13 Reasons to Survive - Enemy Unknown

Chapter Seven: The Search

Liberty High Campus

Hannah Baker, Jessica Davis

After stepping outside the gym, the six friends immediately fanned out to find Zach's missing sister, agreeing beforehand to meet by the back entrance flagpole after the hour allotted to them by Colonel O'Neill.

"She couldn't have gone far, right?" Hannah asked, shining her flashlight around them as they headed into the nearby trees.

"I don't think so, no." Jess said, her own flashlight sweeping through the trees. She glanced at her friend. "I'm worried about her. Zach, too."

Hannah nodded, "Me too."

Their conversation was brought to a sudden halt by the sound of a branch snapping nearby. Jess and Hannah whipped their heads, and flashlights, in that direction, and saw only trees, but they knew someone, or something... was there. For a few seconds, they were rooted to the spot.

"Who... who goes there?" Jess finally broke the silence, her voice shaking, and small.

Hannah thought the question sounded a bit too much like the title of a Lovecraft novel, but that thought was swiftly drowned out, remembering the meteor strike. There was another few seconds of tense silence, then a figure stepped out from the left-hand tree. Jess immediately brought her flashlight to bare, intending to blind who, or whatever it was, then rush-

"Whoa! Hold on! It's just me!" Justin Foley shielded his eyes from the light.

Jess relaxed. Hannah didn't.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Foley?" she asked, her voice bitter.

Justin blinked, as though his reason for being there was obvious. "I- I want to help. Help you guys look for May."

Hannah scoffed. "Sure. Out of the goodness of your heart? Suddenly realized what an ASSHOLE you are?"

Justin sighed, exasperated, though he knew this had been a long time coming. "Look, Hannah, I admit, taking that picture was a dumbass move on my part, but I didn't send it out to everyone, you have to believe me!"

"Really?" Hannah's voice was the pure embodiment of skepticism. "Was it an accidental butt-text? Someone else send it as a joke on us both? Or maybe it was gremlins! Fuck it, why not, let's say it was gremlins, can't be that farfetched given all the other crazy shit currently go-"

"Hannah!" Justin held up his hands, cutting her off mid-rant, "I'm not asking you to forgive me, okay?! It's just... Zach's my friend too, and... I really want to help him find May. I don't want your forgiveness, I don't deserve it, but... can we at least call a truce? For Zach and May?"

During the argument, Jessica had been glancing between the two, torn. Yes, Hannah was her friend, yes, what Justin did was not okay, but he had a point. After a few tense moments, Hannah let out a sharp sigh.

"Fine." She spat the word out with pure venom in her voice. "But make no mistake, Foley, if I find out that you're lying..." she left the rest unspoken, as she pushed past him to continue the search.

Clay Jensen, Tony Padilla

As they searched through the back of the school, including the track and clubhouse, Clay couldn't help but grow increasingly worried. Worried for Zach and his sister, worried for Hannah, worried about what they might find.

Tony, ever observant, was able to pick up on his friends' concerns, and decided to alleviate the tension.

"So, Clay, I understand that congratulations are in order. You, and Hannah?"

Clay smiled slightly, despite the situation. "Yeah. Thanks."

Tony chuckled softly, "Guess Jeff is pretty happy about that."

"Yeah, he's really invested in my dating life for some reason. Still, can't fault him too much, he deserves some credit for the confidence boost. Would've just sat there like an idiot on the night of the eclipse if not for him..."

His smile slowly faded as he recalled the meteor that nearly hit them. Tony, sensing the mood had changed, turned away, shining his flashlight around the interior of the clubhouse. "No sign of May here either, but something's still not right about this place."

Clay nodded, looking around. The clubhouse was where Bryce and the other jocks would hang out after practice. He, along with the others, had long suspected Bryce of using the clubhouse for some nefarious purpose, but could never prove anything. Besides, the less time they spent in the company of Bryce, the better.