Not Unique

Family

Part 1

 I clench my hands together and blow air on my sweaty cold palms but they feel colder. This is what it feels to be anxious. I can't feel my heart but it's building a tempo in my ears, my legs, my fingertips and my lips keep shaking. I bite down on my finger to stop a whimper but the pain doesn't distract me and I feel hopeless.

Hopelessness is an understatement for what I feel. I just wish, I hope, I pray to whatever entity is up there to tell me this is a dream.

"Please" I sob as my hands tremble visibly. I can't even control it anymore. I sit up, tucking my cold feet under me but it's not cold.

"I'll do whatever you want, I'll listen to Ma, I won't be selfish-" A snarl makes me close my eyes shut and I bit on my lips to stop any noise from letting out. Was this the end?

"Nini" I heard a whisper of my nickname, my best friend calling out to me. But I know he's not here, he should be home with his Ma and Pa, away from all this. Theo shouldn't be here.

No! I have to be strong. For Ma and Pa, for Theo and everyone. If this was a nightmare, I must survive it. I must survive for my family, if you have nothing to live for, live for the ones you love and who love you. I sit up and open the closet door but it's pitch dark and the phone Victoria gave me is dead.

Victoria, she had said to should leave without her, what if she's still in the building? No, it's Vicky she must have left. Did she really leave me here? I question. But I know I wouldn't want her and her siblings to be stuck here in a Janitor's closet.

I crawl out of the closet, my body is aching but I use my hands to look out for anything to grab onto. I can barely see my hands in front of me even when I put them directly to my face. This scares the heck out of me. I knock something over but quickly catch it before it hits the ground, it's a torch; how convenient. I put it on and everywhere seems to brighten and I can see the whole room.

I see a mop, a bucket filled with dirty water, rubber gloves, sponges, and disinfectants. None of these would be useful except the mop stick, so I take it and pull it out of its plastic, it is just my height and I wield it like a bokken sword, I switch to a hand position I find comfortable. Now I need something for the tip so I look around some more things and I find a knife, balls chain linked that have pointy edges. Should I be worried the Janitor has such items? But I can't help but be grateful...for now. I notice a map of the school on the wall above a bundle of clothes and quickly rip it out, I smile at it.

I sharpen one end of my stick and tie the spiky balls to the other end. As I do all this, I realize how much of a baby I had just acted but it also makes me realize there could be other people who feel the same way and I have to help them. I could get caught and killed by the rabid people but it doesn't matter knowing there could be someone just like me, hoping for any sort of help. And I won't give up on them.

I need to save them. I recognize my irrational urge to save someone. It had been that way since I was young, always trying to save someone and I was still like that if not worse but it didn't matter, if it was irrational in my head, I could feel it was the right thing to do.

I wrap myself in bulky janitor's clothes and big sponges around my vital parts. I drag the table to the middle to a ventilator, I notice and climb into it, in my hand is a torch, I hide the knife I used earlier in my pants, it'll be useful, and in my other hand is the sharpened to perfection stick, it's restricted in this ventilator but I set the map in front of me, I could barely read the architecture, it's like the plans for my Lego house I used to build when I was younger, but other than walls and doors I got nothing else on this piece of paper. I crawl forward and the vents creak loudly, but it's fine, right?