by J. Dursky
Chapter 11
The school is made up mostly of brick. It is only one story but is very long stretching east to west. It’s a combination of the Junior High and High School. The elementary is across the parking lot. The school is so small there is no middle school. In fact, I did not know what a middle school was until I was about 15 years old.
Before I can get a word out to yell at her, she runs into the front door of the school. Milledge is closing in behind her. I don't even need to think about it. I throw the backpack on and cinch down the straps so I can run without it bouncing on my back. My legs feel heavy for a second. I don't know if it is from the supposed lightning strike, the morning run, the climb up the hill and the tree, or the events that happened right after, but they feel like logs.
This is no time to become weak. I have to get to Lila. I cannot let her suffer the same fate as Ayla. The more I run the better my legs feel. Before I know it the feeling is gone and I’m moving very fast. It has now become a mind over matter situation. To get to her, I don’t want, I need, to run fast. I feel my heart rate increase, my breaths shorten, and I am there before I know it.
I get to the front door of the school and see blood. The entrance of the school is made up two sets of double doors you open from the middle. There is only about six or eight feet between the sets of doors, clearly designed to stop the cold Iowa wind from entering the building during the winter. All four doors are made of one large piece of glass each, except the right ones no longer have solid panes. Around the edges from waist height and down, there is blood. On the inside of the door is a solid metal bar sitting horizontally across the frame, this is used to open the door from that direction. My best guess is that Lila made it inside, closed the door behind her, and Milledge broke through the glass. He must have ducked under the metal bar and cut himself on the way in.
What is Lila doing at the school? I thought she was with her mom grocery shopping. I get inside the school and try to figure out which way she went. It does me no good to run full speed if I run the wrong direction. The first area I reach after passing both sets of doors is an intersection. Forward would take me into the gymnasium. To the left is the cafeteria with a short hallway which contains only the art and music rooms. To my right is the main area of the school. All other classrooms are down this one hallway.
The lights are off. It is the weekend after all. It is not completely dark though either. The sun is out, so any room with windows will be easy to navigate. I try to follow the blood on the floor. He is bleeding badly. Well, someone is…
I see the blood trail go to the left, into the cafeteria. There is just enough light in the room to see the outline of most of the things in the room. The largest portion of the light in the room is sunlight from the hallway in front of me. The rest of the light comes from the two pop machines and one vending machine in the corner to my right. Together they all sing in harmony with their low hums, so it keeps the room from being too quiet. I feel uneasy when it is too quiet. I hate silence. The only other noise I hear is the light squeak of my shoes. It makes a sound like I have just come inside from rainy weather. However it is not raining. It squeaks from the blood on the floor I had to walk through.
I enter the room to look around. I see the blood trail coming in but it is so dark I lose it around the corner. The cafeteria has four ways out. The doorway I am currently standing in, straight across from this door is another door and the hallway leading to the art room at the end, three o’clock from my position is a set of double doors that swing inward to the gymnasium. At about the 1:30 mark from my position is a grey steel exit door that leads directly outside to the parking lot. That is the door I enter every morning when I get to school and the same door I exit when I leave.
I try to think like Lila. If I were being chased, which way would I run? I think logically because I know she would too. I would run from the front door to the exit door in the cafeteria. It makes sense to try to lose someone in the shadows and get back outside where there is more space.
I think for a second. If I walk to the exit door, I can open it to let more light in, and see if the blood trail is at the door. I start to walk across the room but stop about one third of the way. If she lost him in here, he may still be here. I stop and listen again. I listen for signs of movement, breathing, dripping, or sign of life in the room. Only the hum of the vending machines fills the room with sound.
I slowly make my way across the room. The only light in this corner is the red exit sign. It is too dark to see anything, I need to rely on other senses. The only sense that benefits me in this situation is hearing. One step at a time, I listen carefully. Not only do I listen for an immediate danger, but I listen for any signs of Lila. I take a few more steps. The door has never felt so far away when I walk this way to leave school every day.
Arms outstretched, my eyes open wide as if it will help me see in the dark, I reach the door. It feels cool on my skin. I slide my hands down to the horizontal bar. I feel something wet, blood probably. I open the door, I see blood all over. It is on the ground, the door, and the walls next to the exit.
Before I can step out, I see someone by the corner of the building. Actually, it looks like there are several people. They are too far away to recognize, but they wear outfits similar to the one I saw Milledge wearing. Then it hits me. The football team is here. We were supposed to meet at noon to lift weights. The whole team does not show up every Saturday. It is usually just the seniors and a few juniors or anyone who wants to go above and beyond to become a better athlete. It is not required by the coach. We do it on our own. I push the door open a little farther to see if I can tell who it is out in the parking lot. The door makes a loud high pitched creaking noise. They turn toward the sound. It looks like Ford, Curry, and Travis Delaney. They start moving towards me, first as a walk, then a run.
I bet Lila thought I would be at the weight room, which is why she is here. If she ran through the cafeteria and out this exit, she would have a clear shot outside to make it to the weight room. But if they are all acting like that, like Ayla was, it is only a matter of time before Lila is too.
I know my three teammates are running straight at the door I am standing behind so I pull on it until it clicks. It’s a security door. It cannot be opened from the outside if it is shut without a key.