by Crisp, M. L.
Kyle looked surprised. “You envy me?”
“Sure do, when I was your age, I never could land a girl like Marla. My hat’s off to you!”
Kyle became nervous, “oh, no, Mr. Kane, it’s not like that, me and Marla are just friends.”
“Now Kyle, don’t try to snow me, I’m not blind. Son, we’re in a very dangerous situation, and I know you know that. But the last thing we need is a pregnancy.”
Kyle fidgeted in his seat, this was a seriously awkward conversation. “Um, sir, I…we haven’t done anything like that, just kissed and stuff.”
Mr. Kane opened his desk drawer, reached in, and he grabbed a fistful of condoms, setting them on top of the desk.
Kyle’s eyes widened, he didn’t know what to say. “Mr…sir, I…”
“Kyle, I got these from the nurses office. Don’t take this as permission, but if you two do go any further with this, well, I want you to use protection.”
Kyle stared at the square little blue packets, was he serious? Or would he get in trouble for taking them?
Mr. Kane motioned to the pile, “go ahead son, take them.”
Kyle tentatively reached out, expecting Mr. Kane to knock his hand back. He didn’t, Kyle scooped them up, and stuck them in his pocket. He wanted to say thanks, but that felt really weird, so he just sat there.
Mr. Kane felt just about as awkward, he never imagined that he would be giving a student tacit permission to have sex, in the school no less. But he was a teenager once, and if the most popular girl in school had been within reach for him, he wouldn’t have let anything any adult said get in his way. The last thing he wanted was a pregnant teenager on his hands. He finally broke the awkward silence by telling Kyle he could leave. They were both relieved.
Kyle left the office, closing the door behind him, and stepped out into the hall. Marla was waiting for him. “Like, what did he say?”
Kyle shifted around, looking back at the door. “He, uh, he gave me some condoms.”
Marla wasn’t quite sure she heard him right. “Did you say he…”
“Yeah Marla, you heard right, he gave me a handful of condoms.” Kyle fished around his pocket, and pulled them out, dropping one to the floor, which he bent over and picked up.
Marla was speechless for a moment. She wanted to go back in the office and slap Mr. Kane, but thought better of it. “Kyle, let’s go somewhere else to talk about this. And put those away!”
Kyle stuck the condoms back in his pocket. “Ok, where should we go, back to the library?”
Marla shook her head. “No, I totally want privacy for this conversation. The band room would be good, nobody goes down there.”
The two of them crossed the expansive lobby, where the school typically held its dances. At the other end was the staircase that led to the band room. Back when the school was built, it was used as a bomb shelter. The first few graduating classes consisted of twelve to sixteen people, max. The area, and the school, had long ago grown larger than the farming communities of those days.
They descended the old wooden stairs, and Kyle opened the door for Marla. She entered, Kyle shut the door, and immediately grabbed Marla, trying to kiss her. She pushed him away.
“Why did you do that, I thought this is why you wanted to come down here.”
Marla shook her head, and sat in one of the student chairs, she patted the one next to her. Kyle sat down, and looked at her, confused. “No Kyle, we need to talk.”
Kyle quickly stood up. “Oh shit, you’re breaking up with me aren’t you? That’s what my sister always tells guys before she tells them to get lost.”
Marla smiled, sounds like Kyle’s sister is an amateur, Marla never says anything, she just lets the guy figure it out for himself. “No Kyle, I’m not breaking up with you. Now please sit back down.”
Kyle sat back down, and Marla took his hand, and looked deep into his eyes. “Kyle, I think you’re sweet, but you’ve been hinting at sex for awhile now, and, like, I have to be honest. I’m just not ready for that yet, I’m sorry.”
Kyle’s burrow creased, “but why not? And don’t tell me you’re a virgin, I know you’ve been with guys on the football team, I’ve heard them talk about it at games.”
Marla smirked, of course they talked about it, it was probably the highlight of their young lives. “First of all Kyle, don’t necessarily believe everything you hear, most of the guys you’ve heard probably never even got to first base with me. But no, I’m not a virgin, but aren’t you?”
