This is the first of two chapters posted on 9-6-16...
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The next morning started uneventfully with them simply getting up and ready quietly. The route to the school was surprisingly boring and most of the day went by like any other. Until they got to Math.
Mr. Archer clapped his hands to get the attention of the bored midday class. "We have decided to change up the normal school day," he stated, "the school has decide to take you all on a small field trip to the Manteno State Hospital. We will be visiting the ruins of the old hospital. Since your parental figures have already signed an all encompassing release form, we did not need to send home a note. You will need a notebook and pencil, preferably mechanical."
The students quickly gathered all of their supplies, excited at the prospect of a field trip.
When the group got on the bus there were barely any seats left. Courtney and Jake spotted the only seat left open and went to sit. Elizabeth saw two seats that were close by each other and went to sit in one. She pointed to the other and Mark went and sat down.
Elizabeth realized who Mark was sitting by, Mason. "I'm so sorry," Elizabeth whispered. Mark smiled but didn't respond.
Elizabeth turned around to see who she got stuck with sitting with. "Ugh," she moaned.
"Now well isn't this just a coincidence," Adrian said smiling.
"Adrian....." Elizabeth grumbled. She scooted closer to the aisle but was stopped when a warm arm wrapped around her waist.
Elizabeth turned to glare at Adrian but her breathe caught when she realized how close his face was to hers. They stared intently at each other. Adrian cracking a smile. Elizabeth was the one to break the silence.
"Okay I'm just going to move over there," she told him when the bus was at a stop light. She unwound his arm from around her and got up to go to where Mark was sitting. Thankfully he was talking to boy named Liam in the seat in front of him, and didn't see the little scene that had just gone down between Elizabeth and Adrian.
Elizabeth shot a glare at Mason and stated pointedly, "Move." Elizabeth nodded towards the seat where Adrian was currently perched.
"What you going to do if I don't?" He replied teasingly.
Liam overheard this and quietly whispered to Mark, "Oooo..."
Mark glared at Liam playfully and then turned to the scene unfolding beside him.
"Move." Elizabeth stated once again, a deadly calm penetrating her voice. Doing this only made her command that more threatening. But, when Mason didn't comply she simply started counting, "One... Two... Three." When she finished she reached over and grabbed Mason's upper arm and yanked him out of the seat. But of course the light just had to turn green at that same moment.
Mason pitched forward knocking into her and nearly making her fall backwards into the seat behind her. The only thing keeping her upright was her grip on his arm. Mason, being the obnoxious boy he was immediately noticed how close he was to her, stated, "You just had to ask if you wanted me to get closer."
Angered by his stupid comment she roughly shoved him into the seat next to Adrian and took her spot next to Mark.
"You're feisty today," Mark whispered into Elizabeth's ear, grinning. She punched him in the arm and crossed her arms over her chest. "See? That just proves my point."
Elizabeth simply rolled her eyes and settled into the seat for the rest of the ride.
A time skip brought to you by annoying teenage boys...
As the bus pulled up to the abandoned building, the students anxiously bounced in there seats, ready to get off the stuffy bus and stretch their legs.
As Elizabeth and Mark waited for their turn to exit the bus, Elizabeth overheard Mason talking to Adrian. By the way, not a good combination.
"So you and Thames?" Mason asked as wiggled his eyebrows.
Adrian laughed. "Oh I wish....." he told him letting his words drop off. Like he sensed that some one listening he turned around and caught Elizabeth listening in. She held his gaze stubbornly. Adrian was the one to look away.
After they got off the bus, Elizabeth and Mark walked over to Courtney and Jake who were sitting forehead to forehead, their noses nearly touching, smiling at each other. As they approached, Mark made a gagging sound once they got close enough for them to hear and pointed at the back of his throat. Courtney playfully glared at him and lightly slapped his arm. He feigned pain and dramatically fell to the concrete.
Courtney poked him in the side with her shoe. "Are you alive?" she questioned.
"Nope," Mark breathed, "I'm dead." To exaggerate his point, he closed his eyes and let his tongue hang out the side of his mouth.
