It's spring in California.
Widely known for its wonderful weather, military base, high cost of living and cultural melting pot, San Diego has been thought of as "America's Finest City" by many.
The birds are chirping this morning as you rise. There is barely a cloud in the sky as you step outside and take in a breath of fresh air, and a sense of nervousness briefly passes over you.
*******************************************
Remembering back to high school, it had been a necessary evil. The days slogged through, melting into one another. For the first few weeks, you retreated into yourself, digging your feet in for what you were sure would be 4 years of torture. But then something surprising happened. You made friends. You found them rather randomly, through a flyer posted on the notice board in the quad.
Through cinema, you bonded with others, and found common ground.
"Enter the Dragon" was the first film, and though many followed, it often came back to that movie in your mind. Bruce Lee's swagger and poor dubbing caused awe and laughter, and you found a new home among these companions.
Over time you all grew closer, and even found that you possessed a kind of synergy. When one of you had a problem, whether it be in school or out, you naturally turned to your friends, and almost always found that the problem was solved. Whatever it was, you found that if you did it together, you did it better.
It was slightly before the end of the last semester that Adam lost it.
One or two of you had been there, but it was hard to remember clearly even now,because the story had almost taken on a life of its own. During an Advanced Biology test, Adam seemed to have lost his mind. Before he was tackled and subdued, he had begun muttering, and finally screaming that a dragon was after him. He had taken one of the scalpels used for dissection and caving at his forehead to "get it out".
He was taken to an institution the next day from home.
At graduation without him, you sat side by side in one of the back rows. Silent save for the occasional looks to each other of anxiety, excitement and support. You had to focus on the positive, you were finally free to live life as adults.
********************************************
Back in the present, you had reconnected with your good friends, at least virtually, and were meeting them in the Mesa College library*. You had all decided to stay in touch, and although a bit of life had come between you, you always seemed to end up back with them. It was the most natural thing, they were like home to you.
Through email, you had learned that Adam had recently been released from the institution and allowed to attend college, given a clean mental bill of health.
Pushing through the doors, early in the morning, there were not too many people there.
It was easy to pick Adam out. He had hardly changed; dirty brown hair and pale skin sparsely scatter freckles dotting it. He had seemed to put on a little weight, though from the looks of him, mostly muscle and his his hair was slightly scruffier under a plain black baseball cap. He wore his favorite red vans, beat up and faded, and a dark green hoodie, the sleeves pushed up above his elbows.He had a box of dvds in front of him on one of the tables, and was looking at "Being John Malkovich" when he turned to face you casually.
Without missing a beat, as if he had never been gone, he smiled his crooked smirk.
"Hey. So what do you think we should watch first?"
"Adam!! shrieks Lydia in delight as she runs across the room to wrap her friend in a big, enthusiastic hug. Abruptly she steps back and clears her throat, eyes lowered and cheeks blazing red as if she suddenly remembered that he is a boy and she a girl. "It's so good to see you!"
She can't take her eyes off of him and is positively beaming but seems at a loss as to what to say to him. Fidgeting a bit, she finally settles on hugging him again quickly and then she shows him the DVD in her hand, Jackie Chan's "Drunken Master 2".
"You know me..." she shrugs with a grin.
A smile slowly crept over his face as Phillip stepped through the swishing automatic glass doors of the library. An unfamiliar glee welled up inside him as he pictured the reunion. There was some trepidation, but it was washed over by the overwhelming feeling.
The smile broadened as he rounded the corner and saw some of the others gathered around Adam. He shoved aside the darker memories and focused on the smile ever-widening on his face. He could feel Michael's new brew kicking in.
"Hey!" He offered out an exuberant handshake to Adam. "Welcome back!"
After a minute Adam's question sunk in and he blurted out, "Pirates marathon!"
Not sure if you want to include this, but the Mesa library has a Starbuck's on the bottom floor.
Also found this drunk template if we want to use it.
She had the strangest dreams last night and as she pushed open the doors her mind was occupied elsewhere. The music from her iPod was playing one of her latest haunting favourites.
