Chapter 2: The beginnings

I awoke in a classroom. Raising my head from the cold, hard desk I registered my surroundings. 8th period, math class. Brushing a strand of azure blue hair out of my eyes, I noticed the lack of people.

"What time is it?" I asked aloud. I glanced at the clock and noticed it was almost three o'clock. "Fuck…" I muttered I was asleep for a half-an-hour after school ended. Why the hell hadn't anyone awoken me? I mean, my best friend was right behind me. Sighing heavily I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder. Thus, was the day-to day life of Leo Strauss, a 17-year-old stoner who didn't give two fucks about school. I walked the suspiciously empty hallways utterly perplexed at the void of people. But I knew where I was going, approaching the doors, which would free me from the juvenile prison of mandatory education.

"When I find Chris…" I muttered to myself "…I'll ream him out for not waking me up, and then him and I will smoke so much fucking weed, we won't be able to say 'the' without cracking up. Hope the kitchen's stocked." Chris my best friend since I moved here in the 8th grade. The one who turned me on to what Mary Jane had to offer in the first place. I reached the doors of the school, a portal to which freedom lay separated by metal and glass. I reached my hands and pulled. The door was locked.

"Huh? What the hell is this?" I wondered out loud pulling harder, though I knew in my heart the door wouldn't open. "Come…on…you…mother…FUCKER!" I screamed pulling the door with the fervor of a masturbation addict on the verge of orgasm. "Dammit, I give up." I said taking my hand of the door. Thinking of a way to get out, my mind flashed to the side door, that one was always open. Chris and I sometimes got in through there late at night to get stoned in a place where we knew we wouldn't be interrupted. Turning around I saw a metal grate closed not ten feet from where I was standing.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me. WHEN THE HELL DID THE SCHOOL GET METAL GRATES?" To put it lightly, I was pissed. I entered the classroom a little ways down the hall. This classroom I knew opened into the first class a little ways down the hall, past the grate.

To my surprise the desk nearest to me had a Glock on top of it. "Why the hell?" I thought looking over to examine it. When my confusion subsided a bit, my ears opened to the sickening plopping coming from the front of the classroom. Grabbing the gun I inched forward. "Hello? Is someone there?" I said inching forward ever so slowly. The source of the noises straightened up. As my eyes fell upon it my body stiffened.

Standing in front of me was a human sized figure covered in what seemed to be some slime, it entire body reflected the light in a grotesque sheen. It hand appeared to be bound together. Other than that it appeared devoid of any usual features whatsoever. It staggered towards me as I raised me gun. "Stop or I'll shoot!" Unfazed by the sight of a 9mm pointed at it continued to move towards me. "GET AWAY!" I screamed and began firing. After emptying the entire clip into the thing it buckled and fell down.

I prodded at it with my foot. "It's dead? But what in God's name is it?" I found another clip on the teacher's desk. Jamming it into my gun I walked through to the next classroom which was devoid of any inhabitants or useful stuff.

When I walked into the hallway I heard footsteps down the hall, turning my head I saw a black T-shirt, blue jeans, and a mess of blonde hair. My heart slowed down as I called "Chris? Hey Chris, wait up!" Chris turned around to face me. Shorter and than I was but just about as skinny, his gray eyes reflected no surprise in seeing me.

"Hmmm… So I guess I blew my low profile. My past has finally caught up to me…" He muttered to himself as I jogged up to him.

"Chris, what're you talking about. And by the way do you have any idea what the fuck is going on here? Did you slip acid into my lunch or something? Because if you did…" He raised his hand to stop me.

"Leo, how much do you think you know about me? And while you're at it have you ever thought about what happens after a person dies?"

"What? Stop talking in riddles, man! If you know something, out with it al-fucking-ready!" At my words he gave a slow smile and turned away.

"You've got eyes, ears, and a brain of your own Leo, use them! Unravel the clues yourself. I don't want to break to you any bad news…" His words faded as he disappeared into darkness, leaving me with more questions than before I met him. Needless to say this was weird behavior for him. Chris was usually the type of guy who was normally goofy and playful, but when things got serious you could trust and confide in him. But then again he was also the type of guy who never talked about himself much. I had no idea who is family was, where he came from, or even where he lived. To answer Chris' first question: I knew very little about him, despite the fact that he was my only friend in this cage of tyranny called school. I ran down the hallway after him taking the only door at the very end to proceed.