Great — here's Chapter
The hours crept by in the library.
The air was still hot, but the silence helped. For the first time in days, Samuel could almost think clearly.
Almost.
He flipped through pages in his notebook, checking his logs, drawing crude maps of the school. He marked possible exits, places with heavy damage, and locations of known groups — especially the cafeteria… the Empire.
The Empire wasn't just a name.
It was a warning.
He wasn't strong enough to go near them. Not yet. But soon.
---
As he closed the book, a faint sound caught his ear.
Whirrrrrr...
He looked up.
On the librarians' desk sat a small battery-powered fan, spinning gently. The breeze it gave off was barely enough to cool a hand — but it was something.
Samuel stood.
Walked over slowly.
The older librarian looked up warily.
"I want to make a trade," Samuel said, calmly.
She didn't speak. Just raised an eyebrow.
Samuel reached into his bag and pulled out a sealed bottle of water. The condensation on the plastic made it glisten like treasure.
"One bottle," he said, setting it on the desk. "For the fan."
The two librarians looked at each other. The younger one, a woman with streaks of gray in her ponytail, gave a small nod.
"Deal," said the older one.
She handed over the fan.
Samuel took it with care, then handed over the water bottle. No tricks. No haggling.
Just survival.
---
He returned to his table and placed the fan beside his bag. The wind it gave off was barely stronger than a breath, but when it hit his face, he sighed.
Small comforts mattered now.
---
That night, he wrote one last line in his journal:
> "I leave at sunrise. Too many eyes watch the dark. They're afraid of the sun. I'm afraid of what's hiding from it."
He closed the book.
Tomorrow would be dangerous.
But Samuel Li had a plan.