Y/N'S POV 🌸🌾
Alone in the clinic with Jake, I mustered up the courage to speak.
" Um, Jake... Could you... roll up your pants? I need to check your leg." I asked.
Jake raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.
" Oh, sure. Or you could do it. Might be more fun that way."
I realized there was no avoiding it. I hesitated for a moment before awkwardly rolling up Jake's pant leg, revealing his injured leg. It's clear that he was in pain, but he tried to mask it with humor. Typical Jake.
"Don't look so pityingly at me, princess." He rolled his eyes.
I set myself to work, cleaning Jake's wound. He winced at the pain, causing me to pause for a moment.
" Sorry, this might sting a bit." I said in a low voice, while still applying the antiseptic on his wound.
" Ah, just a flesh wound. I've had worse." He smirked, making me roll my eyes.
"So, what happened out there?" I asked.
He looked at me, a hint of defiance in his eyes.
" Why should I tell you?" He asked.
I raised an eyebrow, not expecting such a blunt response.
" I'm just trying to understand what's going on." I replied in a low voice.
He hesitated for a moment, then shrugged.
" Suit yourself. Just don't expect me to spill my life story to you." He forcefully smiled.
I went silent after this. If he doesn't want to tell me, so be it.
" I was heading towards Atlanta, trying to get out of this town. Thought I might find something better out there. But then I saw it... this massive mushroom cloud in the distance. Next thing I know, I'm swerving to avoid a car that came out of nowhere. Ended up crashing into a tree. " He explained.
"That sounds terrifying. " I replied.
" You have no idea. One moment, everything was normal, and the next, it felt like the world was ending. I was lucky to walk away with just a few broken bones. " He laughed.
" life's full of surprises, isn't it? You think you're heading in one direction, and then... bam, everything changes." He added.
" What do you think caused the mushroom cloud? " I asked.
" I don't know. Probably just some kind of blast. " He answered.
" A blast? Like an explosion? " I asked.
"Yeah, something like that. Maybe it was a chemical plant or something. " He shrugged.
"That's scary to think about. " I muttered loud enough for him to hear.
"Yeah, but what can you do? Nothing, right?" He scoffed.
I noticed clouds forming in the sky, a sight that seems out of place given the recent events. I walked over to the window, gazing out at the darkening sky.
" What's the matter?" He asked.
" It's just... the clouds. They're... unusual." I answered.
Jake joined me at the window, looking up at the sky.
" They look like normal clouds to me." He scoffed.
He looked at the clouds again. I frustrated by his lack of observation, facepalmed myself.
"Are you blind? Look at those clouds. They're getting darker. " I answered.
He followed my gaze, realizing the changing of weather.
" Rain. " He replied in a low voice.
"Yeah. It could rain tomorrow..... Rain...." I thought for a moment as the realization hit me.
I suddenly turned towards him, as my eyes widened.
Jake's eyes widened with realization too.
"Wait, you mean... if it rains, we'll be exposed to radiation?" He asked, thank God he realized it soom enough.
" Exactly. The air is full of radioactive particles right now. If it rains, those particles will come down with the rain, contaminating everything." I explained, feeling proud of what I read in the books in my free time.
He started to panic, moving towards the door.
I grabbed his arm, stopping him.
" Jake, where are you going?" I asked, still holding his arm.
" I need to tell my dad. He needs to know about the rain." He told me.
" No, Jake. You need to rest. I'll go and inform him. " I assured him.
He protested, but I stood my ground.
" You're injured, Jake. You need to stay here and rest. I'll go and inform your dad." I argued back.
After convincing Jake to stay put, I exited the room, to find the mayor and inform him about the radioactive rain threat. I scanned the empty clinic, but he wasn't there.
As I stepped outside, the cool night air hit me. I looked around, trying to spot any signs of the mayor or his whereabouts.
"Where could he be?" I asked myself.
Spotting Heather nearby, I approached her, hoping she might know the mayor's whereabouts.
" Heather, do you know where the mayor is?" I asked her, hoping she would know something.
Heather looked up, startled by my sudden appearance.
" Oh, hey Y/n. Last I heard, he was at the town hall. Why?" She asked.
" I need to speak with him urgently. It's about... something important. " I said in a rushes tone.
Heather nodded.
" I'll take you there. Come on, let's go find him." She said.
Together, me and Heather set off towards the town hall, our footsteps echoing in the quiet streets of Jericho.
TOWN HALL
💥💥💥
Me and Heather arrived at the town hall, where the mayor was addressing a group of concerned residents. I quickly made my way towards him.
"Mayor Green, excuse me, but I need to speak with you urgently." I called out.
The mayor turned towards me.
" What is it, Y/n? What's wrong?" He asked, looking concerned.
" It's about the rain. The air is full of radioactive particles, and if it rains, those particles will contaminate everything. We need to take precautions to protect the town." I explained, trying to be fast about it.
The mayor's expression changed, turning serious.
" Thank you, Y/n. I'll convene an emergency meeting to discuss our options. In the meantime, we need to alert everyone and ensure they stay indoors." The mayor answered.
I nodded, relieved that the mayor was taking action.
As I finished explaining the situation to the mayor, we were interrupted by Jake's sarcastic remark. Me, Heather, and the mayor turned towards Jake, who was standing there, clearly agitated by his injury.
"looks like we've got ourselves a little emergency, huh, Dad? Maybe we should wrap this meeting up so we can all go hide in our basements. " He scoffed.
The mayor looked at Jake, a mix of concern and annoyance on his face.