Then she immediately noticed Adam and a warm smile crossed her face. She pulled out the buds from her ears and turned the music off.
Lydia and Phillip were already there beside him and Miya walked the few feet to Adam's side. Opening her arms, she moved in gently and hugged her friend, enjoying his physical closeness after all this time of exchanging letters and emails.
Pulling back a little, she rested her mouth close to his ear, partially covered by his scruffy hair, and whispered, "Welcome back", before pulling away and squeezing his hand. She let his hand drop when she noticed the dvd collection in his box. She smiled and waved "hello" to the other two.
Phillip and Lydia had chosen different movies (of course). Since it was Adam's first official day back among them, she quietly offered, "How about you choose the movie, Adam?"
A pair of fake Italian leather shoes (bought at Burlington) make their way down the steps from the second floor of the library. A good six steps from the bottom, they push off, leaping the rest of the distance. Rising, a young man in brown corduroy pants and a designer T-shirt that is probably a few too many years old looks up and around at the others reunited nearby.
"My man!" shouts Jonas, his shaggy blonde hair flopping about as he rushes toward his recently returned buddy. He clasps Adam's right hand with his and gives him a manly one-armed hug; complete with a quick, double tap on his back. Releasing his friend, he smiles broadly and states "Damn good to see you, Adam! Wait a sec...were you guys discussing movies? 'Cause I think we can use some 'Always look on the bright side of life!' right about now!"
Reaching up and tussling Jonas' golden mop of curls, Miya smiled at the youngest member of their group, happy to see him arrive and greet Adam. The four of them: Adam, Jonas, Lucian and herself had been in the same year at school, until Jonas was institutionalised and Lucian enlisted. But now they would all be reunited and it felt right. Adam looked well and she was happy to see that familiar crooked smile of his again.
Now, if only Lucian would make an appearance, then they could lose themselves in the chosen movie.
Lucian paused momentarily before pushing through the doors to meet the others. He had managed to drop most of the uniform, but he still wore his army boots and pants, deciding to throw in a casual and old leather jacket over the white tank top.
As he stepped in, he recognized his friends, and there was Adam, as if nothing had ever happened - his steps seemed to echo unbeliavably loud as he walked towards them, his boots clomping while he wondered what they were thinking about all the changes he had been through, over the last two years.
Somewhat uncomfortably, he greeted them with a casual nod and a smile that crept up before he had the chance to avoid it - "Hi guys" - then turned pointedly to Adam - 'Sup? - immediately looking away, and fixing his stare in Myia, as it comforted him somewhat. Staring at her for a few seconds, he simply shrugged, and unceremoniously gave her a hug - "Long time no see Myia" - again quickly pulling away, trying to find some other topic of conversation.
Noticing everyone's attention gathered around the movies, he quickly added - "Dang, it seems like ages since I last saw one of these..." - he goes through the DVDs in the box, as if oblivious to the others - "You guys chose a movie already?"
Miya caught Lucian's gaze and she held it willingly. It had been two years since they last stood face to face (but time apart didn't feel that long - it was as though he had never left). When he embraced her after a moment, she enveloped him in her arms, holding him for as long as he allowed it (which wasn't long and she wasn't offended). She quietly answered him, "Glad to have you back, Luc."
Smiling at his question regarding the movies, she replied, "Multiple opinions. I offered up that Adam should choose, today."
Luc - the shortcut rang so very familiar, and as close to home as he could expect to get, mainly after so long being called by his army nickname, or simply Harrow. It eased the tension from his back and neck, allowing him to relax a tad further.
"Agreed" - he answered immediately - "You're up, pick your poison" - he stared at Adam, a hard joke playing around in his head, but he kept to himself - this is not the army Lucian, not everything needs to be about who is the toughest...
Miya sat down on the edge of one of the unoccupied tables and watched the others silently. She concentrated on her breathing, happy to have their group reunited. She wondered how easy the transition would be, to get back into their usual groove, but it seemed to going well so far, so she didn't want to jinx it.
