Puppet Master

Part 1 Chapter 1: Footsteps Chapter 1: Footsteps

"Nyahhhhhh!!" Screamed Danny, as he jumped out of bed falling onto the carpet under him. "Oww..," he sighed under his breath, staggering up while massaging his freshly bruised tail.
"Danny? Are you ok? What's going on up there?" His mother asked from downstairs.
"N-nothing mom! I'm fine!" he yelled in response, "God, another nightmare. And they've all been the same! AGHH what does this mean?!" He threw his arms up and folded them behind his head and he thought about his recurring dream. "It's always the same thing: I'm running through the school hallways away from this..."faceless" guy. I don't know why, I just have this feeling that I have to get away from him, like I feel like if he catches me...I'm dead." He sighs and looks over at his nightstand clock: 6:45am. "Damn! I'm so late! MOM!!" he yelled, "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?!!" He starts frantically pulling up his pants causing him to once again fall, this time on his face.
"I told you: I wasn't going to wake you up anymore, that you would have to start getting up on time yourself!" She smugly sipped her coffee while picking up her keys and opening the door. "I love you, have a good day at school!"
"THANKS FOR NOTHING!" he yelled down at his mother as he heard the front door click shut. "Annnnnd she's gone, Damn it! How did I get up so late?" He made for the bathroom to swiftly brush his teeth, rolled on deodorant, and tame his semi-wavy blonde hair, then ran downstairs and out the door. He pulled out his phone and dialed his best friend's number. "Jesse! Hey have you left for school yet?...Oh thank god! Do you think you can come give me a ride?...Yes, I woke up late again...I know, I know I have to set my alarm...I know...OK CAN I HAVE A RIDE OR NOT?!...Ok, thanks! See you in a few." A few minutes later his friend pulled up in his new 2014 Mazda he got for his 17th birthday last month. He gets out in his American Eagle jacket, blue v-neck, jeans, and a new pair of Vans. Jesse was your average "rich kid" and he had it easy: he was attractive, funny, athletique, all the girls liked him, had all the "popular" friends, he had the life everyone wished they could have, but he would never admit it.
"Danny, dude, what happened to you?" he asked snickering.
"What do you mean?" his friend gestures downwards at him. Danny looks down at himself and realized he had put on a bright orange nike hoodie, and his pajama pants from the night before with clovers all over. "FUCK!! Dude I don't know what's going on with me but I need help," he exclaims while dropping his bag into the trunk of the car.
"Same dream?"
"Yep."
"Creepy "faceless" kill guy?"
"That's the one."
"How long has this been happening? What is it, like two weeks now?"
"Three actually, it all started after that trip to that place out of town," he started recalling, "what was it called? Oh yeah! The 'Golden Chalice'."
"Ok: one, that place totally blows and we are never going back; two, tonight you're staying at my place. Maybe you only have the dream at your house? Just tell your mom we're working on a project for...whatever class over the weekend and we'll see what happens," he told his friend while starting the car.
"Yeah, maybe you're right. I have been getting sick of her lately anyways, this morning she refused to wake me up because apparently 'I'm irresponsible'," he mocks his mother while making the strangest face one could think of.
"Yeah...you need help all right," his friend said, laughing at Danny's mocking face. "But yeah, you have been slacking on your work lately too, how you gonna stay an A student at this rate?"
"I can't help it!!" He exclaims, "This dream has me so freakin' tired all the time, I'm falling asleep in class now! I mean, it was one thing to fall asleep in English, but now in Science too? I love Science!" He lays his head in his hands,"ugh, today's just one of those days I guess."

***

"Alright class! Listen up!! Next week is the midterms for all your classes! So don't spend this week screwing aroun-" Danny swings open the door and runs into his first period, interrupting his teacher.
"Sorry! I'm sorry I'm late! I-I woke up late this morning an-"
"Mr. Hart!" Mr. Morako yelled, "Sit down! I'll deal with you later." Danny sulked to his seat in the back corner muttering under his breath. Mr. Morako is the only English III teacher at Danny's school, West Ballton High, and happens to be the most strict teacher any student has ever known. "As I was saying, next week is midterms, so don't..." Mr. Morako's raspy voice trailed off as Danny's eyes slowly started shutting, his vision soon becoming black as night, he hears complete silence.
BIIIING
"Ah!" Danny's head bolts up as his vision starts to fade back in. He's in his first period class while everyone is getting their things together to leave.
"Oh, it's just the end of first, God I need more sleep..." He picks up his bag and walks out to the hall. "Hey Wilson, can I borrow your notes from toda-..." he calls to his friend. He looks around but sees nothing. The hallway is only illuminated by natural light and is completely empty, he can't find any evidence of his classmates, sight or sound alike.
"The hell?..." his voice reverberates as he walks out into the hall, "everyone literally just left first. Where could they have gone?" he looks up and down the hallway and hears a single pair of footsteps. "Hello? Who's there?" The footsteps stop, a few moment later they begin running down further away from Danny. "What the hell? Hey!! Come back!" Danny runs down the dark hallway following the only evidence of life he is certain of.