Basics in Teaching

Chapter 5 - Basics in Behavior (2/3)

But it wasn't easy to tell; not only did the walls appear dry and weathered, but they appeared... aged. As if they were placed there a very long time ago, a time that had to far precede the Paper School itself. It lingered in his mind for a moment, but he also acknowledged that now was not the time to be focused on something like this, as much as he wanted to be.

The entire school, as far as he knew, had just gone to hell, after all.

"Damn... okay, as much as I'd like to investigate whatever the heck we just found, I vote we get out of here first," Engel said, clicking his teeth in slight annoyance. "It's like... graduating only for the school to get some hardcore renovations after. It's annoying, but there isn't anything we could do."

Bubble reluctantly agreed, catching up with the rest of the group. "You're right. Sorry, let's just focus on leaving."

Eventually, the group came across some stairs that led to an unseeable darkness above—the feathered demi-human cursed the school-wide power outage that was likely caused by either Oliver or Alice. The fear of the unknown that lied just in front of him crawled down his spine like a flurry of invisible spiders, something he never truly got over.

But he had no choice.

He couldn't falter, not now.

There was no way but forward, so, putting on a feigned brave face, Engel took the first step, enduring a shrewd creek with each advancement. They had fallen quite a large distance, the lengths of which could not be estimated by anyone, so there was no telling how long it would take to reach the top-

"Oof!"

"Ow!"

"Hey, what gives? Why'd you stop moving?"

"H-huh...?"

"..."

Engel rubbed his head, wincing in slight pain, as he then gazed up... only to be met with a large door standing ominously in front of him. For some reason, even though they weren't moving at an especially brisk pace, they had reached the upper lengths of the staircase within a matter of mere minutes. "Sorry about that guys, but we're at the top... I guess? Stay quiet—I'm going to open the door and see if there is anyone around. I'll let you know if it's safe."

Looking back for a moment to see a couple nods, the demi-human unlocked the door with a soft click and slowly opened the door.

CREEEEEK!

He peered his head outside, doing several takes to the right and left of himself to ensure there weren't any teachers or anyone else around. A small glimmer, a glimpse of light, could be seen in the somewhat near distance. Squinting his eyes, he could make out what appeared to be a set of large double doors, light notably emanating from its surface. A side entrance, perhaps? It was likely—the main entrance was far larger than that, but if this really was what he thought it was...

Then they had basically just made it out without a scratch.

"Oh my God."

"Oh my God? The hell you mean 'oh my God'? Are we about to die?!" Bubble exclaimed in a whisper, freaking out the instant something seemed wrong. "Come on, get back in, get back in!"

"No, Bubble," Engel whispered back, not daring to turn back and risk a potential blind spot, even for a moment. "We might've just made it out. I think I see one of the side exits; we might be able to just leave right now. Come on, guys—I don't think I see anyone around."

Engel naturally was the first to climb up into the darkened hallways, still wary of his surroundings. However, it still seemed that they were alone for now. As he waited for everyone to join him, he darted his eyes around in a heightened state of alertness. They had gotten this far, and he wasn't about to let his guard down just yet.