Legends of Windemere

(Dawn dares you to look back. Nothing goes wrong when you turn around in a horror story.)

Lewis & Clark Community College

With the back door opening to a brick wall, the twins are forced to rush up the stairs and search for a window. The idea of a broken bone is more welcoming than facing whatever the cult has planned for them. A cheer is heard in the distance, but it is cut off by an eerie silence that tells them that their escape has been discovered. Taking the steps by twos, they come out near the history section and race through the stacks. To their horror, the drab walls are covered in posters that are easily tore down to reveal concrete behind them. Pushing at the solid stone, the siblings hear glass cracking from the other side, but nothing gives way. Apollo grabs a nearby stool and strikes the wall, which swallows the weapon and launches it out of the building. They stand in silence while listening to the faint crash of metal on the street below.

A chorus of stomping footsteps can be heard below, most of their pursuers still searching the first floor. The siblings stay away from the stairwells, fearful that they will be seen by someone and cornered. Heading for where they remember seeing a closet, Aurora takes the lead while Apollo watches for enemies. They can hear shelves being pushed over and doors getting kicked open, but the chaos is too far for them to worry. It is when something shakes the building that they stop and crouch behind a cart with a single book on it. For a brief moment, the siblings hear flapping wings and look around for the ravens. When nothing appears, they fill the cart with books and use it as a moving shield in case somebody is upstairs with them. Only a few dull thuds come from the same floor, the sounds resembling a falling book more than a desperate search.

The twins almost believe they are going to escape when Professor Soleman steps out into the aisle. Dropping to their stomachs, the siblings hide behind the cart and watch the man through two tiny spaces in their shield. Leaning against the shelves, he stays at the far end of the path and calmly cleans his glasses. He continues to stare in their direction, but never moves from his quiet spot. Knowing that it is only a matter of time before they are found, Aurora nudges her brother and points at a nearby intersection. It is only a few feet away, but it is far enough that they will be seen if they move too quickly. Getting to their hands and knees, the twins keep an eye on Professor Soleman as they slowly push the cart forward. They only make it an inch before the man tenses and takes a step to investigate, but pulls back when a minute passes without any more movement.

A long creaking of a door opening behind them makes the twins sweat and they look around for another way out. Apollo looks over his shoulder to see a shadow getting closer, the feminine appearance making him think it is either Gemma or Charlene. He turns to whisper to Aurora, but stops to find that she is pulling books out of the bottom shelf. Getting the idea, he crawls over to help and they carefully take out the divider that makes a metallic wobbling sound. They glance to their left to see that Professor Soleman is coming and hear the other person starting to jog in their direction. Tossing the thin barrier to the side, the twins push the other books out of their way as they squeeze into the next aisle and escape. They hear the cart getting pushed over and a slew of curses, but are too busy retreating to check for signs of pursuit. A rush of air hits their backs at their former hiding place is thrown through the shelves and sent crashing across the upper floor.

Weaving through the stacks, the twins do their best to head away from the sounds of Professor Soleman and at least two other people. Turning a corner, they spot a shadow against the far wall and rush in the opposite direction. A woman that Aurora recognizes as a philosophy professor jumps out in front of them, but the pair leap away from each other when she tries to tackle them. The cursing teacher crashes to the ground between the students, whose legs she wildly flails at. Not wanting the twins to escape, the woman crawls after them at an alarming speed and swipes at their ankles. She is so caught up in the chase that she fails to hear the screech of breaking metal coming from ahead. Apollo grabs his sister by the arm to make her run faster as one of the shelving units topples over. The sharp edge strikes the professor on the back of the neck, decapitating her with its weight.

Clambering over the broken furniture, Professor Soleman takes up the hunt and charges after the siblings. He hurls books at them in the hopes of hitting their legs, but his shots are always short. When the pair split up at an intersection, the man skids to a stop and whistles for help before running after Apollo. The sound of the other followers charging up every stairwell shakes the second floor and several shelves collapse from the tremors. Glass breaks as the impatient pursuers shatter the short walls at the top of the steps and clamber through the shards to cut off those who are ahead. Furniture is knocked over or tossed aside as a hungry madness sets into the mob, their desire to please their revived master growing stronger by the minute.

