Here's an in theme music for those who may be interested.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY

Hope you will enjoy the chapter ^^

Author out !

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“Miss Sternwood, miss Sternwood” echoed a childish voice in the classroom

Intrigued the school mistress quickly approached the small table surrounded by toddlers.

“Yes Mark ?” She asked

Not responding, a grinning little boy raised a colored pencil drawing of two potatoes and a triangle topped square.

“Oh, what a beautiful drawing” exclaimed the teacher “Is it your home in the background ?” she asked with a smile.

The child nodded “It’s my mommy and daddy, making a biiiig chocorate cake at home” said the kid while spreading it’s arm as wide as he could.

“It’s pronounced chocoLAte Mark. Repeat after me. ChocoLAte” She said, emphasizing the syllable of the world so that the toddler could memories the pronunciation.

“chocoLAte” repeated the young boy while grinning

“Good, now why don’t you draw me something else ? We still have about an hour before lunch break so you can even use one of the big sheet of paper”

The boy shouted a spirited “Yeess miss Sternwood !” before running across the room in search of some colored pencil and a sheet of paper. Not caring in the slightest that he had already collected more than a third of the classroom’s pencils on his table.

Sighing happily, the teacher rose up from her crouching position, picking up the impressive pack of pencil so that she could redistribute them more evenly with the other 20 children she had to take care off. She was rather proud of her class, although they were only four years old, most already spoke quite well. Some even knew how to count past twenty already.

She never missed a chance to brag about it with the other teacher of course.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a couple violently stormed inside the class. Smashing the door against the wall and scaring the children. Mark’s parents, George and Alice. They were some of her close friend, being neighbors in the quiet countryside had helped in that regard.

The first thing she noticed was that both of them were seriously out of breath but before she could utter a single word of complaint or ask about what was going on, her friend, Alice, had already stormed across the room while shouting for her son. Her husband was calmer and quickly indicated with an hand gesture that he really wanted a quick conversation outside the classroom.

Flustered by their attitude, the teacher took a few moment to reassure the children while redistributing the pencils. She then quickly exited the classroom, closing the door behind her.

“Mommy ?” Asked Mark in a timid voice. Clearly sensing from the tense atmosphere that something was out of place.

“Not now Mark, we are in a hurry. Where is your coat ?” said the worrying mother while finishing to fill up her toddlers backpack.

In response Mark pointed across the room to the left wall. The next thing he knew, his mother was dragging him by the hand across the room. She quickly helped him put on the coat, urging him to hurry all the while.

Finally they exited the classroom. Mark still dragged by his mother so that they could go a bit faster. Mark waved goodbye to the other children on the way out. All of them had been watching in their direction, intrigued by the scene.

From outside the classroom, a worried voice could be heard.

“I … I can’t … what about the children” asked miss Sternwood in a worried voice.

“Look Marie” Continued the father as he saw his wife and son come out “We are not forcing you. You are free to spend the remaining time as you want, but I’m getting my family out of here. Right now.”

Visibly unsure, the teacher was worriedly pondering on how she should act. In the few minutes Mark had taken to get out of the classroom, she had gotten extremely pale.

“Miss Sternwood ?” Asked Mark “is you ok ?”

“It’s ARE you ok Mark. ARE !" Voiced the teacher in a stern, worried voice, not missing an occasion to correct her student. With a decided expression, she then focused back on George.

“I will get Jenny, she is two classrooms away. We will find each other in the parking lot, next to the restaurant.”

The man nodded as he voiced an “Hurry up, you have five minute.”

The teacher nodded before bolting across the corridor. Mark didn’t have time to watch her figure disappear before he was picked up by his father. His parents then started running in the opposite direction, toward the parking lot.

***

“Are you sure we should have done that ?” Asked George as he closed the door to the front seat of the car.

“Yes, I won’t let a close friend die” Said Alice resolutely “I put Mark’s seatbelt on. We can go the moment she arrives.”

The man pursed his lips “You know that we only have so much food, how long do you think we can ~”

“GEORGE, do not even think about it !” Threatened the woman with a finger “We have known the Sternwood for years. We are not leaving them to die when we can~”

“Mommy, daddy ? Don’t fight, please.” Interrupted the tiny voice of Mark from the back of the car. His were filled with tears, he was clearly holding himself from crying. The palpable tension in the car proved to be too much for the young child.

George clenched his fist around the wheel. “Don’t worry Mark, everything will be alright ...” he said. Turning to his wife, he said “We have less than half an hour left.”

The woman nodded, visibly worried. This would be a tight fit.

Turning to his son the man continued with a fake smile plastered on his face. “Say Mark ? If I recall my little boy really likes when the car goes super fast.”

Mark nodded, an hint of smile reappearing on his tear filled face.

“Good, because today we are really gonna go super duper fast. Faster than daddy ever went in his life !” Continued the bragging father.

“Yeeaaah” shouted the kid “Daddy is best !” he continued.

Both parent smiled. A worried smile but a smile nonetheless. Catching the sight of a figure running across the street, Alice interrupted their conversation and restored the tense atmosphere.

“She’s there”

The husband nodded, clenching the wheel harder. She was late.

***

“Jenny !” Exclaimed Mark has he saw the little girl enter.

“Mark !” She exclaimed back as she went for a hug.

The adults all looked with tender eyes at the familiar scene, somehow forgetting the tension for an instant. “You guys really like each other.” dropped the father. Turning to his wife he continued while snickering “We probably won’t have to wait too much before we end up with grandchildren”

Alice smiled at the random comment. Her husband was such a rogue, they were only children.

“Yeah Jenny is best.” Exclaimed Mark from the back “She always share candy with me like Tammy and she knows lots of fun games like Sylvia. Jenny is also kinder and prettier than Marion, she the best !” He exclaimed

“My My” Said Marie, the teacher, as she finished attaching her blushing daughter’s seat belt “What a womanizer you are my little Mark” She finished, giggling. Surprising herself by dropping a joke in such a tense situation.

“We don’t have much more time to spare, are we ready ?” Asked george from the front. Visibly tenser than a second ago.

“Yes” Exclaimed Marie “The telephone lines are down but I managed to message my husband, he should arrive before us.”

“Good” Said George while clenching the wheel. He turned the key, disengaged the autopilot setting, and took a moment to listen to the clickety of his electric car. It had been a long time since he last drove by himself. Simultaneously the radio started sounding the continuation of a loud warning.

( To get an idea of the kind of message we are talking about : https://youtu.be/rcJCLf-Uv74?t=76 ).

“Shit, the warning messages have already started echoing. We have to hurry if we don't want to meet the whole country on the road !” Shouted George.

“Close that radio, don’t scare the children !” Said Alice as she reached for the device.

“My bad, left it on from earlier. It's time to go super duper fast. Let us pray we don't get in a traffic jam” He said with a fake reassuring tone, trying to drop a funny line. That radio warning was fucking terrifying.

Both children shouted in joy as the car sped through the parking and joined the road. Forgetting both their fear and the tense atmosphere that had worried them seconds ago.

For the adults however, the atmosphere tensed once again.

George focused on the road.

Alice couldn’t stop looking worriedly at the clock.

But Marie, she stared at the vanishing figure of her school with regret. She felt thankful for what her two friends had done today. It was a debt she would probably never be able to repay …

But as the school disappeared from sight, only regret filled her heart.

What about the children ? She may live past all this but what then ?

Looking back at the car’s clock, she frowned.

Only twenty two minutes remained.

Only twenty two minutes before the world as they knew it came to an end.