The Decision to Change

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Everyone sat down on the corners and stared at each other in horror after what they had heard on the walkie-talkie terrified them.

No one intended to change the atmosphere, so Chad, who had been silently pondering something, finally spoke out: "We gotta do something! We can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"Do something? What can we do? Go out there and gunfight with them while streaming on Facebook? We're just a bunch of kids who can't even use a gun!"

"Actually using a gun isn't that hard."

"Are you nuts? We'll die if we go out there!"

"So what? Are we just gonna wait here till they found us and kill us all?! Haven't you heard what the man on the walkie-talkie said?"

"Yeah, but what can we do? I'd rather surrender than get killed trying to escape."

"They killed Sally! They killed our friend! Are you guys just going to let them go away with their crimes?! Are you willing to let innocent people die in vain? Are you really good with this?!"

"..."

When Chad mentioned Sally, everyone froze. He was right; those people couldn't escape without facing a just punishment for their actions, but none of them wanted to go outside and become like her. Chad goes on:

"I have a plan."

"And I'm not allowing any of that."

"Huh?"

Finally speaking, Neil immediately rejects Chad's attempt in trying to get everyone to follow his plan.

"They're right, whatever you're trying to do, it's suicide. The terrorists have guns, RPGs, and killer drones all around the city, and we were struggling trying to get here and now you want to go out again?!"

"But Sally-"

"Sally's death was not in vain. She is the reason why we can get here, she is the one who saved us not me! She died to get you all safe and now you want to take revenge on the terrorists and get yourself killed? That's when her death is in vain."

"..."

"You're right."

"Great. Now don't let me hear any-"

"That's why I will go alone."

"What?!"

"What the?!"

"Again, are you nut?!"

"Oh, I have Nutella in the fridge. Anybody wants a sandwich-"

"Now it's not the time."

"Ok..."

Everyone seems to be clamoring when Chad makes his shocking announcement, and the most of them are criticizing him of being insane, stupid, and naive. After taking a breath, Chad began his speech while looking at Neil:

"My dad is currently a soldier, you may already know, but before that he was a police officer, every day he went outside fighting for innocent people, protecting the peace of our country without a single thought of himself.

I know this sounds hypocrite but... I can't stand looking good people dies. Just like my father risks his own life every day to protect the nation, I would want to protect the people with my own life."

"This isn't something you can do because you wanted. This is life and death! Something that a kid like you couldn't understand!"

"Have you seen what happened at the museum, I saw a person got killed when he did nothing wrong, those terrorists... they don't care about us if we don't do anything more innocent people will be killed, and my conscience doesn't allow that."

He then turned around to face the others:

"We could be the only group that successfully counterattack the terrorists with most of us having no defending skills. And we maybe are the only ones who can save New York right now, when the entire city is isolated by that giant forcefield thing in the sky.

Think of it! This could be our only chance of doing something meaningful in our lives! An opportunity! Rather than being one of the 'survivors'."

"What you're trying to do will get us all killed!"

"Either we die trying to do something or got slaughtered when the terrorists found us. It's all the same."

Chad's final statement mouth locked Neil and his eyes were wide. There was no longer any reason for Neil to disagree, but Chad continued to reassure everybody.:

"I don't want to force any of you to join me, if you're scared for your life that's fine! I suggested this and I will be responsible for it."

Neil sat down while his mind was still processing information, and as he watched Chad with enthusiasm, it reminded him of someone he met during his time serving, that had the same excitement even when they were facing a desperate situation.

"You sounded just like him."

"Huh?"

With his hand on his forehead, Neil is suffering from a headache as a result of the conversation with Chad; he is unable to deny the arguments Chad presented, but also does not want to accept any of it out of fear of the possible consequences.

In the end, he made the decision: "I can't believe I'm saying this but fine! I will help you. But at the moment things are going out of control, we will immediately stop, no question, OK?"

That it's better to do something that could give them a possibility of a happy ending, rather than waiting for a certain bad one.

"Don't worry. You won't regret this?"

"I have already regret this."

"What's your plan anyway?" Nick asked.

"Well, it's quite simple."

Chad points outside the windows.

"As I know, the military is piling up outside, fighters are doing a reconnaissance around the area, soldiers are getting armed and choppers are ready to engage, but they were unable to get in because the force field is isolating us from them, and for the whole time I was observing it, there was a pillar connected to the force field, meaning that it originated from one source."

"What do you mean?"

"What I'm implying is, if we could find and get to the source of the force field, destroy the machine that is creating it. The military will be able to get in and do the rest."

"Oh I thought it would be complicated but... it was way simpler than I thought."

"How about the president? Isn't he kidnapped?" Mike wondered.

"The president is just one man, our goal is to save the entire city. When the military gets in there will be bloodshed, and it would be inevitable."

While Chad is talking about his Plan with Neil and Nick, Ben curiously approach Roy who is sitting in the corner writing his diary.

"Hey."

"???"

He sat down next to Roy.

"I just wanna ask, why are you always writing your diary all the time?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, I saw you writing your diary when we were at the museum when we were on the truck, and now. Like I don't get it, you could write it at the end of the day, but instead you write anywhere and anytime, like why?"

"Umm... I could say, it's my coping mechanism, Chad taught me."

"Chad?"

"Yeah, he saw me writing and drawing in my notebook when I was stressed, like when I was bullied by... you know, Brent?"

Ben averted his eyes away.

"So he gave me a diary and told me that, whenever I feel sad or out of the blue, just write it down, even when I feel happy, I also write it down. So the next day, I open a new page, I will forget the sadness of yesterday and start a new fresh day, but I can always review the pages so that I could see the good memories I had, and the bad memories I have overcome. That's what he said."

"That's... amazing!"

"Yeah, I was surprised at first too... Anyway, would you mind if I ask you a quest-"

"How do we know where the machine is and how to get to even there?"

He abruptly stops when Neil spoke, it seems like they have planned to the most crucial parts when planning something, the holes in the plan.

"Yeah that's right, we lack information. I need more info for the plan to actually be complete."

"How are we gonna do that?"

Nick got up from the chair and took a long, hard look at the ceiling: "Hey, who do you think will know where the machine is?"

"Who? I think it's the terrorists since they are the ones who planned all of this. What do you mean by the... Ohhh!!"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Nick turned around and grinned while Chad nodded sinisterly.

"Let's go kidnap some terrorists."