heavenward | n.scatorccio

The ladder was bolted into the wall at the far end of a science wing, a sharp contrast to the cluttered and shadowed storage rooms they'd been used to searching. It stood there, exposed in the faint light filtering through the cracked ceiling panels. The sight of it was almost enough to make Julianna sigh in relief.

"Finally," Misty said, gripping her crowbar in one hand and clutching the rungs of the ladder with the other. "I'll go first!" Without waiting for input, she started climbing with surprising efficiency.

Reluctantly, Julianna gripped the cool, slightly rusted metal. Her bat clunked awkwardly against her back as she climbed, each rung creaking faintly beneath her weight. When she reached the top, Misty was already pacing across the flat expanse of the school roof, her eyes scanning every corner.

"Let's spread out," Taissa said once she was up. She adjusted her grip on the hockey stick, her movements calm and methodical. "The tank's big, but there's a lot of space up here. Stick together enough to see each other, though. Just in case."

The roof was expansive, a grid of vents, satellite dishes, and scattered debris. Old soda cans and bits of paper had blown up here over time, creating a strange patchwork of trash against the gravel-covered surface. The air was cooler up here, a breeze brushing over them, carrying with it the faint scent of rot from the infected below.

Julianna followed behind Misty and Taissa, dragging her bat across the gravel absentmindedly as her gaze darted around. "This is a lot bigger than I thought it'd be," she said, mostly to herself.

"That's why they didn't find the tank before," Misty chirped, her voice chipper despite the tension in the air. "You'd have to know where to look!"

"Which we don't," Julianna pointed out, sighing.

"Details," Misty replied, unbothered.

They walked in relative silence for a few moments, their footsteps crunching softly. Julianna's thoughts wandered as they always did, tugged between the surreal reality of their situation and the mundane observations she couldn't help but make.

She glanced at Taissa, who had taken the lead again. The way Taissa carried herself always caught Julianna's attention—controlled, focused, like she was forcing herself to be the kind of leader everyone expected. It reminded Julianna of those kids in class who always had the right answer, but you could tell it came from hours of stress behind the scenes.

Taissa turned slightly, glancing at Julianna over her shoulder. "Why do you think the tank's up here, anyway?" she asked her voice breaking the quiet.

"It's where it'd make sense. Gravity-fed water systems. They store water high up so it can flow down without pumps. Basic physics." Julianna spoke, her lips tugging into an awkward, uncertain half-smile line as she struggled to find the right words.

Taissa nodded slowly. "Right. I forgot about that. Makes sense."

"You're the one who suggested it," Misty said, her tone playful.

"Yeah, well, I didn't say I was confident about it," Taissa sighed, her strides certain.

Misty stopped and turned to her, crowbar balanced casually over her shoulder. "So why'd you suggest it, then?"

Taissa shrugged, a tinge of annoyance in her tone at the constant questions, "I don't know. I was just going off what Julianna said."

They continued walking, the conversation dying down naturally as they turned their attention back to the roof. Julianna felt the tension creeping back in, her grip on the bat tightening. Every corner they turned felt like it could be hiding something—an infected, a clue, or nothing at all.

Finally, after what felt like ages, Taissa came to a halt. "There," she said, pointing.

Julianna followed her gaze and felt a spark of relief. A large, cylindrical water tank stood near the far edge of the roof, its metal surface weathered but intact.

"Found it!" Misty exclaimed, practically skipping ahead.

"Careful," Taissa warned, quickening her pace to catch up.

Julianna trailed behind, her stomach knotting with a mix of relief and dread. Finding the tank was only half the battle.

When they reached it, Misty ran her hand along the surface, inspecting it like she was appraising some rare artifact. "Looks good. No rust, no major dents. We just need to figure out how to get the water out."

Taissa walked around the tank, crouching to examine the pipes leading down through the roof. "If the main taps don't work, there's probably a valve or spigot somewhere on this thing."

Julianna stayed back, letting them take the lead. Her eyes wandered over the edge of the roof, scanning the distant buildings and the streets below. From up here, the world felt both vast and suffocating, an endless stretch of emptiness punctuated by pockets of danger.

"Hey, Jules!" Misty's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "Can you come help me with this?"

