• |DREAMS TO REALITY| • [SCHOOLBUSGRAVEYARD X READER]

CHAPTER 22 - Debating

"Oh... My God. That's... Disturbing," Y/N stared at it only to look away while covering her mouth as she got the chills.

"What happened to it?!" Logan exclaimed.

"Turns out if these things are exposed to light for too long, they start to wig out and turn to goop," Aiden says with a smile on his face. "Like their body starts to twist, and bubble, and spaz-"

Logan and Y/N looked pale as they were clearly disturbed, not wanting to hear anymore.

"Okay, stop," Tyler said as he finally decided to speak up. "I think he gets the picture. Now quit before you make them sick. Since he's awake now-let's talk about Savannah."

They all got to the topic and a few minutes went by before things started to go down as Ashlyn and Tyler were currently arguing.

"I'm so tired... I want my bed right now," Y/N muttered, sighing as she looked up at the two arguing with one another while the rest of the group stood there witnessing the scene.

"We can't keep hoping that things will go back to normal on their own," Tyler exclaimed.

"And we can't risk getting stuck here permanently," Ashlyn retorted.

'At some point, they'll need to put their differences aside and help each other out,' Y/N thought, looking at the two with boredom. "Honestly speaking, you both are right on each part," Y/N said, hoping this would make them come to their senses, but it only made them glare at each other."

"Um... Going back doesn't mean we have to go back to the house again, or interact with the phantom, right?" Taylor asked, not wanting to encounter more of them.

It was then clear of the group's sitting positions as they all gathered around, forming a circle to discuss their plan, ideas, and theories. Y/N was sitting between Logan and Taylor. It did, however, make the brunette boy a bit embarrassed knowing someone like her was so caring for him. He grew curious about her purpose in helping him this much. However, decided not to ask for now.

"Maybe we can search around for someone who might know something? The locals are bound to know something. We've been reading myths, lore, and watched who-knows-how-many investigations about Savannah for the past few weeks, and still haven't found anything useful."

"I'll agree to avoiding that place and only searching for local information. That way we don't have to risk anything." Tyler said firmly.

"If we don't go back to the Sorrel House, then I'm not against... going to Savannah," Logan said softly.

Ashlyn stayed quiet momentarily before looking at the tallest male in the group. "Ben, what about you?"

Ben looked at Ashlyn while holding his phone. He started typing for a few moments before showing them the message: "I'll go with whatever Aiden decides. And I guess, for Y/N too." Y/N was surprised that he wanted to know her pick in this decision.

"Hm? I don't care either way. Both options seem fun," Aiden's comment made the group look at him.

That's not helping...

"And you, Y/N?"

"Oh well, I'm down," she shrugged. 'Not like I have much of a choice...'

'There's still...' Ashlyn thought of something briefly before looking at the group once more. "I don't think this was an accident. There's the possibility that Lady did this on purpose and we could run into her again. There might even be others like her."

"So you're still against going?!" the tan boy exclaimed.

"No," She corrected, "I'll go. But only if we wait a year."

"A year?! You want to be stuck here for a year?!" He exclaimed.

"What are we to achieve by staying here for a year?" the H/C-haired girl asked, looking at the redhead with confusion about her motive.

"Calm down. There's no guarantee that even if we go back, we'll find a way out of here. Plus, none of us have a car or a license," Ashlyn's point was valid.

'Even if we did have a vehicle, how would we get to Savannah?' Y/N repeated, her hand on her chin and not long after realizing her point.

Oh yeah...

"And aside from finding a way down there, I think a year would give us time to prepare for the worst outcome."

"Worst outcome?" the brunette boy questioned.

"Even with all our precautions, we could still somehow get stuck here permanently or have another encounter with that woman. So for a year, we should train ourselves, research, and turn this place into a reliable stronghold to survive in," the redhead's expression grew serious. "It's about time we start taking this seriously."

★

The group was finally seen standing, looking at a stable, yet slightly dirty whiteboard.

"Did we really need this?" asked Tyler as the group surrounded and observed the board, which was found in a junk pile.

Ashlyn moved closer to the board. She picked up a black marker and started writing while the others watched.

"Alright, so this should be our first goal," she said.

Once she was finished, she showed the group, and the first one to speak up was Tyler.

"How are we going to do that?"

★

Ah, I just love it when the original author loves to leave things on a cliffhanger.

Bonus: That's literally at home and at school, seriously.