Sigma/Star

Chapter 14: The Menace

The young group stared around the abandoned hangar. They couldn't fathom what could have happened here at all and were stuck speculating on it. It was Mr. Shotuku who took the lead, striking out on his own to go find the faculty office and leaving the rest to their bewilderment. Slowly they shuffled off to one side towards their homeroom class and pondered what to do next.

"What could have happened here?" Nami was wildly looking from one destroyed area to the next with growing unrest.

"I wouldn't worry, ladies, it's nothing I can't handle anyways," Chase said with his usual cocky demeanour, which was received with a strong knee from Nami into his pelvic area that left him winded.

"We're tough girls Chase, we can handle ourselves," she replied, with a snort of derision. "However it would be nice if our ringer was awake." She gave a sidelong glance at Porter who was still snoozing while draped over Raul's shoulder. The older boy was more than capable of carrying the extra load and his serious face would not let on if he was struggling anyways.

"We need to investigate what's going on here." Ardwen pushed his glasses up his nose gently with his fingers, smudging the lenses. "But we must retain the group. Mr. Shotuku aside, the seven of us should remain in an organized assembly in case there is still an enemy lurking about."

Nobody disagreed as a slow creeping terror was forming amidst the students. They began to move down a corridor, finding more lights knocked out and doors busted up. Now though, some disturbing images were appearing along the walls, floor and ceiling, with scratches engraved in the metal and smears of blood trailing alongside them. Riya, Nami, and Gretta were holding hands, teeth chattering, while Ardwen and Chase stuck out in front and Raul, still carrying Porter, followed up behind.

The group arrived at their classroom and found its door closed, with little dents and cut marks playing across its surface. It slid open upon their arrival, something that would normally seem so common but in this case it was cast in a spooky atmosphere. Fearing what could be inside, the teens collectively poked their heads in.

On the ground they found some of the missing students, lying in prone positions on the floor, their eyes flung open in terror staring into empty space. The girls huddled against a corner of the room immediately with Raul in front of them for protection, while the two remaining boys slid over to the closest bodies and began to check them.

"It would seem they're alive," Ardwen exclaimed with a great sigh of relief. "But they're in a bit of a coma. No response in the pupils at all." He waved his hand in front of a student's face for example. "Nothing, like they're frozen. But they have a pulse, so that's a good sign."

"And they've all got these funny marks on them." Chase pointed out a couple of scratches on some of the bodies, and little holes that looked almost like bite marks from some sort of animal.

Ardwen surveyed the scene in bewilderment. "What could this all mean? It doesn't look like any sort of enemy attack that I know of."

"Scared into a c-c-coma." Nami's teeth had started chattering as she hugged herself against a wall.

"And you're next!" Chase jumped at her in jest. Nami screamed and slapped him across the face, leaving a glowing handprint on his cheek.

"The school is too big for us to sit together," Raul stated. "Let's split into two groups and explore. One group will head towards the faculty to meet Mr. Shotuku. The other can go towards the gym at the far end of school. That should cover everywhere in between."

The girls looked at each other nervously but reluctantly agreed and so Ardwen divided them into two teams, one lead by Raul with Nami and Gretta, another made up of Chase, Riya, and Ardwen. They got back to the door before splitting off in opposite directions, waving goodbye until they lost sight of each other down the hall.