Julianna turned, blinking. "Uh, yeah. Sure."

She stepped closer, watching as Misty pointed to a panel near the base of the tank. "This might be where the controls are, but it's stuck. Can you hold it steady while I pry it open?"

"Yeah, okay," Julianna said, crouching beside her.

As Misty worked with the crowbar, Julianna couldn't help but glance at Taissa, who was still circling the tank. "Do you think this'll actually work?"

"It better," Taissa replied without looking up.

Julianna sighed, bracing herself against the tank as Misty gave the crowbar a hard yank. The panel creaked open, revealing a set of valves and levers inside.

Misty grinned triumphantly. "Told you we'd find it."

Julianna shook her head, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Let's just hope it still works."

Julianna knelt beside the open panel, her fingers brushing over the dusty valves and levers. Her brows furrowed as she studied them, her mind already spinning through what she knew about water systems. The tank was old but sturdy, the kind of design that might predate their parents' time in high school.

"Looks simple enough," she murmured, almost to herself. She reached out, hesitating for a moment before tracing the outline of one of the labels etched faintly into the metal.

Taissa crouched beside her, arms resting on her knees. "Simple? It looks like a puzzle."

"It's not that bad," Julianna replied softly, her focus unbroken. She gestured toward a large lever. "This is the main release. If we turn it, water should flow through the pipes. But..." She trailed off, inspecting a smaller valve just beneath it.

"But what?" Misty asked eagerly, leaning over her shoulder.

Julianna bit her lip, considering. "There's a pressure regulator here. If the tank's been sitting for a while without being maintained, the pressure inside might be too high. If we just open it, the pipes could burst."

Taissa gave a low sigh. "So, what's the plan?"

Julianna glanced up at her, unbothered by the tone. "We'll need to release the pressure gradually. See this?" She pointed to a smaller dial. "That tells us the pressure inside the tank. If we adjust this valve here, we can lower it bit by bit before opening the main release."

Misty's face lit up, her excitement almost childlike. "You know all that just from looking at it? That's amazing!"

Julianna felt a flush rise to her cheeks and ducked her head, embarrassed. "Thanks, but It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal," Misty insisted, giving her a firm nod. "Most people wouldn't even notice something like that, let alone know what to do about it. Right, Taissa?"

Taissa shrugged, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "I mean, yeah, she's smart. But can we save the compliments for later and get this thing working?"

Misty huffed but didn't argue, and Julianna gave her a small, appreciative smile before turning back to the panel.

"Okay," Julianna said, brushing her hands on her jeans. "We need to turn this valve counterclockwise—slowly. It'll let some of the pressure out. Misty, can you hold the crowbar against the edge here? Just in case it gets stuck."

Misty perked up at being given a task. "On it." She crouched beside Julianna, positioning the crowbar as instructed.

Julianna adjusted the valve carefully, her movements precise. The dial began to shift, the needle inching downward. She could hear the faint hiss of air escaping the tank, a sound that reassured her they were doing it right.

"See? Not so bad," Julianna said, glancing at Taissa.

Taissa crossed her arms, watching with a skeptical expression. "We'll see how not bad it is once we've got actual water."

Julianna rolled her eyes, barely, but didn't reply, turning her focus back to the task.

After a few minutes, the dial settled into the green zone, and Julianna straightened, brushing her hands off again. "Okay. Pressure's stable. Now we can open the main release."

"I'll do it!" Misty volunteered, already reaching for the lever.

Taissa stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "How about we let Julianna finish what she started? No offense, Misty."

Misty looked slightly deflated but nodded. "Fine. But if she needs help—"

"I'll let you know," Julianna said, offering Misty a small smile before stepping forward.

She gripped the lever with both hands, her palms slightly sweaty from the tension, but when were they not? With a deep breath, she pulled it down.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with a loud groan, the tank shuddered, and the sound of rushing water filled the air.

"Yes!" Misty cheered, jumping to her feet.

Taissa stepped closer, peering down at the pipes below the tank. "It's working," she confirmed, her voice tinged with relief. "We've got water flowing again."

