Day 9 in August 17, 2017
Time: Unknown

"...ark." There was someone there, what they're saying was cut off. A hand tapped his cheeks, then everything started to make sense. "Mark, don't fall asleep. Don't fall asleep, okay?" It said and when the blur of his vision parted, he saw Sammy peering down at him. It was like he was snapped out of a dream even though he wasn't asleep in the first place. But to be honest though, it didn't feel like he was there with them either. It was like he was floating and the things he was seeing weren't registering to him, it was useless and it wasn't any different than him shutting his eyes close-- "Mark!" A hand came again and it was almost a slap.

"What?!" he asked, startled and he was finally present.

"Don't fall asleep." Oh, it was Sammy, he almost forgot. She sighed at him, her brows furrowing. The hand on his cheek went up to his forehead and her face resurfaced again from it being cut off a little earlier. "You're getting worse," she said and he frowned at that and she was also frowning, mirroring him. "But don't worry,  you'll get better once we get out of here." She finally smiled at him.

"How do you know that?" He almost didn't recognise that it was him talking.

"Just listen." She left his side and walked away, but then, she stopped and turned her head just to look back at him."I'll explain it in this meeting, just don't... close your eyes, okay?" she asked, her voice sounding kind of wary, but him, being the typical joker he thought he was, still pulled on a joke right from underneath the rug-- or the sheets or whatever, not that it mattered so much.

"Does that mean I can't blink?" he asked jokingly and Sammy laughed at that, shaking her head momentarily before turning back to face him again.

"You can blink, just don't forget to open your eyes again," she answered. And all of a sudden, he lacked the strength to quip anything back to her so he just nodded and so, she went up front, placing herself beside the wheeled board she always used.

His eyes scanned the room briefly and he passed by Fei. She was already staring at him before his eyes could even land on her and she smiled, seemingly content that their eyes met.

After that, Sammy wasted no time and went on with her ideas and discussions.

She went on about "The Something" that was incharge of this world wanting to completely destroy the school just to cleanse them out of it. She said that bombs would rain on them relentlessy and that there's a possiblity that even a bunker wouldn't be able to withstand it. They thought that it was now impossible to outrun the inevitable with everything she said, but then she threw them a curve ball and pulled on a reverse at everything.

She said that there was a way out. That it had always been there, they just hadn't given it another chance and Fei hadn't been more thankful that Sammy took a liking in writing the date on the board. Because that little gig of hers, that one thing she thought was ridiculous from the very first day, was the very thing that will save them all.

Sammy said that they'd send a message directly to her past self through that board. She also said that her and her past self had always had an open mind and that she reassured them the past her will believe them once given the right amount of reason and persuasion: the persuasion to stop the others from getting into that meeting room that started everything, the persuasion to get them all out of there and rewriting their fate once and for all.

They were filled with hope before the meeting was even over and Fei couldn't help but to ask the one question that had been nagging at her this entire time.

"Sammy." Fei raised her hand. "Can I ask a question?"

Sammy nodded at that and replied with a simple, "yes" before they proceeded again.

---------

They were all getting ready. Their knives were newly taken from the kitchen, James was rolling up his make shift rope made of blankets into a backpack, Fei was there with Mark, helping him up and Sammy was watching them work together, taking it in as a one whole picture, her eyes scanning them move as a group.

They were almost ready, the knives' metal were singing as they slid it into their holsters, bagpacks zippers were zipped and they were all about to step out of the room when a light descended from above. It let out a small whistling sound, yellow sparks followed it like a tail and when it connected to the ground, it resounded.

There was a boom that rattled the glass of the windows, colors burst out of the explosion like a flower blooming. It rained down from the sky and explpded below, it was a twisted version of a light show-- an inverted fireworks display.

They watched it with locked irises, their mouths were hanging open. The split second of silence felt like an eternity until another yellow light fell and mayhem followed.

"What in the actual fuck?!" James rushed towards the nearest open window as another explosion rang out, his hair was blown out of his face as the impact reached them at record breaking speed.

"It's way too early!" Sammy yelled, her voice fighting against the sound of the exlposion. "It said tomorrow and it's not tomorrow yet."

James stood straight and looked back at the group. His hand went for the strap of his bagback and he swung it on his back. "Well, it seems like they can't wait until tomorrow and we can't wait here until we're blown up to pieces. Prez, change of plans." He squated in front of Sammy and stared her down. "Wait--there was no plan, you wanted to be spontaneous. And this," he pointed at the window, another explosion spread and pink light had sprouted from there, "is the most spontaneous it can get. Congratulations, you got what you wanted," he said, brimming with sarcasm as he grabbed Sammy's wrist and pulled her out of the room.

Sammy was a stuttering mess as she was dragged away, different colored sparks tainting her face as they passed windows after windows of light spectacled glass panes until they made it to the part where there were only broken ones.