Miya looked at Luc and noted the small, physical changes during his time away. She pondered how the army had changed him mentally and emotionally. She wouldn't press him. She would be there if he needed someone to listen. She hadn't changed much in appearance -- her dark brown was a little longer. She hadn't grown in height so it seemed she was set to remain at 5'4", which didn't bother her too much. She mused if Lucian or Adam would see her as much changed.
Adam grinned back at Lucian almost as though he knew what he was thinking. He cocked his head to the side, almost canine in his response. Pondering something or other. Adam often did that. He wondered how the military had changed his friend. If what he went through was maybe a dark mirror of that. Although it had been years, it seems almost as though it had only been days ago that they "went their separate ways"
Adam wondered if that feeling was good or bad.
He sat down in one of the newly upholstered chairs. Miya, Phillip, Jonas and Lydia knew that the previous year the majority of the chairs had been on their last legs, and they, along with most of the furniture had had a major overhaul. The had even added several vending machines with "healthy" snacks and drinks, not to mention better lighting.
Adam dug through the old cardboard box, and as he rustled around, pushing worn dvd cases to the side he let out a quick deep "ha!" and then sighed, leaning back and holding his prize against his chest.
"Well, since we're all finally back together...what about this one?"
Enter the Dragon.
Shaking his head, Lucian could not help but laugh at the choice - "Adam, you are psychic for sure" - he offered a jest to Adam - "Perfect choice"
Lydia basks in the presence of her friends, all her friends together in one place for the first time in so very long. Thumbs hooked in the back pockets of her jeans, she watches as everyone exchanges greetings. The atmosphere in the spacious library is abuzz with a jubilance that is comforting and invigorating at the same time. It feels so right, like everything is proper, the way it was meant to be as they settle in to watch the movie. They are happy. She is happy even though she never seems to know what to say. That's ok here with these people, her friends, so she just smiles.
Dragons. Perhaps therapy had worked. She could still picture the scene toward the end of high school. The Advanced Bio test and Adam screaming about dragons chasing him and trying to cut his head open with a scalpel. She remembered crying as they dragged him out of class. She tried to follow, but their teacher stopped her before she got to the door. She thought it was unfair that he could not attend the graduation ceremony with them. But he was here now. And he and Luc seemed as close as ever.
Miya swivelled on the table she sat on and saw Lydia, thumbs hooked in her jean's pockets, standing to the side. Miya slid off the table, leaving her bag put, and walked over to the only other female in their group. "Hi" she said to the older girl with a friendly smile. "It's good to have Adam back, and Luc."
She could hear the boy's laughing behind her and she smiled more.
"My Sensei taught me a new move, if you're interested, Lyd?" Lydia and she shared an interest in martial arts and it helped to bridge the obvious differences between them. Miya appreciated Lydia's strength and dedication: she worked two jobs and had her other interests. Lydia's family, well everyone except for Crystal, seemed quite sporty and capable.
"Yes! I'm glad they're back." Lydia knows and is grateful that Miya always puts special effort into making sure she is included. Most of the time, other girls are nothing but mean to her; it always seemed like the prettier and skinnier they were, the meaner they were but Miya, despite being both skinny and very pretty, wasn't like that. In high school, Miya had even gotten some of the girls to lay off a little bit which had really improved things for Lydia in her senior year. "I kinda didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw them again, y'know?"
Miya's eyes strayed to Lucian and Adam. She nodded her head in regard to missing them. She had been fortunate enough to receive the odd letter or email from both boys; yet having them in person was better, much better.
"They're our missing pieces."
Then trying not to sound so serious, Miya laughed softly.
"Least Adam picked a great movie. I brought the popcorn. Let's go sit down, Lyd."
Phillip dizzily watched the conversations, smiling and laughing and every so often catching himself from being a little too loud. His face flushed, he pulled at the collar of his Monsters of Physics shirt and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Enter the Dragon! Nice." When Adam pulled out the dvd he tried to catch Lydia's eye and smiled seeing her and Miya bonding. It was good to see everybody together.
"Guys, we've got to do movie night at my place next. I've got the perfect drinking game for Pirates of the Caribbean."
