The Change by Cass Kim

Author:Cass Kim [Kim, Cass]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-06-07T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

The kitchen was pitch black. The only light was the soft blue glow of the phone screen, reflecting off the tense, still faces of the five people crowded around it. The sudden loss of the humming freezer fans heightened the sense of deprivation.

Unaffected, the news reporter continued, “Police are sending out S.W.A.T. units to patrol the streets. We will continue to air coverage and updates as they roll in.” The station switched to a commercial and Aunt Miranda closed the app, switching to her flashlight mode instead.

“Okay, guys. I’m at twenty-eight percent battery. How are your cellphones?” Holly and Jeffers both watched empty-handed as the other clicked their screens on to check.

Adam cursed under his breath as he read his. “Twelve percent.”

Shouldn’t have been texting his girlfriend so much.

“I’m at forty still.” June waved her phone in the air.

“I’m down to twenty-two right now.” Luke swallowed hard. “Do you have any regular flashlights around here?”

“No... but… I might have some chafing dish fuel cans left over from when we did that party a few months ago,” Miranda replied slowly. “We could use those like candles for a while to try to save battery. I think they’re stashed in the host desk.” She started to pull at one of the stacked chairs blocking the swinging door into the dining room.

“Wait!” Jeffer’s voice rang out from the darkness behind them. “Listen.” Everybody froze. Straining to hear past the thudding of her heart, Holly held her breath. The faint sounds of shouting and laughter came from somewhere outside. Nobody was supposed to be on the street. Her heart rate sped up as adrenaline flooded her veins.

“How did you hear that?” June hissed at the old man.

“Hearing aids.” His shadowy hand tapping the side of his head, “the darn things pick up too much sometimes. But that can come in handy.”

Miranda backed away from the stack of chairs, her steps soft. The group loosely clustered around the prep table, the only sounds the soft huff of panting breaths. They listened intently, the sounds of breaking glass and loud thuds coming closer with the laughter and shouting. It sounded like at least four or five guys.

“Maybe, uh, maybe we should call 911,” Luke whispered hoarsely.

“I’ll do it.” June’s phone lit up her face, pinched and focused as she tapped the numbers. She held it up to her ear. After a moment she dropped the phone back down, stabbing the red button to end the call. “Shittin’ kittens. The phone can’t complete the call. I don’t have service bars anymore.”

All the phones lit up as each person checked their own phone for service bars.

“What does that mean?” Miranda shook her phone a few times as if that would increase the connectivity.

“It means that the cell phone towers must be down. Shit.” Adam was immediately shushed by June for speaking above a whisper.

“Maybe they won’t come in here. Maybe they’re just breaking things and being stupid,” Holly whispered hopefully. Fat chance. Nothing had gone right today.

“I don’t think we’ll be that lucky.

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