Determined to claim at least half of the reward, Professor Soleman frantically hunts for Apollo, who he spots ducking around a corner. Knocking over the nearest shelving unit, the teacher tries to cut the student off, but finds that his prey has gone back. Leaping through the gap with his arms stretched out, he tackles Apollo as he passes and pins the startled young man against the opposite shelves. The victory is short-lived as Aurora sprints down the aisle with a cart that she slams into Professor Soleman. Still clinging to the brother with one hand, he lashes out to catch the sister by her wrist, but the twins rear back to pull him off his feet.

Wriggling free of his grip, the siblings drop him on the cart and run with it held between them. They shove it toward the balcony that oversees the lobby and watch the screaming man get thrown over the railing. As Professor Soleman crashes into the front desk, the cart tumbles through the breaking glass and falls on top of him. The twins take a moment to see if he is dead, but they are swiftly driven away from the balcony by a large group of Dawn’s followers rushing from their left. Charlene is in the front of the crowd, her toothless mouth dripping red-tinted foam. The narrow path makes it difficult for all of the people to move as the siblings start to run, so the more ambitious of the followers casually hurl their friends out of their way. Several bodies are sent falling to the first floor and others are slammed into the shelves that begin a domino effect that threatens to crush those searching within the stacks.

Spotting a door at the far end of an aisle, Aurora grabs Apollo by his collar and practically drags him along. They can see that the falling furniture is heading to block their only escape, so they sprint as quickly as they can. Listening to the screaming mob behind them, the twins narrowly avoid ducking around a large man who bursts out from behind an empty display. The wire frame falls in his path as he lunges for Aurora, his eagerness snapping both ankles and causing him to collapse across the aisle. With the injured man blocking the others, the siblings are able to get ahead of the approaching crowd and reach the door. The exit swings and moves as the building shakes, proving that it is not locked. Running faster, Aurora and Apollo swear that they see trees outside and have caught the scent of flowers. Coming to the door, an enormous shelving unit is about to fall on the twins as they crash into the metal door and let their momentum take them to safety.

(This opening link gag definitely peaked a long time ago.)

Exeter College in Oxford

The fluorescent bulbs in the ceiling are harsh and bright, causing the twins to shut their eyes once the black bags are taken off their heads. Staring at their bare feet, they are surprised to find that they have not been tied to the chairs. The only thing stopping them from moving are flexible resistance bands wrapped around their ankles. With a few experimental movements, the siblings manage to free their legs, which worries them more than if they were tightly strapped down. A loud scream from behind causes them to jump, but they cling to the chairs out of fear. They finally get the courage to look around and discover they are in the library, all of the shelves having been cleared of books. The carpeting has been rolled away to expose the feather-covered linoleum beneath and there are tarps covering the tiled section. A quartet of cops stand near the doors, which have been chained shut and painted black. Ahead of the twins is a strange collection of flowery sheets that are covering something that is oddly shaped and dangling from the ceiling. The only parts of the mystery object that they can see are chains that have been bolted to the crossbeams and an enormous hand crank. Raising their heads higher, they realize there are hundreds of ravens quietly sitting on the shelves and they can hear more flying about on the upper floors.

A door slams shut behind the prisoners, who rush to get the flimsy restraints back on their legs. The resistance bands are grabbed and tossed away before they can finish, the cafeteria worker stopping to pat the twins on the cheeks. Aurora’s mouth falls open when she sees her lab professor step out of the shadows, her expression copied by Apollo at the sight of the school psychologist. More members of the campus staff walk out of the stacks and take their place around the cleared floor. The siblings do not recognize everyone, but the glint in every set of eyes makes them fearful that every move they have made has been meticulously watched. Their nerves are strained as their minds race for an explanation, both of them silently praying it is another dream. A mild acceptance has fallen over the pair by the time Professor Soleman and Charlene come down a nearby staircase and walk to the center of the circle. The administrator removes her jacket and places it on the floor, allowing her to kneel in front of the prisoners and place her hands against their stomachs.

