A loud squeaky door swings open with your heavy push. It looks like the gym hasn’t been used much in the last five years: it’s no wonder childhood obesity rates have been skyrocketing. There’s plenty of space in here to get rehearsal going. You guys get settled, and start rehearsing old songs. Everyone quickly sheds their professional facades and melts into characters of yonder past. It’s always easier to wear a mask after all, especially around Halloween. You’re just starting to get into the groove, when there’s a large CRACK of thunder, and the power goes out. Lucky for you guys, the state championship basketball team brings in more money than the teachers do, and the gym power is run on a separate generator (got to keep the bright spotlights on the banners.) You’re able to run a tight rehearsal, and after an hour, you have what you think is a very entertaining show for your fellow classmates. The lights in the rest of the school kick back on, and you give a rousing speech to rally the troops. This is it. Your time to impress your fellow classmates, and finally fulfill your high school fantasies.
Author: N. Geisler
Go to the conference room.
You all approach the old teacher’s conference room. It still somehow smells of the lingering smoke of 50 years past. And it still has the same entry code, or so you think. You punch in 6969 and it opens. You internally thank JoBo, the one handed janitor (makes sweeping hard) who passed you the code. It’s musky, and you try to crack open the windows to breathe some fresh air into the smoke stained walls. They’re sealed shut. You guys get settled, and start rehearsing parts. Everyone quickly sheds their professional facades and melts into characters of yonder past. It’s always easier to wear a mask after all, especially around Halloween. You’re just starting to get into the groove, when there’s a large CRACK of thunder, and the power goes out. The rain is now coming in sideways, and you shut the windows to keep your eyeliner from running. Stumbling around in the dark, you’re able to find your flashlights and gain some sense of space. Seth needs to pee. Or so he says. You think he needs to poop and just doesn’t want to say it in front of Danica. He tries for the door, it’s locked. The keypad lock is hooked up to the electricity. Seth says he can hold it for a little while, and rubs his stomach ever so gently, in your mind confirming your # 2 theory. Suddenly, you hear the key code being pressed. You ask, who is it? THUNK There’s no intelligible response, just moans and loud banging. You ask again. THUNK. You’re starting to get nervous. You’ve seen a lot of horror movies, and even acted in a few indie ones just for the IMDB credit. But this is no movie.
You aren’t scared, you took a few karate classes in middle school after. The wind pushes you around as the rain soaks your face, but the shadowy figures are just that; shadows. They can’t hurt you, even if your paranoid brain is saying differently. You get inside and have a laugh once the warm safety of lighted walls envelops you.
Take the Knife
You decide to take the knife. One too many shadowy objects has your nerves on edge. The storm swells all around you and Xavier as you walk briskly back towards the party. You don’t walk more briskly than the speed of light though. And that’s a bummer for you, because lightning goes that fast, and also loves metal objects, like the knife in your hand. Sure, the odds of your getting hit by lightning were low, (still better odds than the lottery though), but you just hit the jackpot.
YOU DIED!
Follow Xavier
Sure, it’s a little weird, but you’re generally into surprises. You follow Xavier as he walks towards his car in the parking lot. The wind is starting to pick up, and what had been a comfortable sprinkle is quickly turning into a storm worthy of naming. He gets in the car, and indicates you do the same. Still kinda weird, but better than braving the onslaught of rainy wind. You notice a rather large knife in the cup holder, but he’s a tradesman after all so you shrug it off.Especially after he reveals the reason he brought you out here. A rather large blunt, particularly for two people. He sparks it up as the rain patters the windshield. It’s a quiet smoke session, other than the occasional cough (side bar, can mute people cough?) You smoke until the horizon looks slanted. After giving yourself a second to recover, you suggest re joining the party. But the storm is nasty now, and you’re getting more and more paranoid by the second. The tree branches scratching the roof sound like demon’s nails, and you’re seeing shadowy objects appear in your periphery. You eye the knife, and suggest taking it. Xavier shrugs.
5B Trust that your risk of danger now is lower than ever in human history?
Go find the gang to pitch the musical reunion
You go meet up with the gang at the bar. They’re somehow way further ahead of you in drink count, and you see this as the perfect opportunity to take charge. You make an eloquent speech about how art is the only truly beautiful thing left on this fragile planet, and you can see the youthful glint return to their eyes. That look that says I can make a difference. You know, the look that naive people whose dreams haven’t been trampled yet have. They’re eating out of your hands as you spoon feed them enough hope to fatten up a piggy. You reach the grand finale; we should put on a show to rekindle the love of art, playing our old songs from years before. But it will take some rehearsing. It’s been many years after all. Seth suggests the teacher’s conference room, which has a music set up as mandated by the local Teacher’s Equal Rights to Jam act of 1969. Friggin hippies, gotta love ‘em. Danica suggests the gym, which has great acoustics.
Stay with Xavier
Sure, as a mute, Xavier doesn’t talk much. But the quiet is just what you’re looking for right now. Seeing youth slip into the abyss before your very eyes has your mind racing and nerves on edge. You grab two mystery shots off a passing by waiter’s tray, and toast with your new found old friend. Before the waiter has a chance to leave, you grab a second pair. You can see Danica giggling at Seth’s jokes, and you think maybe a second shot will push down the jealousy bubbling up. But it just causes your inner thoughts to spill out all over Xavier. He’s a good listener after all. After tolerating your whining for a while, he walks towards an exit, and motions you to follow.
Try to explain to Danica.
You were just trying to help the kid after all. She’ll understand, right? Wrong. And now you look even worse for trying to defend your ego, instead of running after and apologizing to the guy you actually wronged. She shakes her head and huddles with Seth. You still stand by what you said, but maybe you didn’t take the best approach. You go to the bathroom, look yourself in the mirror, forgive yourself, and rejoin the party.
Walk back inside
Eff that shit. Not your problem.
Run after Ian
You didn’t expect him to react like this, and you do still have some empathy left after all. You chase him down outside. His tears leave you stunned and speechless. He finally manages to squeak out, “thank you so much for telling me, I thought I was crazy all these years. That nobody else could smell what I smell.” You want to put a hand around his shoulder to comfort him, but you don’t want the stank to rub off on you, so you decide against it. A simple “you’re welcome” will have to suffice. You tell him to take ten minutes and shower in the old school locker room. As you’re walking back inside with him, Xavier passes you by, and motions you to come with him.
Homecoming of Horrors 