Chapter 252: Future Dark Part 1 (1/2)

”Alright, children, I want each of you to pass down your future plans down once finished. You still have plenty of time, so, please. No need to rush.” The teacher walked down the classroom, checking up on each of her students, giving any aid where needed. This was until she stopped at the far end, sighing. ”Diego, you need to put down something.”

A young Diego no older than twelve stared blankly at his sheet with the task of putting down what he wanted to be when he's older. After nearly 30 minutes, he had barley wrote his name, let alone the first sentence. ”I just don't know what to write…”

”There must be something you enjoy, Diego? Tell me, what are you good at?”

Diego shrugged his shoulders, giving off a blank stare. ”I don't know; my mum says I'm a lucky guesser.”

”What about the guitar? You take guitar lessons, right?”

”I gave that up a few weeks ago.”

”Alright, what about the baseball team. You were a pitcher for that, correct?”

”I dropped out after losing two games in a row… I wasn't good enough.”

”Diego… I know. You jointed the scouts last year, you took part in serval camping trips. What about that?”

Diego gave off another simple shrug, muttering. ”I quit two months ago. I was just no good at making friends.”

”Well, you're going to have to write something. I want an answer by the end of the lesson, or you're staying behind.”

The teacher stormed off as Diego frowned, staring at the piece of paper cluelessly. That was until he heard a group of students nearby raving and shouting. ”What did you put down, Mike?”

”What else did you expect me to put down? I want to be a streamer when I'm older!”

”Haha, we both picked the same thing! Do you want to stream together when we're old enough?”

”A group streams? That sounds awesome!”

Diego turned back to his page, giving it another thought before just jotting down streamer at the heat of the moment. Turning back to the others, he smiled faintly, ready to show them the same answer he, too, had written down.

****

The lights to the underground tunnels flickered on and off. The survivors were all torn from their spot, dazed by what just happened. Diego was one such taken back, unsure of what just happened. An almighty attack had blown away the entrance from behind, leaving the last survivors trapped. Dragging himself to his feet, he began coughing, looking around. Pushing through the crowd, he stopped seeing it caved in. ”Is everyone alright back there?!” A voice yelled from the other side.

”Just peachy,” Diego shouted back, rubbing his head. ”I don't think anyone is injured here.”

”That's good,” Petra said. ”We can't get to you. I'm going to take the children and find another way around. Can you keep going, Diego?”

Diego turned, seeing a handful of children looking distorted and sick stumbling around from the earthquake. ”I suppose I can. What was that?”

”That wasn't Vanguard, and I doubt the Hawthorne twins can do that.”