Sinister

Chapter-8

I kept thinking about it the whole time inside the auditorium. I could hear the kids singing on the stage, dressed as bees, honey, and trees. Brad was in the front row, dressed as a bee. The audience was mostly parents, and it felt a bit awkward being the only kid. Some parents were looking at me and whispering to themselves. I wanted to say something to them, but I didn't. The kids were singing for what felt like forever, and the parents were clapping and making so much noise. I didn't understand what was so good about the song; the kids were all singing terribly. All I could think about was the story Silas had told. It was hard for me to believe him, but everything happening made it seem real. I wondered what happened to the little girl Emily and her brother. Did they die? Were they really living in our house? Would the same thing happen to me? Thinking about this gave me chills. Suddenly, the parents started clapping together. The kids had finally finished their song. I joined in the applause, watching Brad jump up and down as he went backstage. After the curtains closed, a lady emerged, saying something about the kids and the bees, making everyone laugh. She was thin with sharp cheekbones rubbed with red blush. It seemed as if she were looking at me as she spoke, though I couldn't hear her properly. The parents in the auditorium continued laughing, every single one of them. I didn't get what was so funny, and I wondered where all the kids had disappeared to. The parents wouldn't stop laughing. Some looked tired but kept laughing.

"How about we all give a round of applause," the lady said, raising her hands in the air. All the parents stood up at once and started clapping even more. The noise of clapping and laughing made my ears bleed. I quietly stood up and tried to sneak out, but my legs felt heavy. It took forever to reach the door. I finally got out and saw Brad standing in front of me. He looked like a girl.

"Brad, what are you doing here?" I said, grabbing him by the shoulder.

"Are you done? Can we go home?"

"Let's play Pokémon," he said.

"What the heck are you saying, Brad? Let's go home."I held his hand and started making my way to the exit door, but as I opened it, I found another room filled with people walking around. They all stopped and stared at me, hundreds of eyes looking at me. I froze in fear, not knowing what to do. All the people kept staring and wouldn't look away. I quickly went back inside the school.

"What is happening?"The exit door slowly opened, and an old woman came out.

"Who are you?" I asked. She just stood there, her face wrinkled and her lips matted red. She slowly approached, grabbed my hand, and said, "To be or not to be."I quickly pushed her away and ran to the nearest door I could find.

"Brad, quick!" I said, and Brad quickly went inside. I locked the door and pulled out my cell phone, dialling Mom's number. It took a while, but she finally picked up.

"Mom!" I cried. "Where are you?"

"Brooke? What happened?" she replied, her voice cracking over the phone.

"Mom, I don't know what's going on, but everyone here is acting so weird."".......""Hello!? Mom?"

The phone remained silent for a while before making crackling noises.

"Brooke! Where is Brad?" Mom asked. I looked over at Brad, who was standing beside the door.

"Brad, what are you doing?" I said. "Come here, don't stand there."

He slowly turned towards me and just stared.

"Brad? What's wrong? Come here."

"Brooke! Where is Brad?"My heart started to beat very fast, and I began to feel dizzy. Brad just stared at me.