Feeding Frenzy (Watty Award Winner)

What's Worse Than Snakes? Chapter Nineteen

By the time Shin and Priya arrived at the ash tree, not only had the Professor gone, but a new group of teens was marvelling at Priya's hologram. Too bad there was no time for Priya to bask in their appreciation. "Professor Rudolph could be anywhere by now, doing anything."

"That's not our problem." said Shin.

"How can you say that? You saw him chasing people on the monitor."

"I saw him, stumbling around and a couple running away, but this is Halloween. How do you know he wasn't just fooling around?"

 "That's what you'd like to believe, but you saw his dead eyes."

"He did look weird."

"Tonya wanted to cancel everything tonight. She said something in the cemetery is making people sick, but I wouldn't listen to her." Priya would never forgive herself if all the students she could hear, screaming and cheering as they discovered her monsters, ended up like Rudolph.

"When we first found the Professor, he was stumbling around blindly, and he wasn't speaking. Three of us couldn't wake him or stop him. We were afraid he would walk into the river."

"But he's still alive, and he came out tonight. Maybe he feels better."

Priya's stomach did a fish flip. "He isn't better, he's dangerous. Tonya thinks the cemetery made him contagious. We need to do something." She took out her phone and tried first Tonya, and then Ducky, but there was no answer. "What if she's right and everyone he breathes on becomes like him?" Priya looked at Shin's face, searching for a sign that he believed her.

He frowned. "We should get Marta."

"If Tonya's right, Marta is gaining weight because of the same disease. She could give it to you."

"I have to see her." Shin grabbed Priya's hand and started running back towards the fire. It made Priya feel a little bit less guilty about their flirtation, to know Shin would still protect Marta.

They arrived at the bonfire, holding hands and out of breath. Marta's face was not among those ringing the fire. They searched the crowd. Had she wandered off? They took a look in the bushes nearby, and found her, sitting at the base of a tree with her head leaned against the trunk.

"Marta, are you okay?" asked Shin. He went down on one knee and put his hand on her forehead.

Marta didn't move. Priya touched her shoulder but there was no reaction. "Let's see if she can stand."

Priya and Shin each took one of Marta's hands, but when they started to tug, Marta shook them off. She held out her hands for balance, wobbled up to her full height and opened her eyes.

"How long have you two been together?" Marta's voice sounded groggy.

"Priya showed me something dangerous on her computer," said Shin. "Would you like to come see it?"

"That's your most unusual excuse for wandering off with a new girl, but I won't go anywhere with you." Marta closed her eyes. "I think I'll take a little nap."

Her gentle speech, and the way her legs practically collapsed underneath her, worried Priya. Where was Marta's usual bad attitude?

Shin stepped forward and took Marta by the shoulders, "You can't sleep here. You'll freeze to death." He laid his hands gently along the sides of her face, tilting her head up to him, but Marta wouldn't open her eyes.

"C'mon, I'll take you back to your room." The tender way he kissed her on the forehead simultaneously made Priya jealous, and worried. What if Marta were infecting him right now? She wanted to protect Shin, but he was right. It was a chilly evening which was expected to get colder. If Marta went to sleep in the cemetery, she could die of hypothermia.