Before they realized what had happened, high school graduation was upon them. It felt as if the two friends had met the day before and the years passed in a whirlwind. She had a boyfriend, rich, charming and handsome and he admired her from up close. Every time she kissed someone else, he felt a pinch in his chest as if his heart would stop. But he desperately wanted to be near her and so wouldn't separate himself from the cause.
They had all been accepted to the same universities and planned on attending together. Her plan was working perfectly as they prepared all summer for the new challenge of college. She could barely contain her excitement on the first day they arrived. Her scholarship in tow and all her hopes and dreams resting in one spoiled brat boy who she would find unwilling in college. He just didn't seem to care about school as she did and it wasn't long into their freshman year when he dropped out and went home, causing a long distance relationship and a hardship she had not wished to endure.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
The Darkness - Part Three
She assigned a few trustworthy junior high students to organize the bins and began giving instructions to another group of junior high students.
"In a moment, we'll have lots of scared little kids in here. There will be approximately 300 of them. We need to get all the kids in these two rooms for right now." She pointed to the end of the hall. "You two go in there and make room. You three take this tape and a ladder and close up any sources for outside air. Have the instructors give you a hand. Don't worry, it's only temporary. You two, turn off all the thermostats. Make sure there isn't a single one on. You, start putting this black butcher paper on the south door. I need you ten, go into the curriculum room and stack the books nicely in the corner. You three, start carrying the book cases out into the hall as soon as they are empty. After we lock the doors, you ten need to start moving the desks from the other classrooms into the south end of the hall. You can fit about sixty desks and chairs on that end. Be sure they are stacked high and tight."
She breathed for a moment and the doors opened again. More tubs and children came filtering into the small annex building. It was getting crowded in the hallway. Mrs. Johnson stepped outside to check the clouds progress. Ten minutes until they were locking the doors. Hopefully they had enough supplies and such to make it a few days. The tubs were stacked high in the workroom. The children were crammed in two classrooms. The curriculum room was quickly being opened up for visitors and there was still no sign of the first grade classes.
The black cloud was slowly moving over the roof of the gym. You could see the cloud filling up every inch of the inside. The first grade classrooms were close to the gym. Worst of all, her daughter was in the first grade. She waited another two minutes. Still no sign of them. All the other students were secure in the small building. Her heart race. She began to panic. Where was the first grade. Kindergarten was here. Everyone else was here. The emergency tubs from the first grade had arrived.
She jerked around. Then, she took the remaining junior high students back into the other building. As they ran, she yelled "get them out of here. Carry them if you have to. No bathroom, no phone calls, no exceptions. Pick them up with their stuff and get them to move."
She panted as they passed the main foyer. The black cloud was moving across the playground. You couldn't see through it. It was a black pit of nothingness like she had never seen. They passed the hallway to the gym. The cloud was beginning to leak in through the cracks in the doors. They ran faster into the chaos of the first grade, Children were crying. Some had run to the bathroom. She looked desperately for Destiny. She found her. She picked her up. She instructed the others to do the same. They charged into the bathroom and carried little ones out kicking and screaming. They ran back down the hall. All fifty first graders, the teachers and each junior high assistant.
Mrs. Johnson glanced to her right. The could was advancing down the hall and the air stirred by the stampede was helping it along with its vacuum effect. One of the students grabbed a cart with wheels and three others joined her in grabbing all spare backpacks and coats they could grab as they ran.
She checked the clock as she passed the main foyer. There was only three minutes left. They had to run.
"Hurry, times almost out." The cloud on the playground was dangerously close to the breezeway. She radioed to open the doors and wait. They hefty wind from the troops in a rush pushed the cloud back a moment while they stamped through the doors.
Taking the kids to the end classrooms, she dropped her daughter and went to do a quick check. She had each class count off their numbers and confirm they were present. She quickly made the junior high do assembly role call. Everyone appeared to be with them, until she looked out the door. The art teacher and the gym teacher were trying to fight their way through the cloud. She saw them on the brink of escaping. Then it seemed to swallow them whole. Then they appeared again.
One door was being taped up when she thought she saw something. Her sight was confirmed with a scream from outside. There was a small kindergartner who had snuck outside to play. The teachers grabbed him and kept fighting. Mrs. Kline let out a yelp of pain as she fell to the ground and could no longer be seen.
The cloud moved in quickly as if it could sense life in the building. Mrs. Johnson took out the master key. She looked at it for a moment. The cloud would overtake the doors in the next five minutes. She could wait no longer. She pushed up the door bolts, locked the doors and began to tape them shut. The black paper was just being taped on when the black cloud arrived. There was pounding and screams from outside.
"Please!!! Please!!!" They heard. But she urged everyone to press on with their assigned duties.
The pounding on the door was fierce. First, you could tell it was just one set of fists, then two sets, then more. It was almost deafening. They finished securing the building. They stacked all the desks in the way of the door. In the process of moving everyone around, pounding began on the north door and on the windows. The children covered their ears. The screaming was loud and overwhelming. Little ones were crying. The older ones turned pale at the sounds.