“All of the pieces are here and have ripened,” Charlene says as Professor Soleman walks behind the siblings. She holds up a hand to stop him from touching them, the man obediently stepping away. “We’re only minutes away from the ritual. The world will become right again because a real goddess will be reborn. Aren’t you two happy to have such a pivotal role in history?”

“It would help if we knew what was going on,” Apollo replies, shoving Charlene’s hand away. Seeing that his sister is shivering, he kicks the woman back and jumps to his feet in case the professor attacks. “You people have been watching us since we got here. We demand to know why. Is this about Dawn Addison? My sister and I have nothing to do with some dead hotel owner.”

“Actually, you do, but none of us are in a position to explain,” Professor Soleman states while cleaning his glasses. He takes Apollo’s seat and leans back until the front legs are off the floor. “Mr. Porter was very good at investigating, which is one of the reasons we had to make things along. The last thing we wanted is for one of the pieces to move beyond our reach. After all, we’ve worked for eighteen years to make sure everything came to us. The perfect programs and scholarships for bait. Placing expendable guidance counselors in the high schools was the hardest part. Yet, our savior wanted it done. Did you know that all of us were in Heaven’s Nest when it collapsed?”

Charlene rushes her companion and knocks the chair over, the man’s head thudding against the floor. “That is not for you to say. My job is to hold the records while yours is to give my orders to everyone else. Now, where was he? Ah, yes. We were in Heaven’s Nest and our protector made sure we lived. All of us were chosen to do her bidding and assist in her rebirth, which hit a little snag at the beginning. As you can see-”

Without warning, Charlene’s teeth fall out and she gurgles out whatever she was going to say. Falling to her knees, she spits out blood while trying to put the pieces back. The twins back away, Apollo helping Aurora move until she snaps out of her stupor. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, they turn around expecting to see the woman from their nightmares. Instead of Dawn, it is Marcy walking backwards without holding the railing. The librarian’s hair gets redder with every step and she grows a little in height due to a faint curve in her spine disappearing. Her black dress bends and shifts until it is a pair of pants and a t-shirt, both of which have a police insignia on the back. Flipping up her hair, the woman’s hands come back into view with a polished handgun and a rusty badge. Placing them on her waist, which has no belt, Marcy turns around and hops onto the railing. Her green and blue eyes glint in the light, giving them a golden hue around the edges. Leaping over the circle, she lands behind the twins and lunges forward to drape her arms over their shoulders.

“These pesky followers have no patience, do they?” the librarian asks while licking her lips and purring. Looking from Apollo to Aurora, she sees fear and confusion in their eyes, which makes her sigh. “I’m not Dawn, but I am the one who can answer your questions. My name is Gemma Cooke. Tensing up means you’ve heard of me. I was the one hunting our dear and foolish savior until she snapped like a little twig. Not a day has gone by without me wishing I walked away, but nothing I can do about it now. You see, she did die that day. Only a monster like Dawn Addison isn’t one to let that stop her. She’s been riding my brain ever since and pushing me to put all of this together. It’s such an interesting sensation. I despise every speck of her existence and wish she would erase herself. Yet, I also refuse to live without her and want to see her whole again. Perhaps this is what madness is for those who weren’t born to survive such trials.”

“Tell us why we’re here!” Aurora demands, regaining her strength. She freezes when she feels a gun press against her chin, the click of the hammer making her want to cry. “Please don’t do anything hasty. It’s obvious you need us alive and mobile. Otherwise, you would have tied us up or killed us. Did you kill our friends?”