As the others headed to their seats, he could feel the buzz starting to wear off and eyed the Coke machine. "I'll catch up."
Enjoying the reunion, and everyone else being happy, Jonas was excited. Everyone always had a great time together, sure, but no one else had the energy that he did. Jonas liked to go non-stop. He hated when things died down.
"Hey guys, I got a great idea. I don't have any tests today. If none you do, let's blow today off. Just skip. It's not like back in high school when we'd get in trouble for it. Besides, it's not every day you get two of your best friends back all in one morning! C'mon, whaddya say? We can grab some tacos for lunch and hit the town!"
At Phillip's suggestion to have a movie night at his place, Miya nodded amiably, "That sounds good. Count me in for the movie, Phillip." Miya was not much of a drinker and that was fine with her. She had never been prone to the pressure to drink; she was quite strong-willed.
Watching Jonas bounce round the place (as usual), Miya wondered why he could not find his stillness (it was something she often wondered about her friend). When he suggested skipping class and hitting town, she shook her head, "I don't think that's a good idea, Jonas. I'm glad we have Luc and Adam back. If you guys want to, then I will meet you after classes are done for the day to celebrate." Miya had never skipped school or lessons. Her parents were strict in regard to such things and she had always been the good, obedient child. College was a serious matter and she had to prove to her parents that allowing her to attend the local, community college had not been a mistake.
"I'll be right there Miya, gonna grab a Pepsi first. Anyone else want something?"
Heading toward the vending machines, Lydia body checks Phillip playfully as she comes up behind him. "Hey watch it, buddy," she laughs, almost barreling her slender friend over.
Checking out his new shirt, or maybe not new but just one that she hasn't seen before, Lydia nods appreciatively. It's a perfect match to her shirt, a plain black T that reads E=MC2 in white lettering.
When Lydia offered to get her a drink, Miya shook her head, "No, thanks, Lydia. I brought some green tea from home."
To all she said, "I brought popcorn", before rummaging in her pack and pulling out an extra-large ziplock bag filled with butter-flavoured popcorn.
Miya paused midway opening the bag with the popcorn.
"What is that? Did anyone else hear a voice saying '3'? Has the college got something on today that we all forgot about?", turning her gaze to the loudspeaker monitor in the corner wall of the library.
Phillip smiled as he recovered from Lydia's body check, still a little dizzy. "Pepsi? You know the offer still stands to show you I can prove mathematically that Coke is better."
As he thumbed a few quarters into the machine he heard the odd voice. "Three what? Sodas? I don't think I have that much cash on me," hoping maybe it was Lydia.
He turned around quizzically when Miya mentioned the voice, a little relieved someone else heard it. "Yeah, I don't know. Guess they're going to make an announcement."
"...2..."
Lydia cocks her head to one side, frowning. She had not heard the last announcement, the one Phillip and Miya had commented but she definitely just heard someone clearly speak the number 2. The thing is, it did not seem to issue forth from the loudspeaker in the corner as one would expect; it seemed to originate from her own inner voice.
"What the heck is that?!" she says to Phillip as he fishes his can of soda out of the receptacle at the bottom of the machine.
"Weird. I heard it say '2' now."
Miya looked around the library, hoping to spot where the voice was coming from. Why the count down?, she mused silently. She pushed the zip-locked popcorn back into her pack (and the pack over her shoulder) and drew the second bag -- the long, sports bag with her training clothes, towel, toiletries and concealed weapons - closer to her (on her lap), for some inexplicable reason. She seemed to be readying herself, but for what?
To her friends, she adds, "Hey guys, maybe we should pack up and get ready to leave. There must be something on that we've forgotten."
"Now, THAT I heard" - Lucian stands up with a frown on his face - "A countdown?" - unconsciously he could feel his skin crawling - countdowns in the army were not a good thing.
"The sound can only be coming from the speakers" - he looks all around, then hears Miya's suggestion - "We shouldn't be made to leave because someone decided this would be a good day for a practical joke. It just won't go down like that"
Turning to the others, he adds - "Any of you guys know where the control room, or whatever is located? I'm gonna have a word or two with these jokers - if they want to start a countdown, maybe I'll just have to finish it"
Jonas' head shoots up at the sound coming from...everywhere. Without moving his head his eyes searched the library for any sign of what's going on. "Um...that doesn't sound right. Maybe someone is on the intercom and they don't know it?"
