Will scrubbed his face clean of the remnants of the marker. Thankfully, the children had given Loki whiteboard markers. Easy to remove with a bit of hand soap and a cloth.
Night had fallen, and the children, exhausted from playing all afternoon, fell asleep despite their meagre dinner. Granola bars, cold porridge and whatever remained of the yogurt that was still good. Though Will had tried to keep the fridge door closed as long as possible, the yogurt was starting to turn. The snack-sized cheeses were also going soft. Growing concern over the lack of food began to gnaw at Will almost as much as the hunger.
Their chances of finding more options were beyond the walls of their haven. There were still no signs of Fenrir or the giant snake, though believing they were gone was foolish.
Loki had insisted on telling a story to the children, which did help distract them from their hunger. The tale involved Thor, Loki and a giant king, Utgarda-Loki, who dared them to various contests. One of which was an eating contest for which Loki volunteered. Brutish and temperamental, Thor was challenged to a drinking contest. Should he finish the mead in the horn, he would be crowned the best drinker in the world. Naturally, the oaf failed miserably and even failed in the following simple tasks, like picking up a cat and beating an old woman in a wrestling match. On the other hand, Loki won his eating contest because he was remarkable, handsome, and talented (Will rolled his eyes from his place near the door). Thor was banished from ever entering Utgarda-Loki's castle and fled like a simpering dog with his tail between his legs.
The children loved it, especially Charlie. She sat so close to Loki, their knees touched, her eyes brimming with wonder. Out of all of them, Charlie had grown on Loki. He accepted her constant hovering and pestering questions with minimal sass.
Will couldn't help but wonder if Utgarda-Loki and Loki were the same person. Pranks were Loki's specialty, after all, as Will experienced.
"Thank god what you used was washable," Will muttered, staring at the stained cloth. The last thing he wanted to do was run around during the apocalypse with marker on his face. "What did you write?"
"Fool." Loki held the phone up to his nose and sniffed it. He tapped the screen and flinched when it lit up. "This contraption... it's like magic?"
There were many things in the school that Loki found fascinating, though nothing quite like the device he held. Even the delight in the markers faded away when he learned about the magic of technology. Yet another reminder that Will was dealing with an ancient deity who had been locked away for centuries.
"I suppose, in a way." Will plucked the phone from Loki's hand and unlocked it. "It's a cellphone. We use it to communicate with others."
"And this... Taylor Swift lives in this cell phone?" Loki grinned a villainous smirk. "What a cruel form of punishment. I approve."
"No, she doesn't live 'in' the phone." Will sighed and pulled up his music list. Ignored the warning that indicated the battery was at fifteen percent. "This is called a recording. Taylor Swift—wherever she is now—recorded this song. Then the song was uploaded to this app. A place where music is stored—look."
Will pulled up Norse music, and the haunting, rolling music that drifted out made Loki stiffen. Loki and Will had taken up post outside the classroom. A half-drunk bottle of instant coffee sat next to Will, while an empty yogurt container sat next to Loki. Light from the flashlight propped upright between them cast a ghostly haze in the hallway.
The trickster stared at the phone and then jabbed the screen with his finger.
"That sounds like music from my people," he gasped, with the same elated expression from earlier. "What sort of witchcraft is this?"
"It's science, mainly, though if you want to debate it, I guess science is like magic," Will said, giving a half-shrug. "We've come a long way since your time. We drive vehicles that don't need horses, we can fly in the sky, and we've been where the stars and moon reside—" Loki's eyes shone brightly in the dark hall, leaning in as if Will were telling the most captivating story. "And we have the internet, which means access to the world using things like this." He shook his phone, the smile slipping off his lips like a tear. "And all of it's gone now... thanks to us."
Silence drifted through the night veil. Without distraction, haunting thoughts swirled freely in Will's mind. There was no relentless hum of the city's white noise. No wailing sirens tore through the night like their namesake. The absence of the city's white noise was almost as suffocating as the murky darkness enveloping them.
"Yes, it is your fault," Loki said. His voice was jarring under the heavy weight of quiet. Will stared at the trickster, who stood with a huff. "You let your class unleash Ragnarok. Did you expect me to indulge you and tell you all will be well?"