Courtney rolled her eyes and grabbed his limp arms and pulled him into a sitting position. "Get up fatso. You're too heavy for me to lift you," she remarked. Mark slowly stood up and grinned at the rest of the group as they made their way towards the large group of people forming around the teachers.
Mr. Archer, Mrs. Smith, Mr. MacGruim and Mr. Mitchells all stood among the milling crowd of students trying to get them to form groups. After a few minutes of trying they got tired of the students talking over them and Mrs. Smith climb onto the steps and clapped a pattern. The students mimicked it. She did it again to the same result before the students calmed down and looked up at the petite woman. "Form groups of four to seven!" she yelled out to the crowd of students.
Chaos ensued after. Exclamations of "One more person over here!" and "Come here already!" exploded across the crowd. The group of four stood apart from the chaos and watched as groups started to form. Once Mrs. Smith was satisfied with the groups she yelled once again, "You will be allowed to roam around the hospital but you must stay in sight of at least one of the teachers." She looked around at the rest of the teachers, "Is there anything else I missed?" They shook there heads and she looked back towards the crowd, "You are dismissed!"
Everyone quickly dispersed and went on their way to the abandoned building in front of them.
The four of them stayed near the back of the horde of students as they pushed and shoved their way to the front of the crowd. They funneled though the main doors and went to explore the old hospital.
As they entered the old abandoned building, a long hallway confronted them, it's doorways standing guard over the practically untouched rooms. The barren rooms ready for use if it wasn't for the thick blanket of dust over everything. It would have been creepy if it wasn't for the chatter of the students milling through the corridor.
As they made their way through corridor after corridor they slowly started to drift off from the main group. They separated at a small nearly hidden hallway as they snuck off to explore the building more throughly.
As they snuck around one of the teachers, Mark opened his mouth to speak and barely got a squeak out before Courtney shushed him. He raised his hand. Courtney gestured for him to put his hand down. He lowered it slightly but kept it in the air. As the teacher and group of students passed away, Courtney finally acknowledged Mark's raised hand. "What?!" she whispered furiously.
Mark let out a heavy breath and loudly whispered back, "I need to pee..."
"Really? That's all you wanted to say?" Courtney asked in disbelief. He nodded his head. "I have one question," Courtney stated, "Why did you have to ask?"
"Well... I don't know where the bathroom is..." he replied.
"Really dude? Just go find a porta-potty if you really need to," Courtney muttered awkwardly.
He walked to the end of the slim hallway they were hidden in and peaked out into the larger corridor. When the course was clear, he quickly ran down the hall and around the corner, disappearing from the group's sight.
Mark hurried around the next few corners frantically searching the building for a porta-potty or something to relieve himself in.
As he rounded yet another corner, a sound stopped him in his tracks. A low guttural grunt sounded from further down the small hallway. He slowly crept forward and froze when he saw what made the noise. Six full-grown Laestrygonians stood in the hall not twenty paces away from him. He stood there frozen in shock and simply stared.
Once he gathered his wits he slowly began to turn around. Step by agonizing step went by as he made his way down the hall. As he took one last step to get out of the small passage, the floorboards squeaked ever so slightly. The cannibalistic giants were instantly alert but when they turned to see what had made the sound, Mark had already rounded the corner. He pressed up against the wall, held his breath, and prayed to the gods that wouldn't come around the corner.
One of the intimidating monster came a measly three steps away from him before turning around and going back to his hiding spot, his curiosity satisfied.
Mark crept from his place on the wall, down the corridor, and around the corner. He burst into a run once he rounded the corner and sprinted back to where the group still sat.
He ran up to them, huffing and puffing, and said, "There's a little problem..."
"What do you mean 'little problem?'" Elizabeth questioned, "How 'little' is this problem?"
"Huge," Mark replied simply, "There's a group of Laestrygonians around the corner. I went around and snuck up behind them but they're expecting someone to come from our direction."
"An ambush maybe?" Jake suggested.
"Most likely," Elizabeth answered, "but the question is how to spring the trap without getting trapped..."