Adam stood still for a moment, looking around with a confused expression on his face. He carefully put the dvd back in the box and set it on the table in front of him. Looking back and forth between Lucian, Jonas and Miya, be began to fidget, chewing nervously on his lip.
"What is that?"
Miya picked up her bags and began moving toward Adam.
On her way across the space, she had a quiet word to Lucian, "The PA system would be in the administration building. I don't like this, Luc."
She walked swiftly to stand beside Adam and attempted to assure him in a gentle manner, "We don't know what it is. But we're together, so we shouldn't worry."
Lydia decides she doesn't want a Pepsi after all. She tugs her friend by the arm.
"Come on, let's just get back to the others. Maybe there's going to be a fire drill or something."
Phillip froze bending over to fish out his soda, the number "2" echoing in his head. This definitely wasn't the intercom.
Worry creased his face as Lydia tugged his arm. "Yeah...maybe that's for the best."
He instinctively reached for the Rubik's cube in his backpack as he followed Lydia over to the others, his soda can forgotten behind.
Miya looked across at Lydia and Phillip and then at Jonas. Catching Luc's eyes, she quietly stated to all present, "Gather your things and let's all stay close." Standing beside Adam, Miya looked intently about the library, hoping to gauge or sense the location of the voice; waiting in case it spoke again.
Miya's brow furrowed with what she had noticed. To her friends, she advised, "The others in the library don't seem to be hearing the countdown. See?", she gestures with her hand to the remaining, undisturbed students in the library.
"What's going to happen now? It's down to 1."
Miya's eyes strayed to Lucian, hoping he had an answer.
As Miya looked at Lucian, she found him staring back at her with his jaw muscles showing from the tension - "NOW I want to find out what's going to happen - I'm not moving from here" - he half growls - "It is impossible that the others are not hearing this - we haven't been here in some time, so maybe they know something that we do not"
Shifting his stance, and again feeling if his knife is in place, he adds - "Stay close..."
Reaching her friends just as Miya comments about the other students in the library, Lydia stops and looks around. It's true, there are a couple less people in here than when they first arrived but those that remain do not seem to hear the strange countdown. No one is looking about, no one seems confused and no one seems to feel the atmosphere in the library sour from jovial and energetic to tense and stifling, as if a storm were brewing.
"Maybe it's a fire drill..." Lydia repeats, weakly hopeful that it's true but pretty sure she's not fooling anyone.
Jonas looks around and sees the same thing as his friends. No one else is responding to the sound of the countdown. His friends, with distraught or confused looks on their faces put him at unease. It's very rare that these people (despite their own beliefs) are so unsure of themselves or what is going on around them. "I'm kind of starting to, y'know, freak the hell out guys."
The group of you stand close by, anxious for some sign of what the countdown means, and it is mere moments before you are given an answer of sorts...
The first sensation is one of being slowed,not overwhelming, but odd, almost as if you are underwater.
Each movement takes slightly more effort, and actions are dulled.
Time itself seems to slow and you can see ripples in cloth and movement of hair exaggerated. Even sound takes more time to make, not at all in proportion to your movements, as you see Adam's face contort into a scream than only arrives seconds later.
For a moment, everything goes black, but things come back to focus even brighter than before and a wave of force seems to touch down at the very center of the group accompanied by the deafening sound of what can only be described as a metal drum put through distortion.
The force is so intense that it lifts each of you off of your feet and throws each of you a dozen feet into the air and in different directions. You feel an intense warmth for an instant before you come crashing to the ground, the a cool rush of air surrounds you accompanied by a damp moldy smell.
Temporarily blinded by the intense light, you still see color trails swirling in your field off view, and your hearing comes back slowly the echo still ringing in your ears.
Phillip feels the collective concern of the group and tries to think of something comforting. His eyes slowly open wide as the words eek out of his mouth.
