heavenward | n.scatorccio

When Julianna and Misty got back to the sports hall, Julianna's shoulders ached from the weight of the backpack. Every step had felt heavier the closer they got, her adrenaline ebbing and leaving exhaustion in its place.

The doors creaked as they stepped inside, and for a moment, the two of them just stood there, taking in the scene. Van and Taissa were off to one side, unrolling two sleeping bags they'd found in the drama storage room. Van held one up triumphantly, her grin breaking through the lingering tension.

"Check it out!" she called, her voice bright but a little shaky. "Luxury camping for two. Or, you know, whoever doesn't mind sharing."

Taissa gave her a look, eyebrows raised. "We'll figure it out later, Van."

Across the room, Laura Lee was perched on a bleacher next to Javi and Travis. The brothers sat stiffly, eyes unfocused, their faces pale. Travis hadn't said a word since the roof, and Javi looked like he'd stopped breathing altogether. Laura Lee, ever the optimist, was murmuring softly, holding one of Javi's hands between hers. A small pile of candles sat beside her, likely scavenged from some storage closet.

On the other side of the gym, Shauna and Natalie returned, each carrying a bulging bag. Shauna's face was flushed from exertion, and Natalie looked even grimmer than usual, her shirt streaked with something Julianna didn't want to guess at.

"We hit the jackpot," Natalie announced, dumping the bag onto the floor with a metallic clatter. "Canned beans, peaches, Spam... real five-star dining."

Shauna knelt beside her, pulling out the rest: bags of chips, packets of crackers, and even a handful of apples. "The kitchen door's jammed, but we can get to it if we need to," she added. "It's... gross in there, but it's stocked."

"Gross how?" Misty asked, already halfway to them with her crowbar.

"You don't wanna know," Natalie said flatly.

Meanwhile, Jackie and Jeff wandered back, looking noticeably less triumphant. Jeff carried a small stack of board games, and Jackie was holding what looked like a mug shaped like a cat.

"Wait, what's that?" Julianna asked, blinking at them.

"Uh, Monopoly," Jeff muttered, setting the games down awkwardly.

"Scrabble too," Jackie added, as if that made it better. "We... didn't go far."

Julianna sighed, tired but still feigning a smile. It wasn't exactly survival gear, but the thought of Jackie and Jeff rummaging through a teacher's office, too scared to go further, was almost endearing.

"Great. Now we can fight over fake money while we starve," Natalie muttered under her breath.

"Shut up, Nat," Jackie snapped, her voice cracking.

"Alright, let's not," Taissa cut in, standing. "We need to secure this place first. Food, games, whatever—we'll deal with all of it later. Right now, we block these doors."

The next hour passed in a blur of heavy lifting and short tempers. Everyone pitched in, dragging equipment to barricade the three main entrances to the gym. The double doors leading outside were the hardest. They jammed a basketball pole through the handles, twisted the manual lock, and piled as much weight as possible against it.

Coach Ben, pale and sweating, stayed unconscious on a makeshift mat in the corner. Julianna caught glimpses of him as she worked, his leg swaddled in bloodied gauze. It made her stomach churn, but she kept moving.

She and Jeff teamed up, maneuvering a stack of rolled-up gym mats toward the south doors. He cracked a joke about their dad's old treadmill breaking, according to Julianna, it wasn't very funny.

By the time they finished, the gym looked less like a refuge and more like a fortress. Every entrance was blocked, and everyone was soaked in sweat.

Julianna collapsed onto a bleacher near the edge of the room, dropping her makeshift weapon beside her. The others milled about, checking the barricades or sorting through supplies. Voices rose and fell—Jackie and Shauna arguing softly, Natalie sharpening a chair leg with a shard of metal, Misty humming as she fluffed a sleeping bag.

But Julianna couldn't focus on any of it. She pressed her palms against her face, blocking out the light and sound. Her body ached, her head throbbed, and her social battery was running on fumes.

For the first time in hours, she allowed herself to close her eyes.

She didn't mean to fall asleep, but when she opened her eyes again, the gym was quieter. She stirred awake at the light tap on her shoulder, blinking against the dimness. The overhead lights were off, replaced by the soft flicker of candlelight scattered across the gym, Laura Lee sat near some, still murmuring prayers.

Julianna glanced around, her heart sinking as the weight of everything settled back onto her shoulders. The barricades, the scattered food, the bloodstained floor in the corner where Coach Ben lay.

"Jules," Jeff whispered, crouching beside her. "C'mon, we're doing something fun for once. You gotta get up."