Kyle’s face became scarlet, answering the question for Marla. “No Marla, I’m not!” Kyle lied.
Marla was having fun, “oh really, who have you been with, and, like, don’t tell me Grossberger, nobody would touch that thing.”
Kyle rolled his eyes, he thought Tess was cute, even with a little extra weight, but he knew better than to say that to Marla. “Gross! No way, it was a girl from Texas, you don’t know her.”
“Ok, so you’ve been with a girl from Texas. What I’m trying to say is that as much as I like you, for me to be with someone like that, I have to be, like, relaxed to enjoy it. In this fucked up situation, I just would be too tense.” Marla said earnestly.
Kyle stared at her for a moment, trying to process what she just said. “Tense? Really? Come on Marla, we’re safe in here, what you’re really trying to say is that you don’t want to have sex with me!”
“No Kyle, that’s not it at all, but unless I can find a way to relax, then I just can’t.”
“Well, what if I gave you a back rub or something?” Kyle said, searching for a loophole.
Marla looked down. “No, I’m sorry Kyle, but I just don’t see how I could get in the right mood with all that’s going on. If I could smoke a joint, then maybe, like that’s going to happen.” Marla peered at Kyle out of the corner of her eye, she was afraid this wouldn’t work, but how else do you get a guy to volunteer to risk his life for a bag of pot.
Kyle sighed and looked away, then his face brightened. “What about alcohol? I know Mr. Kane has some liquor in his office, maybe I could get some of that, I mean, he did give me these condoms.”
Marla shook her head violently. “No Kyle, alcohol just puts me to sleep. Pot is the only thing that would work, and there’s no way to get that.”
Kyle looked defeated, then he started to say something, but stopped. Marla coaxed him, “what Kyle, what were you thinking?”
“Um, I was thinking, I’ve got some in my car, but that doesn’t do us any good.”
Ok, he was finally on the right track. “Oh yeah, you did say that you had some. It’s a shame we can’t get to it, I mean, when I smoke pot, I get so horny and like, totally lose all my inhibitions.”
Kyle’s eyes widened. “Maybe I could get to it, my car’s not that far from the school.”
Marla bit her lip to keep from smiling, finally, it took him long enough. “Oh no Kyle, that’s like, totally too dangerous!”
Kyle nodded, looking somewhat relieved. Marla frowned, she couldn’t let him give up this easily. “I mean, like, unless it’s something you really want to do.”
Kyle gazed into Marla’s big, beautiful blue eyes, and he thought of all those stupid teen comedies where the guy is trying to get laid and goes through a bunch of stupid shit. But this wasn’t just silly hi-jinks, it was literally risking his life. Kyle took a deep breath, got up, and motioned for Marla to follow him. They left the band room and walked back up the staircase, into the lobby.
Kyle walked to the door, and looked out the rectangular window, that looked out upon the far end of the school parking lot. He pointed to a piss green 1973 AMC Gremlin. “That’s my car.” He said.
Marla almost gasped; normally she would never be seen setting foot in such a ridiculous looking vehicle, much less date someone that drove such a dorkmobile. But these were not normal times, she smiled. “That’s like, so close, it couldn’t be much more than thirty or forty feet away. You could totally make that!”
Kyle
stared at his car, the stash was in his glove box. He didn’t see any of those things around the immediate vicinity, but the way the school was shaped, you couldn’t really see around the corner, so there could be droves of them just out of sight. He wished these zombies were slow, like the ones from the movies, then he wouldn’t be so worried.
He didn’t turn to look at her, he knew if he did, all he would be able think about was having sex with her. He thought she was bringing him to the band room to have sex, and his erection hadn’t gone away, in fact, seemed to be getting bigger by the second, pushing against the wall of his jeans. “More like fifty or sixty feet. I can’t do it Marla, I’m sorry, I really am. But if that’s the only way you would lower yourself to have sex with me, then I guess I’m not missing much.” Kyle said, not believing he just said this to Marla Masters.
Marla had seriously misjudged the situation, she had gotten guys to do a lot of things for her over the years, even steal for her to prove their love on a few occasions. But this was different; she was asking a guy to literally risk his life. She thought quickly, she gently reached out and cupped his chin in her delicate hand, and turned his face toward hers. “Sweetie, I never asked you do anything, it was your idea. If that’s what you think of me, then maybe this isn’t working out.”
When he looked at her, Kyle felt his erection grow even bigger, good lord, was it going to burst out of his jeans like the Hulk? “Marla, please, I’m sorry, I just…I mean…maybe I can do it.”
Marla beamed, “you really think so?”
Kyle looked outside again, his car really wasn’t that far away. He could run fast, it was doable, if there wasn’t many of those things around the corner. “Yeah, I’ll give it a try, I mean, I don’t see any of those things around. If there are, I could just run back.”
Marla felt proud of herself, she knew she was worth the risk! “You can totally do it Kyle, I believe in you!” She said, and leaned in and kissed him to seal the deal. Her soft red lips touched his, and Kyle felt himself come. He looked down, watching the crotch of his jeans darken with wetness. His face reddened and he didn’t know what to say. Marla put her finger on his lips. “It’s ok sweetie, I can’t wait for that to happen inside me.”
CHAPTER 20
Marla pretended to be asleep, waiting impatiently for everyone else to fall asleep. She could hear Grossberger snoring, so she was asleep, Miss Flat Chest wasn’t snoring, but Marla was pretty sure she had drifted off to sleep. Marla got up and nudged Madison. Madison followed Marla into the hallway. “So you’re really going to let Kyle go through with this Marla?” She whispered.
“I totally am, I mean, he wants to do it.”
Madison rubbed her eyes, “ok, let’s go.” She said, resigned.
They met Kyle in the lobby, standing next to the exit door. He was staring out into the parking lot. So far, the street lamps in the lot had continued to flicker on every night around eight pm. He knew it was just a matter of time before that ceased. He had hoped that would be tonight, then he would have a good excuse for aborting the plan. But, no such luck, the florescent lights still illuminated the parking lot.
Marla put her hand on his shoulder. “Hey handsome, penny for your thoughts.”
Kyle turned and despite his fear, he smiled at her, he was really falling for Marla. He hoped the feeling was mutual, certainly what he was attempting tonight would help with that. “Hey Marla, did anyone wake up when you snuck out?”
“Nope, Grossberger was laying there like the snoring lump of shit she is, and Miss Carpenter was fast asleep.”
“Same in the office, I thought about bringing Rodney, but he seems to think he’s Mr. Kane’s second in command or something, so I didn’t tell him about it.”
Marla smiled, “good, how’s it looking out there?”
Kyle looked back out the window. “Well, I still don’t see any of those things out there. But we can’t see around that corner, they could all be just out of sight.”
Madison spoke up, “Kyle, it’s really awesome of you to give this a try, but really, if you think it’s too dangerous, then don’t do it!”
Marla shot her sister an icy look, but quickly changed her expression to one of concern. “Totally Kyle, like, only do it if you’re confident you can make it.” She said, as her hand brushed against his crotch.
Kyle swallowed hard, and did his best to look brave and determined. “I can do it, I brought a weapon.” Kyle held up a large, thick wooden paddle, with the words ‘board of education’ emblazoned across it.
Madison’s eyes widened, “is that…”
“Yeah, it’s Mr. Kane’s paddle, the one he posed with in the yearbook. He keeps it hanging on his office wall.” Kyle said.
Madison frowned. “He would totally miss that, what if you drop it or something?”
“Well, I can’t go out there unarmed. I thought about a butcher knife, but I don’t know how much good that would do.”
Marla put her hands on his shoulders, and stared intently into his eyes. “Kyle I believe in you, and I will be right here waiting for you. If you think you can’t make it, turn around and get your ass back here!” She said, and kissed him, leaving a blob of red lipstick on his cheek.
Kyle took a deep breath, turned around, and took one more look out at the parking lot. It looked clear, and his car was just sitting a few feet away in the nearly empty parking lot. He dug in his pocket, and felt his car keys, he didn’t want to get out there and realize he forgot them.
Kyle gently pushed the door ajar, and then walked out into the night. He heard the door being pulled shut behind him. He wanted to look back, but was afraid he would beg to be let back in, and he didn’t want to look like a coward in front of Marla. Just outside the lobby was a small courtyard, and the brick walls extended out on either side of him. He could hear the crickets chirping from the bank of the nearby lake. He proceeded forward, holding the paddle at the ready.
Kyle reached the end of the brick wall, and listened for the moaning sounds he had heard from them on the TV and on the roof. He could hear some in the distance, but they didn’t seem very close.
He did look back, hoping to see Marla cheering him on, but all he saw on the window was the glare from the street lamps. He thought briefly about turning around, and going back, just tell Marla he could hear them around the corner. She couldn’t think him a coward now could she? But he wanted desperately to make her happy, yeah, he wanted to make love to her, despite what he told her, he had never done that before. But it was more than that, he wanted her to think of him in the same way as she does the football players. This was a matter of honor, he had to prove band geeks were every bit as tough as the jocks.
He took a step forward, and was now standing in full view of the rest of the parking lot. He did see some of those things in the distance, milling around the entrance of the school. In the other direction, there were several at the edge of the lake. There was rarely anyone at this end of the school, they must be at the end they normally hear activity. Same with the lake, with all the commotion the other day, some must have broke off and turned their attention to the boats. He could see lights in the middle of the lake, and heard the faint sound of music, it sounded like ‘Party All The Time.’ He loved Eddie Murphy movies, but a singer he wasn’t.
If he was quick and quiet, he might just pull this off. He walked slowly and carefully, looking from side to side, to see if any of those things were coming his way. So far, they appeared not to notice him. Kyle was about half way there when he heard loud footfalls, then he saw someone running from the field house. It was Coach Wilkens, or what was left of him. He appeared to be slightly limping, which was the only good news here.
Kyle broke into a run, the others on either side had taken notice, and were now running in his direction. Kyle reached his vehicle, and stuck his hand in his pocket, digging for his keys. Kyle pulled them out, but Coach Wilkens reached him at that moment, and he dropped them. He held the paddle in both hands and swung as har
d as he could at Coach Wilken’s head. The board connected, but Kyle’s hardest swing just wasn’t that hard. He had never been in a fight before.
Coach Wilkens did step back a bit, and Kyle dropped the paddle and felt around for his keys. He could hear the others drawing nearer, it was just a matter of seconds. He grabbed his keys and scurried underneath his car, inching to the other side. Coach Wilkens was following him, crawling beneath the car as well.
Kyle was quickly on the other side, and stuck his key into the driver’s side door, unlocking it. Before he could get in, Coach Wilkens, grabbed at his ankle. Kyle got the door open and dove in, slamming the door behind him.
Almost as soon as the door shut, the creatures were pounding at the windows. Kyle stuck the key in the ignition and turned the key, it made a sound like it was going to start but didn’t. Kyle looked to the side, and bloody faces were pressed up against the glass. He turned the key again, and this time the car started, but sounded as if it might die. He punched the gas in an effort to keep it alive.
Marla watched with her mouth agape, those things, they were so close to getting him. Their moans were replaced with loud screeching noises as they realized fresh meat was close at hand. Madison turned to look at her sister, this was all her fault, why hadn’t she tried harder to talk Kyle out of this nonsense?
CHAPTER 21
Miss Carpenter awoke with a start, Rodney was shaking her. “What is it Rodney?” She blearily asked.
“Miss Carpenter, listen, those things outside are going crazy, and Kyle, Marla, and Madison are gone!”
Valerie sat up and rubbed her eyes, Tess was up too. “Tess, do you know where the others are?”
Tess shook her head no.
“Ok, both of you stay put, I’m going to go get Mr. Kane and we’ll figure this out.” Miss Carpenter said.
The Gremlin’s motor wheezed and sputtered, every little bit Kyle would press down on the accelerator to keep it from dying. He knew from experience that he needed to let it warm up, even though it wasn’t cold outside. The creatures outside rocked the car back and forth, trying desperately to get to the meat inside.