Mech-man: The Mission of Fate

Chapter 37

Max emerged from the ground and stared in disbelief at their surroundings. He had expected to land in an unfamiliar place, but instead, he saw the familiar school building towering before him, its four corners bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. His heart hammered in his chest as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. 

 "Is this... the school?" Max questioned, his voice tinged with confusion as he turned to his friends, who had also emerged from the underground chamber. Lucas's eyes widened with disbelief as he took in their surroundings.

 "It can't be," he murmured, his voice barely more than a whisper. "We were trapped underground... and how did we end up back here?" 

 Caden's brow furrowed with concern as he surveyed the familiar surroundings. "Maybe the chamber was connected to the school somehow," he suggested, his voice filled with uncertainty. "But that doesn't explain how we got back here though." 

 Jaxon's expression mirrored the confusion etched on his friends' faces as he glanced around at the school grounds.

 "We need to figure out what's going on," he declared, his voice firm with determination. "Something doesn't add up." 

 "Like what happened to us while we were unconscious and who the mysterious figure was." Max added with a firm voice. "I feel like it won't be simple."

 "We should go inside." Jaxon suggested, "After all, we've been gone quite a long time, someone's got to notice us missing."

 They made their way toward the school entrance, which was wide open, as if to welcome them back. Their footsteps echoing through the empty courtyard. The familiar sights and sounds of the school seemed strangely unusual after their dangerous experience in the underground chamber. As they stepped inside, they were greeted by the familiar sights of the school corridors and the Central yard, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the polished floors. But something felt different.

 "Where's everybody?" Lucas asked in confusion, "The school seems so empty." 

 "That's strange, there should be pretty full at this time." Caden added, "I reckon it's around midday."

 "It's like everyone's disappeared," Max observed, his voice tinged with unease as they made their way toward one of the teacher's office. Jaxon's eye brow furrowed with concern as they reached the door of Professor McAllister's office. He slowly and carefully reached out and turned the handle, the door swinging open with a creak. To their surprise, the office was empty, the desk abandoned and the chair pushed back against the wall.

 "Where's Professor McAllister?" Max thought out loud, speaking everybody's concern. They looked around the room, but no sign of struggle appeared, it was like Professor McAllister vanished in thin air.  

The silence that filled the office was deafening, broken only by the faint sound of their own breathing. Max's heart pounded in his chest as he scanned the room, searching for any clue as to what might have happened to Professor McAllister.

"It's like he just... disappeared," Caden murmured, his voice filled with disbelief.

"But why would he leave his office like this?" Lucas questioned, his brow furrowed with concern.

Jaxon's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the room, his mind racing with possibilities. "Maybe he left in a hurry," he suggested, "or maybe something happened to him."

Max's stomach churned with unease at the thought of their beloved teacher being in danger. "We have to find out what happened to him," he declared, his voice firm with determination.

But as they searched the office for any sign of Professor McAllister, they found nothing. No clues, no notes, no indication of where he might have gone. It was as if he had simply vanished into thin air.

"We need to go to the principal's office," Max said, his voice tinged with urgency. "Maybe he knows something about what's going on."

With a sense of determination, they left Professor McAllister's office and made their way through the empty corridors of the school, their footsteps echoing off the walls. As they reached the principal's office, Max hesitated for a moment before reaching out to knock on the door.

There was no response.

"Maybe he's not in," Lucas suggested, his voice filled with uncertainty.

"Or maybe he's disappeared too," Caden added, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Max's heart sank at the thought of their situation growing even more dire. If both Professor McAllister and the principal were missing, then who was in charge of the school? And what had happened to them?

"We need to figure out what's going on," Max said, his voice filled with determination. "And we need to do it fast."