School Wars: The Great Pumpkin Caper

Chapter Four

Calvin awoke with a start to a pounding on his bunk door. His first thought was that the knocking was for one of his bunkmates, of which he had three because he wasn't high enough rank to get a private room, but he noticed that two of them were on perimeter security and the third had left a note on his bed that said something about playing chess in the library. The person pounding on the metal door was for him. Calvin stumbled out of his bottom bed and pressed the red button that opened the door. Outside stood two soldiers, one in full uniform holding a rifle with the flashlight and laser pointer on and wearing a reflective orange safety vest and shining a bright light in Calvin's eyes. Calvin shielded his face with his hand, realizing that he was still wearing his Star Wars pajama pants and khaki uniform shirt. 

"Private Calvin Schilling?" the soldier in the vest asked.

"Uh, yes sir. What is this about?" Calvin asked, rubbing his eyes to wake himself up.

"Adam wants to speak to you about Jenna's escape," the boy explained before pointing the light out at the grassy training grounds, "Follow me."

Calvin quickly threw on his uniform pants and his camouflage cap before following the two boys towards the school. As he walked, he looked around at all the high-alert security measures that were being taken around Lakes. Spotlights on the concrete wall around the school swept the ground and a double-layered fence system covered in barbed wire had locked down the gate. One of the school's five newly purchased helicopters flew over, scanning the roof for any escaping prisoners.

Calvin entered the school through the Principal's Office, where Mr. Simpson sat in a dazed stupor, surrounded by guards in case Jenna tried to kill him. The boy in the vest knocked on the Council Room door as the soldier with the gun jogged back outside.

"Who's there?" came the muffled response from inside.

"Who," said the boy. Calvin looked at him in confusion.

"Who, who?" the guard inside asked.

"What are you, an owl?" the boy in the vest said, laughing like an idiot.

The door opened and Calvin walked in. The council sat at a long table, sipping hot chocolate to stay awake in the early AM hours and shuffling files while watching the live feed from security cameras around the school.

"Take a seat, Calvin," Cannon said, gesturing to a cushy office chair at the end of the table.

Calvin sat down. He felt uncomfortable with the eyes of the council staring him down. What if I lose my job? Calvin thought as he looked at General Adam, the leader of the military.

"So Calvin, your file says that you enlisted five weeks ago, right after you moved in from Italy. Is that correct?" Adam asked, reading off of a paper.

"Yes sir," Calvin answered, sitting up straight in his chair despite his tiredness.

"Tell me exactly what happened tonight, starting from the beginning of your shift in the prison block," Luke set down his mug of hot chocolate.

"Well, I took the keys and my rifle down and sat in the chair in the hallway to watch the POW's from Chambers Prairie, like I usually do. About an hour into my shift I heard a weird humming sound and looked into Jenna's cell room. There was red glow, and when I went in, Julian fell over with a sword in his back. I ran into Jenna's damaged cell and fired at the escaping prisoner, but I didn't hit anything. Then I chased Jenna and her accomplice into the training grounds. I got shot and knocked out. Cannon woke me up and told me to go back to my bunk while he locked down the school. Then I got woken up and brought here," Calvin listed the events of the night on his fingers.

"Who was Jenna's accomplice?" Adam asked.

"I don't know sir. It was definitely a girl, but she was wearing robes, so I couldn't see who it was. Have you found either of them?"

"Not yet. We'll need everyone on high alert, and I'll order for some wanted posters to be made," Luke whispered something to his secretary who rushed off to the Main Office.

Calvin sat awkwardly until the door burst open once again. 

"General Luke, we're out of poster paper apparently. Any other ideas?" the secretary said, out of breath.

"What if we carve Jenna's face into the Halloween pumpkins around the school. People see them all the time, and we already paid for them,"

Luke nodded, writing a note to the soldiers to start making pumpkin wanted posters. Everyone sat silently, sipping their hot chocolates and constantly checking the cameras. It was going to be a long hunt.