What Becomes After 'Not It?'

Jack's pov

When Im screamed my last name I couldn't help but laugh. But, when I heard her scream my first name and grasp my arm tight, then all of a sudden disappear, I nearly went on rampage... or did I? Then, the light flickered a couple times then turned on bright. Everyone else in the building returned normal... except for me and the guys.

'GUYS! KIMS. GONE.' I said in an almost screaming voice. The guys freaked out. I turned around to look for her but something caught my eye. An old folded up paper taped to a locker. I grabbed it and read it:

This is what happens when people doubt me.

-L-

I was positive I went into rampage mode now.

"GUYS! The ghost took Kim!" I screamed now. They ran away. "Get it together and be men! Gosh Kim wasn't scared of the thing... until she found out it was seriously real but we won't worry about that. Now, we will find her by sundown!'

"But Jack!" Milton started. 'We can't stay here all day!"

'Yah and things happen after dark.' Jerry said lowering his voice. We all just glared at him with sarcastic faces.

'After Astronomy, we'll look for her." I whispered. The guys nodded. As if right on que the bell rang. Everyone scurried into their classes.

I couldn't get my mind off the incident in the hallway. When the bell rang I bolt out of the room and cram everything in my locker. Soon, the guys arrived.

'Ok, plan A. Underground.' I said.

'But doesn't plan A always go wrong in movies?' Eddie asked.

'Fine. We'll call it plan B but I don't care what we call it I just want Kim back.' I said. They nodded and we headed out the doors.

I turned the corner to look down the the narrow alley like view. We were behind the school and man, it was a mess. Dead trees and limbs were everywhere like a fire was just put out, and it smelt like fire. We walked in cautiously when I felt a quick abnormal breeze swift by me. I jumped making the guys freak.

'Stop it!' I snapped. I noticed a note was in my hand. It read:

So... you won't come if I say but you will for your Kimmy... that's cold...

-L-

I decided that I freaked the guys out enough today so I just tucked it in my pocket and kept my lips shut about it.

'Jack!' I would hear Kim's name. I didn't know if it was just me or for real.

'Guys, do you hear Kim's voice?' I asked.

'Jack, we know we're look-' I accidentally interrupted Milton. I heard voices and screams echo in my head. I had my hands around my ears and I almost yelled. I could faintly hear my friends' screams to help me but the noise in my head was too much.

'Stop it! Don't do that! Stop! Stop! Drop it don't touch that! Stop! Stop!' I yelled aimlessly. I dropped on my knees. I held my head on the ground and hands over my ear. I saw... no I could feel a presence next to Kim and it had a knife. I think it was going to attack her.

'JACK!' finally I snapped and the echoes left. I calmed a little bit but still breathed at a hundred mile an hour pace.

'JACK! Are you ok?' Jerry asked. The boys were on there knees around me.

'What happened?' Eddie asked. I sat on my knees.

'I have no idea. It was- was something-' I had my eyes still closed and I felt my hand forming objects in the air to help me remember my feeling. 'Sharp- fast- Kim- it was-' I stopped dead sentence wide eyed. A shock of pain stabbed my stomach. I yelled... almost as loud as I could.

'I knew this was a bad idea!' Milton exclaimed. He put his arm on my shoulder and I sat up. Blood was on the ground from my mouth and I looked at the hand that grasped my stomach... blood. Yippee.

'Jack?! What did you do?' Milton nearly screamed.

'It's not what I did.' I sighed holding back signs of pain. 'It's what she did.' the guys were confused. I looked at my stomach, and the blood was instantly gone and no pain was there. A note was in front of me.

'What does it say Jack?' Jerry asked crawling closer. It read:

Hmm... I guess you guys are stronger together. I sparred both of your lives. Well, too bad that won't happen again. Don't. Come. Closer.

-L-

'What? Oh nothing just the note from earlier.' I lied. I folded it back up and tucked it into the pocket where the other two notes where. I got up and started walking to the basement's doors.

'Jack are you nuts?!' Jerry yelled.

