Music & Monsters [Camp NaNo July]

01

                Afterwards, I scurried out of the room, trying to catch up with my peers as they marched down to the auditorium. My nerves were now jumpy and frazzled from both sleep deprivation and the little scene that had just played out; my thoughts being invaded by his dancing grey eyes and disarming smile. 

Shivering a little, my lips formed a thin line as I turned my music up, trying to drown my mind in the melodies. I then patiently waited for my turn to enter the spacious room, my eyes involuntarily taking in the smiling, happy faces of my fellow students as they mingled amongst one another.

                A twinge of sadness coursed through me, as I once again realized that I could never be like them. I isolated myself in fear of anyone seeing me at my worst, and in fear that if I ever got close to someone, I would hurt them. Possibly hurt them both mentally and physically. And that's why I kept my distance.

                It was also why I needed my music. Not only to keep the symptoms in check, but to also create a wall between me and everyone else. I couldn't - wouldn't - let anyone get close to me. It was too dangerous. 

                After a few minutes, I was finally ushered into the auditorium, and I quickly made my way into a plush red seat. Wave after wave of students came in, talking so loud I could hear a very low hum beneath the beat of my music.

                Soon the four hundred kids in my grade had found their seats, and a teacher walked up to the podium, beginning to speak. She was smiling and using hand gestures, but before I knew it, the entire room had erupted into applause. I was slightly curious as to what she said, but not enough to pull out my earbuds. So I stuck to observing everything.

                The lights dimmed, and I somewhat figured out what was going on when a lone person came out onto the state. He had on a costume – they must be putting on a play.

                Slouching down into my seat, I began to fidget, my heartbeat starting to accelerate. The darkness unnerved me, caused me great discomfort. It was situations like these that seemed to make me more worrisome than usual, always feeling vulnerable in the darkness. It was an especially bad combination to be in a place with lots of people while being shrouded in darkness. It was during those times that my mind became more active, the manifestation of my illness most prominent. Even now, I could hear the faint echo of the voices that were sure to get louder at any second.

                Trying to calm myself, I closed my eyes and took deep, straggling breaths. I tried to block everything out, concentrating only on the beat of the music drilling into me. It didn't matter the band or the song. I just needed it to pull my mind as far from the physical world as possible.

                One minute...

                Two minutes...

                Three minutes...

                Time ticked by, each passing second helping to slow my heart rate. It was approximately ten minutes before the voices faded into nothing, leaving me with only my music.

                Feeling a lot better, I opened my eyes, attempting to figure out the scene in front of me. There were multiple actors on stage, and it  almost looked like they were acting out a scene from Shakespeare's play "Hamlet". Someone was decked out in white robes, a luminescent yellow crown on his head, talking to someone who was dressed to look at bit younger. I assumed this was Hamlet's father informing Hamlet of how he died.

                Settling down into the red cushions, I watched with little interest as the play continued to unfold. Hamlet was in the middle of speaking when I saw it.

                A black shadow stealthily creeping across the edge of where the spotlight met the wall.

                Now my attention was focused on that, a big gap from where the stage crew got up to the catwalk. The shadow began to move down the wall, appearing to shift and almost... slither. No, wait, it wasn't a shadow. It was small furry body. More specifically, the body of a rat. Even from my seat, I could practically see the tiny paws and the thin pink tail swishing back and forth.            

                Watching  in horror, my eyes fluttered back up to the gap to see another rat slipping out. Then another. And another. The rats kept piling out until the wall was transformed into a squirming mass of black fur and bodies, swiftly moving downwards until they reached the floor.

                I stifled a scream as the rats started to crawl over the seats, all over the students. I stifled a scream as the other students started screaming, many of them standing up  and trying to peel the writhing black rats off their bodies. Screeches and squeaks pierced the air, and I stifled a scream as the rats advanced quickly towards me.

                It's all just a hallucination. The rats aren't really there. This is all just my imagination. It's not re—

                I felt a light pressure on my shoulder and it all felt too real, I just couldn't stop myself. I couldn't hold back anymore.

                So I stood up, and screamed.

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Woooo! First chapter up! :D I'm sorry if it's not up to par, I just needed to quickly throw something together to get me started on this xc I need to write for Camp NaNo but I'm so busy currently and just aghhh :\ Sorry, I'll try to update soon <3