Silence. All there was was silence. Underneath the never-ending blizzard, inside the cafeteria, silence prevailed. The only noise to be heard inside was from the mechanical sound of bones and flesh being ground and the fierce winds of the blizzard. They couldn't do anything, as much as they wanted to save Avery, they simply couldn't do nor think of a plan to save themselves in this situation. They had tried their hardest, they spent hours not eating, denying all the food that the lunch lady had provided for them, if you could even call it food in the first place.

Josef stood there, mindlessly grinding away the poor bodies of the dead, paying no attention to how bloody his clothes had become. He dropped the pieces of human meat in the mouth of the grinder, waited a few seconds for the meat to be ground down into mush, and then repeated the process. He didn't think anything of it. He was so desensitized to the horrible acts that he was committing that he felt insane and didn't know what to do. He had no idea how he was going to save Avery. By now, she was probably being forced to eat her peers, her classmates, it was blindingly obvious that they didn't have much food left, they did have a small amount of it, but they just couldn't consume it, as it would add to their sins, they didn't want to be cannibals, they didn't want to resort to cannibalism just to survive. They still had morals.

Josef didn't speak a single word ever since Avery was taken. The others felt concerned for him, but they gave him enough space to sort out his feelings. He was in terrible shape. They were thinner than they used to be, Josef especially. He hadn't eaten much even before they found out the ingredients of what they had been eating. He had probably lost around ten pounds. He was severely malnourished, but he still powered through it, forcing his body to move just to grind away.

He felt like a robot, mindlessly following the lunch lady's order, his soul seemed to have left his body, and all that was left was an empty husk. Avery being taken took more of a toll on him than he though, he didn't mind being separated from her, but in this situation, he couldn't bear it. He wasn't a clingy person, but he still needed her warmth to stay sane. Her presence alone could calm him down, she could bring him back to reality, and cure his deteriorating mind.

Two hours later.

He had started to think again, his mindlessness had become desperation, the more time he was separated from her, the more he felt crushed, it was like the world was weighing him down, growing heavier as time passed by.

He didn't know what was happening to Avery at this moment, and it scared him. He didn't know if she was doing alright or suffering. He didn't know if the lunch lady kept her word or lied to them. The uncertainties amplified his fear. He had a means to end all of this, he had something that they could use that could solve all of their problems, a small hope that was in Josef's pocket, the revolver.

He had thought about what would happen if he had used it. They will be able to save Serenity and Avery, but what will the cost be? Death, it was obvious that death will be an option. It didn't need to be something as extreme as death, but violence will certainly occur.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

He didn't know if he was skilled enough to not hit the lunch lady's vitals, he wasn't even sure enough if he could pull the trigger in the first place. The few times he had held the revolver in his hands, he was always shaking. Only once did he feel that he could do it, he felt that he could save everyone in one of the past nights, but it was with the help of Avery. It was when she held his hand, she gave him her warmth, her encouragement, and her love. But now that she was separated from him, he had lost all his confidence in himself. He thought that he couldn't do it.

All he needed to do was point the barrel at the lunch lady, and pull the trigger. It was as simple as that, but he just couldn't seem to do it. He had imagined him shooting, blood spilling everywhere, and the lunch lady dropping death on the floor.

The thought scared him. It wasn't because of the blood, it wasn't because of the lunch lady being killed, he was scared of what he would become. If he did it, then he would be a murderer, a cold-blooded killer. Sure, he will be different from the deadly teachers of the school, they kill for fun from the effects of the virus, but he will kill for survival, but it would still mean taking a life.

The teachers aren't even the ones at fault, they are simply being controlled by the principal, he was the real villain. During their encounter with the janitor, they learned that the virus could be undone, but just momentarily. The knowledge that the adults were still sane deep inside made his thinking even more clouded. They were still people, they were victims just like him and everyone else. They were being controlled, they didn't choose to kill, they were forced to.

It was at this moment that Josef was thinking clearly again. He had found the real target, the one that needed to be killed the most. He doubted if he could harm the teachers and school staff, but he had no doubt that if he were face to face with the principal, he would shoot immediately. He was the one at fault, he was responsible for everything, he was the source of their suffering, he was the root of all evil, he was the devil, he needs to be stopped.

Two hours later.

It was time for lunch. The lunch lady brought them another plate filled with grilled meat. They still chose not to eat it. Caden was starving so much that he contemplated on eating the juicy meat that was in front of him.

Caden grabbed a sausage.

"Dude! Don't!" said Josh.

"I'm just so hungry, I can't take it anymore!" yelled Caden. Hunger was his number one enemy, he loved to eat, but now he was depraved of food.

"We'll get through this eventually, don't lose hope." said Gerald.

Caden dropped the patty. Gerald's words were enough to stop him from committing cannibalism. He knew deep down, Gerald was hurting. His beloved Serenity was still hanging on for dear life, she was starving just as much as they were.

He gained more respect for Gerald. He was still going strong, even in the face of certain death from starvation. He still had hope, and he still continued to stick to his morals, to stay human, even if it meant that it would be more difficult to save Serenity.

At this moment, Caden felt terrible. He was succumbing to hunger while Gerald continued to persevere. He had hunger and Serenity's abduction weighing him down, but he was still able to keep his sanity. He still had hope. He wanted to be like him, so he dropped the patty and refused to eat.

Thirty minutes later.

The lunch lady came back and glanced over at the untouched plate filled with meat.

"Oh dear, looks like no one has an appetite again." she said with a sad voice.

The lunch lady crouched down to grab the plate, but it was at this moment that the tides could change, something was going to happen, something that could change their hopeless situation.

It all started when Matt sneaked behind the lunch lady with flames of determination in his eyes, and a metal rod in hand.