She squinted at him, still groggy, and glanced around. The sports hall felt smaller in the dark, the corners blurred into shadow. It was quiet, save for the low hum of voices and occasional bursts of laughter. People were gathered in loose clusters on the floor, their faces illuminated by the warm glow of Laura Lee's candles.

"What time is it?" she mumbled, her voice scratchy from sleep.

Jeff shrugged. "Like...nine? Maybe later. Who cares? You've been out for hours. It's board game time now."

"Board game time," she repeated, her tone flat. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Jeff said earnestly, as if that were the most natural response to everything they'd just survived.

Julianna sighed and rubbed her eyes. Her back ached from sleeping on the bleacher, and her head still felt heavy, like it hadn't quite caught up with being awake. But Jeff's hopeful expression—eager and boyish, made it hard to say no.

"Fine," she muttered, standing slowly and stretching. "I'll play. But only because you asked nicely."

Jeff grinned, grabbing her hand to pull her toward the group he'd joined.

The floor was littered with makeshift seating: the unzipped sleeping bags spread out like patchwork rugs, backpacks and jackets bunched up as pillows. The room smelled faintly of wax and sweat, the faintest remnants of earlier events still lingering in the air.

Taissa was setting up cards on the floor, her brow furrowed in concentration. Van sat cross-legged beside her, her grin crooked as always, holding a flashlight like it was a prop in a play. Jackie and Misty were kneeling nearby, Jackie brushing invisible dirt off her leggings, and Misty fiddling with a stray candlewick. Lottie leaned against one of the gym mats, watching with a faint smile as Jeff dropped beside her with the enthusiasm of someone who hadn't just hauled a grown man around all day.

"Julianna's in!" Jeff announced proudly, patting the empty spot beside him.

Julianna sat down hesitantly, folding her legs beneath her.

"What are we playing?" she asked, glancing at Taissa's perfectly arranged cards.

"Bullshit," Taissa said, her tone clipped.

"Oh, fun," Julianna muttered. She glanced at Misty, who was already sitting bolt upright, as if this game were an Olympic sport.

"Don't worry," Misty said brightly. "I'm great at reading people. This'll be so fun."

"That's... not worrying at all," Julianna replied hesitantly.

The group chuckled lightly, the tension easing just a fraction. For a moment, it almost felt normal—like they weren't barricaded inside their old high school gym with the world falling apart outside.

Across the room, another group had gathered around the Monopoly board. Julianna recognized a few faces: Gen, Melissa, and Mari were deep in discussion over property deals, their voices overlapping as they argued. A younger girl, Akilah, Julianna thought, though she wasn't entirely sure, was counting out paper money with an intensity that rivaled any stockbroker.

Javi was curled up in the far corner, fast asleep, while Shauna dozed on the bleachers nearby, her head resting on her folded arms.

Julianna's gaze lingered on Shauna for a moment, noting the way her shoulders rose and fell with each deep breath. She seemed peaceful, but there was a tightness to her expression even in sleep, like her mind was working overtime.

She wondered briefly if Shauna was dreaming about what had happened earlier, about the blood, the screams, the terrible sound of Coach Martinez's body being torn apart. Julianna shook the thought away, focusing back on the game in front of her.

The first few rounds passed in a blur of bluffing and accusations. Jeff was terrible at lying, his tells so obvious that even Van, who barely knew him, called him out immediately. Misty, on the other hand, was unnervingly good, her sweet smile never faltering as she laid down her cards.

Julianna played cautiously, overthinking every move but somehow staying in the game longer than she expected.

"So, Julie," Jackie said at one point, her voice light but probing. "What's your strategy? Flying under the radar?"

Julianna shrugged, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. "Something like that."

"She's smart," Misty chimed in, her tone oddly sincere. "I mean, she's still in, isn't she?"

Julianna wasn't sure if it was meant to be a compliment or an observation, but she nodded awkwardly, smiling anyway. "Uh, yeah. I guess."

Jackie raised an eyebrow, exchanging a glance with Taissa, who smirked. "Quiet but deadly," Taissa said, dealing the next round.

By the time the candles burned lower, Julianna's head was spinning. The combination of social interaction, dim lighting, and the lingering stress of the day was draining her fast.

She glanced at Jeff, who was now fully immersed in a side conversation with Van about how he'd once beaten her in dodgeball sophomore year.

Julianna leaned back, letting the muffled voices and scattered laughter wash over her. Her hands twisted in her lap, her mind buzzing with too many thoughts.

Julianna shifted uncomfortably on the floor, her arms wrapped loosely around her knees. She scanned the room absentmindedly, her gaze catching on Natalie sitting alone at the far end of the gym. The flicker of a lighter briefly illuminated Natalie's face as she lit a cigarette, her expression shadowed and far away.

