The Silver Death

chapter six - juvenile deliquents

We all climb out of the back. I put my bike by the fence, next to the gate. Vale makes sure to lock the van, and then shoves the keys deep into the pocket of his jeans. I put my pistol into my holster and stare up at the building in front of us. It looks like a very nice school, walls made of glass, fancy marble staircases, stylish furnishings inside. Of course, this must have been before the outbreaks. Since then, the previously impeccable walls have been smeared with dirt and fingerprints alike, the glass broken and stained in some places, along with a few red stains on the marble stairs that look like someone tried to clean away, but gave up. Two sets of chain-link fences surround the place, with curls of barbed wire accenting the top, along with a tall stone guard tower. I wonder why such a school needs these fences, and a guard tower. It's like a prison. Perhaps a juvenile delinquent center?

Two people approach us out of said guard tower. One is a girl, short, stocky like me, with bright blonde hair in a pixie cut and heavily lined, severe brown eyes. I immediately take a disliking to her, naming her Revlon, the brand of eyeliner my mom used to love. Who takes the time to do makeup in the apocalypse? The other is much taller, with neat golden hair in a crew cut, flushed cheeks, but with sad blue eyes that he can't seem to take off Revlon. He does look up at us, noting our presence, but then shifts his gaze back to the back of her hair. Poor Crew Cut. He must really like her, but unfortunately, she ignores him with no hesitation.

Edward nods at both of them, gesturing to us. "They have information about Avery." I move my hand to try to put them at ease. Previously, it was resting, seemingly innocent, on my .9, but I knew these people were too smart to miss something like that.

Revlon nods, and her gaze rests on Matthew for just a second too long. He awkwardly looks away, but by that time she has turned around and began opening a gate. Matthew and I follow Edward, Emily and Vale through as Revlon and Crew Cut close the gate after us. I look up at the doors we are about to walk through. Dirty, spiderwebbed glass with sterling silver handles, very unremarkable, but something above the doors catches my eye.

J TI Y CO G OF B O GY A D GE E CS

Most of the letters are gone, but I suspect it was a sign. Edward sees me looking and gives me an unnecessarily hard shove with the stock of my rifle. I turn back to briefly glare at him, but then turn around and push through the doors.

Vale and Emily lead us down a short hallway, wide and open like hospital hallways, up a set of stairs, around a large balcony, up another set of stairs, and then they abruptly stop at one of those bathrooms that boys go down one side and girls down the other, with the water fountain in the middle. The fountains are rusted, along with the two signs saying, respectively, MEN and WOMEN.

"Here you will shower." Vale turns to speak to us. "Showers shut off after five minutes. There should be a large stock of community shampoo, conditioner and body and face wash. Don't use too much. There sh0uld be clothes for you to change into as well, we will wash the ones you're wearing. One towel per person."

The three turn to leave, but Edward in particular doesn't get very far. "Edward!" cuts in a voice. A slim, pretty girl is sprinting down the stairs and down the hall, blonde curly hair bouncing in her wake. Even though she appears fairly tall, she is dwarfed next to Edward, who nevertheless picks her up and spins her around, laughing. An odd couple, but in spite of that I find myself smiling.

Vale and Emily are smiling too, but Vale still addresses us as strangers. "Meet us in the cafeteria for a lunch. It's down both sets of stairs, and the big gap to the left. It's my understanding you have canned food and water, yes?"

I hesitantly nod, throwing down my pack. I hand them all the cans they can carry, but subtly hide a can of pears and a can of pineapples underneath my change of clothes. The pears I'll eat in case they backstab us, but the pineapples I'm saving for my brother.