"Weeeee'lllll bbeeeee oooooook..." The world fades to black.
Stunned on the ground his eyelids slide back to reveal multicolored, fuzzy streaks of light slowly focusing into the Rubik's cube, still grasped in his now battered hand. He dazily turns to the others.
"Are we okay?" He can't tell if he's shouting or whispering.
Lying on her side, Miya waited until her sight cleared some as the light and colour were making her dizzy.
Slowly sitting upright, she shook her head to stop the ringing. Her hands searched out her body for wounds and also for her bags -- and relieved she found that they were still on her person.
There was a voice. Male. Asking if she and the others were alright.
She couldn't tell whose voice it was due to the ringing, but she called out in its general direction, "I am alright. Just a little dizzy."
Then she suddenly felt anxious. What had just happened? "Lucian? Adam? Jonas? Lydia? Phillip?" She called all their names respectively, like a roll call, hoping to hear each voice in turn (or something of a reply).
Miya put her head between her legs, hoping to slow down the dizziness and nausea, and took a few deep breaths in and out to regain her balance and sensibility.
Mountain bike and skateboard crashes. Hard hits from big guys on the ice. That one time Martin hit her in the head with Gramma's umbrella stand, a rendition of a slender greyhound sitting expectantly on its hind quarters with an improbable and disturbing hole through its neck that sprouted Grandpa's canes rather than brollies. Lydia does not panic even as the breath is smacked out of her lungs and darkness consumes her; she knows this, she's been knocked out before but even so, something is still not quite right as her senses return. She smells dank mold rather than the dry, temperature controlled air of the library.
Slowly her vision clears. Then the world stops spinning around her so Lydia sits up. She's relieved to hear Phillip call out and Miya shortly thereafter.
"I think I'm okay," she calls in return.
Sound. Normally Jonas welcomed sound. It was a break from the silence that was his home life. His parents not speaking to each other. Or to him for that matter. The antithesis of boredom. Sound was always Jonas' friend, a welcome companion or favorite tool to be overused and worn out.
But this sound was not good. It was weird. Deafening at first, it was incredibly powerful. But as the moments passed, while still incredibly loud and painful, Jonas could distinguish each and everyone of the multitude of sounds that seemed to be hanging in the heavy air.
The impact of reuniting with the ground was also extremely unpleasant. He landed on his left arm and upper back. Painful would have been a nice word to use, Jonas thought. It took him longer than we would have thought to gather his breath and sit up.
"Oooowww! he exclaimed in short burst of frustration. "And who threw a flashbang right at us? I mean, I've never actually seen one before, except for when playing Modern Warfare, but y'know, what just happened kinda fits the effect, don't you think?"
Lucian's senses all flared up at the same time, and he tried instinctively to reach for the knife in his boot, just to be blown away like a rag doll.
--------------
Still lying down, he finds himself reeling, trying to shout but his voice coming out only a trickle - "What the %$#&...?
"Lucian? Adam? Jonas? Lydia? Phillip?" She called all their names respectively, like a roll call, hoping to hear each voice in turn (or something of a reply).
"I am here" - he responded from atop what was left of a table that broke with his impact - "I think I am ok... How is everyone?! Guys?!" - he started recovering his voice, trying to stand up and looking for the others.
"Oooowww! he exclaimed in short burst of frustration. "And who threw a flashbang right at us? I mean, I've never actually seen one before, except for when playing Modern Warfare, but y'know, what just happened kinda fits the effect, don't you think?"
"That was no flashbang Jonas - those don't impact like this... And we would have seen it..." - the soldier in Lucian remembered his army training - "But what was it?!" - he stands up in a state between fury and fear, looking all around.
To the group's surprise, the environs you find yourself in is vastly different than the one you were previously.
Following the floor with your eyes, you further find that you are in some kind of vast room. The ground is cobblestone, cold and grey, filled here an there with some kind of algae or moss that grows in tight short vine-like patterns speckled with small white flowers. The walls appear to be made of the same stone, and a dim light fills the room with a subtle blue glow coming from the tops of three foot high pedestals spaced evenly throughout a circular pattern, six of them altogether. They flicker now and then like a strobe, accompanied by a barely audible clicking noise. The room appears to have one exit, opening into a long corridor where more natural light can be seen at the end.