Julianna's eyes lingered a little too long, watching the faint tendrils of smoke curl upward, dissolving into the dim air. Something about Natalie's quiet detachment pulled at her, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why. Maybe it was the way she carried herself, like someone who had learned long ago to be okay with being alone.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Travis approached, his movements hesitant but purposeful. He sat down next to Natalie, mirroring her slouched posture. They didn't speak at first, but Natalie eventually offered him a cigarette, holding it out between two fingers without a word. Travis took it, and Julianna watched as they shared a moment of silent understanding, their tired expressions eerily similar.

She felt a twinge of something, curiosity, maybe, or the faintest hint of envy. She wished she could be casual enough to approach either of them like that. But before she could linger on it, Jeff's elbow jabbed her in the side.

"Hey," he said, grinning like he'd just come up with the greatest idea in the world. "They're playing Uno now. We should team up. No one can beat the Sadecki siblings."

Julianna blinked, shaking off her daze. "Uno?"

"Yeah. C'mon." Jeff was already pulling her to her feet, his enthusiasm contagious despite the ache of the day still clinging to her muscles.

The small group had gathered in a loose circle on the sleeping bags, the cards spread out between them. Taissa shuffled with practiced precision, her movements quick and confident. Van leaned over to watch, her chin resting in her hand, a small smirk tugging at her lips.

Jackie sat cross-legged, her posture impossibly straight, while Misty was perched on the edge of the group, practically vibrating with anticipation. Jeff plopped down next to her, dragging Julianna with him, and flashed a grin at the others.

"Prepare to lose," Jeff declared. "We're a team now. A dynasty."

"Dynasty?" Taissa echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"That's a strong word for two people who've done nothing yet," Van quipped, nudging Taissa with her elbow.

"Hey, don't underestimate us," Jeff shot back. "We've got sibling telepathy."

Julianna groaned softly, her cheeks flushing. "We don't have telepathy. That's not—"

"Shhh," Jeff interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. "They don't need to know that."

Misty giggled, clapping her hands together. "This is so exciting! Uno is all about strategy, you know. And a little bit of luck, of course, but mostly strategy. I've read about probability in card games, it's fascinating—"

"Just deal the cards," Jackie interrupted, rolling her eyes.

The game started off tame enough, with everyone pretending they weren't taking it too seriously. But that facade quickly dissolved as the draw fours and skips started flying.

"Are you kidding me?" Taissa groaned as Jeff slammed down a reverse card, smug as ever.

"Sorry, not sorry!" he said, shooting finger guns at her.

"I hate you already," Taissa muttered, though her grin betrayed her amusement.

Julianna couldn't help but laugh quietly, shaking her head. She wasn't good at games like this, her overthinking always got in the way, but she liked being part of the chaos. Jeff was in his element, and even though his energy could be overwhelming sometimes, it was comforting in its own way.

"Your turn, Julie!" Jeff said, nudging her.

She hesitated, scanning her hand of mismatched colors and numbers. "Um..." She carefully placed a blue five on the pile, her movements almost timid.

"Bold move," Van teased.

"Strategic," Julianna countered softly, smiling, though her tone lacked confidence.

As the game wore on, the tension melted into something lighter, something that felt almost normal. Misty gasped dramatically every time someone played a skip, clutching her chest like she'd been personally attacked. Van and Taissa kept up a running commentary, riffing off each other like comedians. Even Jackie seemed more relaxed, her laughter bright and genuine as she stole the occasional glance at Jeff, who was fully leaning into his role as the group's biggest clown.

Julianna sat quietly through most of it, her smiles small but genuine. She liked this, being included, being part of something that wasn't forced or panicked.

The faint hum of laughter and chatter filled the gym, blending with the soft flicker of candlelight and the distant creak of the building settling. For a while, it was easy to forget the horrors outside the heavy barricaded doors.

Julianna's mind wandered as she played, her thoughts drifting like leaves on a stream. Sure, survival was important—no one wanted to die. But just surviving wasn't enough, was it? There had to be more to it than that. A reason to keep going, something to hold on to when the fight got too hard.

Because most people don't want to die, but at what point does that reason become not enough?

She glanced at Jeff, who was arguing good-naturedly with Misty about whether stacking draw fours was allowed. He was loud and ridiculous and sometimes exhausting, but he made her laugh. And that was enough, for now.

Julianna smiled faintly to herself as she placed another card down, her movements steady despite the faint tremor in her hands. The game wasn't about winning or losing—it was about being there. About staying human, even when the world outside was anything but.