《At the Top of the Food-Chain》Chapter 6- Why Do They Call Me a Monster
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AN: And I'm late to post this again... Sorry about that. I will post another one this weekend.
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We head toward Dominic's school. A flag with stars and stripes hangs from a large metal pole that is bent at it's base. Parts of the wide cement steps leading to the front doors are rubble. The front doors are broken inward. By the way they look, they were probably smashed by something big.
Daisy walks up the steps and into the buildings. She turns toward me. “Rain. Are there any monsters in here?”
I shake my head no. They are running away like always. Maybe it is because of that thing that's following us. Or maybe it is because of me... but I don't think so. I haven't done anything to make them afraid of me.
We walk through the silent halls. The tiles lining the floor are broken. Some of the walls have gaping holes. I wonder what caused all of this destruction.
I lead Daisy through the halls toward the sounds of humans. She still freaks out every time we pass a dead body, but I can tell it affects her less then it used to. There are actually a lot of bodies here. Daisy says the smell is making her feel sick. I really doesn't bother me at all. As we get closer to the humans, the hallway gets more cluttered with doors, lockers and stacked desks.
Beside me Daisy trips over something and falls into a pile of desks. *CRASH* They fall to the floor.
“Ow owow!” Daisy is sitting on the floor rubbing her arm. “Rain! I can't see anything. It's too dark in here.”
I can see everything perfectly fine, but I guess her eyes are bad in the dark. “Don't you have a flashlight?”
“Ah! That's right!” Daisy pulls off her bag and starts rummaging through it.
I turn my attention to the people who are just down the hall. They seem to be doing something and trying to be quiet about it. They probably heard the desks that Daisy pushed over.
Daisy gets out her flashlight and we continue into narrowing space between the things stacked against the walls. As we get closer to the end of the hall I can here people whispering.
“I think they have a flashlight. Could someone else have survived?” (Adult male 1)
“No way. We can barely hold those monsters back. Everyone else in the school is dead.” (Adult male 2)
“You mean 'Andy could barely hold the minotaurs back'. I didn't see you fighting them.” (Teen male?)
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“Shut up Brian. We all survived together. My point is, if they are people, they may be survivors from the outside. Or maybe a rescue team.” (Adult male 1)
“Andy said there wouldn't be any one coming to rescue us.” (Brian)
“Sshhh, they're here.” (Adult male #1)
At this point me and Daisy are just feet away from them. I stop and Daisy does the same. In front of us is a huge pile of desks and tables. They are strapped together with belts, rope, shoe strings, tape and all kinds of things. On the other side, I can hear racing heartbeats and shuffling feat. There is also someone walking in our direction. None of them speak.
I look at Daisy. She is looking back at me, and seems hesitant. I just smile and shrug.
Daisy looks back at the barricade and clears her throat. “He...hello?”
The people behind the barricade start mumbling and whispering. They all seemed surprised and a bit scared.
“Is that a kid?” “No way. It's not a rescue team?” “What's going on?”
They go silent as Daisy starts to talk again. “I'm looking for my big brother. His name is Dominic. He goes to school here. I'm Daisy, his sister.” No one responds. She tries again. “Hello? Is anyone in there?” She looks at me for answers when no one responds. I nod my head. There are definitely people in there.
Daisy looks back at the barricade annoyed. “I know you're in there! Just tell me if you know where my brother is.” They people behind the barricade start to move around.
The voice of man #1 breaks the silence. “What did you say your brothers name was? And could you stop pointing that light in our eyes.”
“Oh!” Daisy points the light at her feet. “My brother's name is Dominic! Dominic Streiner!”
The man sounded a bit panicked this time. “OK. We'll see if anyone knows him. Just quiet down. You'll attract the monsters.”
Daisy's eyes go wide and she clamps her hand on her mouth. She looks over toward me. *Pff* She looks silly.
“Don't worry, Daisy. There aren't any monsters around here.” I smile up at her and she relaxes.
