Chapter 16

Despite my particular affinity for the term, by morning I was pretty sick of the storm still raging outside the window. Whispers circulated through the office about being part of a hurricane. The whispers of small floods and sparse power outages suddenly became real news of mass blackouts and widespread flood damage. Cell phones began dying, fully charged laptops losing battery completely. The office girls were whispering loudly outside the door of AJ's office, exchanging rumors and stories of phone conversations with family members who still had power. Soon enough, the phone lines were rendered useless, most likely destroyed by the flying branches.

It was not long before most everyone in the office had migrated to the cafeteria areas on every fourth floor. Some tried to keep order, carefully rationing out the food with the foods earliest to expire going first, and the nonperishable items being stored for later. Other cafes were in a state of chaos, with employees grabbing and hoarding as much food as they could, already beginning to fight over what little shares they had claimed.

Overnight, the building had turned from a, as the saying goes, "well-oiled machine" to what was practically a battle, where every man and woman fought for themselves.

It was odd, really, seeing everyone go crazy. But it was equally understandable. My fear weighed heavily on my chest, to the point where it was nearly suffocating. It was not fear of the storm, or of the lack of supplies or the pandemonium of the office. It was simply fear of the unknown; how long the storm would last, how we would survive, how we could possibly get out of this alive with everyone turning on each other.

I was pacing back and forth, counting again and again from ten to one. Anything to feel relaxed, anything to calm myself down. None of it worked.

"Will you stop that?!" AJ exploded, firmly placing his hands on my shoulders. "Please, Kev, you're freaking me out. I can't decide what to do with you making me so nervous!"

"Sorry, I'll just... go outside. In the hallway, I mean. I can't go outside, it's raining, I'll..." I somehow managed to wander out the door, hyper aware of the strange looks I received from workers that were not concerned with finding materials for spare wicks or guarding their food from the savage claws of others. I did my best to keep my head down, to refrain from returning their stares. With the way things were going, aggravating any one of them would have been extremely dangerous.

Eventually, I came up to the balcony that I had found on my first day of work. Staring through the clear panes of the glass door, I was appalled. There was not a bit of blue sky to be seen. My wonderful cotton candy clouds had morphed into one dark, ominous mass. The rain poured down in sheets, with no particular angle to them; the drops simply fell at random, flying every which way. There was no birdsong, no sound of the city below. All of the beautiful potted plants were drenched, torn to shreds, or had been thrown against a wall and smashed to bits. I couldn't see the bench at all.

Some rather sadistic part of me nearly opened the door and stepped out, but the little bit of reason still within me had forced my hand to a halt. I looked down, saw my fingers, turned white from clutching the doorknob. For a fleeting second, it did not feel like my hand. I saw everything from a different view, the girl in rumpled clothing and tangled hair on the verge of throwing herself into the storm. I pitied the girl, pitied her for being so run-down, so lost, that she would consider stepping out into that hurricane, risk getting smacked by a flying clay pot. I nearly stepped forward, nearly tried to pull her away, when the horrible truth jolted me from my reverie: I was that girl, and I was about to be an idiot.

I swiftly tore my hand from the knob, eyes growing wide. I was no longer tortured by my fear of the unknown; instead, the weight on my chest transformed into fear of myself. I was struck by how odd that seemed, that of all things which might cause my destruction, I myself was the most dangerous, the most likely and most willing (in some instances, at least) to inflict perilous damage. This fear sent me dashing back to AJ's office, where all I could do to run away from myself was hide beneath a blanket on the couch.

"Kev?" AJ called gently. "Are you okay?"

Still at odds with myself, and, at that point, perhaps even my sanity, I shook my head.

"Can you tell me what's wrong?"

Again, I shook my head. How could I say that I was afraid of myself? How could I make him understand that, of all the forces in the world, the one that held the most power over me was... well, me?

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

For the third time, I shook my head. He sighed, obviously yearning to admit defeat. Yet still, he tarried on.

"Is there anyone else that could help?"

"No," I managed to choke out.

"And why is that?"

"I..." what was there to say? That I didn't think I could trust anyone? That I barely trusted myself now?