Hunger gnawed at Will's stomach, but a fit of striking hot anger distracted him. He stood as well. Weaselling under Will's skin seemed to be Loki's specialty.
"No, but a little empathy or encouragement might be nice," the teacher spat.
A tiny, tired voice cut through the argument. "Loki?"
Will climbed to his feet as Charlie stepped out of the classroom. "Did we wake you? I'm sorry."
"No... I can't sleep. I miss my mommy and daddy," Charlie sniffed, "and Fuzzy Panda...."
Loki had fallen silent as Will crouched in front of the child. In the dim light, she looked less like the child who'd shuffled into his classroom two days ago. The child-like wonder in her dark eyes had dimmed into sadness and fear. Her hair was frizzing, especially the braids that had lost their beads.
"I'm sorry, Charlie," he sighed, "Loki and I are trying to figure this out, okay?"
"Speak for yourself," Loki muttered.
"Whether you like it or not, we're in this together," the teacher pointed out, glaring at the trickster. The wavering in his voice wasn't convincing, and it was met with a dark chuckle.
"Wrong. I work alone."
"Really? Then why are you still here?" Will straightened, putting himself between child and trickster. "Could it be that, for once, you're not looked upon as a villain? Perhaps you have finally discovered what it's like to be adored?"
That much was true. Though it had only been a couple of days, the kindergarten class had gone from fearing Loki to adoring him. On some level, the trickster connected with the children, which not even Will achieved. An ancient being, certainly, but with a playful, mischievous demeanour that children found exciting. And if there was one thing Will knew about the Norse trickster, he was always causing mayhem and pranks. His antics made him unlikeable and distrustful. Having twenty little worshippers begging for attention—no wonder Loki hung around.
"Your constant analysis of my personality is exhausting," Loki sighed.
"But it's true, isn't it?" Will said.
"Loki, can you tell me another story?" Charlie asked suddenly.
A pause. Teacher and trickster looked at the little child, shivering in the hall, her eyes wide.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Will cautioned, but Loki approached the girl, a curious expression dancing in the twilight of his face.
"No, no, it's fine, Teacher. I will grant this little one her desire." The smirk appeared then, and Loki tapped Will's cheek. "You stay here and protect the rest of the little mice." He peered down at Charlie. "I have such glorious stories to share, little one."
"No, we're not having any more stories, Loki. We don't have time for this—"
Cool fingers of a breeze brushed the back of Will's neck, sending a chase of goosebumps down his spine. A rumble of thunder moved across the school, reaching even the basement. A menacing howl followed, and a growing unease bloomed in Will's gut. That sounded close. Too close.
Charlie inched closer to Loki, her shoulder brushing his thigh. It was difficult not to notice how she leaned into him and Loki's hand wrapped around her shoulders unconsciously.
From upstairs came a terrifying whack, as if something had been broken. The sound bounced off the empty halls, clattering down the stairs. Whether it was Loki or not, it didn't bode well for the kindergarten class.
"Loki, this isn't funny," Will whispered.
"It isn't me," the trickster said.
Suddenly, the teacher was shoved back against the wall, assaulted by the sharp spiced scent and a delicate hand pressed against his mouth. Soft strands of hair tickled his cheeks.
"Quite your squirming," Loki hissed, "and shut your mouth." His breath was hot as it touched Will's ear.
Frozen, Will strained to see in the murky depths of the school. Aside from the racket upstairs, all was still. Will could almost believe that Loki was messing with him, except that the trickster stood as still as a statue, his hand still covering Will's mouth. It took a sickeningly long moment to realize that Loki was listening.
The hand slipped away from Will's mouth, and he drew in a trembling breath. "Loki, what is going on?"
"Quiet," Loki snapped. He pulled away from Will's orbit, searching for something. Charlie, surprisingly, was nestled in Loki's arm. "You need to get the children up. Where is that pesky wand?"
Panic welled inside Will like a balloon. "Wha—why? No, I can't. Where am I supposed to take them?"
The floor trembled beneath them, catching Will by surprise. He braced himself against the wall as the tremble grew into a rumble like the thunder cracking the sky in two outside.
Loki threw his words carelessly at Will, desperate and nervous. "I said go!"
"Charlie?"
"I have her. Tend to the others."
