Monsters in The Dark

2

"Are you really going to expect us to believe that a video game is happening in real life? That's crazy," Sadie, one of the most athletic girls, said.

Jonah and I shared a look. I looked over at her and said, "Y'know...if it is the Creature, we know how to kill it."

"It's true. All you need to do is hit them over the head with enough force and it kills them real quick," Jonah added.

When everyone stared at us, I just shrugged and said, "Well, it's only our favorite game." That's when I had my lightbulb moment. "Hey, Mr. Delvinsky. Can we use the weights on the racks over there? Even if they aren't the Creatures, we'd be armed."

I could see the gears turning. He thought it over for about thirty seconds, then sighed and told us, "She has a point. Everyone grab two weights."

Everyone got up silently and walked over to the shelf with all the weights on it. To be honest, it was kind of creepy. Everyone was so serious about it, as if we were anywhere but a smelly room filled with weights.

I cracked my knuckles. Everyone jumped because the sound broke the silence. I whispered, "Sorry." Jonah looked at me like I was crazy. "You know I crack my knuckles when I'm nervous."

"So," came the strained voice of our principal, "tell us more about this game and what we can do."

Jonah made a 'go ahead' gesture and I started talking. "Well, there are different levels of difficulty. The Creatures are more aggressive the higher the difficulty. I'd say these ones are from the first level of the easiest mode." I looked to Jonah for confirmation that this was true, and he nodded. "This is good though, because it means that they're the easiest to kill, and that they don't think for themselves yet. Unfortunately, that means someone else is giving them instructions."

"There are worse thing than the Creatures? What could be worse?" Jack asked.

"Well, there are Vamps, Shifters, Overlords, and Witches. Of course, there are more than that, but they're the main monsters you'd fight," I told him.

"Is that in order of least scary to absolutely terrifying?" Sadie asked.

"Yes," we said in unison.

"How are witches worse than overlords?" Ann asked.

"Well, Witches are more determined than the Overlords, and the Witches always have to choose to be one," Jonah explained.

"Don't forget that Witches look just like normal people and Overlords are the ones that give the villain-y monologue while the Witches just kill and eat you," I added.

Most people looked a shade paler than they had a moment before. Whispers of "How are we supposed to survive this?" and "I wanna go home" and "Shh it'll be ok as long as Riley and Jonah are able to tell us what to do" could be heard throughout the room, mixed with quiet crying.

I stood up. "We can't just sit here like prisoners. We have to do something." Everyone turned to look at me, waiting for me to tell them what to do. I looked back at them for a few seconds before realizing what they were waiting for. It wasn't my best moment. "Oh! You want me to tell you what to do? Okay then. Um... maybe we can team up with the rest of the classes 'cause we'll probably be better off fighting together." I took a breath. "Now, how do we get out of here?"

They all looked at each other, no one saying anything. "C'mon guys. You have to have some ideas," Mr. Delvinsky said. "Let's hear them."

"We can open the windows and get out then get help," one boy said.

We all looked at Mr. Delvinsky. He was already shaking his head. "The windows don't open. It's a safety feature so one of the least used and most likely rooms to be broken into is a bit more challenging to get to."

"What about the door?" Ann suggested.

We all looked to our teacher again. "The door was locked from the outside. It would either need to be opened from the outside with a key or if someone is able to pick a lock they might be able to do it. It's designed to not be an easy lock to pick. None of the locks are."
I elbowed my best friend and gave him a Look. I was actually surprised that he didn't put up a fight.

He raised his hand and quietly said, "I think I can pick the lock."

A/N: I'm gonna try to update once a week but I'm not making any promises cuz it depends on how much homework I have.