Marin's Dale

IV

Audrey saw everybody and everything.

She sat at the back because she liked watching people. Not in a creepy way, she just liked it. It was dark still, since the blinds were drawn tight and only odd orange slivers of light could make it in. But she still knew everybody. There was Mark doodling probably severed heads or dragon monsters on his ripped handheld agenda. There was Barkly sitting very rigid and robotic, and only moving the pencil in his right hand. There were Susie and Cait talking quietly amongst themselves, probably about the YA romance novels they had just finished. There was Laura with her little flower necklace collection. There were a few kids who didn't know why they were in the class. There were a couple kids that barely ever showed up to class. There were a small number of kids Audrey had never talked to. And then there was Ty. Ty was being Ty.

And then, in front of all of them, there was a pale skinny guy with a huge brain and a warm heart trying to rule the roost.

A smattering of students look intermittently at the teacher and then at their periphery, eyes darting quickly and restlessly; glassy globes at swivel.

"...Who's excited to be here?"

All eyes were now locked on Malcolm. One student delivered a cupped mouth fart.

Malcolm nodded. "That's one response, Mr. Colbanowski.

"But I must admit, your technique is diminishing."

The students laughed. Audrey followed the lanky redhead with her eyes as he assumed a position near the chalkboard. There was a quote written behind him, but it couldn't be read in the dark.

"Who is excited to be here? Show of hands."

Many students exchanged puzzled looks, some reeling off dryly sarcastic remarks, others dazed at their desks, or, even: completely motionless. Malcolm tapped the quote.

"We can't see it, Ghoulz," Audrey said aloud. "Nobody ever turned the lights on." Audrey smiled internally. What other teacher would let her call him whatever she wanted? He really was somethin sometimes. He was a very bright man.

"Got it!" Ty said, and he shot straight from his seat to the wall, flicked it on, and the dark crevice of a classroom instantly burned with artificial light.

Some students seemed to wake up at this. Audrey could see that Ghoulz was unaffected. Others stared blankly at the chalkboard, the white of their eyes gleaming with slivers of sunlight. Everybody was in zombie mode.

Audrey exhaled slowly, because something was off. This shit was freakin her out. But it wasn't just her. For the first time all semester, Barkly was moving something other than his pencil. He was bobbing back and forth, head tilting, with the biggest, silliest, most fearless smile Audrey had ever seen.

                     ###

A rusted iron fence rattled. Through the bars, the monochromatic white of the police station.

Michael was in his seat. The only thing working inside the car was the clock which read 8:05. The sun was still red as hell, like whatever had come through the pipes in that bathroom stall, and Michael's head was still swimming—and his eyes were too. His flesh was too.

He was sweating profusely. Stained, and he hadn't even noticed it.

Michael slapped his face. His pupils grew back to normal. At least his thoughts were okay.

He needed to get out of here. Not just the police station, but the whole place... the whole system. He needed to get out of the Dale while he still could. Michael didn't know why or when it was going to happen. But he knew it would soon come; whatever it wanted, it would soon come. He needed to find Kate, find anybody who was willing to listen, and get the hell outta here. The others were turning on him.