“One question and demand at a time,” Gemma explains as she releases the twins. Bending down in front of Charlene, she waves Professor Soleman over to help the woman put her teeth back in her mouth. “Such obedient sheep, but why wouldn’t they be since they were spared and have been promised power? When Dawn returns, she will know what she truly is. Unlike before when she thought Corvus was the master. The woman will still be the maddest thing in the world, but her powers will be controlled. All she’s missing is her body. Our first mistake was trying to have me use her powers to rebuild it. That failed and only accomplished . . . removing pieces from the original. Not our fault since we didn’t know where the body was. Toothless Tammy over here is the one who stole it and united the others. I was only too happy to take over and have them do my dirty work in finding the pieces. This is where I ask you if you believe in reincarnation.”

Apollo opens his mouth to answer, which causes the woman to inch closer to him. “At this point, I’m willing to believe anything. Although, it doesn’t sound like this has anything to do with reincarnation. More like resurrection, which failed? Unless you mean one of us is the reincarnation of Dawn Addison.”

“Pretty smart for someone who pays more attention to clouds than people,” the red-haired woman snaps, her eyes momentarily blinking out of synch with each other. Shaking her head clear, Gemma strikes Professor Soleman in the stomach to make him double over and she perches herself on his back. “Move and I kill you twice. As I said, these idiots were messing with the body when we tried our resurrection. The result is that six parts were reincarnated in children that were already born. Your friends in the mythology club had her brain, heart, lungs, kidney, and liver instead of their own. Those are actually inside me to help us find them and watch to make sure they ripen properly. As for you and your sister, you’re holding Dawn’s soul as well as your own. We’ll be taking all of the parts back, so don’t be happy or get attached.”

“Don’t you have part of her soul too?” Aurora asks, stepping between Gemma and her brother.

“I have most of it, which I will gladly hand over for my freedom.”

“Then, can’t we do the same?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?”

“Because that’s far too boring for such a big event.”

“You’re insane.”

“No. I’m normal and Dawn is insane, but she’s in my head, which makes me insane too.”

“That makes-”

“Screw you and the time for talking is over.”

Gemma violently shoves the twins back into their seats before clapping her hands over her head. The followers hurry to take down the floral sheets and connect the end of the thinnest chain to the hand crank. When most of the coverings are down, Aurora and Apollo see that their five friends are hanging from hooks. They are still alive, but unconscious, the only movements being their shallow breathing and occasional twitch. With a groan, Thomas tries to lift his head, but is immediately injected with another dose of tranquilizer. Only one sheet remains, which Gemma half-heartedly skips over to and yanks off with no ceremony. The followers cheer at the sight of Dawn Addison, the lifeless corpse naked and suspended by padded chains tenderly wrapped around her shoulders. Her skull and ribcage have been opened and there are holes in her stomach to expose gaps where the organs should be. The thinnest chains run from the students and to the wounds before coiling together into the one ending at the hand crank. Picking up a crooked chalice, Gemma walks around the six bodies and flicks sugary water on their feet.

Once all of the preparations are done, the crowd attempts to swarm the area and are driven away by the ravens. The birds circle the sacrifices and angrily peck at anyone that gets too close for the liking. Gemma is the only one allowed to stay within reach of the bodies, her grinning face moving throughout the flock. She stops at the crank and begins to turn it, the creaking drowned out by the ravens’ song. The chain is gradually retracted and it takes the connected organs out of the students, the bones splintering like rotten wood. Once free of the shuddering victims, the parts fly into Dawn and her wounds are stitched together by the metal links. They turn hot and fuses to the skin, which shifts like there are worms underneath. With a loud snap, the remaining chains burst and the brown-haired woman falls onto her feet where she stands looking down at the floor.

“All we need to do is add the-” Gemma starts to announce as the ravens swarm the fresh corpses. She scowls at the empty chairs sitting behind the followers, the twins having escaped during the ritual. “Did anybody think about watching them? We went over this every weekend for the last ten years! All of you are a severe disappointment to this beloved institution. You know how this is going to work. A sweet reward to the one who brings me the souls. Blah blah blah. Move it!”

