Layer of Ice

Chapter 1 - Jyle

High Spring School: Lowell, Massachusetts

Late Summer, 2018

"Jyle! Where are you?" Marcus asks.

I giggle, giving myself away. Highschool used to be too big for me, but now that I'm in tenth grade, it seems almost too small for me. Dang! There's only a few seconds before the school bell rings. I pick up my bag and start walking towards my English class. Marcus races after me, making me run extra fast. We dash up the stairs and slow down before entering the hallways. Once, I ran all the way to class just to be punished by my teacher for running.

"Let's start the day off with some news," Mrs. Lopez says. She turns on today's broadcast.

Students around me gasp. It's about a serial killer who broke out of a nearby asylum. The broadcaster warns us not to attract too much attention and to avoid dangerous areas, which is quite obvious for any sane person, but I might not be sane.

By the time the lunch bell rings, all I can think about is the asylum. I've got more questions than answers, so I might have to do some research later. I can hear most students in the tenth-grade court talking about the escaped serial killer. The news isn't shown to the sixth and seventh graders, but the news spreads too fast for them not to hear. By the time lunch ended, all the students in High Spring Middle School knew about it.

Right when the dismissal bell rings, I dash out the main gates, waving bye to Marcus as I run by him, my gray jacket loose and trailing behind me.

My parents don't care where I go after school; they only want me to arrive before dinner time. But I had to work hard for them to trust me like they do. I take out my phone and pull out the GPS. When I arrive at the asylum, I see the dark, worn, red brick walls with huge rusty, metal front gates and cherry blossom trees surrounding the parking lot, which is almost empty except for the two black limos parked neatly in the shade. Wow. I didn't know people owned such things!

I walk through the front gates.

"What's your purpose here?" a desk clerk croaks.

"Visiting family," I answer, confidently, trying not to hide my fear of being caught.

"Name of family member."

"Davis Jackal," I mutter, a little unsure of myself.

"I'll send a messenger down there to make sure he's expecting you," he grunts.

Luckily, Davis Jackal is rumored to let in random kids if they bring him random objects, which I have stuffed in my backpack.

"Today's your lucky day. He says he's been waiting for you all week. Let me check your bag."

I hand him my bag a little reluctantly.

"Okay. You're set, and stay safe. No talking to prisoners with the exception of your family member. Take this pin, and attach it to your shirt during your visit," he demands.

I nod. The name "Davis Jackal" is one I searched up on Google a while ago to be able to enter the asylum. Turns out, he was doing some kind of illegal experimenting on kids. I don't go into detail of what exactly he did, but it must have been bad enough to get him in here, considering the level of security in this asylum. There are already lots of security cameras everywhere and I'm not even in the basement.

I walk down the stairs leading to the basement where they keep the more interesting prisoners, to say the least. The guards see my pin and let me enter, not bothering to say much else.

Inside the basement, there are cells on both sides of the hallway. Some of the people inside are soundless, and others are not so much. I walk to the end where there's an empty cell. It's the serial killer's cell. His name is labeled on the cell wall. Cameron Matt... Interesting. I write that name down when someone who is in the cell next to his comments on my actions.