The Skylar Experiment : The "X" in Apex

Chapter Thirty-Six - Sacrificial Pig

Our Chemistry teacher fell ill. We were left with a mediocre, albeit temporary, replacement. I was watching Oakwood dissolve, and there was nothing I could do.

The news spilled out of town and received morbid attention from larger media. The next day, a reporter was intercepting kids on school grounds as Emma and I brisked past the double doors. She had several on the line panting to share their censored version of the attack.

Emma lowered her head, and I sent the woman a scornful look when we were near. Part of me wanted to snap her mic in two.

Halloween approached, but the locals ignored it altogether. People were terrified at the idea of venturing out after daylight hours, and investigators still didn't announce an official identification.

"This place is having its Mothman moment," Dad commented one evening.

"Yeah, only more terrifying," I added over my homework.

Cops, press and detectives weren't the only ones scrambling around town. We'd received an influx of paranormal enthusiasts... even ghost hunters. I was loading the trunk with groceries in the parking lot when we first encountered a couple loudly asking about the Moss Grove site.

"I am positive that something beyond our comprehension is at play," an old man in sheepskin was telling the tourists. Dad stopped next to me, and we listened. "When my son was seven, he'd play with our german shepherd in the yard. One time, the sun was setting, and the dog started barking. The next thing I know, my boy runs inside, shaking like a leaf. Says he saw a strange, emaciated man watching from afar. I thought—My first guess was a robber so I stepped out with my rifle. Our dog was still going at it, tail between its legs. I saw it behind bushes, and it was no man. No sir. It had shiny glowing eyes and arms too long for its body. I shot at it, screamin', yellin' to scare it off but it didn't move. To be honest with y'all, I didn't want to get closer. We locked ourselves indoors, and by the time cops came, it was gone. In the days following that, our dog would bark again at seemingly nothing. Then one day, he vanished. The leash had been opened."

Dad huffed and whispered, "I think a neighbor had enough of that poor Max."

"You believe what you want to believe," I said, reaching for the trunk lid.

Light footsteps brushed against the library's carpet. Ever since moving in town, this was the second-best refuge after the pool. I enjoyed the sacred quietness of it, only disturbed by the occasional whisper or bristle of pages. Luc set down his bag across the table.

"You wanted to see me?" he murmured.

"I have an idea to take out the Wanderers."

He tipped his head to the side, eyes narrowing. "Really? And what would you suggest?"

I'd thought about it relentlessly, tossing and turning in my bed. It was dangerous, to say the least. I explained, and the look on his face had me doubting my own rationale but he let me finish.

He crossed his arms. "You still have no survival instinct. Not one iota."

"We're running out of options, Luc."

House arrest had improved this week—hopefully the last of it. When it was Luc or Ben's turn around our property, I could convince them to let me walk from school or out on a stroll if they joined. We roamed the woods like I was the one joining patrol duty.

"No. All at once, like that.... I don't know what we're signing up for."

"Damn it," I said lowly. "Unless you guys can come up with another solution, we have no alternative. More patrols and hunting them down one at a time?"