backyard from the kitchen. He hated using that front door, it was so heavy and big, all it ever did was groan loudly when someone pulled it open. This had become a ritual for Carter ever since he turned 19. He thought for sure his dad would teach him how to drive but he's never been more wrong. The Weeks may have been capable financially but even the richest of the rich weren't able to drive around leisurely like they might have been able to years ago. Daniel Weeks knew that driving was just simply out of the question for this family. So instead, he ran. Carter ran until his body nearly gave out under him, until the muscles in his legs twitched and his feet ached.

Carter wasn't the most healthy guy, mentally speaking that is. He suffered from a crippling depression and anxiety that destroyed him. So that's why he ran. He ran because it was the safest and healthiest outlet for him. He knew that if he didn't have a good way to let loose, he'd let loose on himself and others. Carter had a blindness to him when he was in a rage. The worst about it all was that it probably scared him more than it scared others. He never knew exactly when he would snap but he was terrified of the things he'd be capable of if he did. He knew his family watched over him and their shoulders for the day that Carter let loose and that saddened him. He didn't want his family to be scared by him, so he ran to let out any bottled up feelings that possessed him.

Step after step, foot in front of the other. Carter liked the way that running felt to him. The way his heartbeat slowed down, the way his body felt in sync with the rest of him, the way the wind caught his hair the way his breath slowly escaped his lungs, the calming serenity that came with running was the reason he felt okay most days. Blocks away from home, the dark still following him through the streets, the rain started to pour down. Soaked from head to toe, Carter just kept moving. With every step he took, thunder rolled. Every now and then a bolt of lightning lit up his path back home. He loved running with nothing else but the sound of nature nibbling on his ears.

Carter turned a few corners and started making his way back home. He looked at his watch which indicated he'd need to get home soon if he wanted to be showered and ready for the day before anyone else in his house got up. He sprinted the last mile to his block, then slowed down to a jog so his body could adjust. He rounded the corner of his house to the backyard, climbing the stairs to the back porch. He peeled off his wet layers, leaving him in boxer briefs. He pushed through the quiet kitchen door, B-lining to the laundry room where he plopped his wet clothes in the hamper, and made his way up to his room. He pushed the door closed behind him and locked it, before leaning against it and taking a few couple of breaths. That had been a good run, he could feel it in his bones, in the twitches of his muscle. He peeled off his briefs and stepped into the shower, heating the water as hot as he could manage. A warm shower would be necessary after a cold rain like that, to keep from getting sick.

Dressed in dark khakis, a blue button down and a pair Sperry's, Carter made his way down to the kitchen. There was 15 minutes until everyone would be up and Carter wanted to enjoy his last few minutes of serenity. He poured himself a cup of apple juice and made himself a bowl of yogurt with granola oats and fruit. He sat down to slowly eat while the world around him slowly woke up.

There was a faint ringing in Carter's ears that drowned out the sound of the chaos that began to occur around him. His mother would be running around, tights up one leg and half way down the other, two different types of shoes on her feet, her hair running wild as she looked for her paperwork for the plethora of properties that needed to be documented and sold. His father would be slowly waking up, slowly making himself and any who wanted a cup of coffee, and his sister as always would walk around the room complaining about the way life is unfair towards her and only her. Carter drowned these moments out, they were routine. These moments defined Deja Vu. He kept to his own while the world slowly escaped its fantasy and entered Carter's reality.

The ringing was gone and Carter was suddenly tossed back into a world he hated being in. He could hear his father sipping on his coffee muttering that the Network had been down last night and that it was probably due to some bugs. Daniel Weeks remembers when the Network was first being used, glitches and bugs left and right. Riley, his sister, complained that she was able to talk to Seth last night because of the outage. Sydney Weeks grumbled and moaned about the Big Brother Network and the possibility of them finally having shut down because they realized they can't run other people's lives. Carter scoffed without realizing. The Weeks, in unison, looked at the dazed boy. "So it lives," his mother joked. Carter smiled his charming smile as he came to, "Time to get you guys out huh? Let's go." The Weeks each grabbed their belongings, kissed each other goodbye for now and went on their way.

