Survival

‘Right, I’ve had an idea while we’ve been driving around.’ Sam said a few hours later now that we were all at the school with our belongings, wondering what was going to happen next.

‘My dad worked in a holiday apartment block in the centre of Manchester and I picked up all the information while I was at home. There are seven apartments – four with two bedrooms and three with three bedrooms. I’ve also sorted out who will be in which apartments to stop any arguing. The two bedroom apartments are having a couple and someone else, the couple taking one of the rooms while the three bedroom apartments will have one person in each room.’

Sam paused for a few seconds making sure everyone had taken in what he’s said before carrying on.

‘I’ll start off with the two bedroom apartments. Holly, Matthew and Dave are together, Pippa, Julia and I are together, Abi, Tom and Emma are together and Joe, Harriet and Zoe are together. The girls who are left – Lizzie, Jess and Grace, you are in one of the 3 bedroom apartments. Stuart, Julian and Dan in another and Pratik, Ben and Addison in the last. You all know who you’re sharing rooms with?’ We all nodded correspondingly.

‘That’s not fair though, what if some of the apartments are nicer than others.’ Jess complained.

‘All the two bedroom apartments have the same layout and all the three bedroom apartments have the same layout.’ Sam answered her. ‘Right then, everyone back into the cars – we’re going to Manchester!’

---

‘Julian! Please keep one track on!’ Joe shouted angrily to the passenger seat where Julian was checking out the previous owner’s cd collection.

‘Will you guys all just shut up? I’m trying to concentrate on not crashing!’ Stuart moaned. From then on we drove in an awkward silence with Queen playing in the background.

We eventually reached the apartment block Sam had been talking about and we all stood outside for a few minutes looking at it. This was going to be where we would spend the see able future. It was a tallish white stone building only a minute away from the centre. The times I’d walked past it, not realising it would later on become my home.

Grace, Jess and I found our apartment and we threw our entire luggage into our rooms. I’d taken the upstairs bedroom leaving Grace and Jess downstairs. I looked at my surroundings; a double bed took up part of the room, a sofa and a bookcase in one corner and a walk in wardrobe filled the space behind the back wall.

I spent twenty minutes unpacking before I decided to find the kitchen which, for a few seconds, I was surprised as there was no food so I wandered down to Sam’s apartment to tell him I was going to take a car down to the nearest supermarket to stock up.

It was weird wandering through an empty supermarket, not having to worry about having enough money. I filled the trolley with meals for the twenty one of us to last a week. I also threw in coke and lemonade, hot chocolate; all the necessities.

‘Hey Lizzie.’ I heard from above me while I was crouched down getting something off a lower shelf. I jumped about a mile. I turned around to see Julian.

‘You made me jump. I didn’t hear you coming.’ He laughed at me when I tried to explain my shocked face.

‘I’m sorry. I saw you wandering off so I decided to follow you. I’m already fed up of having to live with Stuart and Dan. They won’t stop arguing. You want any help?’

‘I’m with Grace and Jess. I think Jess could be annoying after a while. I need matches, so could you go get a trolley and fill it with as many boxes as you can find. Also get shampoo while your at it.’

An hour later we had finished and the result was nine full trolleys. I’d have to sort it all out later. We sat at the entrance to the store for a few minutes, both of us shattered from running around.

‘Do you think they will ever come back?’ He asked looking into the sky.

‘I don’t know. I really don’t know. I think we need to work out what happened before we can decide anything.’

I looked at Julian to see he had tears already running down his face and a moment later he had collapsed into his knees. I put my arms around him and sat him back up and let him cry into my shoulder.