Chapitre 16: Leader?

The word froze him in his spot.

The word "leader" wasn't new to him. His parents had told him quite a number of times that he was a natural leader so many times he was sick of hearing it.

Everyone knew that being a leader came with restrictions, leaders couldn't really do as they pleased. They had to think of their subordinates first and work twice as hard just to keep things running smoothly.

But, as they say, leadership qualities excelled in unexpected situations, like this one. Still, what had he done that warranted being called a leader and also was there a rule that said you had to accept a position if you didn't want it?

His parents had always said he was destined to lead, but that was precisely why he wanted to refuse it now.

His resentment toward them was growing by the day, and after this betrayal, it turned into something darker.

Likewise, he wasn't stupid. He knew Cynthia must have been the key reason for what had happened, and his instincts were right.

So he asked, "Why?"

Cynthia only smiled, offering an insincere apology, her tone mockingly sweet. "I'm sorry, but I didn't think, you wouldn't want it, Leader." It was like she knew the exact question he was asking.

Her words only added fuel to the fire. "You—You...Arghhh!" Jon was on the verge of losing it. This was it; this was exactly the feeling he got when he first met her.

She was like a manipulator. She wanted him to take on the burden of leadership, but why? Maybe it was to achieve her goals... or maybe there was more to it than that.

But, contrary to his thoughts, she meant no ill, "Jon, even if you refuse now, another situation like this will happen again. And besides, it might even make you stronger."

"I know, but—" Jon started, but Cynthia understood, knowing full well why he was rejecting the role.

It wasn't that Jon couldn't lead; it was that he had no goal, no final destination. Someone with ambition would see leadership as a tool, a means to an end.

And without a goal, leadership felt like a pointless burden. And the scary thing was those who didn't want to lead but could still do it well were often the most dangerous once they found purpose.

Cynthia knew her strengths and weaknesses. She wasn't cut out for leadership, and she had her own goals. Besides, who said she couldn't achieve them by being a loyal subordinate to someone like Jon?

"Still no," Jon insisted. But then, Jenny, who had been quiet, finally spoke up.

"Okay, we'll just wait, then." She understood what was happening, and even if she hadn't put it all together until now. She had a clue.

Jon just gave them a glare and the girls didn't push the subject further. Changing the subject, he asked; "How is she?"

Then Jenny frowned, recalling the aftermath of what had happened. Jon was naturally asking about Alexa, "She cried for two hours, ran out of tears, and then fell asleep."

Jon then nodded. He couldn't meet her now because it was quite a sensitive moment for her. Seeing anybody, especially a guy now could begin to traumatize her instead.

"Haa...so what's next." he asked.

"Well, we will wait for the storm outside to stop before checking out the situation." Cynthia replied.

"That's why you should come to the gathering, at least," Jenny said looking at him. There was now a strange flow between her and Cynthia, as if they were working together to pull him in but he didn't even notice.

Jon then sighed. He couldn't argue anymore, as there was no reason for him to deny it, "Alright, I'll come."

As he got up to leave the room, the girls exchanged a knowing glance and smiled.

Jon muttered to himself, "I'm sorry, Alex. I really am." He was apologizing, not because of his death, but because he couldn't feel anything for the one person he thought was his friend.

With that, they had left the room.

The cafeteria had been eerily silent for hours. Even while cleaning up the bodies, everyone worked in a somber hush, even the crying, horror filled faces and the throwing up were done in silence. And even after it was done, they kept the silence and the occasional glance towards the door where Jon was.

The cafeteria was divided into five sections, each with its own entrance from a different part of the school. Now, in the section where the food was been prepared, there some empty room located there. They were the waiting rooms for the kitchen staffs before they attended to their jobs.

And now, due to there been no cooking activity, it was empty, but that wasn't all about the place, it was also where Jon was.

So immediately the door, swung open, heads turned to that direction. The first person who came out were Jenny and the Cynthia, but it felt like nobody was paying attention to them.

Then the next was the person they had been expecting. He was tall, had brown hair and eyes, he wore a serious expression that made people want to take him seriously. It was Jon, and within hours, he had basically become a celebrity.

And Jon, oblivious to their looks and emotions, was led by the girls towards the meeting area. And the remaining leaders, who had also been doing their various things naturally stood up and followed without a word.

Upon arriving, chairs had already been arranged in a rough circle, and everyone took their seats, careful to keep their distance from Jon and the girls.

And as they sat, waiting for who would lead the meeting, everyone naturally turned to Tunde, the student representative and he was taken aback as how everyone looked at him, including even Jon.

If people wanted him, he couldn't just ignore it, right? So he sheepishly walked forward and smiled before speaking, "Before we begin, could we introduce ourselves for familiarity sake."

And one by one, they went around the circle. When it was Jon's turn, all eyes turned to him. "My name is Jon Whyte," he said, his voice low but clear. "And I am a third-year physics student."

It was the first time most had heard his name, the name of the person who had solved three of their biggest problems in one decisive move. And they would get to know more of him in the future,

So the introductions continued: "Jenny Stallwart, third-year arts." Jenny spoke.

"Matthew Po—" and so on, until everyone had spoken. Professors, security agents, non-teaching staffs and students alike, all were here because they could contribute in one way or the other.

Then, Jenny raised up her hand and spoke, "We'll need to leave the school eventually, so how do we handle that?"

Like that the leaders debated for a while, but the conclusion was clear. For now they would have to leave the safety of the cafeteria to assess the situation outside, their survival depended on it.

And with all eyes on Jon again, he shrugged. He had nothing to add to what had just been said. And with that, the meeting came to a close.

The survivors all spent their time doing various things. And since the days were longer and the nights shorter, most spent their time thinking of what was next.

Some tried to use the opportunity to make others confine in them. Others formed group, friends and some even made enemies. But no one among them misbehaved or went out of line. What Jon had done to the 'Krad' was a big warning to them all, it didn't matter who they were, they would die if they caused any trouble.

And while Jon spent his time in the 'Mind world', the girls spent their time talking and getting closer.

Everyone was quite comfortable in the cafeteria, there was enough food and the people who came from the hostels had been intelligent enough to bring materials for sleeping.

And though, it was quite monotonous for them and they couldn't change clothes as they would like, there was no complaint.

If there was one thing that generally occurred during the wait was, all the survivors had begun to accept their new reality. They no longer asked questions like, what is happening? Or how is this happening? They just took the world as it was.

And on the fifth day since the world fell. And the fourth for Jon, the storm raging outside finally stopped.