Riley and Carter climbed on the bus as it stopped in front of them and took their usual seats. Carter with Ed and their friends, Riley with a few freshmen who laughed too loudly at 7:30. The rain had only intensified from earlier that morning and the winds had begun picking up, rocking the bus. A paranoid and anxious Carter kept his eyes moving to the sites outside. The sky darkened and before anyone knew it the hail pellets were the size of golf balls, breaking through everything. The bus jolted to a violent stop and everyone's neck snapped back and forth. A couple of heads smacked against the seats and other then a few mutters, the bus was unusually silent. Carter stretched his neck out to see what was going on. Unsatisfied with the view he stood to ask what was going on. Before he could utter a word, his life slipped out from underneath him and the bus lurched forward, sending Carter to the front, all the way from the back. The bus cracked and groaned just as Carter did. He landed on the side of the bus, he noticed it was almost upside down before his vision went completely black and he passed out. The last thing he saw was his baby sister being thrown out the bus' front windshield and a black sky that was sure to swallow everyone up.

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“Edward!” He shifted in his sleep, feeling the comfort of his blankets wrap around himself firmly. And then they were gone. ”Edward Adam Wartheimer!” His mother’s voice ringed in Edward’s ears as he flipped over, groaning as she flung his blanket to a side. ”I swear to God, young man. If you don’t get out of your bed soon you will be late for school and I will be absolutely ashamed.” With that last huff, Olivia Wartheimer stomped out of Edward’s room, her high heels ringing on the hard wooden floor as she made her way to the kitchen. Groaning, Edward sat up in his bed, yawning wide before scratching his head of unruly hair. A quick glance at the time and a stretch later, Edward quickly sprang into the bathroom and got ready, checking his reflection again and again before it finally looked right. Donning a casual attire, Edward nodded at himself one last time- while fixing a runaway curl- before heading down. Gobbling his breakfast down, Edward rushed around the large white table and placed a quick kiss on his mother’s cheek before rushing out of the door to catch the bus. “Edward!” Stopping in the tracks of lacing his shoelaces, Edward looked up as his mother came to sit down beside him, a small smile on her face. “Your father will come home today. You try to get back early, okay?” Her smile faltered as Edward turned away, immediately returning back to angrily lacing his shoelaces. “I’ve got training today. I’ll be back late.” Without a second word, Edward bounded out of the house with duffle-bag in hand and backpack slung on one shoulder, an angry look stuck permanently on his face as he reached the bus stop.

For heaven’s sake- when will mum ever learn. He thought, kicking the tips of his shoes on the ground as he leaned against the large gate that surrounded the perimeters of his house grounds. It’s not like he’ll ever give a shit about us. Huffing, Edward ruffled his hair as he turned to spot the bus driving up the road. As the bus came to a stop, Edward pushed himself off against the gate and nodded jovially at the bus driver whom he knew well. “Morning, Edward.” The man grunted, shutting the door behind Edward as he got on. “Mornin’, James.” Edward replied as he turned, gave the man a low high-five and walked to his usual seat in the center of the bus, smiling and grinning at the few occupants that were on the bus. Edward was always one of the earlier stops to get on school buses due to the distance from the center of the city Edward’s family mansion was built. It didn’t matter much for Edward at least- it was just that he had to get up a bit earlier than other people. But by now Edward was already used to falling asleep wherever and whenever he needed to, and the boy did just that as he sat down and placed his backpack on his lap while his duffle-bag lay behind his feet on the floor. As the large, imposing gates of his house flew past, Edward’s eyes slowly drooped until he was deep in slumber once again.

