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Post by ||Megs|| on Jan 22, 2007 8:06:36 GMT -5
Chapter 1 Part 1--The Unexpected
He wanted excitement, he wanted something to sweep away his boredom and weariness at the long hours ahead he had at work. But he never thought it would come in such an unexpected way.
The policeman yawned widely, his jaw popping at the force. He straightened himself at his desk, running a hand through his short brown hair. Oh, how he wanted to be home with his daughter...she'd be home from school by now. Alex's wandering hand found the mouse on it's pad, and he forced his watery brown eyes onto the computer screen. Might as well check his e-mail, for Jennifer was sure to keep him company one way or the other.
What he wasn't expecting, though, was a message marked red with 'urgent' and have in caps EMERGENCY. Alex's eyes widened, seeing it was sent from Jeniffer. Suddenly, he was wide awake. Clicking on the link, the message took an agonizing minute to load. But he found out why--there wasn't a message, but a video clip. He turned up the volume, heart thudding rather fast. What was this?
The screen was fuzzy at first as he put it into full view, but it became clear the next second. A girl with long strawberry-blond hair came into view, her brown eyes full of worry, even though her appearance struck him as calm. Behind her was a tiled wall. It was Jennifer.
"Dad, I sure hope you got this." The girl began, glancing around her, then looking back to the screen. "I'll come right out and say it--we've been kidnapped. My whole junior class, to be correct. This all may sound odd, but stay with me, okay?" The girl took a deep breath, and the screen shifted a little as a voice of encouragement spoke and seemed to come from out of nowhere. Jeniffer smiled, and readied herself.
"The cam recorder needs to be recharged, so I'll have to make this quick. I don't know where we are, but it seems like a recently abandoned school. We are locked in tightly, and the windows are barred with something from the outside. There is still electricity running, but the phones are completely dead and all cell phones were taken from us. This morning, the junior class was to take an unexpected field trip to some historical site. I'm not sure where we were going, but everything went wrong."
Alex's hand tightened around the arms of his chair, forcing himself to breath. Was this really happening?
"The bus stopped at a gas station, because the driver needed to relieve himself, having complained about a stomach ache. But several men charged on board shortly after the driver left--five with guns and one that started the bus up and drove quickly away. We were searched for cell phones, and all of them were quickly broken or throw out the bus windows. They did not find my lap top or cam recorder--my laptop was in my binder and my cam recorder was tucked away in the corner of my seat." The screen flickered, and a boy's voice announced the battery was just about gone.
"Alright, dad, I'll have to get back to you as soon as I can! I have to keep everyone calm. Like I said, I have no idea where we are. But we are searching every room that is unlocked or can be forced open. Bye--" Jeniffer was wiped from the screen, leaving Alex numb.
This didn't feel right...he felt like he was in a movie or something...Alex roughly shook his head, and bolted from his seat, tearing out of his office and charging down the hallway. This wasn't a fantasy, this was reality. He needed to get help!
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Post by ||Megs|| on Jan 22, 2007 8:07:27 GMT -5
Part Two--Poison
"Jennifer...did it go through?" Derek asked softly, when Jennifer did not move from her crouched position in front of her laptop. Jennifer drew a steady breath in, amazed at the situation. It just...didn't seem real. None of this did. Being kidnapped, waking up in an odd place, having her classmates looking toward <i>her</i> for advice and a strong shoulder.
"It says it got through, but I can't be sure. Did you find a plug for the recorder?" Jennifer asked, voice surprisingly even and calm as she stood up, and turned around to face the black-haired boy. Derek nodded, and turned his head. They were in a long hallway, where the twenty-five students of the junior class sat huddled, shocked and murmuring, some crying, others looking as she felt; numb, trying to decide if this was real or not. Jennifer followed his gaze, and gently sighed. What should they do now, until they were able to start recording again? Why had they been brought here? Where <I>was</i> here? They had searched every room that they could, but there was no clues.
"You'd think they would at least leave us some food," said a tall girl with blond hair, who had a few freckles on each of her cheeks. She gently poked at her stomach, and achieved an expression that earned Jennifer's pity. But she had to agree.
"Someone is here!" a voice suddenly called, and the hallway suddenly became alive with action. Everyone bounced to their feet, backing away from the mouth of the hallway closer to where Jennifer was. Without spoken consent, both Derek and Jennifer bent down to hide the laptop in her binder. When they straightened back up, silence dominated the captives. A delicious smell suddenly made itself known. Jennifer's stomach growled its eagerness. A few men wearing black masks came into view, each pushing a rolling tray laden with plates. There was mashed potatoes with gravy, beef and a roll, and juice boxes. They didn't waste time, coming to a stop, and walking just as fast away again, leaving the trays. One of the men went a bit more slowly, walking backwards with a gun in his hand, to make sure that no one followed them. Then a door slammed, and the tension eased. But curiosity and hunger filled their minds.
