"I knew it was Kyle," Connor said.
"we don't know that, there are a lot of pretty boys who live downtown," I replied.
"oh you would know," he retorted.
"what are you talking about?!" I scoffed.
"nothing!" he groaned. "I know its Kyle."
"alright you two, enough bickering," Emi ordered.
We both sighed at the same time, and turned away from each other.
"are you two like a thing or what?" Aldo asked.
My cheeks warmed.
"no," Connor and I both said at the same time.
Matt smiled at Flora, she smiled back. What were these two up to??
"we'll confirm that later, what we need now is to deal with this monster," Emi said looking at Aldo, who scoffed at us.
"so, how is this going to work?" Matt asked.
We were currently standing in front of the school like the idiots we were.
"you just go to school," Emi told Aldo. "you know, sit in a classroom, nod to whatever the teacher is saying even though you have absolutely no idea what they are talking about and why you need to learn it. Then when the bell rings you go out to eat food. And then when the bell rings again you go into the classroom where you repeat. And then the bell rings again and you leave for home. Simple."
Aldo was baffled. "what the hell? This is what you people do five days a week?"
"basically." Emi nodded.
"not true, you have to actually listen to what the teacher is saying— " Emi cut me off by shaking her head at me. I sighed in defeat. "yeah, that's what most kids do."
"alright that doesn't sound so bad," Aldo muttered.
"yeah bro, let's go!" Matt slung an arm over Aldo's shoulder much to the latter's dismay. Matt was getting to comfy with Aldo, I was scared for him.
Period one for Aldo turned horrific quickly. Well not necessarily for him but for the rest of us around him. Mrs Carlos, the English teacher, made him take off his glasses and as soon as he did she screamed and ran out the door. That's when everyone turned to look at him and followed Mrs Carlos out the door screaming. He was sent to the principal's office where he was given a note that allowed him to wear his shades in class. Second period was better, no one screamed and ran out the door but Aldo did almost bash a kids face into the teacher's desk for asking him to quiet down when he was flirting with Samantha John beside him.
"You can't do that to kids," Emi scolded him.
"why not?!" he groaned. "in the real world, people will do worse to him."
"true, but school is not the real world. It's a place where they make kids feel special and like they deserve the world and they can achieve anything if they put their minds to."
"disgusting."
"I know right. But still don't bash people's heads into tables."
"fine."
These two were terrible people. But I was stuck with them.
Lunch was better. For the most part. He spat out all the food into the rubbish bin and threw a fit.
"what the hell? You people eat this crap every day!?"
"its gross but it's all we got to survive," Emi replied.
"man I hate this place, when do I get to go home?"
"suck it up," I told him.
He only groaned in reply.
Math rolled by, the teacher got him to solve a problem. He ate the chalk and spit it in his face. I've never felt so exhausted in my life. I had to tell the teacher that he was sick in the head. Mr Jones let him go, reluctantly. Finally, for last period with had HERO.
Mr Pow did not go easy on him.
"so you are Ronaldo?" Mr Pow said to Aldo, who was the least bit fazed.
"yeah, and you are?" Aldo stared him up and down. "you a fan?"
"I'm these dumb babies' teacher." Mr Pow sounded angrier than usual.
"oh I thought you were an elf." Aldo smirked.
Mr Pow did the unexpected and laughed. Then his face suddenly turned stony. "get off your behind, dumb baby."
We gazed back and forth between each other. We all knew one thing would happen, Aldo would get his ass handed to him. And so it was, he did laps, carried bags of sand to and fro, did push-ups, and lastly he had to survive Mr Pow's shadows.
The school day ended and I and maybe everyone else felt shittier than usual.
"this is what you people do every day?" Aldo groaned.
No one answered him, we just stared back and forth at each other, exhausted.
An hour later we were downtown. At the bus stop as we discussed our plan the worst happened. Aldo was the first to see them. The zombies that were his gang members. They came in herds, attacking everyone in their path like a tornado. But they weren't zombies, rather, mutants. Half animal, half human.
We didn't waste a second before we got to work. Emi got to rescuing the civilians, growing large crystal shards between them and the mutants. Matt flew at the mutants who had caught civilians, swinging at them with a bat that he picked up from who knows where, while in the air. Connor shape-shifted from animal to animal protecting and attacking almost simultaneously. While they fought, Flora, Aldo and I stood off to the side observing the mayhem before our eyes.
"can't you call your animal friends or something?" Aldo asked me.
I winced. "I'd rather not have anyone die, so no."
"well what about you?" Aldo turned to Flora.
She sized him up and down then placed his shades over his eyes. I didn't miss the way his face turned red at her touch. I couldn't help but go, "sus."
"fear makes animals crazy, or well crazier," Flora explained.
He grinded his teeth at me. I laughed. Flora pushed me suddenly but gently, I stepped to the side, an eagle mutant landed exactly where I stood a split second ago. Aldo kicked the eagle mutant in the gut that sent him squawking and flying off in the other direction.
"get back here Freddie!" Aldo shouted. He ran off hitting, smashing, destroying mutants in his path. He was an absolute monster.
Flora turned to me, staring nervously off in several directions. "sometimes headed our way, but I can't seem to see what. Be on the lookout."
I nodded and got to helping my friends the best way I could: calling on my own animal friends. If there's one thing downtown is known for then its rats. Rats in every nook and cranny, hidden or in plain sight they ruled and people knew to steer clear of them. I asked one rat and that message passed on like wild fire. A choir of squeaks signaled the imminent arrival of the rodents. In packs they came, their little feet thundering over the road and concrete walkways. I regretted my decision for a moment when I saw just how many had responded to my calling. But I realized it was worth it, too many lives were at stake.
They crawled up the mutants, biting their skin, wings, ears, anything they could get their little teeth on. They slipped into their clothes, into their hair, all at once, suffocating and disabling.
All was going so well till they arrived. I had never seen cars as flashy as these, and never dreamed of being in them. Little did I know that I'd be a passenger and not in the way you might think. The mutants at the arrival of the pricy-vehicles ran like their life depended on it, which it most definitely did. The only people who were left at the scene were the civilians, my team and Aldo, standing about bewildered at their opponents' sudden withdrawal.
Six cars in total. Six men in suits and shades stepped out from their individual vehicles. One guy took off his shades and the last thing I saw was his mesmerizing violet eyes, before pitch black.
a/n: ya'll probably hate me for my blackout cliffhangers don't you? tell me if you do, coz my comment sections are awfully quiet, now i'm not tryna force anyone, i know it takes courage to comment but if you ever have anything to say, literally anything, my comment section is open. i love listening to other peoples problem, strange, i know. yeah, so, uh, i hope you liked this chapter. QotB is slowly coming to an end, stay tuned!