"Weren't you ever curious about what was in the locket?" he asked suddenly. His mention of Ted's story intrigued the now more sane side of me, and I began nodding vigorously. "I'll read it to you," he chuckled, obviously glad to have a positive response. I heard him remove the necklace, listened for the tiny metal click signaling that the locket had been opened. He inhaled deeply, paused, and began reading. "Happiness is like a crystal, fair and exquisite and clear..." The poem was... soothing. It spoke of a brighter side of life, one where happiness meant having enough, not having everything.

"Who's it by?" I asked timorously when AJ had finished reading.

"Her name is Priscilla Leonard."

"It was pretty." AJ hummed in agreement. I poked my head out from beneath the blanket, some of the weight of my fear lifted by the poem. "Why didn't we know?" I asked suddenly.

"Know what?"

"About the storm. Isn't that what weather men are for?"

"I think what happened is that it either went off course or they had no idea it would be this intense," he sighed.

"Did you hear about it at all?"

"I'd heard they were tracking one, but the last time I saw anything about it, it was further away. I never thought it would reach here."

I found his explanation equally acceptable and understandable, and so once more allowed a silence to exist in the air between us.

Mere moments later, screams erupted from the hallway. AJ stood stiffly, as though forcing himself to remain calm. He slowly made his way to the door, stepping out in as collected a manner as he could muster. Despite the fact that his presence generally commanded order and attention, the screaming continued. I could hear his voice faintly from inside. "Calm down... not a big deal... plenty for everyone..." Yet still, the screams continued. Finally, he lost his temper. "EVERYBODY SHUT UP!"

A stillness, more than a silence, drifted over the employees.

"I know everything looks bad right now, but I promise, it will get better. Right now we have plenty of food for everyone to share, so let's be civilized about this, okay? You." I envisioned him pointing to a nearby, wide-eyed worker. "I'm putting you in charge of rationing. You're good at math, right?"

"Y-yes sir," the timid man said.

"Figure out how much food we have and how many people it can feed for three days."

"Three, sir?"

"Yes, three. If we're not out of this by then, we'll figure something out. Got it? You!" he must have been pointing at a second employee. "You're the one with all those bodyguard jobs on your resume, correct?"

"Yes sir!" came a woman's voice.

"Okay. You are in charge of maintaining order. Get a group of people together, and make sure no one fights anymore." He inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and continued to speak. "I am trusting everyone to maintain some semblance of decorum while we figure this all out. We're all in this together, so we need to pull through it together. Got it?"

"Yes, sir," came a chorus of voices. I envisioned him nodding, that stern yet still somehow caring look pasted on his face. The door opened and he stepped in, leaving a frightened silence in his wake.

“Thank you,” I muttered, glad to be rid of the frightening screams. I was proud of him for taking charge like that. For one fleeting moment, he was my knight in shining armor; he was slowly becoming the very embodiment of my character Drew, the knight who earned his title. Soon after I finished thinking this, I was once more overcome by that fear I had been so tortured by, the fear of the unknown. “What will happen in three days, AJ?” I asked softly.

“By now, people will know about the hurricane. With any luck, by tomorrow, they’ll send help.” He ran his fingers through his hair in exasperation. “If they don’t…” he froze, looked at me, forcing my eyes to meet his with the strength of his gaze. “Do you trust me?”

I was nearly haunted by those words. They were the words I had said to AJ in my pathetic attempt to intoxicate the sorrow within him. They were the words AJ had said to me when he promised to fix everything. They were the words he said, in the middle of that hurricane, because he didn’t know what else to say. I was haunted by these words, afraid of the weight they entailed, and yet still some sick, twisted part of me captured my breath, ensnared my lips, and whispered, “Yes.”

With a sigh, AJ sat down beside me. His form, so relaxed and happy just a day before, was instead one of utter hopelessness. I snuggled up to him wordlessly, figuring that if there was pain or struggle, it was only right for the two of us to overcome it together.

Hours later found me wandering the halls, still cosseted in my blanket, searching for food. I knew that, by that point, each cafeteria was rationing supplies. Where to get my ration, however, was information of which I was clueless.