(Check out yesterday’s post & see which one was scarier.)

Keating Hall Fordham University

Sitting on inflatable thrones that are at the head of a dragon-shaped table, Apollo and Aurora calmly take in their surroundings. The white walls ripple like bubbles when a blast of air comes through the open skylight and carries away three stacks of napkins. A champagne fountain is in the corner, the bubbling liquid cascading down the marble tiers. Placed in the middle of the dance floor, a building-shaped cake and a giant pie spin around each other as if they are having a romantic dance. Caterpillars hang from the ceiling, their silky tethers glistening with a thin layer of dew. They repeatedly fire more strands across the room to create a colorful network that is inevitably destroyed when one of the sword-like ceiling fans turns on. The twins turn at the same time to see a tiny raven standing on the switch, the bird moving it whenever it tries to reach a bowl of grapes.

Arranged around the room, faceless and unclothed mannequins are posed to resemble party-goers. Most are sitting at the tables, but there are three couples frozen on the dance floor. The statues that make up the band never move even though loud music continues to flow out of the instruments. Wait staff hold empty platters above their heads, the only way to discern their purpose being the faint etching of a bowtie on their necks. The twins begin to pick out more bizarre scenes that have been mixed in with the mundane mannequins. Far to their left is one with a knife in its back, the couple next to it posed to look like they are ignoring their neighbor’s plight. Partially hidden by a plant, three statues appear to be engaging in sex with the one in the middle having its legs unnaturally wrapped around the other two. The most disturbing of all is a child sitting under a table, its hands tightly gripping two sparrows that have been crushed. It is the toothy grin and button eyes that make the image so unnerving since none of the other mannequins have faces.

“Play something sexier!” a voice shouts from every direction. The band rattles as they start a song that brings imagines of seedy strip clubs to the twins’ minds. “Something a little classier than that. I only have myself to blame for creating in a rush. To be fair, my dearly departed husband used to do this kind of stuff. Can someone be departed if they were never parted in the first place? Oh, I’ve probably ruined the mood by now. Just so excited that things are going to their climax and I don’t mean Duchess Contessa and the bellboys in the corner. The old girl sure knows how to work them legs.”

A drum roll starts and all of the mannequins turn their heads toward the desserts that have stopped spinning. The top tier of the cake splits to release a slender arm while the pie is punched through by a foot. Metal feet screeching on the polished floor, the tables spin away from each other and knock the dancing mannequins away. Doing their best to seductively slide out of the food, the two halves of a familiar woman escape their prisons and hop to the floor. With the left side wearing a devil girl outfit and the right dressed to resemble a pirate, Dawn’s pieces strike a pose as if they are done with the show. It takes a second for her to realize she is not whole, so she whistles to get the caterpillars to drop from the ceiling. The bugs cover her body and create a large cocoon that steadily shrinks until it is a narrow pillar. A door opens in the front just as Dawn breaks through the side and pulls a mirror out of the floor. She is wearing a tight red bodysuit with a sword on her hip and a pirate’s hat that has devil horns on the top, none of which seem to match.

“I thought we agreed on the costume,” she growls before kicking the mirror away. Holding up her hands as if she is about to do a puppet show, she knocks them together. “This is why we do rehearsals! I wanted to be a pirate, so which one of you two went devil. I don’t care if the tail makes my butt look smaller. Being a pirate goes perfectly with my eye. Not to mention I’m supposed to get a parrot. So, where in all of this unadulterated madness is my Cracker? Oh, I left him in the pie. Come on out, little one. Cracker want a Polly?”

Reaching under the table, Dawn drags the child mannequin out into the open and holds it up by the leg. A ten foot parrot emerges from the destroyed pie and grabs the statue in its beak before sinking back into the dessert. Stripping down a set of denim underwear, the smiling brunette heads for the cake and opens it like a closet. Various costumes are tossed over her shoulder and fly to one of the mannequins, which silently puts on the outfit. Frustration and impatience mounting, Dawn flips the table over and coos at the sight of a long-tailed suit and top hat. Quickly putting on the old-fashioned clothing, she checks her watermelon-sized pocket watch and playfully spins it as she approaches the twins.