But soon enough, Edward was awake again as Delaney and the rest of his crew got on the bus. Large smile on his face, he started talking animatedly with his friends as they chatted about the upcoming game, laughing with confidence as they were sure that they were going to take down the other school. It was obvious, though- Edward’s school was one of repute and had one of the best generations of athletes attending right now. The trophy was definitely in their reach. In the middle of their raucous chatting, Edward allowed his eyes to flicker up once before going back to his friends as the bus neared Oliver’s stop- but as Ollie entered the bus, Edward made no indication of recognition whatsoever. The only thing he did was laugh at the crude joke a friend said, fixing his scarf a bit as they continued on with their earlier discussion of sports. However, their discussion wouldn’t last long. Looking up at the ceiling as thunks sounded on it, Edward looked up quizzically before turning around to peer out of the window, his brows scrunching together as he watched hail pound down from the turbulent sky that had been bright just a few seconds ago.

Then, everything went out of control. Out of reflex, Edward quickly grabbed onto the seat in front of him as his other arm went around Delaney, trying to keep her as close to him as possible as the bus skidded around- but as the world turned around, his arm let her go. ”Delaney!” Trying to keep himself anchored to the chair in front of him, Edward tried to look around him frantically but could not find her anywhere. His other arm let go as the bus flipped on it’s back, causing Edward to fall onto what once was the ceiling of the car, a groan leaving him as his back collided against the hard surface. “Delaney? Babe?” He called out, groaning as he pushed himself off of the metal surface, back bruised and battered as he sat up, grimacing as he tried to look around. Cries and sniffles sounded from around as the other students started to panic, their eyes wide with fear as they tried to look around at their surroundings. Rubbing his back, Edward looked left and right for Delaney as a boy stood up at the back, trying to calm everyone to no avail. This will not do. Standing up, Edward checked if all of his friends were alright before standing up himself, thankful that he had not landed on his duffle-bag or backpack as he picked them off from the ground, wincing slightly as his back cracked grotesquely from bending over. But before Edward could look for Delaney, a voice caught his attention, causing him to turn around and glare at the boy he knew to be called Adrien.

“Help me get this open!” The boy ordered. But Edward ignored him as he helped his friends up one by one before rounding onto the other members in the bus, annoyed with how Adrien had rudely “commanded” him. If Adrien had asked kindly then, well, the whole thing would have been a different story. Rounding on Oliver, Edward extended a hand the thought of Adrien and Delaney almost completely washed away with relief and anxiousness as he looked down at the other boy. But he would not allow these emotions to show- he couldn't. “You alright?” He asked, not looking down at him as he looked left and right, sighing as he waited for Oliver to take his out-stretched hand or leave it. It was obvious Oliver would not take his hand. Clenching it into a fist, Edward looked away as he let out a shaky sigh, allowing his hand to fall to his side as he set off once again, his eyes scouring through the students for Delaney. "Delaney?" His eyes moving left and right, Edward moved along slowly until he finally noticed her, throwing his duffle-bag aside as he rushed up to her. "Hey," Edward muttered, kneeling down beside her as he helped her up, a look of worry and concern on his face, "You okay, baby?" Sighing, Edward ruffled his hair as he looked up and down, hoping that nothing too bad had happened to her when he had accidentally let her go. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to catch you..." Guilt laced through his face as the hand he held her with strengthened its hold before loosening up once again. "I'm so sorry..."

Virgis woke up groaning at 6:00 A.M. He smacked his hand on his dresser and a lamp fell off it, as he looked for the snooze button. Finally, he rolled out of bed and unplugged his alarm. He hated alarms, because he can't ever have an excuse to be late for school. He was up until 2 because a new club opened in town and he and some friends snuck in. he sighed as he put on a shirt, looking back on all the fun things they did last night. He heard his parents fighting, yelling at each other over everything. He blocked it out and got in the shower. In the shower he couldn't hear anything and lost track of time, just tuning the world out. The next thing he knew it was 7:00. He quickly opened the shower door and slipped and fell out, and quickly got up, brushed his teeth and hair, got dressed, brushed hair again, slipped again, and ran down the stairs. He ignored his mom crying because he couldn't do anything about that, or else he'd be yelled at. He turned the t.v. up loudly and got out some cheerios. Cheerios always cheered him up. Heh, cheerios... Cheer... He laughed at his own jokes and realized he'd been eating for 10 minutes and only got 3 bites. He tried to quickly snarf it all down. He watched some recorded television, even though most people used their tablets. He preferred old fashion television. He wore a red and green striped plaid Flannel button up shirt with and light brown cargo shorts. He looked at his tablet, which still wasn't working. He really wanted to post his milk moustache on social media but he couldn't since the network was down. Well, he just hoped it would get working soon.