Before long, I came across the group of office girls that had pestered me about AJ once before. They were huddled around a bowl of chicken noodle soup, which at that point was both cold and nearly gelatinous from sitting overnight.

“Where did you get that?” I asked slowly.

“I-it’s our ration!” one girl cried.

“Get your own!” Another yelled defiantly, crossing her arms.

“I just want to know where you got it…” I said, taking slow, measured steps backward.

“End of the hall, take two rights and a left. Go up one flight of stairs and head to the opposite end of that hall. Maybe you’ll get a juice box or something,” one timid girl instructed helpfully.

“Thank you!” I grinned widely at her, praying that she comprehended my immense gratitude. I took off down the hallway, my feet pulling me in the right direction while my mind wandered to the aching hunger in my stomach.

When I got up to the cafeteria area, I found a graying man hunched over a table, vigorously scribbling numbers down on a napkin. His thick-lensed glasses slid down his nose for a moment, and he absentmindedly pushed them back with his forefinger. I stepped up to him, unsure of how to get his attention. After a moment, I cleared my throat. He looked up for a millisecond and then went back to his numbers.

“Sorry, sweetheart, no one gets seconds right now,” he sighed.

“I never got firsts, though!” I cried, upset that my miniature adventure would be for naught.

“Everyone got firsts,” claimed the man in vexation.

“I was in AJ’s office. I didn’t get firsts!” He looked up, eyes wide. Quickly, he turned to a stack of papers on the seat next to him. I peered at them from where I stood, quickly deducing that they were employee rosters.

“I have everyone crossed off though…” the man began muttering to himself, shuffling through the papers. When he reached the last page, he shuffled through them again in obvious bewilderment. During this second shuffle, I caught a glimpse of my name hastily scribbled in red pen on the back of one of the papers.

“There!” I pointed. “It’s on the back of one of them, in red! Kevin Woo!” The old man flipped the papers over one by one, finding my name with ease. He drew a box at the bottom of the last page and wrote my name in it, checking me off for my ration.

“Follow me.” He stood and headed to the back of the café, where the kitchens were.

“What’s your name?” I asked curiously.

“Pulte. Quincy Pulte,” he chuckled.

“Nice to meet you,” I smiled. “I’m Kevin Woo.”

“You’re that guy who spilled the drink all over President Kim, right?”

“Does everyone know that story?”

“Just about,” Quincy laughed. He stepped into what looked, for a moment, like one of those closets you always scream at horror movie protagonists to not enter. Instead, I quickly realized that it was, in fact, a pantry, only simply a dark, intimidating pantry. “Take your pick,” Quincy chuckled, gesturing widely to the perishable foods on the rickety wooden shelves. I stepped close to the food, stomach growling hungrily, but forced myself to remain reasonable. Quickly, I picked out milk for AJ’s coffee, some delicious-looking sushi, and two servings of what appeared to be, from the outside of the container, fettuccine alfredo.

“Thanks, Quincy,” I grinned, placing the food into a bag that had been hidden behind one of the shelves.

“Here, take this.” He held out a plastic bag, with an entire bag of potato chips and a container of dip. “My treat,” he winked.

I couldn't resist reaching out an enveloping the man in a grateful hug. His simple but sweet gesture rang volumes.

"Thank you," I grinned.

"Just take care of yourself, darlin'," he chuckled.

"I will!" I promised. Bearing my treats proudly and cautiously, I returned to AJ's office.

"You found food!" his face lit up immediately.

"That Quincy guy you put in charge of food is really nice," I commented, spreading out the food on the coffee table.

"He works hard, doesn't he?" AJ's eyes twinkled. "He's my grandpa's best friend."

"It all makes sense now!" I laughed.

"Ha ha, very funny, Kevin Woo," AJ rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," I scoffed, settling down on the couch before hungrily tearing into my tray of sushi.

"I have good news!" AJ exclaimed suddenly.

"About the storm?" I questioned excitedly.

"I got through on my phone to an actual weather station, and they said we were close enough to the edge of the storm that it would stop raining here tomorrow afternoon."

