No Saints

Felix I

Felix sat in Mr. Vern's office, surrounded by bookshelves that seemed to stretch up to the ceiling. The windowless room was dimly lit, but Felix could hear the relentless pounding of raindrops on the roof outside. He tried to focus on the conversation, but his mind kept wandering to the storm.

Mr. Vern leaned forward, his eyes fixed intently on Felix. "Do you know why I've called you here?" he asked.

Felix hesitated, trying to think of an excuse for his poor grades. "I've been having some trouble keeping up in my classes," he admitted finally.

Mr. Vern's face was calm and serious. "I've noticed that too," he said. "But we can work on it together. You have potential, and I know you can turn things around."

Felix felt a small surge of hope at Mr. Vern's words. He'd been afraid that the new school would be too hard for him, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

Just as they were getting started on their plan, Mr. Vern's phone rang shrillly in his pocket. He apologized and stepped out into the hallway to take the call.

"I'll be right back," he called over his shoulder.

Felix watched him go, feeling a sense of unease creep over him once again. He glanced around the room, taking in the familiar scent of old books and dust. Not for the first time he wished the room had a window.The lights above him flickered and hummed, casting an eerie glow over the room. Felix tried to distract himself by patting his legs, but his mind was elsewhere. 

As he waited, he glanced around the room. The rain drummed on outside, making him feel trapped and claustrophobic. He noticed a ticking clock on the wall, its rhythmic beat matching the pounding of his heart. The ticking seemed to grow more intense with each passing moment, like a countdown to something ominous. He followed the moving hand of the clock almost unable to look away. 

Suddenly, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He flinched and pulled it from his pocket with the idle hope it might be his father calling to check in. The man had been calling Alaric non-stop but he hadn't bothered to even send a text to Felix. Instead, his stepmother's name was displayed on the screen. 

Why would someone right down the hall need to call him?

"Mrs. Griffin," Felix said, trying to sound calm despite the growing unease in his chest. How was he supposed to act around her when he'd effectively ruined her marriage?

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" his stepmother's voice burst out of the speaker, frantic and urgent. 

Felix's heart skipped a beat and he almost dropped the phone. This was the first time that he'd heard her yell.

"I'm at Mr. Vern's office," he said quickly, his voice shaking. "He got a call."

"Whatever you do don't leave the office," she ordered. "I'll b-" 

But before she could say anything else, the line went dead. The screen went black, and Felix was left staring at the screen. He felt a chill run down his spine as he slowly placed the phone on the desk and looked toward the door.  

The lights above him flickered wildly now, casting eerie shadows across the walls. Felix felt like he was trapped in a nightmare, with no escape from the darkness closing in around him. He rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the feeling of panic that was building up inside him. Why did she call him? Why did she tell him to stay inside?

Another loud crack of thunder boomed outside, making him jump. The office seemed to vibrate with the force of it, and Felix felt like he was going to lose his mind. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, but it was no use. He was trapped in this tiny office with no phone signal, no way to communicate with anyone outside.

He stands, heads, toward the door, and then hesitates. She'd told him not to leave the room, but he had no idea what was happening. Did it have to do with the storm outside or was it something worse? He reached out slowly before freezing when the lights went out completely. A chill ran down his spine when another roar of thunder echoed through the room. 

The door slammed open, and Felix was startled, his heart racing like a runaway horse. His stepmother stood in the doorway panting, her prim and proper uniform skirt was torn and rumpled, as if she'd been dragged across the floor or fallen down a flight of stairs. A faint scent of copper clung to her clothes and a makeshift bandage was wrapped around her wrist. 

The usually immaculate bun on the top of her head was askew, with a few stray strands of hair framing her pinched face like a fringe of warning flags. Her heels were gone leaving her barefoot in a school hallway. 

Felix's eyes widened as he took in the disheveled state of his stepmother. She was always impeccably dressed, a vision of precision and control, but now she looked like she'd been put through a wringer. He eyed the tear in the fabric of her skirt, wondering what could have caused such chaos. Her hand landed on his shoulder, and he winced at the sudden contact. 

"Are you hurt?" his stepmother asked, her voice tight with concern. Her eyes scanned his body as if searching for any sign of injury, but when he shook his head, she relaxed, her shoulders sagging in relief.

"What's happening?" he pressed, his voice low and urgent. He glanced past her into the dark hallway. A tiny crackling sound reached his ears. 

Felix's heart skipped a beat as he turned back to his stepmother. Her eyes flickered to follow his gaze, and for a moment, he saw a glimmer of something other than her usual mask of calm.

But it was a fleeting glimpse, and before he could grasp it, she'd composed herself once more. Her face smoothed into its usual mask of precision, and she forced a brittle smile onto her lips.

"I need you to follow me and stay close, okay?" she said, her voice flat and unconvincing. Felix's instincts screamed at him to trust his gut and push back, but something in her tone made him hesitate. "We need to find your brother." 

He nods slowly. 

She gave a final smile before leading him out into the hallway. Her hand remained on his shoulder and she kept him behind her. 

The cracking noise from before caught his attention and he flinched. His eyes were pulled to the long row of glass windows and he froze. Why was the sky black? 

"Why is the sky bleeding," he asked softly. 

His stepmother flinched. She looked toward the windows and he watched a shudder rush through her body. 

"I don't know,"  she admitted. She turned to face him slowly with a measured movement but he didn't look away from the window. 

"The sky is fucking bleeding." 

He stared out the window unable to look away. The bloody rain pounded against the windows and bright red lightning flashed across the sky. He'd never seen anything like this before. 

"Felix." 

Thunder shook the windows. 

"Felix! We need to go!" 

Her hands grabbed his shoulders seconds before another crackling noise caught his attention. He watched a spider web crack begin to form on the window. The rain hit the windows with the force of bullets. His blood ran cold when the glass began to give way. 

"Mom," he whispered. His voice was shaking. 

She followed his gaze to the window seconds before the glass crashed inward. He barely had time to process what was happening then her body was covering his own. The last thing he saw was blood red rain washing over them both.