Fatal Attractions

Chapter Nine: Paint The Roses Red

There were bloodstains on Bryce's white sneakers. There was so much blood clinging to his lower body that his shoes were waterlogged with it. Each time he took a step, red bubbles oozed out of their pores, trickling to the floor.

"Everyone get the fuck up. Nice and slow," he commanded, waving the gun at them.

The students rose. Bryce was their puppeteer, and they were the puppets. When Juliet rose, she remained hand-in-hand with Chase. Bryce flared his nostrils when he saw this small rebellion. The butt of the gun swung down, clashing against Chase's face. Blood leaked from a slice on his cheek. Still, they held on.

"Seriously, Chase?" he seethed. "Let go of her fucking hand, or I'll make your death even slower than I already plan too."

Juliet didn't want Chase to get hurt. The pair hesitated only a moment before releasing each other, arms pinned to their sides.

"If I call your name, go to the right corner. Everyone else stays in front of me. Move without my say-so and I blast your head off. Understand? Nod if you understand."

Twenty heads bobbed up and down. Names began to tumble from his mouth. If it weren't for the gun held tightly in his hand, it would be like he was taking role call. A normal day at Waylord High School.

"Samantha, Olivia, Sam, Mrs. Dreen, and Juliet move to the corner please," he announced.

Three of the students whose names were called shuffled to the right unsurely. Juliet assumed their group was whom Bryce didn't want to kill. Only five people in all. That meant, in this class alone, he had fifteen targets. Bryce had swindled the Angel Of Death's job right out from underneath him. With the swish of his hand, he chose those who would live, and condemned everyone else to die

Juliet glanced sideways at Chase, who nodded in her direction. They were both ready to put an end to this. Adrenaline flushed through her so rapidly that she didn't notice Mrs. Dreen beside her until her teacher began to talk.

"Bryce I know that you are a sweet boy," she began, bottom lip quaking. Bryce blinked at her without emotion. Tension rose in the room. Children clung to the hope that their teacher would save them. Boldly, she took a step forward. "High School is difficult. Sometimes it can be the most confusing years in your life. You're still young, still trying to figure out who you are, and what you want to do. All you have to do, Bryce, is get through it. You're a senior. In less than a year you'll have your diploma, and then you can become whoever you want to be, No more bullying. No more peers treating you like a joke..."

Bryce let her talk, nodding his head thoughtfully. As Mrs. Dreen continued, her confidence grew. She took another step forward, closing the gap between them. Juliet grabbed onto the teacher's shoulders and tried to pull her back. Something wasn't right. The way Bryce eagerly agreed with her seemed like he was mocking her. In fact, it seemed Bryce was almost smiling. Juliet thought of a fable she had been told in kindergarten:

When the fox saw the hen by the water's bank, he offered her a ride across. The hen complied, stepping up onto its back. Halfway across the water, the fox knocked the hen off and swallowed her whole.

Mrs. Dreen was about to be swallowed whole. When she felt Juliet's hand pull her though, she shrugged it off.

Don't put your trust in the fox, thought Juliet, don't do it.

"Bryce, you could end this." Mrs. Dreen said, her voice so full of meaning it shook. "Give me the gun, and no one will get hurt. I know you don't want to hurt anyone, Bryce. You're a good boy."

To everyone's surprise, Bryce began to laugh. The teacher was so surprised she started to nervously laugh too.

It happened so quickly no one had time to scream.