Julianna exhaled, a weight lifting off her chest. She stepped back, letting herself lean against the side of the tank. "That should keep the sinks and taps running, at least for a while."

Misty turned to her, beaming. "You're seriously incredible, Julianna. I mean it."

"Thanks," Julianna said, her voice soft. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, avoiding Misty's intense gaze.

Taissa gave her a nod of approval, which from Taissa felt like high praise. "Nice work. Let's get back and let everyone know."

As they began making their way back across the roof, Misty chattered excitedly about their success, already imagining how impressed everyone would be. Taissa walked ahead, her hockey stick resting casually over her shoulder.

Julianna trailed slightly behind, her thoughts swirling. For the first time in a long time, she felt useful—really useful. And that, she realized, was a feeling worth holding onto.

Julianna let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as the group reentered the sports hall, carrying bottles freshly filled with water. Her arms ached from lugging them back, but the relief on everyone's faces made it worth it. It was a simple victory, but in their current reality, simple victories felt monumental.

Shauna was the first to approach, eyes wide with disbelief. "You got it working?"

"Yeah," Taissa said, setting down her share of the bottles. "Thanks to Julianna. She knew exactly what to do."

Julianna immediately looked down, fiddling with the hem of her sleeve. "I mean, it wasn't just me," she mumbled. "We all worked together."

Misty practically bounced on her heels. "But mostly Julianna. I mean, she practically engineered the whole thing!"

"That's amazing," Shauna said, giving Julianna an earnest smile. "Thank you. Seriously."

The attention made Julianna squirm, but before she could respond, Van poked her head out from the group. "Wait, does this mean the showers are working?"

"They should be," Taissa said, shrugging. "Water's flowing again, so unless something's blocking the pipes..."

Van let out a celebratory whoop. "Showers! Real showers!"

That was all it took. Everyone practically scrambled toward the locker rooms, grabbing whatever leftover soap, shampoo, and towels they could scavenge from previous practices.

Julianna trailed behind the chaos, watching as everyone's excitement spilled over. Misty stayed close to her side, still buzzing from their earlier success.

"You should feel good about this," Misty said, nudging her arm. "People are actually smiling for once."

Julianna gave a small nod. "Yeah. It's nice."

As they entered the locker room, steam already began to fill the air, and the sound of water running was like music. Some were laughing, others were chattering excitedly about how long it had been since they'd felt clean. Especially since the outbreak started at the end of a practice.

The smell of leftover body wash and shampoo lingered, and Julianna grabbed a bottle of something generic that someone had abandoned long ago. The showers themselves were a far cry from luxurious, but the warm water cascading down her back was enough to make her close her eyes and exhale in relief.

When she was done, damp hair tucked behind her ears and wearing a mismatched set of gym clothes someone had left behind and a hoodie, she saw a similar scene of quiet satisfaction on everyone's faces.

Jackie was carefully brushing out her hair with a comb she'd found in one of the lockers, Shauna sat nearby, her cheeks pink from the hot water, and Van was laughing at something Taissa had said. Even Travis, who had barely said a word since his father's death, looked calmer, sitting next to Natalie as they dried off.

Misty approached her, her hair a frizzy mess and a bright grin on her face. "So, hot water and teamwork. Not bad for the end of the world, huh?"

Julianna chuckled softly. "Not bad."

By the time everyone had dried off and returned to the sports hall, the sun was dipping below the horizon. Candles were lit again, casting flickering shadows on the walls. The air was quieter now, calmer, as if the showers had washed away some of the tension.

Julianna sat down on the bleachers, watching as the others spread out across the room. Jeff was animatedly retelling some story to Jackie, adding in unnecessary dramatics that made her roll her eyes but smile anyway.

Misty plopped down next to Julianna, her usual energy slightly subdued. "So, what's next on the apocalypse to-do list?" she asked, half-joking.

Julianna shrugged, resting her chin on her knees. "I guess we just wait."

Misty nodded, her gaze thoughtful for once. "You're really good at this, you know. Figuring things out."

"Thanks," Julianna said quietly. She glanced around the room, taking in the rare moment of peace. "It's nice, though. Everyone working together. It feels less hopeless."

Misty smiled at that, her head tilting. "Yeah. Less hopeless."