DEFEATISM

29

They take shifts sleeping in their building pairs. To do this, they all work quickly to take the mattresses that are empty and drag them into the hallway. It's better than the ground. The lounges have more light but the space isn't big enough for all the mattresses, and with the wide windows on the wall, the lounges are iceboxes. They trade in darkness for warmth.

For their shifts, Darlington joins Tempest since Maverick isn't up to staying awake on his own. Jerry and Galilee stay up first. They found a watch in one of the students' rooms, and though it doesn't seem to be set to the right time, the minutes hand still clicks regularly. Galilee wears it. For the hour Jerry and Galilee are on watch, they make sure to check that everyone is breathing every five minutes. The pair alternate circling the room. The quick turnarounds keep the pair awake. It's the best they can do.

During the next shift, Elodie listens to Benedict whisper. The floor, likely, isn't stable. The building is so cold that they drape blankets over them like capes while walking around the hall. Benedict isn't sure they can stay much longer. He is aware of how much food he grabbed. Moving Maverick outside isn't an option. He can barely hold his own head upright and he's too big to carry through a mile of snow up to their waists. Even if everyone were in the best condition, they might lose someone along the way. Elodie nods along even though she wants him to shut up. Planning isn't reassuring. She wants sympathies not solutions.

Tempest and Darlington take the third turn. They ration out the food. There is only enough to feed all of them one meal, and none of them know how long they will need to wait. Neither of them wants to plan the rations, especially not just the two of them. Darlington is still feeling groggy. Only during this time does he really digest his conversation on the walkies. He grabs Tempest and hugs her tightly, breathing in steadily.

Hadley is alive.

After them, Marcellus and Callie watch over everyone. They camp out at the end of the hallway so they can whisper to one another. She saw Elodie in his clothes. He rolls his eyes at her teasing him. They do a thumb war to keep their hands limber since their fingers are stiff like icicles. If everyone weren't sleeping, Elodie would sprint, despite her persisting cough. Marcellus avoids asking about it. Before their shift ends, they head up to the roof and use the dirty sheets from a few rooms to write a message on the snowy rooftop.

H E L P

Marcellus thinks an F would probably be more suited. All the others ones they've written have drowned beneath them.

The final shift is taken up by Ro and Moonie. Moonie doesn't leave Maverick's side except to check the breath of the people around her. Really, she couldn't properly sleep at all. It felt like every three minutes she would make up and check Maverick. Still breathing. When she whispers in his ear, he will mumble something, never intelligible. Ro doesn't mind being left to her own devices. She counts during that time, intermittently. It's not all that easy to focus on the numbers.

Soon enough, everyone has risen from their slumbers. With the small food supply, none of them eat. There is still water in the taps in Galilee and Jerry's bathrooms, so they run them just in case they burst. It works out well enough anyway. They fill eleven of the twelve solo cups with water. Callie uses a marker of Galilee's to write everyone's names in fancy script, so no one will share.

For once, the idea of drinking cold water feels gross.

Forcibly propping all the student doors open, the hallways get enough light so that they don't need flashlights. It has the brightness of a nightclub, but there is no alcohol or dancing. They are the girl crying in the bathroom, but there isn't anyone else to be drunk and talk them out of their stupor.