“My apologies for all of those delays. It’s been years since I got to play hostess, so I’m a bit rusty,” Dawn explains, her left arm creaking as she moves it. Stepping over to the punch bowl, she pours some down her sleeve and shivers in delight. “Much better. Now, both of you must be wondering what is going on. I mean, your friends did and reacted accordingly. Yelling, running, begging, whimpering, and one of them even threatened me. We’re not going to have that problem since you two are special. In fact, all of this has been created to celebrate our no year reunion. I’m so happy I could cry, but then I’d ruin my makeup and have to kill people until I felt better.”

“Who are you?” Apollo finally asks, his voice distant and weak. Looking to his sister, he can tell that she is barely paying attention and is on the verge of falling asleep again. “This is another of our dreams, but we’re together. I don’t understand.”

“I would be happy to explain, but I have loyal minions for that,” their host casually replies while she ladles some punch into cups. Politely handing one to Apollo, she throws the other into Aurora’s face in an attempt to wake her up. “Nope, she has a gas problem. I’d try acid, but my mop ran away with my lawnmower. Now, I can answer the question about who I am. My name is Dawn Addison and I’m currently a Taurus, but was a Virgo until I was sixteen and a Leo for most of my twenties. Long ago, I was happily mad with my own hotel until my world fell apart because I discovered I was the center of it. Silly me for thinking it was someone else. Anyway, I’m all better now and my rebar only itches when a sneeze. Just kidding. I never sneeze. Where was I?”

“I have no idea.”

“Well, you’re no help.”

“Have you been in my head all this time?”

Dawn grabs Apollo by the cheeks and peers in his ear, her gold eyepatch turning in the damaged socket. “I don’t see myself in there, but then I could be lying. One could say I’m in your head, but I’ve been known to travel. The truth is that I know you better than you know yourself, but you’ve never heard of me. Not until recently, which is why we had to meet so quickly. Such a horrible young man that you never gave me a chance to make myself more presentable. Aw, but I can’t stay mad at you since you have a piece that I so desperately need and desire. How about a kiss?”

Straddling Apollo’s lap, Dawn presses her lips against his and snakes her tongue deep into his throat. Feeling a stabbing pain in his chest, he thrashes and flails in the hopes of knocking the woman away. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see that Aurora is doubling over and clutching her stomach. Dawn stretches an arm to catch the other twin and softly runs her fingers through the long tresses of cool hair. Angered by her touching his sister, Apollo tries to bite through their host’s aggressive tongue, but he receives an unexpected jolt of electricity. His body going limp and his eyes closing, he collapses in the inflatable throne, which gradually deflates and brings him to the floor. Placing Aurora next to her brother, Dawn takes a step back and pulls a list out of her back pocket.

“All pieces are ripe and accounted for,” she says as she makes two check marks. Holding up the piece of paper, she waits for a popcorn-scented gale to snatch the message and take it through the skylight. “I’m trusting all of you to do what you promised. Rewards have already been mailed out, my woolly friends. Now, bring the shepherdess home and let her do what she was born to do. The world must have gotten so boring without me. After all, there’s never any fun in normal.”

(CLICK HERE to witness what your younger self missed.)

Peabody Hall Miami University

Claiming a window table in the dining hall, the three students find that they have no appetite after getting very little sleep. Wearing the same clothes from the night before, they look disheveled and those sitting next to them quietly move to the next open space. Dark circles are under all of their eyes, Aurora looking the worst due to her previous late nights. Thomas can only stomach a glass of water while Apollo stares at a bagel like he has made the biggest mistake of his life. The trio yawn in unison, which earns chuckles from some of the nearby diners, who happily go back to their meals. Smacking lips and muffled burps sound like thunderclaps to the exhausted and stressed group until their ears mysteriously pop. Ignoring the strange event, Thomas and Aurora stare at the gloomy outdoors while Apollo continues picking seeds off the bagel.

