BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

4:00. If only it hadn't come so fast. Shay was nervous that she would disappear just like the rest of her family. On top of that, she had barely slept, her fear knocking at the inside of her head. She rolled off her bed, almost falling on the floor, staggering towards her closet. She blindly grabbed her clothes and only slightly hoped that they matched.

She sighed, remembering why she had to wake up so early. She had to walk to school, which would take almost two hours. For some reason, the scientists were worried that cars would disrupt their experiment.

After the couple of hours of acting paranoid, glancing this way and that, she finally reached the school. The streets were silent, and there was not a single person in the area. There was one thing she did appreciate; she was able to listen to the birds singing their songs and noticed so many more creatures rustling in the grass than she wouldn't have on an everyday basis.

She waited for her friends, studying the blue carpet as she had many times before. Link was the first to arrive, and then Jean. They both had looks of fear spread on their face.

"Are your families gone too?" Shay asked in a whisper, even though there was no one around.

Before they could answer, Jayden walked in the front doors. Shay immediately noticed a bulge under his shirt, a bulky shape.

"Is that a gun?" Jean asked, on edge.

Jayden rolled his eyes. "Yeah, from my father's gun case. I've got one for each of you, but I'm wondering if I'm going to regret giving you one, Jean."

"Hey! I'll have you know that Jean has been with us to shooting ranges many times! She knows how to shoot." Link objected.

Jayden scoffed. "Does that mean Joe knows how to shoot too?"

Shay rolled her eyes. "Jean, please don't-"

"Joe who?" Jean asked, glee in her eyes.

"Joe MAMA!" Jayden replied, grin plastered on his face.

"This is not the time!" Shay growled, upset that this was how her two friends were acting at such a time.

Jean looked a little guilty, but Jayden failed to hide a smile as he threw the trio a gun each. Shay studied the pistol she received from her gun-crazy friend. It was only slightly heavy, sleek in style.

"So what's the plan?" Link asked, still looking at his new weapon.

Shay glanced at her phone she had required only a month before and checked her playstation messages. She took out her pen, and as she scrawled a few words on her arm she explained, "I have a friend in New York who survived last night's phenomenon. I'm planning to travel over there to live with him, now that both our parents and almost all the population is gone. I asked you to come, Jayden, so I could ask all of you to come with me. If you have any family left, I recommend you stay with them."

Jean laughed a little. "When you say your new york friend, you totally mean your online boyfriend, right?"

Shay glared at her. "We have quality conversations!"

"You're not denying it!" Jean responded in a singsong voice.

Jayden and Link were trying hard not to laugh, though Shay knew that Jayden wasn't trying as much as he should. Shay felt her face grow redder and redder.

Jean sighed. "I'm kidding, okay? Even though it's technically true... I'll still go with you."

"Thanks," Shay muttered, still offended.

"I will too," Link jumped in.

The three of them looked at Jayden, awaiting a bitter response, however he just shrugged and said, "I got nothing else to do. You guys need someone who can shoot good with a gun anyway."

Jean's face showed she was slightly offended for a second time that morning, but it quickly faded. "When are we going?"

"Well, I have to figure out what vehicles I could potentially use. Now, I mean, none of us know how to drive, right?"

"I'm the most educated in driving. So there, Jayden!"

Jayden just snickered in reply, thinking to himself that nothing could be better than knowing how to shoot a gun.

Jean clenched her fists, jokingly lunging at him.

¨Ok, ok! Jean, it does not matter! There's no one on the road to stop us anyway!" Shay yelled, bothered by the fake attempts to hit Jayden. "Look, you two, if you keep going on like this I'm going to have to ban both of you from this trip. Frankly," she continued, "I don't think you care, Jayden. But Jean, I know you want to meet Coffee and you've wanted to visit New York for even longer."

"Coffee?" Jayden asked in disbelief.

Shay glared at him, reaching her last nerve. "Yes. It's his nickname. Problem?"

"Why the fuck is his nickname Coffee?" Jayden retorted.

Shay sighed. "His real name is Joseph, he doesn't like to be called by that or Joey so I call him Coffee, ya know, like reference to 'cup of Joe.' Get it now?"

Jayden shook his head. "Sure," he said, for once not wanting to argue anymore.

"Anyway," Shay said. "I recommend you all walk back to my house with me. It's pretty far away, but my parents have a whole stash of food and snacks hidden in the oven. Not a smart place to hide it, but it's where they thought I wouldn't find it. No one in my house cooks," she explained.

Jayden squinted. "You know what? I'm out. I'm not looking to eat only snacks for food. I'll fend for myself, thanks," he said, stalking off into the shadows, deeper into the school.

The three friends looked at each other, then shrugged in sync.

Silently, they walked out of the doors to the school. It had seemed to them only two weeks ago that they would officially leave this place with diplomas. Apparently, that would never be the case.