Three Nights of Fear

Chapter 1: Jayden

"Jayden, Jayden!"

I awaken from my haze to the voice of my teacher, Mr. Scott, calling out my name. He stood face flushed in frustration. I could see the red slowly making its way up his face, past the wrinkles that plagued his forehead and up his abnormally large ears.

Damn, his ears are big.

He stood in front of the class frowning and in no way trying to hide his irritation.

"Mr. Hunt, why don't you enlighten us about why it's important to stay hidden and locked in your homes for the next three nights. You know, since you display such excellent listening skills during our class lectures."

I could see a slight grin appear on the side of Mr. Scott's face. He surely thought I didn't know the answer to his obvious question, which I did, but I had my own answer to that particular question. I contemplate about completely embarrassing Mr. Scott but the little bit of humanity still left within me stops me and I instead decide to go with protocol.

"Section one of law, order and survival states that, for the duration of The Three Nights of Fear, all civilians are to secure themselves at home in order to ensure our safety but to also decrease the amount of clean up needing to be done in our region," I utter the words from my mouth like a robotic machine slaving under the code of its creator.

Mr. Scott seemed a little less than pleased that I adequately provided him with the correct answer.

"Correct," he mutters. "You hide from the Esme or you'll be killed by the Esme. It's that simple, nothing less, nothing more."

Everything about his response irks me, rubbing me the wrong way. I can no longer contain myself, there were things that had to be said, feelings that couldn't remain buried.

I tried being nice, I really did but you asked for it and I'm going to deliver.

"Hide? Is that what you're going to do tonight, tuck your head under your sheets and hope for dear God that they don't come for you, as you suck on your thumb and whisper for your mom?"

At first the class is silent, unsure how to react to me actually speaking more than one hundred and forty characters, but seconds later they burst in laughter.

If Mr. Scott wasn't happy before he definitely was not cheerful now. He wore the face of a man who wanted nothing more in life but to beat me senseless. He opens his mouth to say a few words, however, I'm not done yet.

"Hiding isn't going to do a damn thing. I know from experience, the Esme will find you and it's all a matter of being prepared."

The class is filled with a deathly silence.

"Have any of you ever fired an M16?" I asked the class.

Mostly, everyone shook their heads no there were a few that have. The few who did were in much ways similar to me in the sense that they wanted to be prepared. As for the others, they believe relying on others to protect them is a better means of staying alive.

Are you serious?

That type of thinking drives me sick to my stomach and boils me from the inside with rage. It's like their parasitic imbeciles of society seeking protection from others and not willing to learn to protect themselves. It would do our society a favor if they were taken by the Esme.

I don't know, maybe I'm bias...probably.

"Well, I have and trust me when I say that it will save your life. What Mr. Scott here is teaching you is B.S. I can easily see most of you dying gruesome deaths. You will be eaten alive while you mule for mercy and call for your parents. You will get no mercy and instead all you'll receive is a slow painful death which will act as your passage way to the underworld, if there even is such a thing. Tell me, Mr. Scott, did my answer satisfy you?" I make sure to be as sarcastic as I can.