Noel Flair: leadership
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The teens froze as we frantically searched amongst ourselves to see who was left.
“Enoch! Where’s Enoch?” Elizabeth jumped up, looking around the room, trying to see better in the faint light that was emitted from the lamp.
Carmen spun in her seat near the window, glancing out to see if Enoch had really left. “There he is!” she pointed out of the curtain. “He’s running down the road.”
Multiple teens jumped up and ran to the door.
“Everyone stay put!” I yelled in an attempt to gain their attention.
David and James pushed the teens back into the living room area as I walked to the door.
“Where are you going?” Thomas followed me to the front door, leaving the frightened youth group behind him.
“I’m going to get him back. See where he is going. We can’t just let a teen go.” I reached for a jacket that was on a nearby table, most likely belonging to Elizabeth.
“But what about them?” he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, motioning to the teens that had now fallen into hushed whispers as they watched Enoch through the window.
“I don’t know!” I shrugged the jacket over my shoulders. “Oh! They’re teens. Feed them something.” My own stomach rumbled at the possibility of food as I remember that no one had eaten since breakfast.
He nodded, his eyes lingering on a spot above my head. “Ok,” he agreed with me. “Be safe. We’ll watch from the window.”
I gave him a thumbs-up and then slipped onto the porch.
Wrapping my jacket tighter around my body, I scanned the street for the run-away teen.
The sun had already set, casting the neighborhood into an eerie darkness. With the lack of electricity, no house emitted any sort of light, making me have to see using only moonlight.
“Enoch!” I screamed into the night.
I was scared of the dark.
Not that I would tell anyone.
I glanced to my left just in time to see a silhouette disappear around the corner of the block.
Jumping off the steps of the porch, I sprinted down the sidewalk after the dark figure.
“Enoch!” I yelled again, only half expecting him to respond.
I turned at the end of the block, watching Enoch’s tall figure continue to fast walk away.
“Where are you going?” I screamed at his back.
“I’m leaving!” he yelled over his shoulder, not even turning around.
“Oh!” I walked after him “So you’re giving up?”
“No!” He continued down the sidewalk. “I’m going to find the answer on my own.”
I sprinted to catch up to him. “You can’t just leave. You need us!”
“No, I don’t!” Enoch whipped around to face me. “I have done perfectly fine on my own up until the nightmare.”
“Fine.” I stepped closer to him. “We need you.”
He huffed at me. “Look. I am done with this group. As far as we know, every single person on this earth is gone, and what are they doing? They’re wrestling each other over candy! And who do they look to for leadership? A little sixteen-year-old girl! I am the oldest! I should be leading them, not you! Where are you leading them? To Paris? Noel! Paris isn’t just around the block! You can’t just take them across the world!” He stopped for breath, interrupting his own monologue.
During his silence, I heard shuffling behind me.
Turning around, I expected to see a teen that had followed me out of the house.
But instead, I came face-to-face with a silver metal figure.
“Defend!” its robotic voice screamed.
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