" Jake, this is serious. We need to make sure everyone is safe." The mayor replied.
" Oh, I'm sure they'll be just fine, Dad. It's not like the sky is falling or anything." He had to be kidding about this.
I exchanged a look with Heather, both of us taken aback by Jake's nonchalant attitude towards the situation.
" Jake, are you out of your mind?" The mayor asked.
" Of course not dad. The point is why are you standing here if the meeting is an emergency? We should be in your office, right?" Jake answered, raising his eyebrows.
Oh, he was joking before. I thought he wasn't being serious about the situation.
The mayor nodded and thought for a moment before turning his face towards one of the resident and talking to them.
I turned towards Jake.
Slightly annoyed that he didn't listen to me earlier.
" Jake, what are you doing here? I told you to stay at the clinic." I whisper shouted at him.
Jake, with a smirk, responded.
" Oh, you know, just couldn't resist the thrill of a town hall meeting. Plus, I wanted to see if you were as convincing with my dad as you were with me." He smiled.
I rolled my eyes at his comment.
Heather approached him.
" Jake, are you okay? You're limping." She asked, looking at his leg.
" I'm fine, Heather. Just a little souvenir from my adventurous day." He smiled.
He tried to mask his pain with a smile, but I could see through it.
" You should rest. It looks painful." Heather suggested.
" Nah, I'll be fine. Just need to walk it off." He shrugged.
Heather gave him a skeptical look.
"Y/n, Jake, follow me. We need to discuss this further in my office." The mayor ordered.
As we started to move towards the mayor's office, Jake, tried to annoy me.
" So, Y/n, looks like we're going to be spending some quality time together. Maybe this emergency won't be so bad after all." He smirked.
I was not in the mood for Jake's antics
" Trust me, Jake, this is far from a date. Let's just get this over with." I replied in a stern voice.
MAYOR'S OFFICE
🌾🌾🌾
As me, Jake, and the mayor entered the office, I noticed several familiar faces already present.
" Eric, Sheriff Bill, and his partner... " I counted the people to myself.
My eyes then fell on the unfamiliar face and Gray Anderson.
"...and who's that? And what is Gray Anderson doing here?" I asked to myself.
Jake leaned towards me, whispering as he pointed towards Mr. Hawkins.
" That's Mr. Hawkins. He's new in town, but I've got my eye on him. Something about his shady behavior doesn't sit right with me." He told me.
I smirked, finding Jake's suspicion amusing.
" Oh, come on, Jake. Just because he's new and mysterious doesn't mean he's up to something. Maybe he's just... a secret agent on a mission to save Jericho from radioactive rain." I joked.
" And who's she? What's she doing here?" Gray asked.
" Oh, that's Y/n. She's the one who warned me about the threat. She seems to know a thing or two about what's going on. I think it's best to have her here with us." The mayor answered him.
I felt proud. The mayor trusted me.
" Wow, Y/n, I didn't know you were the town hero now. What's next, a statue in the town square?" He scoffed, clearly sounding jealous.
I rolled my eyes at Jake's remark.
"So, what's our plan now?" Eric asked.
" We should all just hide in the basement until it passes!" Gray suggested.
" No, no, we need to build a giant umbrella to shield the town!" Sheriff bill exclaimed.
"I say we all just pray for a miracle!" Sheriff Bill's partner suggested.
" Looks like they've got it all figured out, huh?" I asked Jake.
"Yeah, I feel safer already." He scoffed in return.
We shared a quiet chuckle, knowing that they'll need to come up with a more practical plan to keep Jericho safe.
Seeing the chaos of impractical ideas swirling around, looks like I need to take charge.
" Okay, everyone, let's calm down and listen for a moment." I asked for their attention.
Gradually, the room quiets down as all eyes turned to me.
We need a practical plan here. Hiding in the basement or praying for a miracle isn't going to cut it. We need to think about how we can protect ourselves from the radioactive rain." I suggested.
"First, we need to gather as much information as we can about the threat. Then, we should prioritize securing shelter and supplies. We also need to consider how we can help those who might be most vulnerable, like children and the elderly." I continued.
" I agree with Y/n. We need a structured approach to this situation, not just wishful thinking." Mr Hawkins nodded.
There's one more crucial point that needs to be discussed.
" Not everyone in town might have a basement to seek shelter in. We need to consider how we can accommodate those who don't have a safe space. Does anyone know how many people the town hall can hold?" I asked while scanning the room.
" I think the town hall can probably hold around 70 people." Eric answered.
I frowned, realizing that this might not be enough.
" That might not be sufficient. We should consider another location in addition to the town hall. Do we have any other buildings or facilities that can accommodate more people?" I asked.
" What about the injured folks? It's going to be tough to move them, especially if we need to evacuate quickly." Bill asked, raising one more crucial point.
" Hey, Eric, isn't there a basement under the clinic?" Jake asked out of nowhere.
" Yeah, there is, but it hasn't been used in years. I'm not sure about its current condition or if it's even safe to use." He answered in doubt.
" I'll go check out the basement under the clinic." Jake offered.
" Be quick, Jake. Y/n, you and Mr. Hawkins can lead the clinic basement. Eric, Sheriff Bill, and I will handle the town hall." The mayor announced.
"What about me?" Gray asked, looking confused and left out .
" Oh, don't worry. We'll find something for you to do." The mayor sarcastically answers him, making my chuckle.
We all were set to our own assigned duties but we're not ready for whatever challenges were standing before us.
A/N: Hellooooo. So, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Things are looking bad for them, right?