“Why are we the only three who get the day off?” he finally asks the others. Keeping his voice low, the black-haired student looks around to see if anyone is watching them. “If this was about the hockey team and the sorority then shouldn’t the entire school take the day off? So far, it looks like everyone else is going about their business. All of those students had friends here, but we’re the only ones told to skip classes. This has nothing to do with Bryce or Harvey either because them leaving had to be a secret. Nobody has mentioned them at all on social media and I’ve been looking. Doesn’t that seem weird to you?”

“Weird is an understatement,” Thomas replies while he looks around the room. Feeling like the coast is clear, he takes a quick sip from his flask, which is filled with a strong coffee instead of alcohol. “Why do you think I got us out of there so quickly? Professor Soleman was acting strange from the beginning. I mean, he just walked out in front of the car and beckoned us to follow. None of us saw him coming and he would have had to be walking that way before we reached the corner. Too unnerving. Even worse, he hinted that he’s not the only one involved in . . . whatever this is. We need to keep our heads down until we know more.”

“No, we stay out of their way,” Aurora hisses in a hoarse voice. Taking Thomas’s water, she finishes the drink and hacks until her throat is clear. “Have you considered that we’ve been given this day off to calm down? This is a warning that we’re poking around something that we have no business going near. I don’t care what they’re up to. You shouldn’t either since we got in trouble after only two days of investigating. Take today to study and accept that we have more important things to worry about.”

After waiting for a janitor to walk by and out of earshot, Thomas slowly leans forward to whisper, “I refuse to be a victim. Chris and Jennifer are dead. Harvey and Bryce are missing. I don’t know why the first two were taken out, but the others were helping us. Professor Soleman, Charlene, and everyone else in their group won’t let us walk away so easily. They’ll come for us eventually.”

“And paranoia rears its ugly head.”

“I’d rather be cautious than ambushed.”

“Nobody is going to attack you.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because you’re just a student who can’t even focus on a major.”

“That has nothing to do with this.”

“Please talk some sense into him, brother.”

Snapped out of his trance, Apollo looks from Aurora to Thomas and tries to figure out what they are fighting about. All he can do is shrug helplessly before going back to the design he is making with poppy seeds. He is mildly surprised that he has had enough to make a unicorn, which is rearing up. Hearing his sister tapping on the table, Apollo glances at her and opens his mouth to speak. His jaws snaps shut at the sight of hundreds of ravens soaring over the trees and buildings. Their wings silently flap and none of the animals make a noise as they threaten to block the sun. Nobody else pays attention to the flock, making him fear that he has fallen asleep and is dreaming. He relaxes a bit when Thomas finally turns around and nearly jumps out of his seat, his roommate’s knuckles crack as he grips the table. Following their gaze, Aurora is less impressed by the birds, but watches them pass.

The instant his companions turn away, Apollo spots a white form within the flying mass of black. It takes him a second to realize that there is an albino raven hiding among the others, its beak only slightly darker than the rest of its body. Focusing on the rare bird, he watches it veer away from the flock and head toward the lake. As its black-feathered brethren disappear around one of the dorms, the solitary animal continues soaring over the water. The sun begins to pierce the clouds, casting blinding beams that make it impossible to track the raven. The last Apollo sees of it is a flicker of movement near the lake’s surface, which has become choppy and dark green.

“I have no idea what that’s about,” Aurora states before anyone can ask. Leaning back and crossing her arms, she takes a final glance out the window to see if any ravens are still in the area. “Birds aren’t my specialty, so I can only take a guess. They sensed something to eat over there, which could be an open dumpster or a dead deer. Although, there were a lot of them in that flock. Surprised the population is so big considering there are hawks and owls here. Those should keep the ravens under control. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen either of those animals around in the last month.”

