Room 204 (#OpenNovellaContest2021)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

It was mostly dark in the classroom except for the red glow of the flashing light bulb and bits of moonlight casting in from the windows. It gave the classroom and eerie hue. I shook my head, trying to displace some of the confusion I felt. Yesterday felt like a fever dream, but the crick in my neck from sleeping with my head on the desk confirmed that I was very much still in this nightmare.

"Would you shut the hell up?! I'm not trying to kill myself!"

The window opening and some of the kids arguing had woken me up.

"Hey, what's going on?" I whispered as I walked over to where they were.

Jackson's face showed frustration when he glanced over his shoulder at me. Alex was watching them from her spot against a wall and Emma was still sleeping.

"This idiot is going to fall two stories if he doesn't get his ass inside, now!"

That last exclamation was intended for Jeremy who was now scrambling out our two-story window while Jackson watched helplessly. Jackson threw his hands up in frustration wanting me to intervein.

"Just give me a minute, I'll be fine."

"Jeremy, it's raining, you're going to slip!"

Jackson's voice had taken on a whine I didn't expect out of the linebacker.

Before I could get a word in edge wise, Jeremy scurried across the ledge. I heard a few thumps and then he exclaimed "Yes!"

He climbed back inside and started asking for different supplies. He was speaking quickly and I was still a little groggy and confused, not entirely sure if I was still dreaming as I rummaged around in different cabinets for what he was asking for.

I handed him some tubing, a roll of duct tape, and an empty tote, the contents of said tote now strowed across a table. Jackson continued scowling, clearly frustrated at the situation. Jeremy being on the ledge was making him extremely nervous. Being Jeremy's teacher, I shouldn't have let him climb out, but I was honestly curious what he was doing, and he seemed athletic enough to handle himself. He knew the cost if he fell, I didn't think he'd risk it for nothing.

Jeremy came back inside a few moments later, his wet shoes squeaking on the waxed floor. He pulled the piece of tubing in behind him.

"I kicked at one of the joints on the down spout and it popped right off, taped the tubing straight on it. You'd think with all that Georgia lottery money, they'd update some of this stuff around here."

He pulled a chair up near the window and sat the tote on it. Not long after we heard the sound of rain dripping into the tote and Jeremy's smile could've lit up a stadium.

"If we're going to be stuck in here, we need some water. We can boil this on the Bunsen burners too. It'll be safer than boiling the tap water."

I agreed with him, boiling the tap water should make it safe, but watching those things outside rip people to shreds made me leery to test it out. We didn't have enough information yet. If it could do this to humans, it wasn't a run of the mill virus or contaminant or whatever you wanted to call it.

"Yes,' I clapped my hands together 'that is some great thinking Jeremy. Thank you so much." I patted him on the back. Jackson seemed relaxed now that Jeremy was inside and agreed that it was good thinking. Jeremy's smile faded for just a second and I could see him contemplate sharing something with the group.