3: The Resource Department Incident

Alex instinctively got up from the chair and took a few steps back.

*Scrreecchh…*

Another screeching noise came from the corridor but this time Alex could feel that it was moving towards him. He walked out of the room and looked in the distance. Soon his eyes fell on something near the staircase. Alex’s heart began to race faster as sweat drops ran down his back.

There was a black thing with the body like a monkey but having claws and face with an evil smile filled with fangs. Its eye sockets were completely white similar to the inside of its mouth. The thing looked at Alex with a tilted head and screamed its sharp scream. The next moment it travelled at incredible speeds towards him pouncing on the ceiling and walls back and forth as it made its way towards him.

The 16-year-old found his body completely stiff with fear unable to move. Gritting his teeth, he used all his will power to dive to his side barely avoiding the creature. Alex shakingly looked back and found the creature had crashed into the wall like a cartoon character.

‘Shit! Shit! Shit!... MOVE!!’ Alex thought to himself as he tried to force his body to get up and run away.

“HELP!! Somebody HELP!! HELP!!...” He screamed his lungs out but there was no response whatsoever. Just as Alex got up the creature’s head turned backwards a full 180 degrees. Alex gulped remembering the countless horror movies that he had watched and figuring what was going to happen next.

Not wanting to be the character who dies first in the movie Alex ignored the creature’s disturbing flexibility and ran like crazy. He knew that the creature was coming but he couldn’t afford to look back. He didn’t have to. A strong gust of wind seemed to blew past him as he found the creature on the ceiling on all fours smiling at him its evil smile. Alex didn’t even get a second to process what happened next as the creature lunged at him.

‘It’s over…’ Or that’s what Alex had thought as he felt his hand grabbing something hard like a wood. Alex, who’s eyes were shut due to fear shot open as he found the pentagon shaped wood. A black force emerged from it blocking the creature’s claw. For a second the creature tried to push the black force back but instead got overwhelmed by its pressure and was flung to the other side of the corridor.

‘Th-This… how the hell did this got here?!’ Alex wondered as he looked at the now glowing thing. But Alex didn’t have the luxury to worry about that. The creature had already gotten back up and seemingly enraged. It came at Alex much faster than before.

“SHIT!! SHIT!! H-How does this …work?!” Alex made strange expressions with the wooden thing but to no avail. “Come on! GIVE ME SOMETHING!” Alex shouted as he got desperate. The next moment from the triangular side of the pentagon a rustic sword emerged which was close to 60 cm in length. From the other side a handle emerged.

Alex furrowed his brows as he wondered whether this thing believed that he could fight that thing with such a sword. But he had no time to think. It was either do or die. Despite the fear flooding through Alex’s body there was one more thing which allowed him to stand up and face this creature. It was the instinct to survive!

Unknown to Alex his right eye was slightly engulfed by a black energy. Suddenly he felt that the creature was moving slower than usual but it was still quick nevertheless. Tightening his grip on the sword Alex quickly side stepped and swung it with both hands.

“HAAAA…” He shouted to dissolve his fear and to give him strength.

*SCCCRRREECCHHH…*

The creature’s roar resounded like a big explosion as Alex turned around and found its severed arm on the floor disintegrating quickly while the creature was wailing in pain. Alex blinked in surprise wondering whether he was the one who had actually done this.

The creature then glared at Alex before quickly jumping out the window. Alex quickly followed it and looked over the window only to find it nowhere. It was as if it had vanished in broad day light.

The sword and hilt went back inside the wood pentagon the same way that they had emerged. There was pin drop silence for the next couple of moments as Alex tried to process what happened. Suddenly it dawned on him.

Alex was trying to comprehend what had just happened when he suddenly noticed a change, noise, he could hear someone's footsteps not only that but he was also able to hear the noises of the students coming from down below which had completely shut off a while ago.

He found that the resources department manager- Mr. Norman was coming his way. His first thought was to blabber everything out. But then reality seeped in, who will believe him? The wooden thing? He didn’t even know how it got here in the first place when he had left it in his dorm.

'Crap how am I going to explain the board now, surely, he won't believe my weird paranormal activity... I better come up with something good.' Alex then glanced at the floor where the creature’s arm was supposed to be but it had completely disintegrated and vanished.

"Ah here for the tie, right? wait a minute I'll go and get it for you." Mr. Norman said as he approached the resources room. However, upon entering the room he was shocked. This was of course because of the writing board.

"Care to explain what happened here young man?" Mr. Norman asked as he poked his head out of the room.

Principal's Office:

"Hooligan, he's just a delinquent of a boy, sir let me give him a good hammering I'll—

"Wait let him explain himself." Michael interjected the angry warden. When the warden came to know about what Alex had done, he thought of adding fuel to the fire and make his life miserable.

"Sir it is indeed correct that I was at the resources room but I didn't damage the board. Can you even point out an object in the resources room that would have made it possible for me to damage that board to such an extent?" Alex said in a clam manner looking at Mr. Norman who had seen the damage first hand.

To this the warden was taken aback. Mr. Norman also believed it to be true, there was no such thing in the room that could produce such results. One would need a sharp object to make those deep marks and that too with enough strength. However, it was not entirely impossible but to have done it and then hide the tool would mean to know the room properly which Alex clearly did not.

"Well, you are not wrong, this must be some student trying to create a rumor of an animal in the school. These children... I can't even comprehend what is going on in their minds anymore. Mr. Andrew please check the student’s belongings for a sharp knife or something, it is still dangerous in the hands of the students." Michael said to the warden and continued " Alex you can return to your dorm but you must not say a word of this to anyone"

"I understand sir, I won't mention it" Alex responded. The day went by as dinner time arrived.

