The Only Thing We Have To Fear

Probably Titled Part 10

Bill screamed. He wasn't known for being the screaming type, but his voice filled the entire room. It echoed against the walls of the gymnasium. Adrenaline like he had never felt before flooded his system. 

Principal Schwartz dropped what she was doing and ran forward. Vice Principals Sonn and Johnson rushed forward as well. The vice principals grabbed each arm and Principal Schwartz grabbed him around the middle. Unbeknownst to them, Bill's fight or flight response had been activated. His left elbow connected with Lisa Sonn's face and Urving Johnson was flung backward. His sheer size and weight were enough to overpower the three administrative officials.

"Gene!" Mr. Fish cried, pulling the principal off of Bill before he could do damage to her as well.

Roman froze completely. He had done some terrible things during his time at school. He was known for stabbing a kid through the hand with a plastic fork for trying to take his lunch repeatedly. He once tripped a kid into a desk so hard that he broke a nose in retaliation for being repeatedly targeted himself. Roman had even once sit through a meeting where one kid accused him of being homophobic when his exact quote was "Your gayness has nothing to do with whether or not you can do titrations" after listening to a different kid go on a fifteen-minute rant about how his boyfriend had done most of the lab the last time they were paired together. Of all the things he had done, conspiracy for murder was among the worst of it.

Roman watched Dr. Frankenstein's face as it paled. He had the wind knocked out of him when he was stabbed and could do nothing but open and close his mouth as pointlessly as the fish on Mr. Fish's desk.

Roman's eyes traveled downward to the flagpole sticking out of his midsection. It was wedged just under his ribs. It pierced straight through his diaphragm and the upper part of his sucking stomach. The American flag was still partially stuck in his flesh. Although a drop of red blood had hit the floor, it did not belong to Dr. Frankston. Blue blood had soaked the flag, turning the red stripes purple, and was starting to seep through his clothing.

Roman staggered backward. His knees buckled and he fell into the risers. He closed his eyes, hoping the wave of nausea would pass. Even blue blood made him sick to his stomach. The crunching sound the flagpole made replayed in his mind like an echo chamber. He didn't hear Bill's screams.

Frieda watched in horror as Roman threw up on the floor. Her stomach turned the same way his did when she realized that none of the teachers were bleeding. Or maybe they were, but their blood wasn't red.

Bill's response had been to fight, Roman's response was to freeze, and Frieda's response was to run. She turned around and didn't even register that she had opened the door until she was halfway down the hallway. The stairs didn't stop her, and neither did the front doors as she ran as fast as her feet would carry. Her mind was blank, and she was simply running.

Mr. Fish had none of this.

"Roman!" he shrieked. "My office. You and him," he jabbed his thumb at Bill, "now!"

Roman could barely register the words. "Him... Mr. Fish's office," he muttered incoherently.

Mr. Fish burst through the doors after Frieda. He caught sight of her hair as she turned the corner and rushed after her.

Vice Principals Johnson and Sonn, who was gushing blue from her nose, once again took to calming down Bill as Principal Schwartz addressed the rest of the student body.

"Everyone calm down!" she called over the rising sounds of hysteria. "We'll be moving this to the cafeteria! If I could just have everyone's attention, please and we can all move in an orderly fashion--"