“Another mystery or is it connected to the one we already have?” Thomas asks with a proud smile. Scratching his head, he tries to think of a story that would explain everything and happily snaps his fingers when he gets an idea. “Professor Soleman, Coach Warner, and Charlene made a deal with a big company. They get rich while toxic waste is dumped somewhere on or near campus. Just so happens this stuff killed off the hawk and owl populations, which they’re now trying to hide.”

“And you said I need to look into creative writing,” Apollo jokes, his stomach rumbling slightly. He is about to take a bite of his bagel when a foul smell makes his guts twist. “Just when I almost had an appetite. Does anybody else smell that? Can’t put my finger on what it reminds me of.”

“Like rotting meat,” Thomas says while sniffing the air. He freezes when a chorus of faint clicks echoes throughout the dining hall. “I’m starting to worry here. Not sure about what, but I just have a bad feeling.”

“Is that gas?” Aurora asks as she backs away from the heating vent. Wisps of white mist stream out of the slits, the vapor fading away as it touches the light. “Maybe they’re cleaning the ducts with water. Not sure if that’s a thing, but it makes more sense than everyone here getting poisoned. I feel dizzy.”

Apollo is the only one who manages to cover his nose and mouth before a flood of gas pours from the vents. He scrambles away from the table as Aurora and Thomas slump over, their loud snores shaking the windows. None of the other students act like they see the cloud that is flowing across the floor. Grotesque faces appear beneath all of the seats and remain, the open mouths pumping gas into the air. Reaching for their victims, the twisting tendrils are inhaled with every breath, bite, and uttered word. Feeling cornered and desperate, Apollo grabs an abandoned handkerchief from a table and presses it to his face. He climbs onto a chair, but jumps off immediately when one of the faces materializes on the floor. The bug-eyed apparition pouts and spits a stream of mist before stretching back into a shapeless form.

Once he gets to the stairs, Apollo sees that the gas is staying on the upper floor and only the first step has been covered. Determined to escape, he runs for the doors and tries to use his shoulder to open them. With a grunt, he puts all of his strength into the blow and tries not to yell at the pain that rockets down his arm. For a brief moment, he feels blood flowing under his sleeve, but he ignores out of self-preservation. Bracing his back foot against the bottom step, Apollo gets the doors to give an inch and feels a delicious rush of cool air come in from the empty lobby. With the creak of straining metal, the exit slams back together and knocks him to the ground. Looking up, he sees that the gas is flowing towards him, so he rushes back upstairs to avoid getting trapped in the narrow stairwell.

Apollo is about to grab a chair and charge the distant windows when he realizes that the students are no longer sitting still. While Thomas and Aurora are exactly as he left them, the others have broken out into a mad frenzy. He can only guess that in the short time he has been gone, they have raided the kitchen and salad bar. Food is on every flat surface and nearly all of it has been partially eaten, some pieces even showing signs that they were swallowed and spit back up. Famished students are everywhere gorging themselves on whatever they can greedily get their teeth into. Many are missing fingers, which they failed to get out of the way of their own mouths while eating. Apollo jumps back when a young woman rolls out from behind the drink dispenser and falls down the stairs. Her arms have already been devoured up to the elbows and she continues working on her legs even though she has broken her spine during the bouncing fall. As the real food runs out, more of the students settle for self-cannibalization or merely pouncing on the nearest person.

Unable to get to the windows or save his friends, Apollo carefully makes his way to the kitchen entrance. He looks around the corner to see if there is anyone there, but only the gutted staff are in view. Shocked by the violence, he tries not to throw up, but fails when he finds a cook with her head still stuck in the deep fryer. The sound of clanging pots and pans come from the back, so he grabs a carving knife in case he runs into a hungry student. Apollo stops when he realizes that he has not been covering his mouth since he got back upstairs. No longer afraid, he is about to return to the dining hall and make another attempt to rescue Aurora and Thomas when a metal colander hits him in the head. The impact is enough to knock him out, the last thing he sees being a short, hazy form standing on the counter.