They sat listening to the pounding and screaming until everyone was asleep from sheer exhaustion. Everyone except Mrs. Johnson. She sat awake all night listening to the shrieks of pain and the thumping on every surface. Suddenly, she was happy there was black butcher paper on the windows. She didn't want to see what she could hear.
"In a moment, we'll have lots of scared little kids in here. There will be approximately 300 of them. We need to get all the kids in these two rooms for right now." She pointed to the end of the hall. "You two go in there and make room. You three take this tape and a ladder and close up any sources for outside air. Have the instructors give you a hand. Don't worry, it's only temporary. You two, turn off all the thermostats. Make sure there isn't a single one on. You, start putting this black butcher paper on the south door. I need you ten, go into the curriculum room and stack the books nicely in the corner. You three, start carrying the book cases out into the hall as soon as they are empty. After we lock the doors, you ten need to start moving the desks from the other classrooms into the south end of the hall. You can fit about sixty desks and chairs on that end. Be sure they are stacked high and tight."
She breathed for a moment and the doors opened again. More tubs and children came filtering into the small annex building. It was getting crowded in the hallway. Mrs. Johnson stepped outside to check the clouds progress. Ten minutes until they were locking the doors. Hopefully they had enough supplies and such to make it a few days. The tubs were stacked high in the workroom. The children were crammed in two classrooms. The curriculum room was quickly being opened up for visitors and there was still no sign of the first grade classes.
The black cloud was slowly moving over the roof of the gym. You could see the cloud filling up every inch of the inside. The first grade classrooms were close to the gym. Worst of all, her daughter was in the first grade. She waited another two minutes. Still no sign of them. All the other students were secure in the small building. Her heart race. She began to panic. Where was the first grade. Kindergarten was here. Everyone else was here. The emergency tubs from the first grade had arrived.
She jerked around. Then, she took the remaining junior high students back into the other building. As they ran, she yelled "get them out of here. Carry them if you have to. No bathroom, no phone calls, no exceptions. Pick them up with their stuff and get them to move."
She panted as they passed the main foyer. The black cloud was moving across the playground. You couldn't see through it. It was a black pit of nothingness like she had never seen. They passed the hallway to the gym. The cloud was beginning to leak in through the cracks in the doors. They ran faster into the chaos of the first grade, Children were crying. Some had run to the bathroom. She looked desperately for Destiny. She found her. She picked her up. She instructed the others to do the same. They charged into the bathroom and carried little ones out kicking and screaming. They ran back down the hall. All fifty first graders, the teachers and each junior high assistant.
Mrs. Johnson glanced to her right. The could was advancing down the hall and the air stirred by the stampede was helping it along with its vacuum effect. One of the students grabbed a cart with wheels and three others joined her in grabbing all spare backpacks and coats they could grab as they ran.
She checked the clock as she passed the main foyer. There was only three minutes left. They had to run.
"Hurry, times almost out." The cloud on the playground was dangerously close to the breezeway. She radioed to open the doors and wait. They hefty wind from the troops in a rush pushed the cloud back a moment while they stamped through the doors.
Taking the kids to the end classrooms, she dropped her daughter and went to do a quick check. She had each class count off their numbers and confirm they were present. She quickly made the junior high do assembly role call. Everyone appeared to be with them, until she looked out the door. The art teacher and the gym teacher were trying to fight their way through the cloud. She saw them on the brink of escaping. Then it seemed to swallow them whole. Then they appeared again.
One door was being taped up when she thought she saw something. Her sight was confirmed with a scream from outside. There was a small kindergartner who had snuck outside to play. The teachers grabbed him and kept fighting. Mrs. Kline let out a yelp of pain as she fell to the ground and could no longer be seen.
The cloud moved in quickly as if it could sense life in the building. Mrs. Johnson took out the master key. She looked at it for a moment. The cloud would overtake the doors in the next five minutes. She could wait no longer. She pushed up the door bolts, locked the doors and began to tape them shut. The black paper was just being taped on when the black cloud arrived. There was pounding and screams from outside.
"Please!!! Please!!!" They heard. But she urged everyone to press on with their assigned duties.
The pounding on the door was fierce. First, you could tell it was just one set of fists, then two sets, then more. It was almost deafening. They finished securing the building. They stacked all the desks in the way of the door. In the process of moving everyone around, pounding began on the north door and on the windows. The children covered their ears. The screaming was loud and overwhelming. Little ones were crying. The older ones turned pale at the sounds.
They sat listening to the pounding and screaming until everyone was asleep from sheer exhaustion. Everyone except Mrs. Johnson. She sat awake all night listening to the shrieks of pain and the thumping on every surface. Suddenly, she was happy there was black butcher paper on the windows. She didn't want to see what she could hear.
Love Story - Part Six
Xander rushed to his room and immediately started working his magic. He secured her a scholarship. He got her a date and managed to find a way to send her some money anonymously for her dress. She would have the best prom money could buy and she would never even know it was from him. Why? He must be crazy! What could possibly make a young man do all this? Love was his answer. He was her admirer from afar and he would do almost anything for her. She didn't know how deeply his love ran, but she often took advantage of his willingness to do everything she asked.
And the night was brilliant.
And the night was brilliant.
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