He put away his cheerios and sighed as his father slammed the door and drove away. His mother went into their room crying and Virgis sighed. He was tired of this routine, every day, every night. People wonder why he parties so much, but it's not like he can tell them it's because his father is having an affair and is always drunk and yelling at him and his mom. So he just parties. He doesn't do sports or study all day. That'd take active parents or quiet parents. He doesn't have either. So he goes out with friends. He forgets everything about his life, grabs some friends, and does crazy things, dangerous things, and fun things. Virgis knows every awesome place in the town and even out of the town. He knows lots of the alcohol stashes, best clubs, and places to party. He's in on the all the places and times people meet and is at all of them. If he never has to be home it's like home isn't a problem, so he never is. Then every Thursday he rushes to the library to cram out all of his last minute homework he neglected to do. That is his life. Oh and then there's school.

Virgis gets on his shoes and rushes out the door to the bus stop. He stands there and realizes he forgot his backpack. he runs back inside and gets it and runs back out just as the bus stops. He hops on in and goes to sit down in the middle of the bus. Some people are talking about the crazy club last night. Virgis joins in on talking about it, laughing loudly. They had a lot of fun, danced a lot, and did some ridiculous things. As everyone was talking Virgis noticed the crazy hail. It was hitting hard. He'd heard of some freak storms with big hail, that could even break windows, but he never had experienced something like that.

Virgis neglected to notice that it got worse as he went back to talking. He was so into talking about last night he didn't even feel the jerk. The world just went black. He woke up laying in what he thought was the row, but then he saw the bus was turned over. He had a terrible headache and his ear was bleeding. Everyone around him was screaming and Virgis was struggling to get up. He somehow managed to pull himself up, which was actually easier than getting out of his bed. He ached everywhere, and then he saw a body outside. He gagged and looked away. then he saw Carter pinned and yelling for help.

Virgis wasn't too strong but he thought he might be able to help, considering Carter really did need it. Virgis stumbled over to Carter and said, "Okay I'll help you get out! Push on three!"
Virgis grips the seat, bending down. "One... Two... Three!"
Virgis pushes with all his might, trying to get the seat off.

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The bus groaned underneath everyone as each one picked themselves up and helped someone else. With every step, the bus would creek. They needed to get themselves to safety otherwise they'd all end up hurt, or worse. Carter's eyes continued to frantically search for the help that didn't seem to ever arrive.

He groaned and turned, trying to slip out from underneath the chair. Seconds later, the help he wanted came. A guy he knew to be Virgil? Virgin? V-something and a girl, Tallia, came over and looked him in the eyes. "I'll help you out. Push on three." With profound desperation in his eyes, Carter nodded and on the count of three, Carter pushed with everything he had in him, yelling as loudly as he could while he pushed.

With a great heave on both sides, the chair slowly moved off his body. Carter laid on the ground for a quick second, trying to hold onto that last breath that nearly escapes him. "Thank you. Thank you." He breathlessly cried. He propped himself up and creeped through the broken windshield to the girl who laid broken on the ground. He was getting beat by hail but he didn't really care. He needed to see who the girl was. He couldn't see his sister inside the bus.

