The Wicked Within

10. Make It Ok

You'll try to ignore it, try to stay sane. You don't know what it is, but you feel it destroying you. And there's very little time left before your fall.

****

Finn couldn't see anything. There weren't any windows in the cafeteria, so no light shone through from the outside world. He didn't know if someone was about to jump on him from behind, or knife him in the stomach. He didn't know anything, except the feeling of dread that washed over him when the lights flickered off.

He felt something brush against his legs, and he jumped. He heard footsteps; loud, fast footsteps rushing to the right side of the cafeteria. His immediate reaction was to snap his head to that direction to find them, then he remembered he couldn't.

So he just waited. What else could he do? If Mr. Alva was planning some sort of horrific scene... What could he, a scrawny 16-year-old, do to stop him?

But that only made him feel worse. It only made him confirm the fact that, yes, he was about to meet his doom.

Then he saw something. Not really, though, it was like a situation playing out in his brain for only him to see.

And it was horrible.

In his mind, all the lights were back on. The students sat in their seats, eating lunch. Except one thing was different. They were all skeletons; wasted skeletons, bones a deep yellow and skulls cracking from the stress of many years. They were ancient skeletons, ones that had seen every thing; heard every cry of pain and weep of sadness on this earth.

And they were staring at him.

Each one of them. Bones creaked as their skulls slowly turned to him to pierce their gaze into his eyes. And he just sat there, a helpless kid.

And quickly, Finn wondered if anything could happen to make him more messed up. He wondered if he had hit a "freaked out limit". He wondered if he could see something horrible, like a child's death, and not think about it for more than thirty seconds before carrying on.

Then the skeletons' bodies all crumbled to the ground, bones flying in an array of directions.

And the vision was over.

******

Finn and Allison were the only ones left in the cafeteria. Their friends were gone, the teachers, all the other students. Even Mr. Alva.

And as the silence of the room fell upon his shoulders, Finn knew. He knew they couldn't live like this a day longer. They had to give into their demands. Even if it meant death, at least there was the small chance that they would make it out, and their lives would return to normal. Because, the way things were progressing, doing what they wanted was the only way they could make that happen.

Finn turned towards Allison.

"We're going to the store. Today."

******

The rest of the school was empty, too, not just the cafeteria. It felt bland and barren as Finn and Allison walked out of the double doors and outside of the building.

"I can't believe we're doing this," Allison muttered.

Finn nodded. "We aren't doing it right now. I'm going home first. My dad didn't have work toady. You can wait at your house."

Allison nodded, not questioning what he said and looking a little relieved.

Finn raised an eyebrow. "So you're not curious at all as to where all the students went?"

"Curious? Curious...no. Just so fucking confused."

And he was, too. But he was going to save them. He was going to do his best to save himself from being sucked any further into this madness. Why did it have to happen now, right when he was starting to get normal? Right when he had met a group of friends all thanks to fate, a group of friends that had his back and that he felt comfortable with? Why did it have to fall apart now?

"Same... Do you think they're dead?"

She shrugged. "Who knows anymore."

Finn sighed, changing the subject. "Yeah, like I said, I'm stopping by my house. I'll meet you at yours at like 6:00."

Because Finn just had to go home. Whatever happened at the store- it would be deadly. Though what the place held was a mystery to him, he knew that much. And if he did die...he couldn't just leave his dad when their relationship was at its most strained. He had to try to fix it, at least a little- a final goodbye.

But there was always the down chance that everything would be ok. That by going to the store, they would somehow mend their minds. Finn hoped with all his heart that was the case.

He whipped out his phone and dialed his dad's number.

"Hey, dad," Finn said when he answered. "They let school out early, apparently it's a half day."

"A half day?" his dad's voice said from the phone. He sounded kind of suspious.

"Yeah, we had one last semester and we have one again."

A pause. Then, "Ok. I'll be at home."

Then he hung up.

*****

When Finn opened the door to his house, the first thing he saw was his dad laying on the couch. Like the grown up kid he was, he was playing a GameCube.

Finn dropped his book bag in the corner and shut the door.

"Hey, dad."

He put the controller down. "Hello, Finn. How was school?"

"Good. Can I play?"

Finn pointed to the playstation, and his dad looked confused, which wasn't surprising. He used to talk to his dad a lot, do stuff with him every day, but ever since he met his new and first ever true friends, that changed. And it got even worse after the store situation.

No, his father's confusion was not at all surprising.

"Sure."

And his dad smiled. Not fake or forced, like Dr. Roberts. A real, happy smile.

Fin picked up the controller. They played for quite a while, talking and laughing and having a good time. Or at least as much fun as Finn could have right now.

It hurt Finn to know that this may be the last time he spent with his father. That the laughter heard right now could be the true end of a once perfect father-son relationship.

And what hurt even worse was his dad's ignorance to the whole situation.