A Week of Death

Chapter 2

      I woke up the next day a bit better, with more energy to get through the day, and got dressed a little faster than I usually did. My mom was just leaving, so before she did, I hugged her again before grabbing an apple and heading out to the bus with my stuff. I hopped on the bus, and went to the back of the bus. I noticed that there didn't seem to be as many kids on the bus today as there were the day before, and Gayll wasn't in our seat either. I heard some kids say they saw a big black dog run across their yards a couple times, and some said it looked more deer-like. After a while, it started to calm down, and we made it to the school just in time for breakfast. Then, the first bell rang, and we all headed to our classes.

     Math was fast, with a couple problems solved then the bell, played my bass clarinet before I started drawing, and waited another five extra minutes before lunch. Today, I couldn't care much less for anything on the plate, and instead just grabbed a chocolate protein shake. My friends were still in here, and I asked them if they had heard anything about what was going on. "Somebody said it was a giant test by the government," said Terry, who didn't even look up from his phone, "But I think it's just some bears." Natalie shook her head in disagreement, then said, "That can't be, those things looked skinnier than walking sticks. Plus, if they were bears, why were they bald?" Terry looked up from his phone after what she said, and shrugged his shoulders after a second of thought. "I guess they aren't bears, but who really cares? It ain't like we'll know what they really are by how fast they are." I looked back at Nats, and she just stood there with her headphones in. We stayed there for another second, then went on to our next period. I once again went left, and watched as they went right. Our English teacher didn't show up to school today, so they had a substitute come in for the day, and we had a new assignment set for the rest of the week. Most of us groaned, though none of us could really do anything else about it. We got through our part of the assignment then went on to our next classes. The rest of the day went by pretty quickly, but when I got home, my mom had called the house and told me that she had to stay at work due to a large pull of people with cuts in their skin and some fractured bones from the night before. I didn't think much of it, but instead went back into the shop behind the house. My dad had started working on this car when I was little, and I had finally finished it yesterday. My dad would be proud, though I wouldn't know, since he passed away many years ago due to an explosion at his plant near him. But I couldn't ponder too much, because I heard something messing with the trash again. This time, though, I wasn't going to let it get away, whether it be a possum or a raccoon. I grabbed my sword again, and ran out with a headlamp. The trash was around the corner, and I could hear something rustling, so I slowly turned the corner, with my light trained down so it wouldn't run off. I quickly looked up, and saw a giant beast, with its skin tight against its mangled and asymmetrical skeleton, not bruised, but bleeding. Its legs were that of a dogs, anthropomorphic to the point of no return, and built with so little muscle I couldn't understand how it even stood. Then it finally turned its head, and I saw its head, with the spikes protruding behind its human-like ears, and multiple eyes looking straight at me, at uneven angles, and a mouth with no lips, crooked and rigid with no true expression other than surprise found on its face. I took a step back, and as I did so, it ran away, screaming with more force than I've heard in all my years in this world.