CHAPTER SIX — MORNING AFTER
No one slept well.
Sleep came in fragments—a few minutes at a time, broken by clattering nerves, whispered fears, or the occasional heavier rumble from above. The air grew warmer with each hour, heavy with breath and dust and the strange metallic tang that accompanied fear.
When the first of them stirred, it wasn’t because of light—there was none—but because the fallout storm above had changed its rhythm.
The scraping was softer now. More regular. Like a slow, coarse rain.
Norther sat up first, neck stiff, notebook still open on his lap. He blinked into the faint glow of someone’s phone being used as a nightlight.
Nobleranger’s voice came through the gloom. “What time is it?”
“No idea,” Norther murmured. “Could be 3 a.m. Could be noon.”
He checked his phone. Still no service. The lock screen clock hadn’t updated, but the battery had drained 30% from the brief light usage.
“Everyone,” Norther said softly, “we need to conserve our phones from now on. Use them only when absolutely necessary.”
A few others were waking now—Mewo rubbing her eyes, Randomiser sitting up like he’d been startled awake, Shira stretching her stiff limbs.
Goober was already awake, sitting in the corner, hugging their backpack.
Cornball slid over quietly. “Did you sleep at all?”
Goober shook their head. “My brain wouldn’t turn off. Every noise felt like… like something was coming.”
Cornball offered a soft smile. “Nothing’s coming. If anything tries, I’ll body-slam it.”
Goober blinked. “You… would actually do that?”
“Absolutely not,” Cornball said immediately. “But it’s the thought that counts.”
That earned Goober a tiny smile.
