Sage (manxman)

Chapter 4 - Deadly Darkness

Chapter 4 - Deadly Darkness

            A doorknob juggled and eventually gave way. Two figures stepped inside Middleton High School. They crept through the hallways moving ever closer to their primary objective. A few emergency lights remained on, giving an eerie glow to the hallways.

            “Angela keep up,” A familiar male voice grunted walking confidently through the dark halls. His eyes adjusted to the darkness.

            “Sorry, it’s just creepy here” Angela responded. “It’s up here to the left.” Angela hurried in front of the jock, which an emergency light revealed to be Carter, and stopped in front of a door. “Carter, can you pick this one.”  Angela knocked on the door.

            Carter nodded and got on his knees picking at the doors lock with a paperclip. Watching the broad shouldered teen pick at the lock, Angela heard a creek around the corner.

            “Did you hear that?” Angela paused listening to the creak.  She started to walk to the corner to peek and see what the noise was.

            “Hear what?” Carter questioned. Looking up for a second, then returning to the door.

            Around the corner, in the shadows of the long dark hallway, Angela saw a figure covered by shadow.  It was taller than a human it’s legs hinged like a deer and it bore rams horns on it’s head. Fear shot down Angela’s spine and she spun around to Carter. Gulping, she glanced back and the figure was gone.

            “Carter, there was!” Angela began as she ran up to the teen.

            A click in the door opened it into the classroom. “Got it,” Carter cheered stepping inside.

            “ I saw something.” Angela kept close constantly looking over her shoulder.

            “What did you see?” Carter turned on the classroom lights and moved over to the teacher’s desk. He shuffled papers around trying to find something.

            “It looked like…I mean,” Angela glanced over her shoulder. She couldn’t be sure if she saw it of if her mind was just playing tricks on her.

            “I think you just imagined it. Let’s get this test and get out of here.” Carter opened another drawer and laughed pulling out a three-page test. “Now we’ll get a perfect score.”

            “Let’s just get out of here,” Angela urged and the two turned the lights off and disappeared into the dark halls once more. Both of the teens unaware of the other presence, staring at them from the darkness.

***

            Ford sat at his kitchen table spinning his spoon around in his cereal watching the flakes become soggy with milk. His mother leaned against the counter sipping her morning coffee in her nightgown. The two were quiet and solemn still thinking about their loved one in the hospital.

            “After school will you meet me at the hospital?” Nancy whispered weakly as she sipped her coffee.

            Ford looked up from his cereal bowl, “I uh, I can’t.” Nancy stared at him and Ford gulped then answered, “I have detention after school today.”

            “Ford,” Nancy bit her lip in answer and shook her head. Shouting, she responded, “I can’t do this right now. You’re father is in the hospital and you are acting up like this.”