Sons of Night

Mayden’s POV
I had hoped that the next day of school would be better than the last. Of course I was exhausted, and more or less angry enough to try to fight everyone. After Andy’s unannounced appearance the night before, I had gotten exactly no more sleep. That left my total hours at about three. Three hours of sleep to make it through the day. At least that meant that the feelings of eyes on my back where slightly dulled in my sleepwalk-like state. So that made my day a bit better. That was until third bell when I lost the battle to sleep depravity and unintentionally took a nap.
“Mayden, wake up!” The nasally voice of Mrs. Alzoa assaulted my sleeping mind and ripped me out of my beautiful nap. I groggily lifted my head and looked around the room. It had just been the beginning of class, and now everyone was filing out of the room. Mrs. Alzoa was leaning over me with a scowl plastered on her wrinkled face.
“You look a bit dazed. Maybe you wouldn’t feel that way if my class wasn’t your nap time,” She snapped, frowning even deeper.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night,” I croaked, as I began to sit up and pack my things.
“Sorry is not good enough. I will see you after school. Three hour detention,” She announced. I looked at her like she had nine heads.I’d never been in any trouble before. My heart sank, that was the last thing I wanted to do.
“Okay,” I said. The disgust was clear in my voice, but I think she enjoyed my displeasure.
“You better hurry yourself up to class, so you don’t get a detention for being late to that class as well as sleeping through mine. I am not writing a pass,” She snapped, walking away. I grabbed all of my things and stumbled out the door of the classroom and into the hallway, trying not to fall on my still sleeping legs. I trudged quickly through the hallway with my heart fully sunken in my chest. I’d never been in trouble before, let alone a three hour detention. The idea of walking home in the dark sent spiraling terror through my mind. Surely my mom or dad could find a way to pick me up. I got to my next class with a few minutes to spare. As sat I pulled out my phone and texted my mom.
“Can you pick me up from school? I have a three hour detention” I wrote. The reply came within a few seconds.
“No, I can’t. I’ll be at your brother’s swim meet, and your dad is working late. You’ll have to walk,” She replied and as I read my heart sank even further down into my gut.
“Okay,” I sent back.
“Keep your guard up, and if anyone comes near you, destroy them,” Mom said.
“Okay, I’ll see you when I get home,” I finished and I slid my phone back into my bag as the bell rang. I took out a pen and scribbled a note onto the back of my hand to remind me to stay after. It was something that I was likely to forget.
The day dragged on until finally seventh bell calculus came. Calculus was like a breath of fresh air for me, numbers made sense, they were solid and never changed. It was good for me. I got into my seat in the back row and glanced around the room. No one was looking at me, everyone was in their little cliques talking, and that’s how I wanted it. Except, as I finished my scan of the room, there was one pair of eyes on me. Blue eyes that hovered above an ornery smile. His impish face with the inklings of a beard lining it on bottom, and a swoop of brown hair on top. He looked like he was about ready to crack a joke, it was none other than the bully Braden. I almost wanted him to say something so I had some excuse for taking out my anger. Fortunately Mr. Schrock entered the room to start class before he could say anything. Mr. Schrock came in behind me and took a glance at my hand as he entered the room.
“A detention, eh?” He said, I looked past his belly to his face where his head was rolling back and forth disapprovingly on his double chin.
“Yeah,” I said back.
“What for?”
“Falling asleep in class,” He tsked and walked away. It was better than the harsh glares that he’d given me the day before. He started class and things went as normal. I knew what I was doing, and everyone ignored me. It was all as it should be. The class ended and I left and made my way back to Mrs. Alzoa’s room. As I entered the room I felt so out of place. Being punished for anything was not something that I was used to. I walked into the room and the air felt thick, although I’m sure that it was just my anxiety. I stood a few feet in through the doorway and stared, I didn’t know what to do. I was the only one there.
“Well get in here,” Mrs. Alzoa said from across the room as she looked up from her desk. Her beady little eyes glared at me from behind her wire rimmed glasses. I slid into my normal seat and put my bag down on the floor next to me.
“You get to sit here. You can do homework if you really want to, but for the next three hours I better not hear a peep out of you or you’re staying after tomorrow too,” She said.
“That’s fair,” I said.
“And if you fall asleep, you have detentions for the next week,” She said.
“Yes ma’am,” I replied quietly, and so I sat. I did what homework I could and then sat and watched the sun as it slowly and painfully slid below the horizon. As the last tendrils of light filtered through the trees the clock finally finished it’s lap and read six o’clock. Mrs. Alzoa took a look at the clock, and her watch, and then her computer clock, and finally decided that I could go.
“Get some sleep tonight,” She said as I walked out the door.
“Yes ma’am,” I replied. I made my way down the stairs to the lower level of the school. There was no one there, but I could hear the sounds of the marching band still practicing out in back of the school. Those guys were insane, I wished that they got more credit than they did. I went the opposite direction of the sounds of the instruments and out the front door of the school. In the twilight every bush and stone pillar looked like a person. I walked down the sidewalk as the purple sky to the west slowly began to fade to dark blue and then black. The road from the school to the town was lined by woods on each side.
My heart raced. I could see it in my mind’s eye. A darkened shadow with a weapon in hand sneaking through the woods watching my every move. He was poised to make a kill and I was perfect for him. I walked faster. The killer hadn’t killed in months, surely he was ready to make his next victim. My eyes searched through the woods on the other side of the street, looking for fleeting shadows and the glint of eyes off what little light there was. I wasn’t paying attention to what was behind me though, and that was my downfall. I heard a footstep directly behind me as someone stepped out from the grass that lined the sidewalk and right next to me. I tried to whirl around in time to see who it was and opened my mouth to scream, but it was too late.
My head was wrenched back and I was pulled into someone’s stomach. The hand the covered my mouth and crushed my scream was gloved in leather. The other hand had me around the waist and held me in place. The arms threw me to the ground, hard. I was seeing stars as he got on top of me. He pressed his hand over my face again so I couldn’t scream. In fact, I could barely breathe.
“You were going to be mine last week,” He hissed in a disgusting voice that reeked of insanity. I stared up at him in fear, trying to make out any of his features. I kicked and screamed but it was all in vain, he was too big.
“Those little woodland boys aren’t here to save you now, are they? That one you laid with that night, I saw you. I saw the way he looked at you, it’s love. He’ll be heartbroken when they find what I’ve done to your body,” He laughed. I tried to scream louder as horror washed over me. He had been there. Watching, hunting me, and Andy had really saved me, but that meant nothing now. The hand on my mouth went away as he reached into his back pocket I screamed for about half a second before the hand came back. It pressed a cloth to my face. A sickening sweet smell invaded my nose. I tried to hold my breath, I knew what it was. He was knocking me out, I had to breathe at some point though. When I inhaled all that came in was the powerful smell of the ether. My eyes rolled to the back of my head and then, blackness.

Notes

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this little chapter, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Love you guys!