There is a commotion behind the barricade. A voice I don't recognize whispers to #1. “Ask him how he knows that, and who they are.”
I answer before #1 can ask the question. “I can hear the monsters. They are all moving away from here. And my name is Rain. Daisy already told you her name.”
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There are more mumbling and worried whispers. Someone starts climbing the barricade. I'm not sure, but for some reason I think it's the unknown voice who asked who we are. I look up to the top of the barricade just as messy black hair appears above it. The person who climbed over jumps to the ground. He is tall with pail skin and silvery blue eyes that shine even in the poorly lit hallway. His black hair sticks out in every direction and he has dark circles under his eyes. He briefly looks over Daisy before fixing his eyes on me. I step back from the pressure of his stare.
One side of his mouth turns up into a smirk. He huffs and then starts laughing. His laugh is loud and he keeps his mouth wide open and one hand covering his face.
After he is done laughing, he walks closer and looks down at me menacingly. “How can you hear those monsters, little boy?” His voice is deep and filled with venom. I don't like it. I don't like how he is looking at me either.
Before I could speak, Daisy moves in front of me. “Stop being mean to Rain!” She shines the light in his face, but he only squints his eyes and smiles.
He cocks his head to the side. “I was only asking him a question. What's so mean about that?” Daisy doesn't respond.
There is something odd about this human. I feel like he is not safe to be around. “Daisy...” I pull her to the side and look up into his menacing blue eyes. “If you want me to answer questions, you have to answer ours first.”
The smile leaves his face. His hand flashes out and he grabs my hair. He pulls on it and it hurts. “Andy, stop!” I hear #1 yell and jump down to our side of the barricade. “He's just a little kid.”
Andy pulls half a pair of scissors out of his pocket and points it at #1. “Shut it, Teach.” He looks down at me and uses my hair to pull my face upward. My eyes start to water. Daisy starts to cry. “This thing ain't human.” As he says that he points the scissors toward me. “Now, answer my question you little monster.”
Daisy grabs his arm and tries to pull his hand away from my hair. “Get off me you little bitch.” He kicks her in the gut and sends her flying into a table.
“Daisy!” I push Andy away from me toward the barricade. He pulls out a large chunk of my hair as he goes. I hear a big crash but don't pay attention to it. I need to see if Daisy is ok.
Daisy is laying on the ground vomiting and coughing. “Daisy! Are you ok?” I don't know what to do to help. My eyes start to tear up. This is so frustrating!
Daisy stops coughing. I hear yells from behind me, and then I am flying down the hall. I only stop when I slam into a pile of desks.
My whole body hurts. I look up to see Andy standing where I just was. He is shaking violently and blood is streaming down his face. “You little bastard! I'm going to kill you!” He starts running toward me. I quickly heal myself and get out of the way just in time. The kick that was meant for me, smashes into a desk and sends it flying.
Andy spins to face me. He is breathing really hard and I can hear his heart beating super fast. His eyes are wide and he is staring at me with anger... and... fear.
Teach #1's yells in our direction. “Andy stop this!” Andy lunges toward me. This time he slashes at me with his scissors. He has one in each hand. I avoid all of his attacks pretty easily. It's as if I can see where he is swinging before he gets there.
I don't want to fight him. I wish he would just go away. I wonder if Daisy is alright? I continue dodging.
Andy gets slower and slower. Beads of sweat begin to form on his forehead, and his breathing is becoming even more unsteady. His fear is showing more and more on his face, along with desperation. Tears start to show in his eyes. He throws his weapons at me. He stops attacking. He just stands there shaking with tears flowing down his cheeks. On his face is a look of absolute disrepair.
I let out a sigh. It's finally over. Andy falls to his knees and curls into a ball whimpering and choking on his own tears. I look over to Daisy and see her standing by Teach #1. She looks worried. I smile. I am glad she doesn't seem to be hurting as much as before.
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