"Is it okay if we eat it?"
"I haven't eaten all day! I'm goin' for it,"
"At least they are feeding us..."
A few voiced their opinions, and moved forward to grab a plate. Jennifer, Derek and the freckled girl were right with them. The smell was good, too good, to resist. Their worries momentarily dampened by the need to fill their grumbling stomachs, the students grabbed a plate and moved off to eat. Jennifer and her two friends moved off to the side, in the mouth of the hallway. She already knew that following those men were helpless. Jennifer then glanced around at the rest of her classmates, who seemed slightly cheered by the food, eating all that was on their plate. She looked down at her steak, and something caught her eye.
It was small, but noticeable to the sharp eye. A single white speck, that was quick to dissolve into the juices of the steak. Instantly, alarms rang warnings in her head. Could it be...? Jennifer quickly dropped her plate, and it splattered on the shiny floor. She was just as quick to smack the plates from her friend's hands. Derek opened his mouth, ready to pounce, but Jennifer got to the punch first.
"It's poisoned! Everyone--" Jennifer whirled around to her classmates, but it was too late. They had all eaten a portion of it. And now they stopped, and looked to her.
"Poisoned? C'mon, Jen..." A boy said, waving her warning aside as if it were nothing, and continued to gobble down his beef steak. But the rest of her classmates didn't look so certain, and hesitatingly set down their plates. Then the worst happened. Terry, a small boy with glasses, suddenly heaved what he had eaten up onto the floor, making the students around him jump out of the way. His forehead and cheeks were suddenly grazed with red, and he collapsed into the arms of a girl nearby. Taking mind to not step on the mess Terry had made on the floor, Jennifer hurried over to him, putting a gentle hand to his forehead. He was flaming hot! Then, one by one, the rest of her classmates went through the same thing. All except her, Derek, and the other girl, Lily. Jennifer backed her two friends away from the sudden frenzy and stench, and they could do nothing but stand away, eyes closed and feeling helpless through it all. Then it was suddenly silent. Gulping gently, Jennifer turned around.
It was a pitying site either way you looked at it. Each boy and girl sat slumped or lay dazed on the floor, some of them in the mess and others still having enough energy to keep away from it. A dreadful feeling almost crushed Jennifer then. This was...how could <i>anyone</i> do such a thing to innocent teens? Then the situation made it self clear to her.
"Derek, go get the cam recorder. It is now very crucial that we record as much as we can from this moment on."
"Jennifer..." The note in his voice made Jennifer turn to him, wanting to convey how serious she was.
"Think of it this way--we could possibly be test subjects to some bogus terrorist group, who are testing out a poison that could possibly look like salt, or some kind of powder. With us recording, and my dad receiving it...this ploy can be stopped just as soon as it begins."
"But, what about them?" Lily asked, seeming to accept Jennifer's hypothesis easily enough. Jennifer rolled up her sleeves, a determined look on her face.
"I'm not a daughter of a nurse for nothing. Come on, we have work to do."
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Post by ||Megs|| on Jan 22, 2007 8:08:16 GMT -5
Part Three--Determination
"--It was a white speck, which quickly dissolved. My suspicions turned out to be correct, though. I stopped Derek and Lily from eating, but it was too late for the others. As you can see," Alex paled as the pitiful scene came onto the screen, girls and boys limply laying in or about pools of mess, "it did quite the toll. But I couldn't do any cleaning, not quite yet. I suspected that the men would come back, to see if the poison had indeed took affect. The three of us rubbed our cheeks and foreheads until they turned red, and laid down at the end of the hall, acting as if we had been posioned, too. Just as I suspected, they came back. They only briefly checked the first few people, and left. But not quick enough for me to over hear one of them say, 'Now we leave them to die'. As risky as it is, I waited to start cleaning and such until the cam recorder was ready. That way, you can see for yourself what has become of my innocent classmates. Now begins the cleaning, and the race against death. We'll be back with you in a second,"
The screen blacked out, and the men in the room expelled their held-in breaths with an audible <i>whoosh</i>. But they didn't get much of a break, for the screen flashed on to show a tall girl with blond hair, her freckles seeming to stand out against her pale skin, and it was obvious that the second they had waited was actually an expanse of two hours or so before the recording started up again. She was standing in the same hallway they had seen before, but now it was spotless.
