Free Web NovelChapter 12: Principal
[Warning. Warning. Rapid convergence of localized anomalies detected.]
The notification hovered in the air a second more, glitched, then vanished.
Mr. Morgan burst back into the room, looking around for any changes before sighing in relief. Mr. Matt trailed behind him.
"Good, seems like—"
The speakers on the wall interrupted him, crackling and popping as they came to life.
"Bzzt... Khhh... Testing. Testing. Good, this thing still works."
A clear, confident voice came through the other side. That of a middle-aged man. Miles recognized it. Everyone did.
It was the principal, after all.
’But isn’t he...’
"I... I saw him die with my own eyes," Mr. Morgan said, not to anyone in particular. There was nothing but shock in his eyes, with a deepening frown on his lips.
The ’principal’, or whoever was behind the mic, cared for none of it.
"I am aware of the rapidly deteriorating situation. We’ve lost many of our students and staff to the storm and unknown assailants roaming the halls."
He spoke of it like a commentator on the news. Calm. Eerily distant.
"I know you’re scared, and you’ve been hurt. This school, this country has failed you once. It will not do so again. I’m sure you’ve watched the president’s broadcast. Help is here. They’re outside right now."
The speaker crackled once again.
"Those who remain. If you wish to leave, gather before my office."
"There isn’t much time left—khhhh..."
The signal devolved into scratches and white noise before abruptly cutting off.
The room remained silent for a few moments.
Then it burst into chatter. Some students cheered, some rejoiced, and some looked excitedly at their phones.
The teachers weren’t unaffected either, though they mostly expressed it as deep sighs of relief. All except Mr. Morgan.
His frown had only deepened. Miles couldn’t disagree with him.
It felt strange. All of it.
’Was the principal always that calm? More importantly, shouldn’t he be dead?’
At least, if he was going solely off what Mr. Morgan said. But what reason did the man have to lie? Beyond that, if help had really arrived, there should have been something about it online.
As far as he knew, the Nebraskan National Guard was only active in the big cities like Lincoln and Omaha.
’Have they reached here already?’
It might’ve been paranoia, but his doubts kept him on edge.
Mr. Morgan, seemingly fed up with the cheer, spoke.
"Shut it! All of you. I don’t know whatever’s speaking from behind those mics, but it’s not the principal. He is dead. I saw him die."
"Don’t be ridiculous, Morgan."
Mr. Freeman finally had a path to channel his growing frustrations. He pointed to the students, still frozen in their celebrations.
"You want them to stay? To deny help, because what? You think you saw the principal die?"
"I don’t think, Freeman. I know—"
"Then what? Why should we trust you over the principal? You’re the only one who supposedly saw him die."
"Why would I lie about something like that?"
"How would I know? Maybe you’re covering for something you did."
"Look—"
Mr. Morgan paused, glancing at the kids watching the escalating spat, before sighing and rubbing his face in frustration. He faced Mr. Freeman again.
"We shouldn’t be fighting. I can’t prove to you that he is dead, but just think about it. If the National Guard were here, then they’d know about those creatures roaming about. How could they ask students to gather on their own? Why in the principal’s office and not the front door? I mean, surely you see something is wrong here."
Mr. Freeman froze, hesitating before he spoke again, shaking his head as he did so.
"So what’s your plan then? Wait?"
Mr. Morgan couldn’t answer him, only looking down, deep in thought. Mr. Freeman pressed him further.
"We don’t have time for this. They might choose to leave any moment; this isn’t the only place that needs saving."
He still didn’t get a reply. Right before he spoke again, a voice from the crowd broke the deadlock.
"Can you try calling his number? He... he’d pick up if he wasn’t dead, right?"
It was the girl from earlier, the first person who revealed her [Uncommon] skill rarity. Sarah. She’d introduced herself back when they’d gathered around Mr. Morgan.
Through it, Miles had also learned of her power.
[Support Pillars]
He didn’t get the specifications of it, nor did he fully understand how it worked, since the girl didn’t seem to understand it either. But it involved damage sharing.
Miles shook those thoughts off to find Mr. Morgan finally conceding to Sarah’s plan. Mr. Freeman stood impatiently before him as the man sifted through his phone for the principal’s number.
It wasn’t long before he found it, tapping the screen before pressing the phone against his ear.
The room kept silent as it rang. One, two, three times before it stopped.
Someone on the other side had picked up.
The look on Mr. Morgan’s face was all Miles needed to know how he felt. Utter disbelief.
He stammered as he began speaking.
"H-hello, Mr. Richard? Is... is that really you?"
"Of course, Morgan. Who else would it be?"
It was the exact same voice from the intercom, speaking in that same stale tone.
"I thought yo-... I thought you died."
"Me? Dead? Nonsense. I wonder where you got that sense of humor, Morgan. Really, I do. You aren’t with any children, are you?"
He hesitated, scanning the students before replying.
"A few."
"Then what are you doing? Get over here, it won’t be long before they leave."
"Bu—"
The call cut.
Mr. Morgan stared at the glowing screen of his phone for a moment before forcefully shaking his head.
He spoke with conviction now.
"That’s not the principal. He’s dead. I don’t know who answered me right now, but it definitely isn’t him."
Mr. Freeman didn’t bother arguing with him and began rifling through a storage closet nearby. As he did so, he spoke.
"If you want to stay, then stay. I’m leaving. Anyone that wants to get out of here can join me."
He turned to face them, a baseball bat in his hands; more lay in the closet behind him.
The crowd had already begun shifting. Another split was happening.
