I sit with my back against the wall and will my eyes to adjust. The air’s musty despite the open window, like no one’s stepped foot into this space for a long time. I smell mold, dust, the thick scent of all things man-made crumbling to particles. Soon I can see faint outlines of chairs, tables, the remains of a classroom. The tiny desks and chairs are thrown together in random upturned piles. The one I smashed lies upside-down, its legs in the air like a dead insect. Rotting papers that disintegrate at the touch of a finger lie scattered on the floor. Some of the ceiling lies crumpled by the door. From first glance I don’t see anything too frightening. No bodies at least.

“What’s going on in there?” Clay calls from below.

I swing over and peer down at him. Both their faces stare up at me. “A classroom.”

“Right,” he says. “What else?”

“Not much. I think it’s okay so far.”

Clay nods. “Ethan’s coming up. I’ll hand him to you.”

Clay picks up Ethan and lifts him to the window. I pull.

Ethan tumbles in and looks around. “Cool,” he whispers.

I hear Clay trying to scramble up the wall. That kid really thinks there’s nothing he can’t do. I grab a little desk and carry it to the window. “Watch out,” I yell down to Clay. He backs up and I chuck the desk out the window. Luckily it survives the fall. He grabs the desk, places it under the window and stands on it. I pull him up and he almost falls on top of me when I drag him over the window ledge.

The three of us sit in the little classroom, taking it in. Ethan peeks in a few cupboards. I want to stop him, but they’re too small to house any real threat other than rodents or insects. He finds a few broken pencils and a coffee mug.

Clay holds it up to the light from the window. “I prayed for hope and God sent you,” he reads. “Huh. Don’t think hittin’ their knees really paid off for these folks, or they’d still be around.” He frowns and sets the mug on a tiny desk.

“All clear,” Clay says, scanning the room. “But no water. Let’s make sure the rest of the place is safe.”

I look out the window nestled in the door that leads to the pitch-black hallway. “Can’t we just sleep here for the night? There’s only one door to defend and we can take turns on watch.”