Bloodstock Island

Chapter 8

From one fence to the other, Max jumps with such agileness and speed, his adrenaline pump up. He’d needed the jolt it in his veins, needing to ready his mind for what was about to come.

As expected, he arrived at school in the nick of time, having taken the route between the neighborhood.

A few Students rushed to get inside, as the clock at the top of the building neared hitting eight. He stares at it, waiting until the long hand reaches twelve.

Once it strikes, the bell rings, prompting him to walk. He swallows hard, feeling his heart racing. If what he feared became true, then he would find out immediately just by walking inside.

He takes a deep breath, staring at the handle of the double doors. He cannot hide the foreboding sensation, knowing he’s dad may have done something.

The image of his dad’s murderous eyes, along with his clench jaw, brought dread upon him. As it was the only thing which could cause anger towards him.

But again, he was not sure of it, since there’s still the question left inside of him, telling him it was impossible for anyone to find out.

With a pump up head, he takes in a few deep breaths before turning the knob. His eyes grew wide, being greeted by hundreds of students, all of them lining up in the hall.

What caught his attention were the individuals in hazmat suits, lingering around, assisting the teachers.

“Mister Dullahan, you’re late! Hurry and fall in line!”

It was the principal who waving at him to move.

His mind suddenly turning blank. All he could do was follow the order, running to the nearest person there, taking his place behind. His gaze remained on those people with protective gear, listening in on what they were saying.

But all he caught was asking of names, and then the tapping on their devices each time they got an answer.

“What’s going?”

Max asks the kid in front of him. As they were still far away. From the looks of it, they were heading straight for the gym.

“I don’t know. All they said was we needed to get checked for something.”

The boy shrugs his shoulders.

Another guy turned to them after hearing the question.

“I heard somebody from the outside who was sick got in here. So they are required to make sure we’re not infected.”

The dude murmured, giving them both this ominous look. The others also started whispering about it, letting out their own thoughts on the topic.

“By what?”

Max hissed.

Suddenly curious why all the precautionary measures.

He’d now completely relax, because if this was true, then this could very well be the reason for his father’s reaction and not his little secret.

There was silence as they one of the masked individual walk in on them, letting out those raspy breathing voices beneath their nozzles.

They all straightened up, remaining steady like a good flock of sheep. Until everything was clear again, which prompted another whispering frenzy.

“I don’t know.”

The second kid replied, shaking his shoulders.

From then on, a third dude joined in, which was from a parallel line beside them, looking all smug before saying.

“My dad said it was a virus.”

Which made a boy answer.

“Someone claimed it was those airborne diseases which makes you go crazy.”

There was gasp and more murmuring, as more gossip got exchange.

As Max also became intrigued, a sudden nudge of fear seized over him, remembering what had happened to him yesterday.

The images of mister Jefferson, along with his three classmates came into mind. Flashes of their groggy faces appeared before him.

Dread began creeping into him, causing him to shiver. The thought that he might have gotten infected crawled into his thoughts. Until he caught another whisper from a nearby group.

“Do you think the new kid brought it here?”

A chubby boy states, giving this wide eyes look to his friends, whom which all nodded in agreement.

“You mean the recently transferred guy?”

Someone from a separate line asks, being aware of the person they were talking about.

It was then that Max furrowed, as the exchange kept on getting more elaborate. Also, he had not heard of anyone new, since he did not expect anybody would want to go there.

“Yeah, you notice how he looks. Pretty shady to me.”

The kid in front of him states with a twisted face.

The others agreed, nodding their heads in unison upon remembering the individual.

As he lost interest in the story, because some things were being made up. He returned his focused on his primary concern.

Wandering his gaze, he tried to search for the three numbskulls. As they did not seem to be around, even if they were supposed to assist in there, since they were part of the student body.

From what he’d gathered a while ago, along with the over imaginative stories they’d been talking about. He can’t help but worry.

If there was indeed a sickness and those four got it, there was a high chance he had gotten it, too. And since he went home telling nothing to his dad, he might have also infected him.

Fear and regret drew over him. The claws of conscience began scratching behind his back. His terror increased the minute he was upfront, facing the masked individual which sat on a table, typing on some stuff on his laptop.

“Name please!”

The man asks once more.

Max had gotten lost in a daze. It took him a while to gather his thoughts. After swallowing hard, he gathers his courage, avoiding stuttering in the moment.

“Max A. Dullahan.”

He says with a stern and deep tone.

His eyes narrowing when he noticed how the person leaned forward to have a good look at him.

“Are you Lance’s kid?”

The man inquires, his voice sounding robotic behind those filtered masks.

It got him by surprise, picking up his dad’s name. From the looks of it, these people weren’t from town. So, he was caught off guard hearing it from them.

“Yes, you know my dad?”

He asks, intrigued.

It was then he recognized the crest in their suits. It was the same one he saw in his old man’s bag. A shield with two swords crossing.

“Of course we do.”

The guy chuckled, immediately pressing a stamp on a paper which had Max’s name on it asking no further question. The person then signals his comrade, who had a baton on his waist to approach, passing on the piece of document he’d signed.

“Hey man! Take this one to Dr. Carl, tell him it’s Dullahan’s.”

The fellow says before throwing him a thumbs up.

“You don’t say. How come this kid looks way more handsome?”

The guy snickers as if taken aback, making the two laugh out loud.

The sudden liveliness of the masks individuals got Max to calm down. As he notice the friendly aura, they were giving out.

“Follow me, kiddo. We better get you checked up, else we might receive a scolding from your old man.”

The fellow jokes before nudging his head to stay close.

That put him at ease, making him smile when he realized he was getting some kind of special treatment. If these people knew his dad, then maybe he can tell them what happened, knowing they’d probably inform his father of his problem.