The Dreadful World Of Siren

Chapter 3 - The Orange Stoplight

Chapter 3

Everyone stood in panic. Siren could hear the screams and the horrible wails coming outside their classroom. 

The windows suddenly bursted out open welcoming the warm breeze in. It wasn't a northerly wind or an easterly breeze, it was a wind with no direction or balance. The children shrieked louder like a high pitch tone you would hear if someone screamed right in your ear. They were rubbing their arms and legs as if doing that would lessen the chance of getting infected, some even tried to hold their breath to avoid inhaling the disease.  It was suddenly less bright than it was before. The electricity was shorting out and the whole school was slowly devoured by darkness. 

"We're gonna die!" The boy shouted as he ran his way out of the colourless classroom.

Everybody knew the dangers that was coming for them. A person from Zan has entered the walls of Zin, a history that has never happened before. It would take a total of Fifteen hours for everyone to be infected by the contagious disease.

The once perfect silent corridor turned into a pandemonium. The teachers were running their way across the hall as they called the students to form a single file. Their creepy smiling mask could not hide the fear hidden inside their eyes.

Siren saw her teacher standing still, her trembling legs betrayed her serene face. Slowly, Siren gripped on the teachers hand. It was a lot warmer than Siren had thought. The person who stood in front of her was just as human as everybody else and just as frightened as she was. 

Siren whispered closely to her ear. "Stay calm. You need to guide the students outside. It's your job. If The Order finds out that you let fear get into you, you might as well have a death wish in mind," The teacher slowly nodded as they ran their way into the corridor. 

"I know every single one of you must be terrified by the alarm and I am certain everyone wants to leave the school grounds immediately but until The Order has announced something you are not allowed to go outside. Do I make myself clear?" She shouted the last sentence out loud, her voice was trembling but she kept a strong brave face. 

Siren followed the teacher's instructions as she lined up in a single file. The students hysteria was slowly calming down as they lined up behind Siren. 

They waited inside the classroom for almost an hour. The teachers were hysterically running to shut the windows and the students cupped their hands on their ears to silence the deafening alarm. Siren was afraid but she trusted her father that he would keep their family safe. 

Every student respected Siren because her father was a huge part of The Order and only the teachers and the faculty members know that her father was only a vassal to the commander.

Siren and her father was the only bloodline left of the legendary Tiamus however everyone in Zin believed that the Zardono's were the only ones left that had Tiamus blood.

Commander Zardono took away her father's power as leader of The Order and instead used him as a vassal to control Zianada. Tiamus ideals for the world were replaced by the cruel rule of Zardono.

The deafening alarm suddenly stopped and was replaced by the commander's hoarse voice.

"Attention everyone, I know that all of you must be panicked by the alarm but there is nothing to worry about, everything is under control. It was a false drill. We are dearly sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you,"

Everyone sighed in relief. Siren glanced over her teacher who was also relieved by the announcement. Siren felt confused by the commander's declaration. It was peculiar for the alarm bell to engage as a false alarm. 

Soon enough the teacher's dismissed the students and was left to leave school grounds.

The weather was cooler and the wind was gentle than it was before. The temperature in Zianada rapidly changes due to global warming. It was rare to experience a day like this. A day that had only 3 cycles of changing weather, usually there were 5 or more of them.

As Siren walked her way home. She felt an eerie ache coming at the pit of her stomach. She strolled closely and sat at the nearby bench. The slight breeze came brushing her soft raven hair making her shiver from the cold. She looked around her surroundings; The road on her way home was covered with dust and the stoplight beside her was blinking orange. 

"Odd, they should have taken the stoplight years ago," Siren whispered to herself. It was strange how the stoplight stood there waiting for a car to pass by when there was rarely any car left in Zianada. 

After a minute later she stood up and continued walking. It was quiet enough that she could only hear the sounds of her footsteps and the breathes coming out of her nose. The nearby houses were dark and the glasses placed on their windows were shattered into pieces. 

There was an approaching man limping his way towards Siren, his hair was shaggy and dirty and his clothes were tattered into holes. Siren could see his thin body framed stomach and the bones that were marked on his chest. He kept his head down. The man whispered as he passed "My condolences," 

She stopped. What did he mean? Siren thought. She quickly ran her way to her house.

Her heart was beating fast and fear engulfed her. She was panting slowly as she trudged on. She was close only ten feet away; she ran faster and was terrified at the sight she saw. She gripped her mother's pendant and prayed for her family to stay safe from harm. Her mother's pendant was the most precious thing to her. Her father would always tell her how beautiful she looked wearing it.

There was a huge red X sign marked on their door. She looked closer at the small sign located below the mark. 

"Contaminated. Siren Dagger must immediately be held arrested due to her family's malady. " 

Siren plummets to the ground as she inhaled and exhaled deeply in her chest. Thoughts and questions were rapidly flying in and out of Siren's head as she folds her knees and cuddles herself close.

She knew the alarm that rang across Zin was a warning to everyone about the horror that happened inside her house. Her family was contaminated, she knew that she was also infected by the disease and was also horrified if she contaminated the people inside their classroom, despite that, she was mostly afraid of what The Order will do to her if they found out she did.