❝she isn't spiralling out of control; that's just the way she dances❞
ｊｏｎｎｙ ｏｘ
___
D O Y O U S U R R E N D E R ?
「ＹＥＳ／ＮＯ」
ＨＯＷ do you respond to an impossible ultimatum?
WARNING! You have ４７ ｈｏｕｒｓ ５９ ｍｉｎｕｔｅｓ to make a decision.
That's the question we ask ourselves when an ominous message appears on Morgana's computer screen, glaring at us in luminescent writing.
Cass responds with anger. "What's going on?" she demands loudly, as if expecting the computer to respond. "What does that mean, 'surrender'? Who's behind this and who the hell do they think they are, making demands like this?"
Cole's face hardens. "This isn't good," he mutters. To Cass, he adds, "Will it let you revert back to the normal screen? Maybe we can track the source."
Cass tries moving the mouse, then shakes her head. "It won't even let me operate the icon. It's locked to those two options."
He suggests a function code for her to input into the keyboard, then another. Each time, there is the same outcome: "Nothing," Cass sighs.
"We should check up on the others," I say. "We don't know if this is happening just here or all over the school."
Cass nods, "You're right."
I pull out my phone, and randomly choose to call Markus. We give the room a final once-over before hurrying out in the direction of the Rec Room. All the while, my phone continues to ring.
"He's not picking up," I say.
We are nearing the entrance of the Rec Room when all of a sudden, we are held up by dozens of students spilling out of the common area in the opposite direction to us. Just as I am about to redial Markus's phone number, I notice him standing among the hordes. He'd slowed down to look at his phone.
"Over there," I say. Cass, Cole and I promptly change directions, walking towards him,
"What's going on?" I ask, noticing Logan and Willow appear by his side. Good, at least we're all here. "Where's everyone going?"
"You should see inside there," Markus says, "the screens were going crazy and then this creepy message popped up on it."
"Did you reply?" Cole asks.
"No. No one did. Everyone was just wondering what was going on," Markus replies.
"That's where they're all headed now," Logan says. "To see Redmond and ask about it."
"Did the same thing happen to you guys? Did you get the same message?" Willow asks.
"To surrender? Yeah," Cass replies, nodding.
"This is a joke, right?" Markus says, agitated. "I mean, none of this makes sense. What kind of demand is 'do you surrender'? We'd actually have to know who we are surrendering to, or at least why we should."
YOU ARE READING
Freaks
AdventureEMERSON SPARKE'S RULES ON HOW TO BE NORMAL: 1. Avoid having a secret alter ego to cover up the fact that everyone you used to know thinks you're dead 2. Don't accidentally blow up half your high school - being deemed a threat to society is all fun...
