Chapter 37: Awful Drinks

As they wandered through the corridors, they saw what could be described as a general mess. Lockers stood open, their metal doors revealing a haphazard collection of textbooks, crumpled papers, and forgotten lunchboxes. Loose papers fluttered in the air, caught in the draft from an open window. The once-pristine linoleum floor bore scuff marks and mysterious stains.

"To think just a few hours ago, this was neat and tidy," Rei remarked. Her eyes widened from seeing the chaos. 

"It was 5 minutes," Saya added. She was equally surprised by the sudden change in scene. She thought all the peace was gone. 

Jasmine put a hand on both their shoulders and gave a smile. "We will get through this together," Jasmine stated. 

Rei and Saya nodded. They could not help how beautiful she was. The word princess rang in their head. Jasmine then started pulling the suitcase. 

Lois had taken out the M4W just as they left the classroom. James had given her task to protect these two girls and have them join us. She was determined to make that happen. She did wonder what was special about these two girls. On the surface they looked like ordinary school girls. 

"Jasmine is right we will but we need to keep moving," Lois stated as she noticed a trail of crimson fluids on the floor and lockers. A thin line of blood, she thought. She walked slowly scanning the surrounding area with her gun as they moved forward. 

Rei and Saya noticed the gun as well. Jasmine had taken her Red Hawk out and copied Lois in scanning the area. She thought this weapon was gifted by James, her lover was special. Lois exchanged a glance with Jasmine, who raised an eyebrow. Saya and Rei remained silent, their expressions unreadable.

As they reached the end of the corridor, they saw the sign. The sign had a silhouette of a woman in a skirt. She smiled. 

"Why don't we quickly use the ladies' room?" Lois voiced. She glanced at the others, waiting for their response.

Saya crossed her arms. "At a time like this?" Her gaze shifted to the blood trails around her and the chaos. This would be the last thing on her mind.

Rei's eyebrows furrowed. "Didn't you say we should keep moving?" She also wondered why now. Lois seemed like a serious person. 

Jasmine, was a bit confused from the suggestion as well. She leaned against the wall. Her eyes scanned the corridor, taking in the chaos, the open lockers, the stained floor and the blood. However, she saw Lois and James talk about something. She could not hear it but Lois had a wide smile on her face and James winked at her. She has a plan, she thought. "I agree as well, it's a good idea," she stated. 

Saya and Rei were a bit suspicious however they nodded. 

They entered the bathroom. Lois went first. She slowly moved, keeping her gun down her sight. She scanned the first corner and moved to the second corner. She peaked around and saw it was empty. The ladies toilet was a clean and well-maintained space. It had individual stalls with white porcelain toilet bowls, flush mechanisms, and ample toilet paper. The sink area featured running water, soap dispensers, mirrors, and hand-drying options. 

Lois then walked in and kicked each stall door. She saw they were all empty. "All clear," Lois said. The three girls entered the toilet and saw the stark contrast. This was normal. 

"There is nothing wrong here," Rei said. Her mouth wide open. 

"Such a contrast," Saya remarked. 

Jasmine came in last and put the suitcase down. "Now ladies, the real reason I have brought you here is to give you something," Lois commented. 

"I knew there was something strange," Saya said. 

Rei eyed the gun in her hand. It had a red-dotted sight and an under barrel. The gun had a dark brown camouflage with maze like patterns all over it. It was beautiful, something she had never seen before. 

"That gun belongs to you?" Rei asked, her curiosity piqued. She knew the answer however there was something about the gun which was different. She felt like it was emitting something. 

"Yes, it's mine," Lois replied casually, as if she carried a gun around with her every day. "It was a gift from my James," she added and chuckled softly.

"James also has a gift for you," Lois said, looking at Rei. Rei smiled thinking, he does. She blushed. Saya cleared her throat. She wondered what was wrong with this girl. Sure, James was attractive, had muscles and looked cool but falling head over heels over him. 

Saya looked at Lois. "Who is James?" she exclaimed.

"Well, James is my lover, someone who is special to us all," Lois said with pride in her voice.

"My lover as well," Jasmine interjected. She had a wide smile on her face. 

"Both your lovers?" Rei said in surprise. This man is a two time cheater, she thought. 

"Yes but there is nothing wrong with that," Jasmine replied. She added, "It is normal for people to have multiple wives where I am from." 

Saya took it in. She listened to the conversation. "Where are you from?" Saya asked. 

"I am from a faraway Kingdom, where my father is the ruler," Jasmine replied. She smiled.

Rei and Saya's eyes lingered on Jasmine. Her beauty held a captivating allure, an elegance that transcended the ordinary. She wore normal clothes however the charm radiated. It made them want to follow her, war could be fought over her. Rei couldn't help but voice his thoughts, "You are a princess."

Saya questioned, "And what of James?"

Jasmine's smile wavered. "James isn't of royal blood. It's forbidden for us to seek love outside royalty. I stayed indoors most of my life wondering what the outside world looks like. I then made my escape and met James."

Rei smiled, just like the stories. She wanted to know more and whether she could have one. 

Saya's brow furrowed. "But the law says you can only marry one woman here," Saya said. 

Lois interjected, her voice steady, "With the situation going on, do you think the law matters now?" 

Rei and Saya knew she was right. There was something deeply wrong here. Rei saw that man with blood walking around. Saya`s gut feeling was telling her that nothing is right about this. She thought about being with James. It felt warm. 