"Alex Cathmor, I am Lily Carey, and I am momentarily taking over for Jen, for she is busy attending to Terry. She informed me it would be wise to recite all of our classmates names," Alex felt someone behind him whip out their notebook, ready to jot them down. Lily said every first and last name, ending with her and Derek. Then Lily began to walk down the hall, and the person holding the cam recorder followed, holding it as still and level as possible. Lily stopped and gestured into a room that appeared to be a nurse's office, for there were six beds, already occupied by people. The screen settled on Jennifer, who was setting a damp rag on a small boy's forehead.
"The worst patients, the first to fall, were put in the beds. The others had to make due with blankets in two other classrooms. Jennifer says that having them all in one room wouldn't be good. Jennifer," Lily's voice said, and Jennifer looked up, and nodded.
"Dad, and mom if she is there, Terry's fever is increasing, the same goes for the others. No one has thrown up except for that one time--which leads me to believe the poison did not get very far before their bodies triggered the action to get rid of it. What worries me is that it moved so fast. Terry seems to be having troubles breathing--supporting him up may help." Jennifer gestured to Lily, and they both propped Terry up with a second pillow. But the boy didn't respond, but his breathing did not change. There was silence, then Jennifer spoke up again. "Seems to me that there is something in the lungs..."
"That's my girl," a woman, an older reflection of Jennifer, said softly from Alex's side. Alex felt his wife's grip tighten slightly on his hand.
"Lily, go check on the others really quick." Lily flashed away from the screen, leaving Jennifer and Terry in the view. "Oddly enough, the Janitor's closet was full of everything we needed to clean up the mess. The closet in here was full of spare blankets, pillows, and even clothes. There is medicine, a desk full of blank papers, pens, pencils--everything a school nurse would need is in here. Mom, I would ask you what I should do...but for some reason, I can't recieve messages, and I am barely able to send these video clips to you. I've gone through most of the medicine, but none of it sounds convincing to aid me." Jennifer ran a hand through her hair, but otherwise remained calm. But the determination that filled her voice next almost moved Alex to tears. "I <i>won't</i> let them die, I refuse to let this happen! I'll stay on my feet until I find a way to cure them, I swear it!" Jennifer looked to Terry as the boy shifted, groaning. There was silence, and Derek's voice filtered in.
"We'll get back to you, sir." And the screen went blank.
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Post by ||Megs|| on Jan 22, 2007 8:09:45 GMT -5
Ch. 2 Part 1--Anticipation
The room was eerily silent, and Alex was brought back into his packed office as his wife, Abe, put her hands up to her face.
"Jennifer has only sent you two so far? In what expanse of time?" A gruff voice said at Alex's side.
"Yes, sir. I got the first one at four o'clock, and the second one around six thirty." His hands tightened on the arms of his chair in anticipation. That had been three hours ago--it was now nine thirty at night, and he was dying to know how he daughter was fairing now. But in that time, action had already taken place. The search for the bus driver in question could currently not be found, and information was sparse. In Jennifer's video, it failed to mention the presence of their history teacher, and a search for him was struck out as well. The school principal was being questioned about the field trip, and a third search was dispatched to locate the school the teenagers were supposedly locked up in. But nothing was to be found.
But they could not deal with the whole terrorist poison act just yet--it would lead those men to realize that one of their victims had noticed the poison, and had somehow sent out information. And they would most likely return to those kids and kill them all on the spot. The searching was to be expected, and it was expanded to more than schools in the immediate area. Jennifer's video clips had been kept classified to a handful of the police squadron, and through much conviction, Alex's wife. The news was buzzing about the disappearance of a whole junior class and the mad search for the teacher and bus driver. But there was nothing about the video clips. Not yet, anyways.
Abe removed her hands from her face, barely noticing as the men filed out of the room.
"I see. Contact me immediately when another one comes in." the gruff voice said, and Alex voiced a 'yes sir' before he heard his office door shut behind him. Finally, Alex tore his gaze from the screen and looked to Abe. They both sat in silence, and Abe clutched at his hand again. Alex could tell her mind was puzzling over what could be happening to her daughter, and the others. He didn't have the heart to tell her to simply forget about it. Another hour ticked by, both of them sitting there in anticipation. But even as one o'clock in the morning came around, there was nothing in Alex's inbox. He barely noticed as a cup of coffee was forced into his hands, Abe gently urging him to drink it. He almost choked as a message popped up. It was from Jennifer! And once again, he tore from the room after thumping down his mug near the computer. His heart pounded, his mind seeming to skip in beat to his heart. Finally!