Dinner was at 9: 00 p.m. after a prayer service which the whole school had to attend in the school hall, they were then led to the cafeteria. Although it was regarded as compulsory, it was only for the first few days as after that the prefects didn’t care much when the students had their dinner. Students from 3rd to 8th grade dined in the jr. school building's cafeteria while students from 9th to 12th dined in the main building's cafeteria.

During dinner students were happily chatting away having food under the watchful eye of the prefects. However, the topic for today's discussion was the resources department incident but students weren't particularly worried because they could guess that it was some stupidly bold students playing a prank.

Alex was dragged by Grey to sit with his friends. Alex didn't know why was he complying to this devil in human's skin, he thought he was getting influenced by his powers. As Alex took a seat he was confused as to how the students came to know about the resource department incident.

“So, what’s all this commotion about today?” Alex asked playing dumb.

"Haven't you heard there seems to be a wild animal on the run" Grey replied. "And how did you come to know about this?" Alex asked doubting whether the warden must have done it to get back at him.

"Apparently our math sir Mr. Brice had gone to the resources room to meet Mr. Norman but seeing the door unlocked he went inside and saw claw marks everywhere and after which that scaredy cat went around shouting about some animal. Well personally I think it should be the work of some students, they--"

"Wait! what did you say !? claw marks everywhere?" Alex interjected.

"Yeah, wouldn't have believed in it if I hadn't saw Mr. Brice with my own eyes shouting like a madman." Grey replied earnestly.

"And you all believed Mr. Brice's weird story?" Alex asked with a dumb face.

"Well obviously no, though it seems a little bit difficult for students to have done it, it's not impossible" Nova replied. ‘Does that mean… that thing came back there again after I left?’ Alex thought to himself as a cold shiver ran down his spine.

"So, what about the resources room now? what is Mr. Norman going to do?" Tom asked taking a seat beside Alex.

"Well, Mr. Norman will be shifted in a day or two to somewhere else in the building and for the resources room the principal has put 2 guards around it for watch." Grey said.

"Say come to think of it why are the students not worried about the resources department incident?" Alex asked as he looked at everyone’s carefree behavior.

"That's because they don't know the actual condition of the room, the guard's drove away any student coming to inspect the incident of the resources room." Nina replied.

"Yeah, even we came to know about the actual situation because of what Grey told us" Maddy added.

"But of course, even we know that there is no chance of an animal getting in the campus lest the main building even if our school is partially connected to the forest, it must be some students but I have to say they are definitely playing a dangerous prank" Tom explained. Alex observed everyone, he couldn’t but feel a sorry for them. After all that was no animal that he had encountered today.

The following day Alex woke up at time for the roll call, the warden came and checked for the student’s belongings, he also stripped their lockers down to find something sharp that could have made those claw wounds however nothing was found.

The warden had made somewhat of an enmity towards Alex. He thought the boy was trouble. Alex couldn't care less what he thought of him.

Today was a half day for students. This was due to Mr. Brice's constant plea for a holiday for students, saying that the animal might attack. As a result, the classes got over around 10:30 after which students were roaming around the campus.

After leaving the classroom he was hanging out with the rest of the gang (Nova, Maddy, Tom, Nina) except Grey who had disappeared somewhere. Alex found that they weren't a bad bunch, he felt comfortable around them.

Apparently, Tom and Maddy were a couple, which after finding out Alex was indeed surprised as he sarcastically explained the reason to Maddy being tomboyish which she was even without short hair, as she had a bold voice and Tom being an intelligent person who wouldn't fall for her charms.

This got him a beating from Maddy and a helpless smile from Tom. Nina and Nova were amazed by Alex's straight forwardness and laughed at his predicament.

They came to the football field watching the senior’s practice. Suddenly Alex saw Grey on the field, he was going to the far end of the left corner which was isolated from the rest of the field.

There was nothing much of significant in the corner, just an old shack and from the way it was positioned nobody on the field would even have a proper visual on it so it was easy to slip into.

‘Where is he going…’ Alex felt curious so he left the rest of the group saying that he forgot something in the classroom. He then went to the field from the other side of the stadium steps.

After reaching the corner of the field he found that the shack was really old but was clean. 'The cleaners must have a daily routine to clean it.' Alex thought while entering the old wooden hut.

The inside wasn't much with a few broken equipment and nothing else. There was nothing of significance. 'But where the hell did Grey disappeared to? he had clearly entered it' Alex thought ' there must be a secret door or something.'

It was the only plausible explanation Alex could come up with for Grey's disappearance. He started checking the walls and the floor for something like a secret door.

But after searching for about ten minutes, he found nothing. ' Does this shack have some highly advanced method of hiding its secret door, unless...' Alex's attention suddenly went on the carpet below his feet.

'It should be somewhere...here voila!' When Alex turned the carpet, he saw a door on the floor. It had a handle size gap to the side to open it. On opening he found that underneath was a well caved path enough for one person to fit in. It led to the opposite side of the shack towards the forest to the outside of the school directly into the forest.

There was light coming from the exit. Alex came out of the cave like path into the forest. This side of the forest was on high grounds so he was able to get a clear view of the near town. He then hurried down the path in hopes of catching Grey. The path opened up to a road in the city. But he was late. 'He must already have gone into the town, well but since I have already come this far might as well explore a little'. Alex thought.

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