"James might not be prince now but he soon will be," Jasmine teased.

"You are both sure we will get out of here," Rei meekly said.

"We are, James has given us the tools for it," Lois replied as she showed her gun. 

"He also has special gifts for you both," Lois added, her voice hushed. "The reason we didn't reveal them in the classroom was because they're meant only for certain special individuals. We wanted to keep them a bit discreet."

"Why us?" Saya asked. She was curious.

Lois and Jasmine exchanged knowing glances, their smiles conspiratorial. "James holds a fondness for both of you," Lois confessed.

Saya pouted playfully, while Rei's cheeks flushed with a mix of surprise and delight. Their hearts skipped a beat. 

Lois walked over and opened the suitcase. She thought they needed a bigger bag to carry more around, they could not bring any more guns with them because of the bottles and ammunition. She carefully placed eight glass bottles on the washroom sink. Their labels were cryptic and had a unique symbol on the bottle. There were two pairs of each bottle, one for each girl. 

Rei and Saya leaned in, their curiosity piqued. Rei thought the bottle was something similar to Lois`s gun. 

"They have their own names James said," Lois remarked. 

"What are they called?" Rei asked. 

"Quick-revive," Lois announced, pointing to the first blue bottle. "Mule Kick," she continued, gesturing to the second, a green bottle. "Speed Cola," she tapped the third other green bottle. Finally, she pointed to the fourth, a crimson vessel labeled "Juggernog," she finished. 

"What are these?" Saya's eyes widened. "And why the secrecy?" she asked. 

Rei, crossed her arms. "I don't like alcohol, and I certainly don't drink." They both were shocked with the drinks. Saya still did not know why they could not drink it in the classroom. 

Jasmine, her gaze unwavering, spoke softly, "These are no ordinary drinks. They hold power."

Saya raised an eyebrow. "Power? In a bottle?" she asked. 

Rei thought for a second. She responded. "With everything happening around us, the blood, those zombies, I believe it's true."

Saya leaned closer. She heard Rei and as crazy as it sounds it may be true. She thought back to James`s watch, it certainly looked different, something about it was odd. "But what do they do?" she asked. The names of the drinks did not explain their power. 

Lois explained, "Quick-revive, we are not sure what it does exactly but James said something along the lines of a second chance."

Saya and Rei were curious to hear what that meant. "The green one?" Rei asked.

"Speed Cola," Lois replied. "You reload the weapon faster and know how to reload as well," Lois explained 

Rei's eyes sparkled. "And the other green one?" she asked.

"Mule Kick, is mysterious as well but we think it makes ammunition appear for the guns we have like magic," Lois explained. 

Saya and Rei exchanged skeptical glances. The notion seemed outlandish. Yet, when they turned their gaze to Lois and Jasmine, conviction shone in their eyes.

"The final one?" Saya asked.

"The red bottle, Juggernog," Jasmine said. "It is rumored to make you stronger, but we are not sure."

Rei frowned. "Why should we trust these?" Their answers were not at all convincing. It was such a big risk, the drinks could be anything. The so-called powers were vague and they were not sure. 

Jasmine's voice softened. "James vouches for them. He has our best interests at heart."

"James also likes you both," Lois added. 

Saya and Rei exchanged glances. Trust was a fragile thread now in this world. Lois and Jasmine trusted each other and James. They seem to know what was going on. If they had any nefarious tricks then they would have done it long ago. After all, they had guns. 

"I will drink it," Saya and Rei said at the same time. Lois and Jasmine smiled. 

"Take each bottle and drink it down, you can go back to back," Jasmine said as she had done. 

Saya and Rei each took a bottle, the glass cool against their palms. They closed their eyes and drank the first one.The liquid tasted awful bitter, metallic, and strangely alive. They grimaced, but determination fueled their resolve. Saya moved to her second bottle. Rei also moved to her second bottle. They both jugged it down. The same awful taste was there. Rei and Saya thought of James and suddenly their heart skipped a beat again. They jugged down the third and fourth bottle in rapid time. 

"That was awful," Rei commented.

"It was truly awful," Saya remarked. 

Lois and Jasmine nodded. "They do taste awful but the thing we do for love," Lois teased. 

Jasmine giggled. Rei blushed while Saya pouted again. 

As they drank the bottle, nothing changed. Saya and Rei felt no sudden surge of power, no mystical transformation. Just the lingering taste of uncertainty and the bad aftermout taste. 

"We don't feel different," Rei admitted.

"It's very circumstantial but it is there," Lois explained.

"Okay we trust you," Saya added.She was not sure if that was the right decision or not but they had made it. 

"Rei we also have this for you," Lois said as she pulled out the M4W. It had a blue-dotted sight and an under barrel shotgun. The gun had a dark brown camouflage with maze like patterns all over it. 

"But I have never used a gun," Rei quickly said. 

"You will learn quickly when your life's on the line," Lois remarked as she handed over the M4W. Rei held and felt its power. It had a strange aura. 

Saya nodded, when your life's on the line, people learn quickly, she thought. 

"We don't have one for you since we ran out of space, there is a grenade launcher but maybe too much for now," Lois explained. 

"That is okay," Saya replied. She felt a little left out now. 

"Don't worry, I will be there with you and James has said we are going to secure more weapons, there will be one there with your name on and we will make it special once we are back," Jasmine assured. 

Saya smiled, there was something to her words which made her believe that. 

"Aiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" a scream was heard.