There was the clock tower again, looming up into the darkness and fog like a giant cobra rearing to strike. Two smaller figures were outlined against it; and ex-Marine and a police officer, both so very tiny in comparison to the tower. The power the two held seemed to make it shudder, however; the gold medallion began to burn in Arelia's hand. She felt the base of the clock tower for a slot and found a small groove on its left side, where she carefully inserted the medallion.

The clock groaned. When they looked up at its face, it had stopped at 12:00.

"A place of songs and sound," Arelia whispered, humbled in the complexity of the moment. Bishop seemed less fazed. He lowered his flashlight and stared up at the clock face thoughtfully.

"A music room, maybe?"

"Maybe." The map indicated there was a Music Room in the school. Arelia and Bishop easily found it, also finding a piano with blood stained keys and a message written in the same life fluid on the chalkboard.


"A Tale of birds without a voice"


first flew the greedy pelican

eager for the reward

white wings flailing


then came a silent dove

flying beyond the pelican

as far as he could


a raven flies in

flying higher than the dove

just to show that he can


a swan glides in

to find a peaceful spot

next to another bird


finally out comes a crow

coming quickly to a stop

yawning and then napping


who will show the way

who will be the key

who will lead to

the silver reward?


Both read it over several times. Neither could understand it, or what in the world it had to do with anything at all.

Arelia walked over to the piano, touching its red, white and black keys, her touch gentle so as not to make a sound. She set up her hands over Middle C and thought back to her piano lessons. She had taken them when she was a child, and had become quite good. She remembered the concerts and recitals she had been asked to attend and perform in. She smiled to chase away the nostalgia.

"I used to play," she said aloud to Bishop, who looked over his shoulder and smiled.

"Really? Will you play something for me?" Arelia thought back again, attempting to find an appropriate song to play for him. After a while, she resorted to letting her hands play blindly, the way she had allowed them to do when she became lost in the music so long ago.

A haunting tune escaped the keys, familiar and yet Arelia found herself unable to place it. She let the music trill from the piano until she hit a key that made no sound at all. She stopped playing and stared at the piano. Bishop had heard it as well, and glanced at her.

"You play well," he said. "Why did you stop?"

"Some of the keys are mute," she answered. She looked at the riddle on the chalkboard again. "You know, none of the birds in that poem have any mention of voices." Bishop read it again and nodded, putting his hand to his chin and stroking his goatee in thought.

"And the color of the birds are black and white. They could correspond to the colors of the piano keys."

"But where do they land?" asked Arelia, the question directed at no one in particular.

Both thought for some time until Bishop came up with an answer. He walked over to Arelia and sat next to her on the piano bench, looking at the keys, then at the poem, then back at the keys again. Slowly he pressed the third key. Then the tenth. Eleventh. Eighth. He made eye contact with Arelia for a long moment before pressing the second key on the scale. Something fell and hit the floor. Arelia leaned over and picked up a silver medallion. Both smiled at each other.

On their way to the clock tower, the radio began whistling. Arelia was too slow to react to it; Bishop was tackled hard to the ground before she could turn to shoot. He turned over onto his back to face his attacker and was met with the startling first-person view of a child's mangled, inhuman face glaring into his. He sincerely wished he hadn't shined his flashlight on it. The zombie reared up and stabbed Bishop hard in the right shoulder, spurting blood high into the air and throwing it over his uniform as the knife was pulled out. Arelia had a good shot and was about to fire when Bishop let out a roar of anger and pain, sat up, and punched a hole through the zombie's head.

The police officer stood and shook off the thing, and grabbed another one approaching. He swung it hard into the wall several times, getting his arm slashed up in the process. He brought it back down to the ground and beat it to death with his riot baton. The radio crackled and faded into its usual hum. Arelia stared as Bishop came after her next, slamming her hard against the wall.

"Bishop! Bishop, it's me, put me down!" His vibrant blue eyes were dark with rage and his body shook slightly from the adrenaline snaking through his system. She stared into his eyes with a deep challenge and waited. Slowly they cleared, and he set her down carefully, staggering back and holding his bleeding right forearm. Arelia stayed up against the wall while he doubled over, snarling quietly.

"What are those things?!" he hissed as blood pumped through his fingers. Slowly Arelia left the wall and came to his side, reaching into her jacket and handing him a medicine bottle.

"Drink this." Bishop took it while she put pressure on his wound and stared into the deep gash in his shoulder. He finished the bottle and tossed it aside; Arelia relieved pressure when she found the wound had completely healed on his forearm. She gave him a second bottle for his shoulder injury, which healed in the same manner.

"Weird," she murmured.

"Effective," Bishop corrected. He reached over and touched Arelia's cheek. "Thank you." For a moment, he smiled at her and brushed the path of her cheek bone with his thumb, then flew back hard as she punched him in the face. He landed with a loud thud at the end of the hall and sat up slightly, looking at her, stunned.

"That's for slamming me against a wall," she said as she passed him on the way to the clock tower. Bishop laid back down on the floor and decided it was worth his while to ask her a question while she was out of range.

"Can I have another medicine bottle?"

"No," came the answer from down the hall.