The panic came back, invading his gut. He could feel an emptiness deep inside his stomach. There were tears on his cheeks before he even reached the girl. Her dirty blonde hair out of her face and that last breath that he was hidden somewhere in his lungs escaped quickly. Carter began hyperventilating and screaming, "No. No. Please God, no." Carter couldn't seem to catch his breath but his knees grew weak and he fell to the ground. The girls face was scratched and broken. Her cheek swollen from where her face smacked the pavement.

Carter's hand shook violently as he reached out to grab her. He cried as he pulled her body onto her legs. "I'm so sorry. Riles I'm sorry." He whispered to the lifeless girl. The hail pellets grew more aggressive. If Carter didn't move into shelter, he'd end up dead too. But he didn't show signs of moving. He needed to be pulled away by force.

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Virgis stretched his arms out, aching from lifting the seat. "That seat is heavy, we should try a window or door!"
Virgis looks around. He realizes they don't have much time to get out of the bus. Everyone is panicking. He can tell if he gets a door open and announces it, everyone will freak out. He sighs and looks at his options. He could try to get the main door open, a window open, an emergency door, or the hatch. He goes for the emergency door. He looks around one last time, knowing people will get hurt. He yanks open the emergency door and alarms blare in everyone's ear. He stumbles out for a second is get's pelted with hail, and he stumbles back in.

He yells to everyone, "We're going to have to make a break for it! We run into that building!"
The hail is so bad he knows if they don't leave soon they will all die. That means they will have to leave people behind. Virgis gulps and looks towards the door.

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Virgis jumped when Adrien came to. At least he didn't punched him. Virgis had been punched before and did not like it. So Virgis was about to say his name but then people came and well... Yeah. It wasn't the worst group of people but he didn't know very many of them well besides Delaney and the twins a bit. He was about to go out because some of his friends were in there, and maybe he could... Then the bus completely was demolished. So Virgis just stood there. Staring.

His friends. Some of his best friends. he had just been out with them last night. People that actually liked him not just because he could have a good time. They were... Dead. The windows smashed, the roof being beat down, and he remembered people crushed by seats. their friends wouldn't leave them, and were in shock. So people were crushed and dead or slowly dying while the others sat there screaming or staring blankly while they were waiting for the inevitable death. They would be pound to death. People under seats would starve or bleed to death. Then there was Virgis. Who stood there and knew it happened.

He bent over and nearly hurled, and choked back some tears. I mean this wasn't a movie. This wasn't his dad yelling at him. This wasn't his mom crying. this definitely wasn't a math test, popularity competition, a fight, or a game. This was us and the dead people. It was the mother nature and it's victims. We were the only ones who would survive. People might think some of those guys still have a chance... But they don't. They will all die. Ever single one of them.

Virgis just kept thinking about it until he heard someone yell his name. He was suddenly snapped back into reality, and understood. He knew a lot about medicine, so he ran to the pharmacy, as fast as he could once the doors were open. Some people had cuts so he quickly grabbed wraps, bandages, gauze pads, and those kinds of things. He knew some cuts would need stitches and some cuts would need cleaning, so he grabbed some peroxide, needles, and a tiny towel to bite. Then he found some painkillers and some medicine to reduce fevers just in case. he couldn't carry much more, so he got two blankets, some ice packs, and some anti-nausea pills because some people could not stop puking, and he did not want to puke because of them puking.

So Virgis hurried back to the group as fast as he could, without dropping everything. He knew some people could be hurt bad, so he tried to do his best. People needed him. In school it's not like that, people are mean... But right now, right here, defines the truth of who you are. What people did now showed their true colors. So Virgis made it back where everyone was and set the supplies on a table.

Virgis sighed with relief once people got up. He looked at what he had. Well, Adrien's head was losing blood...
Virgis grabbed a roll of gauze and kneeled by Adrien. Virgis said, "Wow.. that's lots of blood... this might hurt a bit..." Virgis started trying to wrap the gauze around adrien's head, because he had the most blood there. then he handed Adrien the pain killers, and an ice pack.

