considered other things they could have used the money for. Or, maybe they needed the funds to mutate an army of monsters: things like bees the size of basketballs. Or maybe they needed the money to buy recently dead corpses from some criminal market: God knows they like using those things.
Images of the dead chasing after him flashed in his mind. Although his body was sitting in a calm room as Roxanne read over the Winggame rules, his mind was back in the caves of King Mountain. The already dead students were chasing after them, pounding feet on the cold stone. Asa remembered how in the cabin there was that girl Volkner killed in his classroom—he smashed her head like it was a jack-o-lantern and her brain had splattered over the table. In the cabin, she was standing—alive once again, her head with large metal staples holding the reconfigured brain inside. Asa saw Stridor stand up from where he had been hiding, covered in blood. He snuck over to her and put all his strength behind a blow to her head. Asa shivered, thinking, when he struck her over the head, it just collapsed; the dead aren’t meant to rise again.
Now, his mind brought him back to the caves, where they were cornered in a dead-end hallway. The corpses were sprinting towards them, and they could only be seen in the split seconds when gunpowder exploded. What would the dead have done had they reached the students? And when we ran out of bullets I thought I was going to feel those cold hands close around my throat. Maybe they would’ve slipped their dead, numb fingers into my mouth, trying to force them over my tongue, into my…
Around Asa, people stood up, and Asa, daydreaming ( or having a daymare , he thought) shrieked. Roxanne had dismissed the team, but Asa was too immersed in thought to hear. People around him, including Jen, gave Asa questioning looks. The students next to Asa picked up their pace in leaving, not wanting to be around Crazy Asa Palmer.
I’m not crazy. I’m just not all mentally healthy right now. It’s like when you have a stomach bug, but with my brain.
Asa gathered up his book, stood up, and moved towards the door. He ignored the stares.
“Remember,” said Roxanne, “We’re meeting at seven in the morning tomorrow in front of the Fishie Mountain entrance so that we can get a workout in before classes start. And I expect everyone to have read the whole handbook before that time.” Asa gave a curt nod towards Roxanne’s bruised face and then walked out.
As the Sharks filled the hallway and were walking towards the exit, Jen caught up to Asa. “You look white as a lamb, Palmer,” she said. “Somethin’ spook you?” She gave his back a rub. She was very comfortable touching people.
“No, I’m fine.” Asa said. He knew that people would become upset if he began spending time with this Fishie, but he didn’t seem to know how to shake her.
They stepped out into the cold and walked down the steps. “Are you going to walk me to the boat like a gentleman? Or just fly away?” She asked.
Asa didn’t know how to respond to her bubbly personality. “Just fly away,” he said.
“That’s too bad. We won’t be able to talk in public for the next week. Talking ban starts tomorrow.”
“What do you mean, in public ?” He asked. “You won’t be able to talk at all.”
She waved a hand at the comment. “Don’t be such a baby. I can talk, they won’t catch me.”
Asa hoped that she was joking, but didn’t think that it would do any good to lecture her. She’ll see.
“Bye Asa,” she said, and gave his hand a squeeze.
Asa did not like how much she made physical contact with him. He knew that it was putting him in danger. “Bye,” he said, and against his judgment on the scenario, he squeezed back.
With that, he leapt straight up into the air, shot his wings out, and began the labored ascent. She’s going to die, he thought. I’m sure of it. She’s either overestimating herself or underestimating the
Images of the dead chasing after him flashed in his mind. Although his body was sitting in a calm room as Roxanne read over the Winggame rules, his mind was back in the caves of King Mountain. The already dead students were chasing after them, pounding feet on the cold stone. Asa remembered how in the cabin there was that girl Volkner killed in his classroom—he smashed her head like it was a jack-o-lantern and her brain had splattered over the table. In the cabin, she was standing—alive once again, her head with large metal staples holding the reconfigured brain inside. Asa saw Stridor stand up from where he had been hiding, covered in blood. He snuck over to her and put all his strength behind a blow to her head. Asa shivered, thinking, when he struck her over the head, it just collapsed; the dead aren’t meant to rise again.
Now, his mind brought him back to the caves, where they were cornered in a dead-end hallway. The corpses were sprinting towards them, and they could only be seen in the split seconds when gunpowder exploded. What would the dead have done had they reached the students? And when we ran out of bullets I thought I was going to feel those cold hands close around my throat. Maybe they would’ve slipped their dead, numb fingers into my mouth, trying to force them over my tongue, into my…
Around Asa, people stood up, and Asa, daydreaming ( or having a daymare , he thought) shrieked. Roxanne had dismissed the team, but Asa was too immersed in thought to hear. People around him, including Jen, gave Asa questioning looks. The students next to Asa picked up their pace in leaving, not wanting to be around Crazy Asa Palmer.
I’m not crazy. I’m just not all mentally healthy right now. It’s like when you have a stomach bug, but with my brain.
Asa gathered up his book, stood up, and moved towards the door. He ignored the stares.
“Remember,” said Roxanne, “We’re meeting at seven in the morning tomorrow in front of the Fishie Mountain entrance so that we can get a workout in before classes start. And I expect everyone to have read the whole handbook before that time.” Asa gave a curt nod towards Roxanne’s bruised face and then walked out.
As the Sharks filled the hallway and were walking towards the exit, Jen caught up to Asa. “You look white as a lamb, Palmer,” she said. “Somethin’ spook you?” She gave his back a rub. She was very comfortable touching people.
“No, I’m fine.” Asa said. He knew that people would become upset if he began spending time with this Fishie, but he didn’t seem to know how to shake her.
They stepped out into the cold and walked down the steps. “Are you going to walk me to the boat like a gentleman? Or just fly away?” She asked.
Asa didn’t know how to respond to her bubbly personality. “Just fly away,” he said.
“That’s too bad. We won’t be able to talk in public for the next week. Talking ban starts tomorrow.”
“What do you mean, in public ?” He asked. “You won’t be able to talk at all.”
She waved a hand at the comment. “Don’t be such a baby. I can talk, they won’t catch me.”
Asa hoped that she was joking, but didn’t think that it would do any good to lecture her. She’ll see.
“Bye Asa,” she said, and gave his hand a squeeze.
Asa did not like how much she made physical contact with him. He knew that it was putting him in danger. “Bye,” he said, and against his judgment on the scenario, he squeezed back.
With that, he leapt straight up into the air, shot his wings out, and began the labored ascent. She’s going to die, he thought. I’m sure of it. She’s either overestimating herself or underestimating the
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