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Post by ||Megs|| on Jan 22, 2007 8:13:22 GMT -5
Ch.2 Part 2--Realization
Jennifer had never felt so exhausted in her life...nor had she ever realized why her mom and dad drank coffee so much. Needing to stay awake and be alert, she had amazingly stumbled upon the cafeteria and found stored food, and other beverages. And even a coffee maker. Now, she had never tried the stuff before...but Lily had insisted this was exactly what she needed, and showed Jennifer how to make it.
"Just make sure to put a LOT of creamer in it," Lily insisted, pouring them both cups. Jennifer was constantly surprised by Lily--the girl was indeed ready to work hard alongside her, but she had an odd dreamy look in her eyes, and not much phased her. She had known Lily for years, but they had never really had a reason to hang out or to speak to each other longer than a casual greeting exchange. And at the first sip of the coffee, she had no time to acknowledge the taste as a charge seemed to surge through her body. Man, she felt like she could bounce around on the walls, and walk on the ceiling! Lily laughed as Jennifer twitched at the sudden energy, and burst into a giggle fit as Jennifer drained her cup and demanded more. How they could even be slightly cheerful in a situation like this, Jennifer didn't know. Draining the second mug of coffee, she declared herself ready.
According to her wristwatch, it was nearly ten o'clock. Nothing had changed in her classmates, they remained in an unconscious state. Their fevers hadn't reached too much of an alarming state, but Jennifer was still weary of it. Derek was sitting in the nurse's office at the desk, fiddling around with the cam recorder. He looked up and blinked at Jennifer, who looked like she could climb anything in site. Lily explained their discovery of the cafeteria as Jennifer went over to Terry. Jennifer kept a more watchful eye on Terry than the others--if something were to change, he would be the first to show it, seeing as how the poison affected him first. Jennifer gasped as she put her hand to his forehead, the burning sensation making her snatch her hand back. That had...<i>burned</i>. Derek and Lily were instantly by her side, questioning looks on their faces.
"He's burning up...quickly, Lily, I need you to get cold wet washcloths, and Derek, get the recorder started up." Lily was gone in a flash, and Derek fumbled around with the cam recorder. He started filming as Lily came back with a handful of the wet washcloths, and the girls started to wipe down Terry's face and arms, desperately trying to cool the boy down.
"For about four hours now, the symptoms have remained the same--a mild fever, unconsciousness, and almost desperate, fluid breathing. But now Terry's fever has heightened considerably..." Jennifer said, taking the thin blanket off of Terry's sweating body. "We need to move around to the others now--we'll get back to you, because we need Derek's help in this." Derek took that as his cue to stop filming, and moved forward with Lily and Jennifer to check on the other students. All of them had a sudden increase of fever, and some of them even murmured random things. Jennifer began to panic a bit now, wracking her brains for any bit of information she may have heard from somewhere. But when nothing came as midnight dominated time, Jennifer was in a true panic. She stood in the hallway with Derek and Lily, who were silent. Could this be it? Would all of their classmates actually die?
Suddenly, Jennifer straightened up from her slumped position in the doorway of the nurse's office. "I've got an idea...C'mon guys." And with that Jennifer raced back into the room, Derek and Lily right on her heels.
"Help me put Terry on his stomach," Jennifer said, and Derek moved to the other side of the bed as they carefully, while pretty much burning their hands, turned the small boy over. Derek and Lily watched as Jennifer pulled forward a bucket that she had kept near, propping it up on a window ledge. Then, she gently started to drum her fingers on the boy's back. It was a simple, gentle thing, but almost instantly Terry stirred. Derek and Lily watched in amazement as Terry heaved a fluid cough, and Jennifer was about to direct his head over the bucket. Several minutes passed as the poor boy coughed up some sort of clear fluid, and with a heavy groan slumped back onto the bed. Jennifer set the bucket back down, and felt Terry's forehead. A small smile came to grace her lips then.
"There is hope--the fever is subsiding. Quickly, we need to get to the others. Derek, you can start recording when there is only one student left."
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Post by Mahotou on Aug 20, 2007 1:59:28 GMT -5
I hope that you'll be able to continue this! I love this story alot and I want to see what will happen and how things will turn out.
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prego
Newbies League
Posts: 34
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Post by prego on Dec 18, 2007 17:59:46 GMT -5
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE finish this!!
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lil1
Newbies League
Posts: 8
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Post by lil1 on Dec 18, 2007 18:15:39 GMT -5
tehe finish!!! i loooves this!!!!
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Post by ||Megs|| on Dec 20, 2007 19:20:25 GMT -5
Gah, lol! So very demanding.
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