The secrets of Gettyson preschool

Chapter 12

Micahleah and Marely were walking around, looking around for clues, while JJ sulked behind; his mind was full of questions.

Candy? How could this guy do that? What is it we're dealing with? Is it even human? What about that girl? She knew, and yet...

"JJ," Marley interrupted his thoughts.

JJ shook his head. "What?"

"You okay?" Micahleah asked.

"Uh, yeah," JJ answered. "I'm just...lost in thought."

"Well, when you get back, we found something," Micahleah said as she and Marely ran into a room.

JJ got himself together and followed them. The room was a small room with the walls made of rotting wood. There wasn't much there, except for an empty plastic bin and a jump rope. JJ looked around before looking at the girls, his look saying everything they needed to hear.

"I know it doesn't look like anything, but a child led us in here," Marely said. "I mean, there's gotta be something in here, right?"

"Hold that thought," Micahleah said as she approached the wall to the left of the one with the door. "Hey guys, check this out."

JJ and Marely came over to see what she was checking out. It was a carving of that drawing they saw in that classroom.

"Wow, that girl was really trying to get her message through," Marely said. "If only someone had known..."

"We know," Micahleah said. "We just don't know how it's gonna help us yet."

JJ's phone vibrated, so he got it out of his pocket and answered it.

"JJ?" Maralyssa's voice answered. "It's morning, 7:00 am"

"Thanks, voodoo doll," JJ said. "Hey, what do you know about...human-like creatures who eat young children?"

Silence, then Maralyssa said, "Hm, well I don't think it's Pennywise the dancing stupid clown, so I don't know. I know spells and potions, JJ, not mythical monsters. Sorry!"

"No, it's okay, because what I really need to ask you is this: can you send a book to me? Are you able to, anyway?"

"Uh, I can try," Maralyssa replied as she muttered softly in Latin. "Nope, it doesn't seem so. Why?"

"Because I was needing you to send something to me."

"First of all, I kinda figured. Secondly, hang on! Maybe I won't need to. What is it you were needing?"

I was needing...never mind! I need you to do something."

"Can it wait until I get to school?"

JJ thought about it. "Fine, whatever," he responded, rather impatiently. "Call me when you get there, ok?"

"Got it. Later, JJ."

"Later." JJ hung up.

"Hey, JJ, look what I found," Marely called from another room.

JJ put his phone in his pocket and rushed to where Marely and Micahleah were at.

Marely had found another letter. JJ took it and read it.

It's January the 14th, and I can't believe what happened. I was just approaching the room where that Lilia girl was, and when I got there she was dead; she had hung herself somehow with a wire of some kind. She did see me, and she knew what I was going to do. I fed her one of my candies, and I watched her eat it. Why hadn't she died? I had enough belladonna in that piece to keep me docile for a month, and she went and made it null. Maybe she knew, but I needed her alive to keep me fed. I know now what must be done. The police will be here soon, so I should find one more child to hold me over until I think of something...

JJ dropped the letter, not believing what he had just read. That girl he had seen was Lilia, Draya had gotten a paper cut, and more importantly, this thing was more than likely dead.

His phone vibrated, so he grabbed it and answered it with, "Hello?"

"JJ, I'm at the school, so what is it you were wanting me to do?" Maralyssa's voice said.

"I need you to find Gettyson on your phone," JJ answered. "Then you need to follow it and find us. We could use your help."

Silence for a while, then Maralyssa said, "It's not showing up, JJ."

"What do you mean?" JJ asked, afraid of what was coming next.

"I mean, my phone doesn't recognize Gettyson as a town. It's like it doesn't even exist."

JJ hung up, not believing what he just heard.

Maybe the school somehow knows...

He suddenly figured it out. He might not have known what was killing these kids, but he did know what was going on.

This thing must've been the one who killed those two Pfeiffer triplets. The triplets were the youngest ones here who were alive, but it only actually killed one of them. And why wasn't her corpse gone? That didn't matter now. The children weren't trying to hurt them; they were trying to scare them out. Those children knew that that thing was still around, and they knew that it was going to kill those triplets. But how could they escape? The only exit was buried in dirt, and there didn't seem to be a way out. The windows around were all barred up, and even if they weren't, they were too small for anyone bigger than a preschooler to get through.

A child was standing in front of JJ.

"Look, we figured it all out," JJ said to the child. "We need to escape, so we can make sure no one ever comes again. But we need your help."

The child giggled, and then he ran out of the room, wanting JJ and the girls to follow.