“We’ll cross that bridge when and if we get to it,” Ms. Pollack said after Kayla told her their concerns. “The odds are good that everything will turn back on before the situation becomes that bad.”
“But what if that doesn’t happen?” Luke asked, his eyes wide.
“You guys are being paranoid.”
Kayla rolled her eyes as she heard the voice. She turned to see Steph and her friends walking over to where they were standing. “Ms. Pollack is right. If we run out of food, they’ll just ship more here.”
“Using what?” Kayla shot back. “Trucks and planes don’t work. How will they get the food here, Steph? Besides, why would they send food here first? If food’s getting distributed, it’s probably happening in town.”
Steph folded her arms across her chest and wrinkled her nose at Kayla. “Someone will figure something out. It’s their job.”
“Whose job?” Kayla asked. “You really think someone out there has just been waiting for us to get attacked by aliens?”
“Girls,” Ms. Pollack tried to intervene.
“Well it’s definitely not the job of a high school choir,” Steph said back angrily. “Someone else will figure it out. You’re just making everyone panic. If someone needs a group to sing with perfect pitch, we’re the people for that job.”
“I’m not trying to make anyone panic,” Kayla said defensively. “I’m just worried about what happens when the food runs out.” She narrowed her eyes at Steph. “And it will run out. I’m trying to solve the problem first so that people don’t panic.”
“Girls, stop!” Ms. Pollack shut down the conversation. “Kayla, if it would make you feel better, see if you can find a security guard and ask if there are any updates. I’m sure that they’ll tell you someone is already working on a solution. Steph, if you’re not worried, fine, don’t be worried. But acting snippy is not helpful. We all need to stay calm right now.”
“I agree,” Steph said, looking right at Kayla. “We should be calm.”
“Go find a security guard,” Ms. Pollack said to Kayla, Luke, and Maddie, but Kayla could tell she meant, please walk away from this. The three of them headed for one of the security checkpoints to see if any guards remained.
“You know, they’re probably right,” Luke said. “It’s hard for me to believe that no one has a plan for damage control.”
“Even if there is a plan,” Kayla pointed out, “there’s no way to communicate with the outside world. It’s not like someone can just make a call and request a supply shipment or something.”
They reached the security checkpoint only to find that it was empty.
Kayla sighed in frustration. “So much for that . . .”
Then she spotted a man wearing an orange reflector vest. He was fiddling with a mess of wires dangling from a square hole in the wall. He looked to be one of the only employees left in the airport.
“Excuse me,” Kayla said. The man turned around and blinked at them. “Do you work here?”
“Yeah, I’m a mechanic.” He pulled the shoulder of the vest to one side, revealing a nametag that read Orlando. He turned back to the wires.
“So you wouldn’t happen to know how much food is left?” Luke asked. “Or if there’s more on the way?”
He shrugged. “No, and I’m not sure anyone would know.” Without looking back at them, he gestured in a circle with the screwdriver in his hand. “This kind of thing isn’t exactly standard procedure for anyone. To be honest, I’m a little surprised the food hasn’t run out already.”
“What?” Kayla said, panic creeping into her voice.
“We’re almost out of food?” an unfamiliar voice asked. A man sitting in the nearby waiting area had overheard them. “How much is left?”
Orlando flushed. “I . . . I don’t know.”
“So we’re going to starve?” the man shouted. Within seconds, other people were standing and joining in, asking questions.
The voices came from every direction, getting louder and louder. People were angry, scared, and just getting more so as they worked themselves into a frenzy.
“I’m just a mechanic!” Orlando shouted to them, holding up his hands defensively. But the people weren’t listening anymore.
Two security guards pushed their way through the crowd of people. They held out their hands, trying to stop the questions, but more and more people were adding to the panicked surge of noise. It was clear that they didn’t have any reassuring information to share.
This is gonna turn into a riot, Kayla thought. “Let’s just get out of here,” she hissed to her friends.
With people focused on the security guards, Kayla, Luke, and Maddie snuck off down the hallway. They broke into a run, only stopping when they couldn’t hear the echo of angry voices anymore. Luke and Maddie slumped into chairs in a deserted boarding area, breathing heavily.
“Well, that was terrifying,” Maddie said.
Luke nodded. “I’ve never seen people so angry before.”
Kayla looked back the way they’d come and noticed Orlando, the mechanic, standing near the bank of windows. He must’ve sneaked away from the angry crowd too. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and Kayla could see in the reflection that he was scowling.
While Luke and Maddie caught their breath, Kayla approached Orlando. “Are you okay?” she asked. “That—that wasn’t your fault.”
Orlando sighed. “I didn’t realize things were that bad,” he said quietly. Then he shook his head. “That’s a lie. I knew things were bad—I just . . . I didn’t want to have to deal with it.” He looked at her through his reflection and gave a sarcastic smile. “I told myself it’s not my job to worry about that. I thought if I just kept fiddling, trying to figure out a way to bring back the power, it would be enough . . .”
“Hey,” Maddie said, joining them by the windows. “Like Kayla said, it’s not your fault. No one knew how to prepare for something like this.” Kayla was surprised to hear Maddie, the sarcastic pessimist of their group, offer comfort to a stranger like that.
Orlando turned around. “I guess,” he mumbled.
“Let’s not worry about that right now,” Kayla said. “Let’s focus on figuring out what we can do.” She looked at Orlando. “I’m Kayla, and this is Luke and Maddie.”
“Is there anywhere near the airport where we can find food?” Luke asked. “A grocery store or something?”
“Closest one’s a few miles out,” Orlando said. “But I don’t think anyone here is itching to walk around outside when the Visitors could show up at any moment. Besides, in a situation like this, my guess is the place has already been emptied.”
“Is there anywhere else there might be more food?” Kayla asked.
“You’re asking the wrong guy,” he replied. “I’m just trying to get something electrical to start working again. I figured I’d start with that keypad back there and work my way up to one of those.” He pointed to the dead planes.
Kayla stared out the window, desperately trying to think of a solution, but all she could see were the dead aircraft. Then, something came to her. “Can you get into the planes?”
“Yeah, sure . . .” Orlando said. “If a plane’s power goes out, the emergency doors unlock. If I grab a ladder, I could get you into one of those in five minutes. Why?”
Kayla turned back toward her friends. “Let’s go talk to Ms. Pollack. I’ve got an idea.” She looked at Orlando. “You’re coming too.”