BRUTAL
chapter four
weird lizard
"THE CASE OF PHINEAS GAGE IS ONE OF THE GREAT MEDICAL CURIOSITIES OF ALL TIME." Adrian was resting his hand on his palm as he listened to the man in the front of the class. "Phineas was a railroad worker in 1848 who had a nightmarish accident."
His notebook held some doodles as his pencil guided him on the piece of paper. "A large iron rod was driven completely through his head." This caught Adrian's attention and the boy closed his notebook, putting his full attention on the teacher.
"Phineas miraculously survived. He seemed fine. And physically, yes, he was."
"But his injury resulted in a complete change to his personality." Adrian leaned closer, his converse dragging along the tiled floor of the classroom. "So much so that friends that knew him started referring to him as 'No longer Gage.'"
Adrian raised his eyebrows once he saw Will turn around and look at the girl beside him, who quickly turned away. He kept himself from smiling and turned back to the front. "At the time, this was known as the American Crowbar Case. Although it wasn't a-." The man was cut off abruptly by the door slamming open.
Adrian looked over to see Dustin carrying his bag and panting. "I am so sorry, Mr. Clarke. Really, I'm so sorry. Please continue with the class. Don't mind me."
Adrian snorted in laughter, covering his mouth quickly when everyone stared at him. "Although it wasn't a crowbar, it was a rod, as I said."
Adrian furrowed his eyebrows as the four boys in the front huddled together, whispers leaving their mouths.
Dustin turned around and looked at both Max and Adrian before mouthing something. "Dustin!"
"Yes, my lord?" Dustin spoke quickly, and Adrian covered his laugh with a cough.
"Would you care to join the class now?" Mr. Clarke asked the boy.
"Please, yes." Dustin reached down into his backpack, pulling out his textbook. "The case of Phineas Gage." Mr. Clarke told him.
"Phineas Gage," Dustin repeated. "Page 104."
"104. 104." He zipped his backpack up and flipped to that exact page.
"Focus." Mr. Clarke encouraged the curly-haired boy. "Focusing. Focusing."
Dustin turned back to the two, mouthing something again. "AV Club." Adrian nodded and Max gave him a thumbs up.
"-And he began to curse, using terrible words that I don't repeat here." Mr. Clarke continued with his lesson.
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Dustin slammed his ghost trap down and opened it, letting the five other teenagers take a look at what was in it.
"His name is D'Artagnan." Dustin picked the thing up and let it rest in his hands.
"D'Artagnan?" Mike asked, disgust evident in his tone of voice. "Dart for short."
Adrian looked at it from next to Will and grimaced. "And he was in your trash?" Max asked, her red hair glowing in the small light.
"Foraging for food." Dustin looked up at the girl as if he had gotten an idea. "You wanna hold him?" Max quickly shook her head. "No. No."
"He doesn't bite," Dustin reassured. "I don't want to-." Dustin ignored her and placed him in her hands. "Oh, ew, he's slimy!" She spoke before passing it to Lucas.
"Ugh, he's like a living booger." He didn't hesitate to give it to Will, who passed it to Adrian.
Adrian scrunched up his nose as the thing looked at him before bowing down. He shook his head before passing it to Mike.
Mike brought him up to his face and looked down at the creature. "What is he?"
"My question exactly," Dustin answered, walking over to his bag as Mike set him back inside Dustin's trap.
Dustin returned, setting a pile of books on the table. "At first, I thought it was some type of pollywog."
Max leaned in at the new word. "Pollywog?"
"It's another word for tadpole. A tadpole is the larval stage of a toad." Max nodded. "I know what a tadpole is."
"All right, then you know that most tadpoles at aquatic, right?" Adrian nodded. "Well, Dart, he isn't. He doesn't need water."
Lucas looked up at this. "Yeah, but aren't there non-aquatic pollywogs?"
"Terrestrial Pollywogs? Yep. Two to be exact. Indirana Semipalmata. And the Adenonera Andreae. One's from India, one's from South America. So how did one end up in my trash?"
Adrian was leaning against the wall, behind the rest of the group when he noticed the Will was beginning to look worried and uncomfortable.
"Maybe some scientists brought it here, and it escaped?" Max suggested, not really knowing what to say herself.
"Do you guys see that?" Mike looked down at the ghost trap, causing Adrian to raise his eyebrows and walk up, peering down at the creature that was in it.
Something in its body moved around and Adrian grimaced. "Looks like something is moving inside of it."
Mike picked up the lamp that was the only source of light and pointed it at Dart, only for the creature to screech and crawl over the wires to the trap.
Mike jumped back, accidentally stepping on Adrian's foot.
Adrian pushed the boy off of him and looked at Dustin like he was crazy when he started soothing the thing in his hands.
"And there's another thing." Dustin started, looking up at the group of teenagers that surrounded him. "Reptiles, they're cold-blooded. Ectothermic, right?" Mike nodded.
