Hell
By: Rabid Turtle
Author: Hi guys! This is my first Lord of the Flies fanfic. Just something I needed to write and get out of my system I guess… Anyway, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I refuse to own Lord of the Flies. Many howling kids, tired of analyzing the symbolic meanings of every sentence, would be after me if I had. No thank you.
If there ever was a place on earth that could be classified as a "living hell' the school bus would be the first on many people's list. You can feel it in the atmosphere as soon as you trudge up those three disgusting steps. The undercurrents of possible danger make you nervous and you inhale the stench of sweat and stale air as you walk down the aisle, hoping, praying that there is an empty seat.
The danger is rarely physical. No, it is more devious than that. You see its damage in the kids who hide in their seats, who press up against the wall of the bus, as if to become as small as possible so no one can touch them. You see the predatory glint of it in the eyes of the few, the proud, the ones who know that they can never be harmed. They are the tormentors, not the tormented. You know that there is no neutral ground. You either join in with this savage hunt of the different or you become different yourself. You know.
You also know that there is always a leader, a terrible "Jack Merridew", ready and waiting for the chaos to begin. It is this person whom everyone revolves around. Who wouldn't fawn over the one who controls you social fate?
There are always questions looming over everyone's head. Will you be the one today that Jack commands the savages to attack? Or will you be spared and become a savage yourself, hoping that your time will not come soon?
It begins. Today is the day. You can feel it. Jack calls to you pleasantly, pleadingly and you have no choice but to sit down close to him and wait for it to begin.
But wait! Who is that kid sitting across the aisle, the one who is holding in to his backpack for dear life? You turn to look at Jack's face and see that today is not your day. You suppress the sick feeling of joy that is bubbling up inside you. There is no time for that. You listen as the entire bus starts laughing at the derogatory comment Jack has thrown at the boy. Jack turns to you, waiting for you reaction. Everyone waits.
This is it. This is the moment that defines your life. You hate Jack, you know everyone hates Jack. Will you become one of his mindless followers? Or are you strong enough to be different, to defy the rules of the bus? There would be consequences but still…
Slowly, so slowly, you begin to laugh, softly at first but then raising your voice so that everyone is laughing maniacally, pointing at the poor kid who did nothing wrong but be different.
You realize then, how fast it can be for you to learn to hate yourself.
-End-