Chapter 9: Dawn of Eclipse. Part 2

Dawn of Eclipse. Part 2

"...Please take the injured to the next room. You'll all have special permission this time, but please wear these masks and avoid approaching them too close."

"Jasmine, I won't take another step until I know what's going on here" Chase exclaimed uneasily.

"I said, take the injured to the room! Is that clear?"

Seeing that reaction coming from the nurse for the first time, the boy just gritted his teeth and did as he was told, snatching one of the white masks she reluctantly offered him.

"Tsk..."

Each uninjured individual gave their part without further complaint. They carried the injured foreigners on their shoulders to the next room. This one wasn't as spacious as the previous one, but it could accommodate the required number.

Immediately, the students left the hallway, leaving only Brawell and Alon with the former passengers inside the room.

They found a seat on a bench facing the door. The nurse leaned against the wall and let out a deep sigh.

"I have to treat those people, so I'll be brief with you," she clarified, resting from carrying supplies on a wooden shelf attached to the wall.

Chase, Earlene, and Jevo removed their masks and settled in better to listen attentively.

"...About an hour ago, the director banned patient visits, and as expected, there have been complaints about it."

Chase, tired of repeating it, looked her in the eye and simply got to the point.

"...What's wrong with them?"

"Yes, they're alive, Termiane. However, their condition was the reason I recommended isolating them. They've been like this for over two hours..."

"W-Why aren't they moving?" Earlene hesitated.

"It must be because they're weakened, that's all I can deduce at the moment. None of them have woken up since they collapsed… They're showing symptoms of a high fever, constant mydriasis, swollen capillaries, and their pulse, along with their breathing, are abnormal. Even if it were the flu, I'm worried that I haven't received any answers from them yet, not to mention that some symptoms are unusual under that perception…" The woman crossed her arms, meditatively.

"And you're unable to confirm it in a hospital, aren't you?" Jevo commented.

"…”

"Leaving that aside, what else has happened in the last two weeks?"

"Two weeks ago… I'm not really sure, or rather, there isn't much to go on… You were on the school trip during that time, right?"

"Yes…" Chase stated angrily. "A stupid trip to the Acracia Mountains. They even forced us to bathe in rivers like animals… That trip cut us off from reality, and now, as you'll see, we're paying the consequences."

"Maybe it was for the best..."

"Heh. What good could have come of it? Tell me."

"If you had completed the trip, you would probably find the city in a more stable state, but it's still fortunate you didn't stay here when it all began."

"Don't be silly, Jazmin. We wouldn't have finished it even if we wanted to."

"Watch your tongue, Chase Termiane! Unbelievable... And what's the reason for that response?"

"There was a plane crash," Jevo responded immediately.

"An accident...?"

"That's right, Jazmi—Miss Jazmin. Those people we brought with you were the ones who were present at the catastrophe... Regarding what you said earlier, I'm afraid I must contradict you. Nothing guaranteed that the current situation would improve... In fact, according to our colleagues, this is just beginning."

"Miss Jazmin... Is it true that... the world is at war? Is it for real this time?" Earlene murmured as she drew her knees together.

The woman took a few seconds to gather her thoughts before answering.

"...No one could give you that kind of information with certainty."

"Umm... In that sense, you're not helping us much..." Jevo gave a small, forced smile.

Stressed, Chase ran a hand through his hair and stood up. Throwing the mask to the ground, he prepared to leave.

"You're not that good at being useful, are you? ...What a useless source of information you've turned out to be, Miss."

"Have more respect! I'm only saying what I know!" she replied.

"Please calm down," Jevo chimed in. "We're just asking that you make an effort to remember. There must be something else you know that could guide us."

"...What exactly is it you want to know, Jevo? Hurry up."

The woman sighed, holding her forehead, and Chase stopped walking instantly.

"Anything you can tell us to be up to date, or the most relevant part of it," Jevo asked.

"There's not much of a distinction between what you've seen and what you're seeing now. It all happened suddenly... Although... maybe there's something..."

"What could that something be?" Chase asked, looking at the woman over her shoulder.

"The television broadcast..."

"Hm?"

"Yes. It took place a little over a week ago. If you didn't witness it, it probably happened after you left," the woman clarified.

“...”

“I... I don't remember the details, but they evidently implied that the world alliances had formally declared a state of war. That was the last transmission. Even if we turned on a television now and tuned every channel, we'd see nothing but static. It was abrupt and unexpected... But why hesitate? After these last few years of unresolved conflict, I suppose it was inevitable...”

“That's what we've thought…”

“Ultimately, it's an ambiguous statement, even if it doesn't seem so. But it's also the most useful thing you've said so far,” Chase said, “(isn't there more? ... Tch...).”

“...That's all I've learned. So if you'll excuse me…” The young nurse pushed herself away from the wall and resumed stocking the supplies on the shelf “We still have no signal, but basic services are still working, so don't leave the Institute; it's dangerous. Wait inside until your parents come for you. Or… maybe they're among the people in the field, just refrain from mentioning that I let you in, please.”

"Whatever you say... We already know what Manecia's like. So as far as I'm concerned, I'll go to the restroom right now. I've been holding it in for hours since the accident." Chase craned his neck and resumed his retreat.

"Oh, I'll come with you."