So, after that was done Virgis went over to Jen with the blanket. "Here. You're going to need this." Deciding that he'd best just get out of everyone's way now, he just walked away. He needed a break from all of this. He couldn't stop thinking about everyone dying. Surely this was on the news. The news... He remembered some stories recently. Norad spill, gang war, nyan cat revamp. What the heck was nyan cat? Anyways Virgis expected all of those stories to be squashed.

He went to the media and electronics department and look through the tabs. None connected. That was not reassuring. Then he found one of the t.v.'s and messed around with it, turned it on, and switched to the news...

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The group was well into the lobby to be safe from the hail impaling everything else outside, at least for now that was. If paid attention to closely and silent, the sound of the golf ball sized hail pellets could be heard beating on the roof, the walls, the sidewalks and anything else that stood in its path just outside the glass doors. Those thin glass doors are the only thing that separated the group and their immanent doom. They needed to get to real safety otherwise they'd end up like the kids on the bus.

Things were starting to calm down, at least in Carter's head it was. It was starting to hit him that his sister was dead. Gone. Forever. He was supposed to protect her and he failed. He didn't even know it was her at first. He tried to hard to remember what she had on that morning but his mind wouldn't focus. How could he not remember what his own sister had walked out of the house wearing this morning?

The teenager had sat himself down against a pillar in the lobby. He ducked his face into his hands and the image of his sisters swollen face and broken body flashed across his eyelids. He held onto his tears. He looked back up at the small group in front of him and took a deep breath and let it out. His stomach grumbled simultaneously.

Carter knew that their time was limited. Tallia was right though. If they planned to stay here more than a fee hours it was time to crack open the perishables and start a feast. With his knees against his chest and his arms dangling over his knees Carter looked at Tallia. "She's right. We need to get the perishables. If not eat them then stick them somewhere cold enough to last us however long we're stuck in this shithole for."

Carter had no intention to take a leadership position here but someone had to do it and he sure as hell didn't want that Adrien guy doing it. Besides, when it came to being a leader, Carter was a bit more gentle about it than Adrien seemed to be. He stood to his feet, "Edward, and Delaney, come with me. We'll go look for food. Tallia and Oliver, you two stay here and tend to the injured. Virgis, you look for anymore medical instruments or possibly a phone. We need to find a way out of here." Carter took off walking, hoping people would move in the way he had hoped, but he didn't want to turn around and get bombarded with rejection. He was going to do what he had to to get out, if no one wanted to follow than that was their problem. Carter was getting out alive.

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Virgis wasn't paying attention. He was looking at the t.v. Their town wasn't on the news... The storm was messing with the connection. So for now he'd only get parts of the story. He could tell it was on a loop... It wasn't like the storm was getting better so Virgis decided he would stay until he could figure out at least part of the message. He heard Colorado... Maybe some other city? Then he heard the voice get urgent. He heard NORAD spill... Compounds? Dangerous... Colorado again... NORAD bio-something... Then he heard the magic words even though it was all scary. Quarintine. Colorado. Stay indoors.

Virgis just stared at the screen. He wanted to scream. Hadn't they been through enough! Hadn't he been through enough? They just lost all of their friends, some of them were bruised badly, coughing up blood, and they were all traumatized... Virgis wasn't traumatized because he was used to things like that... Though... This was ridiculous. He couldn't get a break! NORAD SPILL! A NORAD SPILL! BIO-CRAP! Now they had to board up the doors, windows, and not mourn the people they just lost. Virgis probably would've smashed the t.v. with a baseball bat if he didn't have to warn the others.........

So he sat up with a pale look on his face, trying to compose whatever he had left. He was good at that, he did it every day. he started walking over to the group and then jogging. "GUYS! There was a NORAD bio spill or something, I saw it on the t.v. We have to get the windows and doors open! There's like some kind of chemical mushroom cloud or explosion I don't know something is coming! The whole state is in quarantine! We need tape, staples, wood, plasters, anything!"
Virgis is full on panic mode for now. They could all die from chemicals. Or they could just like make him get cancer or something. Whatever it is they are dangerous.