There was no need to wake the children, however. A chorus of panicked screams and wails came from within the class. Glass shattered, and the school groaned and trembled. Loud popping and cracking spread through the hall. Almost as if the building was being crushed.
Loki was still trying to find something within the folds of his furs, but Will plunged into the classroom. The children were huddled in their makeshift fort. Dust, plaster and glass rained down on them, but Will skidded to a halt when he saw the windows.
At first, he thought it was the sky. The night was a thick veil without the light polluting the air, yet a flashlight could pierce through it. But what he saw was a void. A black so black it swallowed the flashlight, though not before Will could see a faint trace of scales. Smooth, constricting. He could imagine the void running around the entire building, crushing it, hoping to bury Will and his kindergarten class under the rubble.
Will paled.
"Jormungandr," he whispered just as the window panes cracked.
"Mr. P!" Alexandre screamed, yanking him out of his reverie.
The children had their hands over their heads, cherubic cheeks stained with dust. Will lurched forward, shoving the desks out of the way, clearing a path for the children.
"Go to the gym. We need to get out of here. Go, run!"
The children raced out of the room, moving as fast as their little legs could carry them. Will lost sight of Charlie and Loki, the dread of losing a child worse than any danger they've encountered thus far.
Once the last child was out the door, Will turned to follow when the infrastructure of the classroom splintered. The room imploded, metal, wood, and plaster catching Will in the crossfire. He toppled into the hall just as the classroom ceiling collapsed, smashing the precious fort he'd built for the kids. The hall shook, groaning under the squeezing restraint of the giant serpent, but Will couldn't focus. Ears ringing, coughing, and winded, Will could only stare at the ceiling. Plastic coverings for the lights fell, shattering around him. He hoped Loki had saved the kids and got them out of the school before his monstrous child killed them all.
And then, a pair of hands hoisting him off the ground. A husky, impatient voice penetrated the ringing. "Get up, you fool."
"Loki?" Will's head was a balloon, light and floating. "The children—"
"Are safe in the gym. But you won't be unless you move. Move your feet, dammit."
Though the gym was part of the school, it was still fully intact. There were rumblings, but nothing was falling. The walls didn't cave in. Impossible to believe, considering the giant snake wrapped around the school. Will thought he saw the walls shimmering and wondered if he had a concussion.
"There. You survived," Loki said, releasing Will. The teacher stared at his class, his vision swimming, and sighed.
"All twenty made it?"
"All twenty made it," Loki confirmed.
"Good... that's-that's good."
A distant throb punctured through the adrenaline, a hot stab in Will's side. He brought a trembling hand to his side, fingers coming away a brilliant red.
Loki's eyes fell on Will's stained fingers, and his brow creased. "Will?"
"I'm fine," Will said, though the words were sticking to his tongue. "We need to get out of here."
"We'll be fine here for now. I enchanted the place." Loki waved a long, slender stick. The head of it was pointed like a spearhead. "Meet Lævateinn."
"And what is Lævateinn?" Will asked. He leaned heavily against the wall. The children stared at the wand and then at the trickster.
Loki shrugged, inspecting the stick with delight. "My wand. Or, well, not really a wand, but it does possess some magic. Last time I used this, Hodr killed his brother. I forgot I had this little fucker, but it's come through for me once again."
Will swallowed, words clogging his throat. He couldn't get them out, but his anger brought a fresh bout of pain. Of course, Loki had a magic wand—or whatever it was—and didn't mention it until now.
For a frightening moment, the world darkened, and Will felt a stab of searing pain in his side. His shirt was sticky and soaked red, which alarmed his class. Twenty little kids wailing and screaming, wanting their parents broke Will. He knew he'd failed his class by throwing them into danger.
Loki was beside him, cupping his chin with a tender touch. Twenty little kindergartners clustered around them, staring at their teacher with terror.
"You need to rest," Loki said.
"You need to get the children to safety." How hard it was to speak. Will's head was light as a feather, and he knew he wouldn't be going anywhere.
An obstinate glare from Loki, the argument ready behind his scarred lips. He never had the chance. A thunderous clap shook the gym, threatening the precious enchantment Loki had conjured. And through the thunder came a new, booming voice that filled the empty air of the gym.
"Hello, Loki."
What's this!? Another chapter! Yes, surprise, it's a double feature ;) this is a longer chapter, but I hope you enjoy!