Freaks (Short Story)

1

Blood is a significant substance. Many people see it as simple, a blue substance that turns red as it pours out of oneself, turning a dark violet color as it collects and gathers into a deep mass. However, some choose to see it as much more than that. Some people see it as a way of life, reflecting on pain, sorrow, and the hardships of life itself. Blood is pure. It can neither be good, nor evil. As it helps us live, and it's can very well be a factor in our demise as well. I watched as it drained slowly from my teacher's neck.
Lily was the first one to die from the disease. We were on the play ground when it happened, and she wanted to get on the monkey bars before it rained. The air was thick and heavy, and the wind howled like a banshee in the shivering sky. I was surprised that we got to go out at all, looking at the condition of the weather, but back then I was thinking of less complicated things, like making sure my stuffed animals were perfectly aligned on my bed, and being the fastest kid in the third grade. I didn't know that on that day, it marked the beginning of my new life forever.
Lily was unusually pale this morning, she looked sickly in the sun light and she kept clutching her stomach as if she was going to throw up. Still, she was impatient, and brushed past people without and apology to get to the solid, red bars. In third grade, she was known to be a cry-baby and was often caught sniffling on the monkey bars, unable to get down. People often chastised her for this, and she was determined to prove them wrong this time. I came and joined the large crowd that had gathered to watch her for support. She caught my glance and gave me a half hearted smile before gripping both hands onto the bars and started to take off. The kids around me started to cheer for her as she slowly made it half way through. Five bars left. Four. Three. She suddenly stopped dead.
"I don't feel so good..." She groaned. She then dropped to the ground, dead. Kids screamed in high pitched wails, like banshees as they ran as far away from the place as possible. I was glued to the spot in terror, watching the scene unfold. A kid quickly shoved past me and I fell to the ground, putting up my arms to shield myself from the onslaught of kids. It was all I could do to not get trampled by the endless wave. Teachers ran around, trying to get them all to calm down.
They were quickly ushered inside, leaving me and Lily alone except for a couple of teachers. I don't know why no one spotted me, maybe because it was my ability to blend into the background, but I watched as one of the teachers, and old woman with short, square hair, walked up to Lily and felt for a heartbeat that wasn't there.
My mouth started to malfunction, and I ended spewing up the first few words that came into my mind. "Lily, are you okay?" Tears flowed down freely down my face like a river as the teacher turned around to notice me.
"Get inside now," She ordered strictly. "We can't have you-"
I stared in horror as her voice was cut short by the gurgling of her own blood. Lily quickly opened her eyes and wolfishly tore off a bit of the teacher's throat and gobbled it down hungrily.
My screams were drowned out by the sound of her finishing off her meal and the dying sounds of the poor woman. Lily stopped chewing and stared at me with cold, dead eyes as she grinned at me with bloody, animal teeth.
"Yes, Annie. I'm fine." Her voice was void of emotions, her high pitched, whiny voice replaced with that of a monster.
I don't know how I got to the doors leading inside, but I did. The next thing I knew, I was among the crowd of the frightened, huddled kids, praying to stay alive.
Little did they know, that they would soon all turn into the same little monsters that Lily was in a matter of two weeks.