NOTHING FELT REAL.
Alzar sat dead-eyed at the kitchen table, staring seven miles beyond the bowl of cereal in front of him. His stomach ached with hunger, but he couldn't bring himself to eat. He clenched his fist to ward off the violent trembling in his fingers.
Sariel stood at the sink, he hanging low as he absentmindedly scrubbed a plate.
“Hey, Al…” Sariel murmured, his voice trailing off, “I'm so sorry for what happened last night. I didn't realize I had...Al, I'm sorry.”
Alzar hugged his chest, avoiding his gaze. “I just wanna go to school.”
----
“Please turn your books to page 573,” Mr. Gibson said, the whiteboard squeaking as he wrote a string of numbers.
Alzar rubbed the sweat off his neck, struggling to keep his mind invested in the Pre Calculus lesson. His head was spinning, his breathing sharp.
He couldn't take his eyes off his desk. They were staring at him. Blank, vacant eyes stared at him, belonging to twisted, unnatural faces.
Alzar swallowed. Unblinking, dead eyes.
Every face he saw just wasn't right. It was sick. They looked human...but something missed the mark. Every flick of the wrist or subtle movement made his stomach flip-flop.
These couldn't be the peers he had spent his entire school career with. Something was wrong.
“They're not real,” Alzar rasped.
“What did you say, Mr. Lorne?” Mr. Gibson said, cocking his head.
“They're not real!” Alzar screamed, standing up, clutching his faces, “It's all wrong! I can't look at this anymore! I'm going to kill myself!”
A ripple of shock shot through the classroom, several students jumping back in fear.
Alzar’s breath grew frantic, erratic. He heard them murmuring. They were plotting against him, they had to be.
“Shut up!” Alzar sobbed, “Shut up, shut up, shut up! Stop talking!” He ran his fingernails down his arms, red lines carving themselves into his skin.
Eyes were all around him. Alzar couldn't breathe.
“Settle down, Mr. Lorne!” Mr. Gibson cried as two students grabbed Alzar by the arms, dragging them behind his back.
“Don't let them touch me!” Alzar screeched, kicking as they pulled him away from his seat. Everything was a blur of color, tinged with black. “They're monsters!”
“Mr. Lorne, we're taking you to the principal's office, okay?”
Alzar didn't recall what happened after that.
YOU ARE READING
World Eater
Horror**1ST PLACE FEATURED IN HORROR 8-31** Alzar's mind wasn't the only thing that was falling apart. ---- After an emotional outburst lands him in the principal's office, Alzar Lorne forced into a series of in-depth sessions with the school's new counse...
