Sitting on the bench, between the blue lockers, the scent of stale sweat forced its way into my nostrils. My will was gaining, solidifying the barrier between myself and my attackers. This was something new to me. I’d experienced much that was new since my arrival. It made me question just how strong I truly was. I’d grown accustomed to being the strongest power in my neck of the woods. But the logistics of it were simple when I really thought about it.
I was used to a population of under a thousand, spread over an area of forest and towns far beyond their prime. I hadn’t considered the threats of city life. When one-hundred and sixty-seven thousand people live in a relatively small area, there was bound to be more people like myself. Moreover, it was foolish to think I was the strongest among them.
Breathing heavily, I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders. I managed to guard against this attack. But what about the next one? I needed answers. I needed to find out who was responsible for it. Maybe then I could build a resistance.
I picked myself up and looked around. Not a soul was around other than myself. But I didn’t want to linger here too long. While class was in session, I was still in enemy territory. I’d been in enough fights to know this was the easiest place to be outnumbered with little chance of interruption or backup.
I made for the door and stepped into the hall in front of the supply room. The east gym was to my right, the exit to my left. Glancing at the pass Colonel Baldur had written me, crumpled and damp with sweat in the palm of my hand, I weighed my options. I didn’t feel like going to class. In fact, all I really wanted to do was go home. I could lower my defenses there without concern.
My mind made, I turned left and pushed through the painted doors. Sunlight beamed upon my face, nearly blinding me. I could feel the dry heat cooking me from within, but I wasn’t about to go back inside. Mom wouldn’t be home for another few hours, and the bus wasn’t likely the make a special trip just for me. It seemed I’d be walking.
I made my way toward the hyper building. Having run laps around it many times, I’d grown accustomed to its layout. No one would bother me, of the staff anyway, so long as I looked like I belonged. Getting past the parking lots was going to be the hard part. Fortunately, I tend to listen when people are ignoring me. Had it not been for that, I wouldn’t have been the wiser for a perfect escape route.
Along the west side of the hyper building, there’s a forested ravine that runs the length of the property. The south end dumps near the soccer field, while the north connects to conservation forest. I learned about it from the stoner kids who go down there to get high.
I darted around the corner and crossed the narrow road leading to the football field. Reaching the grass on the other side, I ran down the steep hill, narrowly keeping my balance. A heartbeat later I was submerged in trees.
Reaching the bottom of the ravine, I discovered it was mostly rock with a thin stream of water, not even worthy to be called a stream, that flowed south. I would have to be extremely careful down here. Most kids believe adults to be ignorant. They don’t consider that the teachers and staff have done the same job for years. In the grand scheme of things, students spend a relatively short period of time at school compared to their instructors. For that reason, a student who believes himself original is simply repeating the something the teachers have dealt with before. Whether the student has prior knowledge or not is irrelevant. The fact is, any trick, hiding place, idea, or excuse a student could use has likely been used before. I was not so foolish. I knew the teachers knew of this place. Hell, some of them probably used it themselves. I simply had to make sure I remained unnoticed. Getting caught would likely lead to accusations to which I am not guilty. But try telling that to an adult who’s already made their mind up.
I came to a concrete tunnel. There was plenty of room for me to walk freely, and the ground was only slightly wet, with stringy moss dancing the little water that flowed away from me. I paused at the entrance. On one hand, using the tunnel would conceal me completely until I got to the edge of the soccer field. But I’d been in similar situations before. If the other end was being watched, there’d be no escape. Though I highly doubt a cop would be hiding in a bush this time.
Decided against the tunnel, I skirted the coarse wall and jumped up to the top of the ledge. Carefully, I made my way through the dense trees, catching glints of sunlight reflected off the cars parked to my left. I was much closer to the open than I liked to be. But I preferred the means to escape if it was needed far greater than concealment. Watching the distance, and keeping an eye out for company, student or faculty, I saw the top of the tunnel just head. It had a large walled opening just like the other end, though it appeared smaller than its counterpart. A part of me wondered why it was here in the first place, but that question quickly vanished with the sight of the school security car parked along the edge of the lot.
I froze, studying every detail I could. The car was partially obstructed by trees. That was a good thing. It meant I was obstructed as well. Squinting, I was just able to see a silhouette beyond the sun-glared windshield. That would work to my advantage. Human eyesight is incapable of staring through a lighted area to make out any detail in a shadowed one. And the fact he was in his car, likely with the air conditioner running full blast, meant any sound I could make would likely be missed. All I had to do now was head west along the forested edge of the soccer field, and to the road beyond that.