Mapping the way

Ava pulled out her phone, her fingers swiftly moving over the screen, only to frown in frustration. "There's no signal at all. The barrier must be blocking it."

Leo checked his phone as well, confirming Ava's observation. "Same here. We're completely cut off from the outside world."

After realizing the limitations of their cell phones, the trio sat in silence, gathering their thoughts in the aftermath of their intercom message, Leo's eyes landed on a framed picture on the wall. It was an aerial view of Silvercrest Academy, providing a broad perspective of the campus layout. "Look at this," he said, standing up to take a closer look. He grabbed the large photo off the wall and laid it on the desk.

Ava and Ethan joined him, peering at the photo. It wasn't a detailed map, but the aerial view offered a clear representation of the campus's structure.

Ava took the lead, pointing to the distinct cross shape of the campus. "So, this is the overall layout. You can see the bell tower here, right in the center."

She then moved her finger to the north wing. "Here's the auditorium and the homerooms. This is where most of the turned students were, according to the cameras."

Ethan looked closely. "And these other wings?"

Ava traced her finger along the east, south, and west wings. "Each of these wings has its own set of facilities. The east wing mainly has science labs and research centers. The south wing is where the gym and the rec centers are. And the west wing," she paused, "it's mostly arts and humanities, but there are also computer labs that might be useful."

She also noted the dormitory areas. "And don't forget, each wing has dorms for students who stay on campus. There could be survivors hiding out there."

Leo absorbed the information, his mind already strategizing. "We need to check these areas systematically. Start with the closest and work our way through."

Ethan suggested, "We should avoid open areas as much as possible. Stick to the tunnels or less exposed routes."

Ava agreed, "And let's keep an eye out for any supplies or tools along the way. Anything that can help us or other survivors."

As they continued to examine the aerial photograph and plot their course, Leo turned to Ava with specific questions about the school's population and layout.

"About how many students and teachers should we be accounting for?" Leo asked, looking for a sense of scale regarding the number of people who might be trapped or hiding within the campus.

Ava thought for a moment before responding. "The student body is around 800, and when you add faculty and staff, it's probably close to a thousand people on campus on any given day."

Ethan, taking in these numbers, added his query. "Are there any special places, maybe less obvious ones, where students might go to hunker down? Somewhere safe from... those things."

Ava nodded, her eyes scanning the aerial view as she spoke. "Well, the basement levels of the science wing are pretty secure; they have reinforced doors due to the nature of the experiments conducted there. The library's study rooms are another option. They are soundproof and lockable from the inside."

Leo interjected, "And the gym has equipment storage rooms. Small, but they could be useful as hiding spots."

Ethan considered this information. "What about the dorms? Are they secure enough?"

"The dorms are a mixed bag," Ava replied. "Some rooms are more secure than others, but they all have lockable doors. Plus, students who live on campus might have gone there instinctively."

Leo summarized their thoughts. "So we have the science wing basements, the library study rooms, the gym storage, and the dorms as potential safe spots. We should check these areas first for survivors."

Ethan, leaning forward with a look of determination, voiced his suggestion. "I think we should try to gather all the students in one place. It'll be easier to protect and manage them if they're together."

Leo, however, furrowed his brow in disagreement. "That's risky. Moving large groups through the campus could attract the turned students. It might be safer to set up safe spots in each wing. Keep everyone close to where they currently are. Look at what happened in the Auditorium. It was a massacre."

Ava, listening to both sides, added her thoughts. "Both ideas have merits, but we also need to consider the logistics and safety of moving people around. We don't know the current situation in each wing. Gathering everyone in one spot could be more dangerous than it sounds."

Ethan countered, "But if we have everyone spread out, it'll be harder to keep track of them and provide help where it's needed. A central location might be more defensible. Especially now that we know what we're dealing with."

Leo shook his head slightly. "It's not just about defense. It's about minimizing risk during movement. If we can secure smaller groups in each wing, it reduces the chance of running into large groups of turned students. None of the students can use their abilities with the barrier up. Right now they're just ordinary students."

Ava interjected thoughtfully, addressing both Leo and Ethan. "Before we decide on either approach, we need to assess the situation first. We can't make effective plans for gathering or securing students without scouting the areas and seeing how many are even still... still with us."

Her voice held a note of realism as she continued, "Remember, a fair number of students were already showing signs of sickness this morning. After the turned students began attacking, the number of unaffected students might be much lower."

Leo nodded in agreement. "Ava's right. We can't just rush into this without knowing what we're dealing with. Our first step should be to gather intel – see how many survivors there are and what condition the different wings are in."

Ethan, though still concerned, saw the logic in Ava's words. "Okay, I see your point. Scouting first makes sense. We need to know what we're up against before we can start moving people around or securing areas."

Ava looked at both of them, her determination clear. "We should split our efforts between finding survivors and gathering information. Let's take it one step at a time and adapt our plan as we learn more. Leo, pull up the monitors again and let's see what the cameras show us. If we can figure out where the turned students are, we can avoid those areas."

Leo flicked through the different camera feeds, each showing various parts of Silvercrest Academy – the deserted hallways, the empty classrooms, and the ominously quiet common areas.

The tension in the room was palpable as they scrutinized the screens, searching for any sign of movement or life. "I don't understand… Where is everyone?" Ava voiced.

Suddenly, without warning, the monitors flickered and went dark. The lights in the office dimmed and then extinguished, plunging the room into near-total darkness. The gentle hum of the air conditioning ceased, leaving a heavy silence in its wake.

The trio was momentarily stunned, their eyes adjusting to the sudden change. The only illumination came from the soft blue glow emanating from the edges of the ceiling – the source of the dampening field that enveloped the campus.

Ethan broke the silence, his voice tinged with apprehension. "The power's out... Everything's gone except for the barrier."

As they stood in the darkened office, the abrupt loss of power left them in a state of surprise and unease. Leo stood up, his mind racing with questions and concerns. "Why would the power go out like this?" he pondered aloud. "The lockdown system is still active, so it doesn't make sense for the rest of the school's power to just shut down."

Ava, her eyes adjusting to the dim blue light, looked thoughtful. "Could it be a safety feature of the lockdown? Or maybe the system is drawing so much power that it's affecting the rest of the school?"

Ethan, looking around the darkened room, added, "Or maybe it's something else entirely, something we haven't thought of yet. This whole situation is beyond anything we could have anticipated."

Leo nodded, his expression a mix of determination and concern. "Either way, we're in the dark, literally. We'll need to be even more cautious moving forward."