"They live heat, the sun. Dart hates it. It hurts him." Dustin explained as the creature in his hands calmed down from his touch.
"So, if he's not a pollywog or a reptile..." Lucas trailed off, waiting for someone to finish for him. "Then I've discovered a new species."
Adrian found himself looking at Will, who stared at Dart in fear. He was about to get up to comfort him, but the bell rang, causing Will to jump and snap out of it.
The group swung their backpacks on their shoulders and exited the room, still talking about the creature that Dustin discovered.
"We gotta show him to Mr. Clarke." Adrian walked next to Max and Will as other teenagers tore through the halls. "What if he tries to steal my discovery?" Adrian scoffed at the curly-haired boy's words.
"He's not gonna steal your discovery," Mike told him, annoyed.
"You know, I'm thinking about calling it Dustonious pollywogus." Adrian laughed at the ridiculous name.
"What do you think?" Dustin asked Max, who had just caught up beside him. "I think you're an idiot."
"Well said." Adrian praised and Max smiled at him.
"You know when I become rich and famous for this one day, don't come crawling back, saying, 'Dustin, I'm so sorry before being mean to you back in 8th grade.'"
Adrian stopped and turned around to Will, who was just staring at them. "Hey. You okay?"
Will looked at the boy and nodded, continuing down the hall. Adrian followed the boy with his gaze but shrugged, deciding not to bug him about it.
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Adrian was already with Dustin, Lucas, and Max, and the four of them were waiting on Mike and Will.
Dustin sighed and just decided to go ahead and show him. "This is the reason I was late for class." He set his ghost trap in front of the teacher.
"Pretty neat. These doors function?" Mr. Clarke asked as he started messing with the trap. "Well, yeah, obviously. But it's not about the trap. It's what's inside."
Adrian sighed, resting his head in his hands. "Now, this very well may change your perception of the world."
Mr. Clarke smiled. "Consider my interest piqued." He said warmly. "All right, first, let's just clarify that... this is my discovery, not yours."
"Damnit, Dustin. Just show him!" Adrian shouted at the boy, getting a disapproving look from Mr. Clarke.
"Just a moment-."
"Dustin, Jesus! Just show him!" Lucas shouted this time.
"I'm just trying to clarify-."
"Dustin!" Max shouted.
"Okay, fine." Dustin looked up with a smile. Adrian turned around quickly when the door opened. A distressed Mike and anxious Will burst through the door. "Stop!" Mike shouted, rushing over and grabbing the trap.
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Clarke. It was just a stupid prank. I told him to stop. We need to go. Right now. Right now!" Adrian gave confused glances to everyone before following Mike and Will out of the door.
The group of six ran down the halls, stopping in front of the AV Club room. "Adrian and Max, stay out here."
Adrian scoffed and crossed his arms. "In case you forgot, I'm a part of the AV Club now, so technically, I'm allowed in there."
Mike rolled his eyes. "Not this time." He said before slamming the door in his face. Adrian sighed and sat down, his legs set out straight.
After about five minutes Max got impatient and she stood up, banging on the wooden door. "Hello? Hello? Guys, come on. Can we come in yet?"
"No!" Mike shouted at her. Adrian laughed slightly in annoyance before also getting up, walking over to the door.
He placed his ear up against the door and tried to hear what they were saying, but was only able to make out a few words.
"Will saw...looked...Dart...year." His eyebrows furrowed and he got even closer, smirking when he was able to hear a little more.
"He heard it...the exact same sound."
"Why didn't...tell us before?"
"I wasn't sure."
Wasn't sure about what. Max gave Adrian a look and he shrugged, pushing himself even closer.
"What if when Will was...the Upside Down, he...True Sight?" Adrian sighed when he still wasn't able to hear every word they were saying and moved away, trying to think.
"Do you know how to pick a lock?" Adrian asked Max, and the girl nodded.
Adrian unzipped his backpack and pulled out a paper clip, unfolding it before giving it to the redhead.
Max got onto her knees and stuck the paper clip into the lock, messing around with it until she heard a click.
She looked at Adrian, who nodded. Max pursed her lips and pushed the door open, only to be met with a weird creature running out of the room.
They all came running out of the room, Dustin and Lucas tripping over Max.
"Where'd he go?" Mike asked as he looked down the hall.
"What was that?" Max asked him, causing Mike to angrily look at her.
"Dart!" Mike shouted. "What?" Max was shocked that that thing was the same small creature from that morning.
"You let him escape!" Mike yelled at her, causing Adrian to lunge at him, but he was held back by something. It was more of a feeling, but it wasn't at the same time, it felt like someone was holding him back.
"Why did you attack him?" Dustin yelled at Mike as he pushed him against the wall. "Come on," Mike said irritatedly.
"Don't hurt him! Don't you hurt him!"
And that's how the manhunt began, except it wasn't for a man, instead for a creature.
we don't like season 2 mike 🤩
i think we can all agree that season 1 mike is the best mike /j i love all mike's