"Don't even think I'll let you in with me, Earlene. They divide the restrooms for a reason, you know."

"Of course not. I just needed to go too," the blonde girl complained.

After watching them walk away, Jevo stood up, placed the supplies he was carrying on the same shelf, and turned to the nurse.

"...Is there anything else I can do to help? I think I have some free time... Maybe we can…"

"You know it’s not the time, dear. But thank you for helping. This is the infirmary's job, after all." The woman smiled kindly at him and picked up the supplies. "By the way, where are your other companions? I heard from other teachers that more than just one class would be participating in the field trip... Couldn't they have been...?”

"Don't worry, none of us were injured in the accident. They... were traveling behind us, but they decided to skip the school and go straight home."

"Oh, that's good to know. I was very worried about all of you, especially..."

The young woman shifted her gaze to the young man, a look with a hint of persuasion. Jevo shrank back, unable to maintain eye contact.

"U-Uhm... Especially...?"

"JEVO!"

"Gsk!" An unexpected noise intervened behind the boy, who immediately jumped.

The girl he had seen in the open field minutes before was now behind him, smiling widely at his sudden expression.

She was carrying a plastic bag in her hands, swinging it from side to side.

"Uh, Rousset."

"I see you've got something to do, Deems," Jazmin said, returning to the infirmary and closing the door behind him.

Jevo let out a deep sigh, returning to the bench. He crossed both his arms and legs.

"Woah... Jevo, you're as cheerful as ever," the new young woman said sarcastically, collapsing into the seat next to him.

"(Of all people... What a day...)"

-[Ø]-

3:27 pm

Each of them left their respective restrooms feeling satisfied.

"You still look stuffed, Earlene. Maybe you needed to shit a little more, ha ha ha... Uh," the boy commented as he tucked his light blue T-shirt into his pants. He was about to readjust his cap but remembered he'd forgotten it on the bus.

"...You should stop saying things like that, Chase. I'm a girl, in case you forgot."

"Oh... I see, so what?"

“…”

Both students headed to the side of the place, into the school cafeteria.

They swished their hands through the water, drying them on their uniforms, and began to snoop around the stall behind the counter.

At first glance, it was clear it was empty, but they continued their search anyway.

“Nothing… nothing… And more nothing!” the boy repeated, frustrated, searching every dusty compartment and shelf to no avail.

“Chase! Look! I found something. But… should we take this for free?” Earlene announced, poking her head out from behind a piece of furniture.

“I doubt anyone cares about that right now.”

She approached him and placed a small box of cheap candy in his hands. He let out a short laugh as he watched it spill out in a sticky ball that didn’t even cover the entire palm.

"Ha ha, is this all there is?"

"Um... it seems so, but maybe there's something else..."

"For real. Nothing we can take with us, uh."

"Chase, aren't we staying here to wait for our parents? Like Miss Jazmin said," Earlene asked, taking a piece of the candy ball from the boy's hands.

He leaned his hip against the counter, supporting himself with his elbows tucked in, while she climbed up and sat on the glass without fear of it breaking.

"Use your head. I don't care what she said, I wouldn't be crazy to consider staying caged here for who knows how long..." The boy took a bite to finish the candy all at once.

Then he glanced down at the tiny stream in the bushes, still grumbling.

"Tch, you go out of city for a couple of weeks and come back to find the world in shambles… Seriously"

"Well, it could be worse (and it's not like it's that different)."

"Are you listening to yourself? This is the worst day ever."

"…Sorry, I wasn't paying much attention."

"…And I just wanted to get home and turn on my PS9… Wouldn't you have liked that too? Like old times. I'd even agree to treat that cheeky Doger like I used to… Now all I want to do is pass out on a bed." Chase sighed.

"Ah, that sounds good," the girl added with a misplaced smile.

He turned to look at her, displeased by her relaxed expression.

" "You don't look worried at all right now (I understand innocence, but I guess even it has its limits...) What about your father?"

"Hmm, as you know, we live in a rural area waaaay away from here, and he taught me to survive on my own, so... he knows I can take care of myself. I don't think I need to see him now... And you?"

"Heh, I have to endure that whiny old woman's babble every day... Always threatening to kick me out of the house as if those were the only words she knew. She must be dancing with happiness right now because I'm gone."

"I... I don't think so. She treated me very well when I visited."

"She's always like that when visitors come over. But you don't really know her, Earlene. There wasn't a single day that went by that she didn't complain about something. Damn... If that happens to you, it's logical to accept that something is wrong in your life... Anyway, I'm curious to know how those idiots are doing," Chase quickly changed the subject.

"Ah! Do you think Doger and the others are okay?"

"How should I know? ...Don’t twist my words. I only said I was curious, not that I was worried about them. If something horrible happened to them, they'd have brought it on themselves."

"Don't say things like that... Chase... It's bad..."

Suddenly, he noticed the change in mood on her face.

A brief silence lasted before Chase left the counter.

"The sweets didn't take away my hunger like they say. We'd better get back to the bus. Of course, hoping you left something to eat."

"If I ate that much, I'd get sick... Huh?"

"What?"

The girl was stepping down from the window when she glimpsed a tall, dark figure in the distance. She recognized it almost instantly.

"That person over there... Isn't that Professor Henroy? Our professor?" She pointed with her index finger, a doubtful expression on her face.

To be continued…