Hours passed, and it was evening now, yet the sun remained overhead.
They wouldn't have known it was evening if it wasn't for Dr. Alaric's mechanical watch. Since he often worked with fossils and visited places with electromagnetic interference, using such watches had become a habit for him.
While all the electronic equipment was ruined, Alaric's watch remained sturdy. However, no one was happy with this development.
Without the watch, at least they could have fooled themselves. But now hours had passed, and no one came to their rescue. No police, no firefighters, no one.
They were stuck in the college with no supplies. Such continuous realizations plunged them into despair. Blaze stood there, watching the group before him.
He was picking more guinea pigs for further experiments. There were a few candidates, including his father, but he decided to let them be for now.
If he went berserk creating more monsters, then it'd impact his own survivability. They'd be his meat shields until he figured out more about the sudden mutations.
Let's get rid of those two first.
While most of the class was gloomy, Martin was busy exercising. Blaze put on his characteristic fake smile and sat beside him.
"You need something?" Martin asked, continuing his squats.
"Just checking in," Blaze said. "How are you feeling about all… this, whatever it is?"
"It sucks. People like us hate sitting around doing nothing. If I had known this would happen, I would have skipped the class and stayed at the gym."
People like us, huh? He isn't wrong about that.
Figure-wise, they weren't too different. While Blaze didn't have the overbearing muscles Martin did, both of them were frequent visitors to the on-campus gym.
Unlike Martin, Blaze wasn't full of syringe holes. What little gains he had were all natural. He hated those fake muscles, as it ruined nature's balance, that's why he didn't feel sorry for what he was about to do.
"Tsk, if I had a gun, I'd go down there and blast those freaks to pieces," Martin proclaimed, breaking Blaze's train of thought.
"You think?"
"Damn straight I do."
Blaze chuckled, patting the guy's shoulder.
"I would love to see that," he said. "Too bad you don't have one."
"Yes, that's why I'm stretching. Just in case those ugly heads rush in, at least I'd outrun most of these fools, especially that fucker David. He'd be the first to die among us."
"Shut up!" David yelled.
"Oh yeah, make me!"
Blaze remained quiet, letting those two duke it out through words. In the end, David huffed and walked away.
"You know, he wouldn't be so rowdy if you had her support," Blaze said once David left.
"Who—?"
"His mother, who else?"
Martin looked at Blaze for a second before shaking his head. Rebecca was his past. Even though he didn't want their relationship to end, she did, and Martin respected her decision.
However, Blaze wasn't one to give up.
"Just listen to me," he said, putting his arm on Martin's shoulder. "The world has gone to shit. The societal rules don't matter anymore."
"Don't use such big words. Just say what you want to."
"Just Imagine," Blaze said. "She's in danger and you save her life. Wouldn't she be grateful to you? You did something even her son didn't. Rebecca will realize you're the one who cares about her. Who will stop you two from being together, then?"
After saying his piece, Blaze waited. Such a ridiculous scenario wouldn't work on anyone, but Martin was an exception.
Critical thinking wasn't his best suit. As long as he saw a piece of meat before him, he would charge at it without thinking it could be a trap. That's why Blaze chose to bullshit Martin and not David.
Meanwhile, Martin stared at his feet and then outside, weighing the pros and cons. David's house was a ten-minute walk. If he ran, it would take him four minutes at most.
But was it worth taking the risk?
"You think so? She'd be grateful to me. What if—?"
"Look dude, it's your life," Blaze shrugged, stepping away. "In the end, no one can force you to decide. I'm just worried she won't have anyone by her side in such difficult times, and you might regret it later."
Martin's face lit up as countless apocalypse movie scenes flashed before his eyes. All of them ended with the man in bed with his woman, and he wanted to have such an ending.
"You're right! I shouldn't worry about useless stuff," he declared, rushing towards the barricade. "Step aside, everyone! I've got a girl to save!"
Blaze smiled, looking at him. Just as he was about to step outside, someone pulled him back.
This piece of walking sourdough…
"Where do you think you're going?" David asked.
"To help your mother, dumbass. Someone has to, and you clearly have no intention of doing so."
Usually, David would have folded by now, but not this time. He shoved Martin back.
Just because he didn't rush to save his mother didn't mean he didn't care for her. It was because, unlike Martin, he knew he'd die the moment he stepped out. He was conflicted, but now, with Martin acting up, he couldn't stay idle.
"This fat fuck!" Martin yelled, pushing David back. "You dare hit me? Do I have to remind you of your place, you stupid fuck?"
"Shut up!"
Soon, the two were yelling at each other, drawing everyone's attention. They didn't know it, but they had done Blaze's dirty work for him.
The two were arguing at the top of their lungs while the rest of the building was eerily quiet. Everyone knew what that meant.
Blaze stood back, whispering amongst the crowd.
"If they keep yelling, won't they attract the monsters?" he said.
The spark was lit, and within seconds, others began whispering.
"I don't wanna die because of these idiots."
"Let's just kick them out!"
"Yes. That's the best way to deal with them."
Everyone knew the noise would attract those monsters, and it was the last thing anyone wanted. So a group of students rushed over, pushed the barricade aside, and opened the doors.
Before David or Martin knew what was happening, they were pushed out.
"Hey! All of you, knock it off!"
Alaric rushed to stop them.
You're too late, father.
Before Alaric could do anything, the doors were slammed close, leaving the two outside.
That's one thing taken care of.
Blaze thought, casually returning to his seat as if he hadn't doomed two people to their deaths.