After every fear and bit of uneasiness concerning the length of the hurricane, the feeling of relief was nearly too much to bear. As soon as AJ's words registered in my mind, I began sobbing. Arms quickly wrapped around me, trembling, sharing in my complete relief. Having the horrible weight of the unknown lifted from my shoulders was perhaps the most freeing feeling in the world.

When my sobs had temporarily subsided, AJ and I wolfed down our food, hunger overtaking our thoughts. As I swallowed my last bite of sushi, a commonsense thought occurred to me.

"Shouldn't we tell everyone else? They're all freaking out, too..."

"Perhaps we should," AJ sighed. "It will definitely calm everyone down." He held out his hand. "Come with me? For moral support?"

"Why not?" I laughed, allowing him to wrap his fingers around mine and pull me to the door. We stepped out of the room simultaneously, and the heavily populated hallway grew silent.

"I have good news for all of you," AJ said slowly, as if tasting the words, ensuring they sounded correct. Anticipating whispers erupted along the hall, and AJ cleared his throat to silence them. I was able to contact a weather station outside of the storm area, and they notified me that the storm over our city will have moved past us by tomorrow afternoon."

Cheers erupted, and sobbing could be heard everywhere. I felt AJ squeeze my hand, and I smiled up at him gleefully.

He pulled me back into the office, and we contented ourselves with curling up on the couch for the night, each wrapped in blankets woven from the warmth of our happiness.

That morning, I woke to a beam of sunlight shining in from the window, and I could not have been more joyful for the simple existence of natural light. Never before had I imagined that a blue sky would mean so much. Carefully untangling myself from AJ, I secreted myself out of the office and ran down the hallway, stopping only when I reached my balcony. I stepped out barefoot onto the damp concrete, surprised to feel how cold it was. For a split second, I felt devastated by the utter ruin of the area, but easily rediscovered the beauty of it when a tiny bluebird perched on a toppled chair. I didn't move, didn't breathe. I kept my eyes trained on the bird, letting the mere fact that it was there to sink into my mind, course through my veins, and amplify that joyfulness I had felt when I woke up.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" came a voice from the doorway. The bird cocked its head to the side, fluttered its wings, and took off. I didn't dare to turn around. "After that storm, and the state of the employees, it's nice to see a little bird on the balcony."

"What are you doing out here?" I asked quietly.

"I'm still your editor, you know," Kiseop sighed. "You can't just shove me away forever."

"I know that, but why are you here, as in on this balcony so early in the morning?"

"I guess I just figured I would find you here." I could practically hear him shrugging.

"And why were you looking for me?" I didn't mean to sound standoffish, but I simply failed to grasp the logic behind his presence. It was still too soon after the incident in AJ's office.

"Aren't we still friends?" he asked slowly.

"You tell me." Inhaling deeply, I turned to face him. "Are we? Can we possibly still maintain the same friendship we had before?"

He took a step closer, a small smile crossing his features. "Probably not the same one, but I'd really like to try." He looked at me hopefully.

"Fine, alright," I sighed. "We can try. But you better not screw it up!"

"I won't," he laughed.

"Pinky swear?" I cocked an eyebrow and held up my pinky finger.

"Pinky swear," he nodded, linking our pinkies together. We pressed the tips of our thumbs together and simultaneously burst out in a fit of giggles. Everything was slowly returning to normal. It was nice, and I hoped it would last.



A/N: After much debate (two whole minutes!) I decided to follow up ton the dark and stormy night idea! Shout-out to @Retroalien for giving me amazing inspiration!I am currently nearly ten thousand words behind on NaNoWriMo, so if I reach my goal of 25,000 by tonight, then you'll get another chapter. If I don't, then it'll pop up tomorrow. xD This chapter is about 3,263 words, after edits. For awhile I forgot that "nonperishable" was a word in the dictionary, so I was sitting there writing, "foods without an expiration date which means they don't expire like stuff in cans, etc." Also, as a side note, when I was writing this, it very nearly morphed into some sort of postapocalyptic dystopian novel, but I RESCUED IT! You're welcome. ^_^ So let me know what you thinkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk........................................................................................