“You know what this reminds me of?” Johnny said as they both relaxed in their quarters. “That camping trip we did in year seven. You remember? The team building, get-to-know-your-form trip we had to go on.”
“How the hell was that like this?” Bucky quipped, laughing at the comparison.
“It was like the time we did the orienteering, remember? Me, you, Jack Wiley and Lewis Brown out for the day, losing Pie and having to navigate back to camp ourselves?”
“My God. Pie. How long did he last at school?”
Bucky recalled the fat, bald science teacher named Mr Hollowing, whose nickname from the school kids had been Pie.
Johnny sniggered. “About a year or so. I still think he left because he lost us that day.”
“And when we took science afterwards, Lewis always used to hide from him and we’d be like, ‘lost him again, sir?’”
“That’s it, man. Those were the days. I can still see that bald head of his now. I never saw it before, and I’ve never seen it since, a man whose head was shaped in exactly the same way as a pork pie.”
Bucky laughed, but it was an uncontrollable laugh. The more he laughed the funnier he found it. Tears streamed from his eyes. The actualisation that they were safe, protected and going home set in. The remnants of emotion flooded out with his tears, and as his laughter subsided he finally felt like his old self. The old Bucky Jackson from the previous world.
“That was a good trip, though. Remember Luke Taunton pissing out through the tent flap at three in the morning because the toilets were too far away?”
“And the time we took the photo of Mr Brown smoking in the bushes, then uploaded it to the school’s website and Twitter?”
They laid in silence for a moment, reflecting on their old school memories.
“It was, though. The trip was like this,” Johnny began. “That day out orienteering, we relied on you to get us out of there, and you did.”
“I used the map on my phone,” Bucky replied.
“But we were, what, eleven years old? None of us had any idea how to use it, but you did. You rescued us.”
Bucky dismissed him. “Well, it was nothing like the time that sixth former tried to mug me of my chocolate bar and you set off the fire extinguisher all over him.”
“Oh yeah! I remember that. That was a good one, man. I got a week’s worth of detention for that. My mum was pissed, but my dad thought it was the best thing ever.” Johnny became sombre.”Man, I really miss them.”
The way he spoke caught Bucky’s attention. He looked across to him. “Are you okay?”
Johnny peered back. “You think what that army guy said was right? You know, about losing hope to see our loved ones?”
Bucky returned his gaze to the ceiling. “There’s always a chance, but I’m not counting on it,” he replied. “Too much has happened. Too many people have been infected. My heart tells me yes, we will see them again, but my head says that it’s just wishful thinking. If I’m going to be honest with you, I don’t think I’ll see my family again. None of us will.”
“But you seem okay with it, though, like everything is fine and that shit just happens?” Johnny seemed disheartened and diminished.
“No, I’m not. But it’s like when our first pet dog died. It’s never the same, you adjust to it. You find a new normal and build it up from there. I’m sad at the thought of my parents dying, or to think they’re wandering around out there trying to take chunks out of someone who is not infected, but I have to be realistic. I’ve accepted that they’re dead, which is the worst scenario for me. If we get to school and I find them there well and happy, it’s a bonus.”
Johnny sighed. “I wish I could think like that. I wish I was that strong.”
Bucky turned to him once more. “You are, man. There’s no way you could have made it this far without being strong. Just keep at it. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best, that’s what they say. Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Look what we’ve got!” Lacey strutted into their room like a global mega star. She threw something at Bucky which bounced off his chest and landed by his hand.
“Choc-o-late!” Aaron grinned, throwing one to Johnny.
Bucky sat up. “Where’d you get this?” he asked, opening the purple wrapper with excitement.
Lacey slumped on to her bed, crossing her legs as she did so. “The good people in the canteen,” she replied.
“Oh God,” Aaron said, his mouth full of chocolate. “This is so good.”
“You see this,” Johnny replied, holding a block between his fingers, “sent from heaven. A message to say well done.”
“Amen to that!” Bucky quipped.
The four friends ate their prize and chatted between themselves as the night approached. Bucky finally decided to call it a night around ten o’clock, wanting to make sure he had plenty of time to rest in comfort. He said his good nights and crashed on the bed without climbing between the sheets. The day had passed by too quickly. Walking from the underpass to the stadium had taken the majority of the day, and now his legs ached as he rested from the journey. His awareness of those around him soon vanished, as did the room and the bed on which he laid upon. Soon he drifted to sleep, content within his surroundings and the new world that dawned around him.
* * *
“And this is definitely it? You’re sure?” the blue haired clown asked, hiding behind a vehicle parked by the army. He’d waited for the change of guard on the