"Shit!" They heard James said and he started sprinting. "Follow me!" he said, turning his head towards the back for a split second just to check if they were still keeping up before looking straight ahead again.

Lights fell from the sky like meteors and landed everywere. The left side of the school was already near collapsing and they were trying their very best to outrun it. Light rained and rained and it exploded into colors, shrapnels flew at them, broken glasses ricocheted by their sides. Some embeded its way into their skin and some left a scratch.

Fei did her best to drag Mark along, shielding her already injured friend from rubbles and eveything coming their way, but then, when they made it to the third floor and was closing in on their own classroom, a gaping hole appeared in front of them.

It was a remnant of a big explosion and they stopped at their tracks. It was a split more that a hole, now that they're seeing it in point blank. It separated the part of the building they were standing at and the part of the building they needed to go to. It was like something had took a bite out of that part and now they were staring down at that daunting hole. The lower floors glowed with bits of embers as each of its layers still screamed heat, the metal portruding out of the wrecked floors were heated to the point that it illuminated bright orange. 

"There's no point staring at it, let's go," James said, he let go of Sammy's hand, took a few steps back and jumped.

They all gasped when it seemed like he paused on midair. He leaped with so much strength that he was practically flying. He landed with ease on the other side and he stood up fast, beckoning them to come over.

"Come on!" he screamed, his voice sounded like it was far away.

"Sammy, go," Fei told her to go first and Sammy looked at her with steeled eyes, taking her invitation. She nodded at her before she took a step back and leaped at the gaping crack.

"It's our turn now," Fei whispered to Mark.

"No no no." He shook his head. "I won't make it so you should just atleast go," he said, his voice a bit slurred.

"That's not gonna happened," Fei reprimanded him, her grip of his arms that was around her shoulders tightened. "You will jump, too. I'll catch you if you didn't make it to the other side," she said sounding ridiculous that Mark almost laughed.

"If I didn't make it to the other side that means I fell, idiot," he said, a smile forming on his lips.

"You won't fall, trust me," Fei said, she stared at him for a second before letting his arms fall off of her shoulders.

"I'll be on the other side and you will jump and I'll figure out the rest," she said before she stepped back and ran full speed and eventually jumped with ease, her movement light as a feather.

"Mark, it's your turn, now!" she yelled, sounding demanding and hurrying.

Mark chuckled from his side and wagged his hand at her. "I get it, I get it," he said as he slowly took a walk back. "Alright, here goes nothing," he whispered to himself before taking a small push back and running off. His run towards the edge was sloppy and his feet lagged at the very last moment before the jumped and he came in short. He failed to took off and the momentum he had started had just pushed him forward and towards the middle of the hole and he was now suspended on air, falling, he didn't even rise, he was straight up descending and he yelled loud from his throat, his eyes wide as the ceiling grew farther and farther until--

"I got you!" A hand grabbed his wrist and when he looked up he saw that it was Fei. Her body was tipping at the very edge, she was slanted down and her feet being still planted on the floor and James holding onto her right hand was the only thing keeping her from falling after him.

"What now?" Mark asked. He tried to return Fei's grip on his hand but he couldn't, his grip was weak and he was slipping.

Fei watched with slowly widening eyes as the bandage that was on Mark's hands turned red, blood seeped through it as she squeezed tighter and tighter. She could now feel the wetness in her palm and she knew it wasn't just his blood in there, it was also the fluid from the blisters of his burns, the liquid of his flesh being squeezed out like a sick version lemonade and it wasn't helping. It's making everything harder and she was slipping. And Mark was getting lower and lower and she couldn't keep holding onto his already injured hand, it'll get more messed up. She needed to hold onto him, grab him by the part where it's most stable and her head perked up when she thought of something.

It would be risky but she had to do it.

"James, when let go of your hand, I want you to hurry up and grab onto my waist!"

"Wait, wha--"

"Now!" She yelled over his voice and she ran towards the edge, letting go of him. Fei's hold of Mark's hand had loosened and she tackled him at the torso, circling her arms around it for a tight hug. James yelled from his spot and chased after her slowly falling body, he inched his way towards the edge and he hooked an arm around her waist but the momentum added by their weight was far too great and he was pulled into the hole too, he let his arm linger before him and Sammy came running after it, catching it by the last second and finally held him back up. They made a human chain in a span of seconds and Fei and Mark was suspened on air. Her hold of Mark was finally stable and the other started pulling them up.

James screamed as he threw the last of them out of the hole and he gave them no chance to stare around and stood up again and ran.

"Stand up, fuckers, unless you wanna watch those freaky inverted fireworks display!" he said, his booming voice sounding of those of a commander and it pushed them on their feet and prompted them to run again. The almost falling scene seemed like it didn't happen and they were back in the hallway, paving their way through it again.