Chapter 59: Leaving the library

Adrienne and Sarah guided Mario to the sub-basement. This was the place they would stay until midday. They allowed the students space to make their decision.

Mario kept looking back at his girlfriend like a lost little puppy. She didn’t look at him. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She pretended he didn’t exist.

After entering the sub-basement, Ember took out several large basins. She took out water to fill the basins and other necessities for bathing. When they got up this morning, they didn’t think of doing any of this. Mainly because of the students upstairs.

Since they had been gone for a while, they didn’t know what their state was like, nor did they know whether anyone else had come in. So they made sure to secure their surroundings first before doing anything else.

Now, they were more than willing to freshen up.

The first person to have a bath was Mario. Ember wasn’t kidding when she said he stinks. She sent him into the room to take a bath. Handing him all the necessities plus a clean pair of clothing. As he walked in, he still looked like a lost puppy.

As for Ember’s team, they all took a bath while waiting for him. Although Marcus and Sarah had only recently joined, they got along well with each other. They weren’t sure how it started, but at some point during their journey, everyone had seen each other naked.

So, bathing became a group activity.

They washed off quickly and changed. By the time they were done, Mario was still in the room. They decided to talk about what happened upstairs.

“Do you think any of them will join?” Sarah asked as they rested on the lounge chair Ember had taken from her space.

“I’m not sure,” said Adrienne. “It’s up to them. We can’t force them.”

Ivan scoffed, “It’s their loss if they don’t. We don’t need them. I’m sure there will be people rushing to our base once they find out about it.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Aiden said. “We need people who can fight. That’s the most important thing right now. We’ve only just started, and I have a feeling things are going to get a whole lot worse.”

Don’t be such a buzzkill, oh, honorable leader,” Ivan said.

Aiden narrowed his eyes and looked at Ivan. Ivan shrugged back a challenging look on his face. Aiden threw the bottle in his hand at Ivan’s head.

Ivan caught it, “I haven’t seen the world yet. Why are you trying to kill me?”

“Seen the world? More like you haven’t lifted enough skirts,” Ember scoffed.

Before Ivan could respond, Mario walked out of the room.

“Damn kid, you clean up nice,” Ivan complimented.

Mario’s dark curly hair was still damp. He came out looking at everyone lounging in the chairs and at the cooler with ice, filled with all kinds of drinks, beer, and soda. He wasn’t used to this. The first time Ember made the basins appear, he almost lost his mind.

Now, seeing how relaxed they were, he knew he made the right choice. However, he couldn’t stop the nagging in his head that told him he shouldn’t leave Nicole.

“You did the right thing,” Sarah said softly.

The team could see he was having a hard time accepting the fact that he left his friends upstairs. Ember took out a chair for him to sit on. He moved towards it slowly and sat down.

“Did I?” Mario asked when he sat down. “I just…left her.”

“This isn’t the old world, Mario,” Aiden said. “Loyalty is a luxury. Survival is a necessity. Everyone needs to decide what’s best for themselves. You chose. Don’t apologize for that.”

His words may seem harsh, but they were the reality they now lived in. Once Mario was settled, they had a new problem. They didn’t want the rest of the students to see him. They didn’t want people to think that by joining them, they could live the life of a king and not work. They didn’t need people joining the bandwagon just because it looked good.

“We’re staying down here,” Aiden announced. “If they truly want to leave with us, they will be willing to find us. We can’t let them see Mario like this.”

The team nodded. Mario asked why.

Marcus looked at him. “What do you think would happen if the people upstairs saw what we were doing right now? Lounging around, drinking beer or soda. Do you think they would trample us to get to what we have?”

Mario scanned the room. After almost two weeks of not being able to take a bath or relax for fear of something happening to them. He understood why they didn’t want to take the chance.

“We have the means to fight,” Alex stated. “We simply don’t want to. The more people who stay alive, the better it is for everyone.”

Mario nodded in understanding. He finally leaned back into his chair and relaxed.

One by one, they came.

The first to come was a shy girl who had been hiding at the back. She didn’t say a word. Only nodding when Ember asked if she was sure she wanted to join. The girl signed the fellowship contract with trembling hands.

An hour later, two young men came down together. It was obvious they discussed this with each other. They also signed the fellowship contract.

Then came a blonde, athletic woman. And with her came a curvaceous, vivacious woman with wide eyes and dark hair. She took a liking to Ivan; her name is Cassia.

As soon as she came down and saw Ivan, she rushed towards him.

“Well, hello there,” she purred, her eyes looking him up and down appreciatively. She looked at the others who had come down before her. She saw they were all clean. “Let me freshen up, then you can get me dirty again, what do you think?”

Ivan grinned, “Wouldn’t mind if I do.”

Ember rolled her eyes. “I don’t think we have enough time for that.”

Cassia turned and looked at Ember, “It’s not midday yet, we have time.”

Ember was speechless. She blinked rapidly as if it would make a difference in what she heard. Aiden pulled her to his side and kissed her.

She didn’t think about it anymore. Anyway, they had signed the contract.

By the time it was noon had arrived, there were only five people who had decided to follow them.

“Alright,” Aiden said. “Let’s go.”

Sarah knocked on the door Ivan and Cassia were in. True to her word, Cassia made sure to find time to have some fun with Ivan.

They led their five new recruits outside, passing the main lobby. When the students saw their colleagues leaving in clean clothing, their change was immediate.

“I’m willing to go with you,” one shouted.

“I’ve changed my mind, let me join,” another said.

Suddenly, it didn’t matter whether they were going to a real or imaginary base. They only saw that the people who decided to leave had been cleaned up and looked happy. They willingly walked out with the group that had wanted people to join them.

Aiden stepped forward, “There’s no more room. You’ve made your choice, live with it.”

And with that, he started walking past the crowd. The rest of the team did the same. Some brave ones tried to follow.

Ivan turned around, gun in his hand. “If you move any further, I do’t mind wasting a few bullets.”

Hearing that they weren’t brave enough to step forward anymore.

Ember and her team walked out of the library. They didn’t say anything to the new recruits. They only kept walking until the library was out of sight and they were sure there were no prying eyes.

Ember waved her hand, and a motorhome appeared.

The recruits still weren’t used to it, but they didn’t say anything. They stepped inside and off they went. To a new life where surprises await.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep