A Haunted School, Hidden Deep in the Woods

     Slowly, he crept down the hallway, noticing more and more sights that seemed odd. There were more holes in the floor, and a lot of random items were just strewn all over the hallway. Almost as if people had left a mess before leaving. He could see old packs of crayons and blocks. As he investigated more, it looked like the crayons were very old. The wax had melted quite a bit, and many of them were stuck to the floor at this point. He wiped off his paws as best he could and kept moving.

     Further down the hallway, he noticed a light. As he got closer, it appeared to be a janitor’s closet with a light on. Curiosity got the better of him, and he needed to investigate what was happening. Maybe Mayleen had found this spot to hide out for a while? He carefully shuffled closer to the door to get a good look in. As he did, he heard some static noises, which only made him more confused. What else was happening inside the room? What he failed to realise was the figure sneaking up behind him. Suddenly, Jorlan heard a squeak of the floorboard behind him and spun around, only to come face to face with a giant shadow.

     The shadow reached its chain-covered paws up and brought them back down again in one swift motion. Jorlan slumped to the ground as the figure picked him up and started to walk away back down the hallway.

     ***

     Halton groaned. This was not how he wanted to spend a rainy day. He’d woken up a little while ago and had started investigating. He was trying to find everyone else, but so far no luck; that is, until he heard a scream a few minutes ago. He tried to figure out where it came from, but it could have come from anywhere in this school. All he knew for sure was that it had sounded like the scream of a young girl. So maybe it was Mayleen, or another girl who was trapped here with them. Either way, he wanted to help.

     He kept hopping down the hallway when suddenly he heard something else shuffling further down. As it got closer, he could hear the heavy footfalls of something much larger than himself. His eyes quickly darted around, and he saw a doorway just propped open a bit. He dashed inside and held the door slightly ajar.

     As he watched out through the crack of the door, he saw what looked like a Mutant Kyrii walking down the hallway. Each arm seemed to have a chain shackled to it, along with each leg. But the surprising part was that what he held in his arm was Jorlan! Halton put a hand over his mouth and tried to stay quiet. He did not want to be captured either, but what could he do now? The Kyrii was too big and how would he be able to rescue Jorlan? His mind was spinning as the Kyrii stomped off further down the hallway and turned.

     If anything, maybe he could follow along and figure out where this monster was bringing his friend. If he had a chance, then he could wake up Jorlan and get him back before anything else happened to him. He carefully opened the door and crept back out into the hallway. Turning down it the same way the Kyrii went.

     What Halton failed to realise in the room he had just left was a little Xweetok, in a red dress, sitting on the desk staring at him the whole time he had tried to hide.

     ***

     Mylith had tried to investigate around the pool a bit, but the whole area was covered in a large fence, and the only way to go seemed to be back inside. Which, honestly, would be nice, as it was eerily dark outside, and the rain was still coming down. Opening up the large metal door, she slipped inside.

     Once back inside, she tried to dry herself off as best she could. Looking around, it seemed like this was some sort of locker room. There was a constant dripping sound coming from one of the sinks, and what appeared to be mould growing on the ceiling. Mylith covered her mouth and tried not to breathe in too much as she hurried on through. Who knows how much water and dampness had destroyed that room? best for her to keep moving.

     As she got to the other side of the room, she heard a soft chuckle behind her. Turning to look, she noticed a small figure in a red dress.

     “Hey, are you all right? Do you want to come with me?” Mylith reached out her paw to the figure. But that’s when she noticed her arm, where once there had been stars, it now seemed as if they were falling off her and leaving her just blue. She gasped and looked up, the figure’s face revealed, as a young Xweetok, a grin much too wide on her face, as the stars seemed to float around her head. Mylith went pale, turned, and bolted from the room. Running as quickly as she could down the hallway, not daring to look back at what might be happening.

     She dashed down the hallway, turning left and right frantically. Haphazardly rushing through the school. The Xweetok in red had her so panicked that she was unaware of what else was happening around her. Until she smacked headfirst into Mayleen.

     The two pets went head over paws and then down onto the ground. Mylith was still panting as her eyes darted back and forth, even while she was tangled up on the floor. Mayleen, having just heard the news of Ko being a Wonder of the school, was still baffled when Mylith barreled into her. But as she was lying on the floor, she suddenly heard laughter. Looking up, Ko was gripping his sides and laughing. Floating in the air, unable to contain his glee.

     “Oh wow! Now I wasn’t expecting that at all! And seems like your friend here didn’t even notice and ran right through me. Well, that was a fun bit of adventure here. But now, we really should find out what has her so worried,” Ko beckoned for the two to stand up.

     Mylith began to explain what she saw, then looked down at her arm, confused. Her starry-ness was back; had it all been an illusion?

     “Oh no, I was afraid of this. It seems Sachi is out and may be planning something. She may have the other Wonders working for her, too. That Kyrii was always a bit susceptible to her,” Ko began scratching his head, thinking hard about their next plan.

     “No!” Mayleen shouted at Ko, “Stop trying to change the subject, you just said to avoid the Wonders, and now here you are explaining that you are one? How am I to believe you on any of this now?”

     Ko turned to her and almost looked hurt, before perking back up and explaining, “Well, you see, all of us Wonders are stuck here. Supernatural events that have been tied to the school. Sachi is the ringleader of the whole thing, as her curse hangs heavy over the school. My curse is not so bad compared to hers. Out of all of us, Wonders, my supernatural event is that I help to grant the wishes of whoever comes across me. Of course, there is a price, but seeing as I’m meant to help pets, you are in safe hands. Sachi is on the flip side of that,” Ko’s face got darker as he continued. “She doesn’t want you to leave. She’s cursed this area and wants to keep it that way. She struggles to let me do my thing, but at the end of the day, she can’t really stop me. But she can still stop all of you. Best we keep moving and try to find everyone else now.”

     ***

     Balthor and Bylorn were walking down the hallway when they heard some commotion farther down. They silently looked at one another and nodded. They quickly picked up the pace and tried to see what was happening. As they got closer, they noticed a grand staircase. It looked like it was in safe enough condition to walk down, and didn’t have as many holes as the rest of the floor. Carefully holding onto the railing, the two of them made their way down. They kept walking, step by step, down the stairs. It seemed to Balthor that things were taking a lot longer than he expected, and he suddenly looked up from his feet. The two were still only halfway down the stairs. He grabbed Bylorn and looked back up the staircase. He swore that they had been walking for a full minute, but it looked as if they had only come down a couple of steps. He tried to walk back up, and that’s when he realised that no matter which direction they went, they couldn’t get any closer to the top or bottom of the staircase!

To be continued…