Bits of the library also seem to be scattered throughout the room; pieces of a table, a chair or two and the backpacks with school supplies and personal effects you had with you. Laying next to Phillip is the cover of the vending machine, and some of its contents. You even notice a hunk of what you can only guess is the stairs that led to the upper level of the library.
Adam lays awkwardly against the wall, his box of dvds, mostly empty, sitting in front of him, the contents spread hither and thither. His hair is matted to his face, and his forehead gashed, bleeding slightly, but other than being unconscious, does not appear to be badly injured.
Standing to her feet (the ringing in her ears died down), her bags stowed on her, Miya saw Adam's slumped body and bleeding forehead. Items were strewn about, and, noting the vending machine contents near Philip, she quietly called over to him, "Phillip, please collect all the food and drink items you can find. We may need them. I'm going to take a look at Adam. He's hurt."
She pushed the images of the strange floors, walls and glowing columns from her mind until she was sure Adam was okay.
Moving to him, she crouched by his side and first checked his pulse and then gently shook him, attempting to wake him. She carefully pulled his neck away from the stone wall and eased him to the floor. Rummaging through her backpack, she took out a clean handkerchief, band-aids and her antibacterial hand sanitiser. Miya gently rubbed around the gash, careful not to open it further and just clean the coated blood and dirt away. She added a bit of the hand sanitiser, hoping it would help to keep the wound clean and then pulled apart a couple of band-aids and placed them over the gash. She kept calling his name softly, trying to cajole him into wakefulness, "Adam, Adam, wake up, please? Adam?"
Phillip pushed himself up, the tension slowly easing as he heard each of his friends voices one by one. He focused back on his body. Pain on his right side mostly and one shoe had come loose.
He cringed as he stretched to drag the shoe over and tie it back on. Then he heard the concern in Miya's voice and saw her rushing over to tend to Adam's wounds. Concern cracked in his voice. "Is he alright?"
He eased himself up to his feet and limped over to Adam to make sure he wasn't badly hurt. Then nodding said, "I'll see what I can find," and headed back to the vending machine debris.
Gaining her feet, Lydia surveys the strange environment but does not venture into the corridor exiting the room. She pushes some of the debris about with her foot and picks up her backpack to examine its meager contents: the textbook for her Applied Statistics course, a narrow binder full of handouts for the same as well as some loose-leaf, her I-pod, her wallet, a collection of pens, pencils and erasers, a small box of Transformers band-aids, a roll of sports tape and a Ziploc baggie jammed full of Beggin' Strips.
The I-pod looks to be in fine shape but does nothing when she tries the power button. "S@%#." she mutters under her breath, dropping it back into her bag. That had been a gift from Graham and she could not afford to replace it although it does seem there may be more pressing things to concern herself with at the moment.
She moves to join Miya at Adam's side, noting that his chest rises and falls steadily despite his lack of response. "Think he'll be ok?" she asks, pensively chewing her lower lip as she looks between her friends.
Adam lay still while Miya did her best to tend to his wounds.
After a few minutes, with Miya and Lydia near him he came to with a bit of a start, scrambling back against the wall, nearly kicking his friend who had moments before been bandaging him.
"Wha! Wha... What just happened? Where are we? Is everyone ok?"
So many things seemed to hang in the air. It was obvious that something happened. But what? Adam took a few moments to blink and look a round blankly. Looking first to Miya, then to Lydia. He watched as Philip rummaged through the wreckage some fifty feet away.
There was some goods still intact among the pieces, 2 sodas, a dozen bags of trail mix, 2 bags of cheetos, a single package of funyuns, 2 snickers bars and 8 packages of gum. 3 bottles of water had rolled a bit away from the rest and one was oddly standing straight up as if it had been placed there.
Everyone seemed to be ok...more or less, given that noone knew what had happened or where they currently were.