'I'm not leaving the school premises without Kim now got over here.' I said a little more harsh than I intended. The three scuffled over in fear of what might happen if they didn't. I opened the doors for what looks like the first time in a million years. Instead of your regular six steps to the basement look, a winding staircase made of sharp shinny metal winded upwards and downwards. I put my foot on the step. No creak.

'Well look, it's newer than you expected.' I said sarcastically as I casually walked down the stairs.

'Whenever I said no one could scare me,' Jerry started as he climbed through the door. Once we were all in he finished, 'I was lying.' The three of us rolled our eyes. Once we descended about 5 stories, a huge room filled with metal pipes and waterways came into view. A purplish bluish light steamed around our feet and high up at the ceiling, where the school supposedly stood, thousands of lightbulb lamps glimmered. We cautiously walked around. Every couple of seconds, a noise in what sounded like a pipe fell would echo and one of the guys would jump out of their skins making me hold back laughs. Finally, we reached the end of the room. I peered down the left way, since we were standing near the top right corner of the room, and found a hallway brightly lit.

'Guys c'mon. Act normal.' I said. We casually walked into a white hallway. It resembled a lab. We walked around and came to what looked like a security room. Funny, no one was outside or in the UNLOCKED security room. We cautiously walked in. Milton sat down and checked the cameras. A locker room's lights, from the looks of it, flickered on and off exactly how the ones at the dojo did.

'Locker rooms. Let's go.' I said. We hurried down halls just following the lights. Pretty soon, we came upon the sounds of screaming... exactly the ones that possessed my head. I ran faster and pretty soon, found myself in a flat out sprint.

'Wait up Jack! We can't run as fast as you!' Jerry exclaimed breathing hard. I unwillingly slowed down. Then, I leaned up against the corner. The locker rooms were right on the other side. I held up fingers... one...two...THREE. We jumped out and raced up to the flickering hallway and room. I peered in the room and leaned up against the door. I felt banging and heard yells. But right as. touched the doorknob, the lights flashed on, the banging stopped, but worst of all... the very familiar screams stopped. I thrust the door open. I see blood on the floor with a note sitting on it. I raced over and cautiously pick up the wet piece of paper. It read:

You're a bad listener. You got too close. You let me get to close. Guess what?...

-L-

'This is terrible!' my kind screamed. I looked at the mirror which was foggy like someone took a very hot shower. In the fog, letters appeared saying:

You're it.

I looked from the note to the mirror over an over. Soon, all the noise from us breathing slowed. But, I heard an extra breath. I scanned the room. I looked down, and I saw the tips of two shoes. I slowly lowered my self to my hands and knees ignoring the freezing cold blood. I instantly saw a figure wrapped in a ball under the very dirty sink. I crawled towards it. I felt the others' eyes on me. Soon, I noticed it was a person and he was alive... she was-

'Kim?' I asked gently. She jumped then I felt arms around my neck. I wasn't ready for the attack and fell on my back. I sat up and Kim was in my lap.

'Jack!' she kept whispering and holding onto me. I hugged her back. I felt something warm on my stomach and pushed her away. Her shirt had blood all over it.

'Kim! Is that your blood all over the floor? Who did it? Are you ok?' I said.

'Yes, I don't know and... I think. I don't feel any pain.' I calmed a bit. She put her hand under her shirt. Her eyes widened. She lifted her shirt. The cut was gone.

'That exact thing happened to Jack.' Milton said lowering to us. I turned and examined Kim's face. She was ghostly white and blood smeared her face.

'Ugh!' I groaned and just hugged her again. She did to me too. Soon, we stood up.

'Why did she do this to you?' I asked.

'I don't know. What did the letter say?' I read it aloud. I read the others aloud too.

'But, who's L?' Kim asked.

'I don't know. But it's definitely someone from the story you told... maybe even the girl known as the Despised One?' I replied lowering my voice to a whisper.

'You mean Lacey?' A raspy, echoed voice said making all of us in the room jump.